Genesis 6 · Flood and covenant
Genesis moves from individual violence to a world described as corrupt and filled with violence. God's grief and judgment introduce the flood, while Noah receives a concrete commission to preserve his household and living creatures.
The biblical text
1And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them,
2That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.
3And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.
4There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.
5And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
6And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.
7And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.
8But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.
9These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.
10And Noah begat three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
11The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.
12And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
13And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.
14Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch.
15And this is the fashion which thou shalt make it of: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, the breadth of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits.
16A window shalt thou make to the ark, and in a cubit shalt thou finish it above; and the door of the ark shalt thou set in the side thereof; with lower, second, and third stories shalt thou make it.
17And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and every thing that is in the earth shall die.
18But with thee will I establish my covenant; and thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons’ wives with thee.
19And of every living thing of all flesh, two of every sort shalt thou bring into the ark, to keep them alive with thee; they shall be male and female.
20Of fowls after their kind, and of cattle after their kind, of every creeping thing of the earth after his kind, two of every sort shall come unto thee, to keep them alive.
21And take thou unto thee of all food that is eaten, and thou shalt gather it to thee; and it shall be for food for thee, and for them.
22Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he.
King James Version. Text from eBible.org. Edition and rights.
Original study notes
The sons of God, daughters of men and mighty men introduce an interpretive problem that readers have understood in different ways. Angelic, royal and family-line readings exist. The passage does not explain every identity or mechanism, so speculative systems should not displace its setting of human disorder.
The narrator emphasizes pervasive evil, divine grief and the corruption of the earth. Noah finds grace and is described as righteous, walking with God. The contrast is moral and relational. It is not a claim that Noah lacks every human failing, as chapter 9 will make clear.
God specifies an ark, its dimensions, three decks, pitch, an opening and a side door. A covenant is announced, and food must be stored for people and animals. Noah's obedience turns the warning into practical preparation. The vessel is a means of preservation, not a warship or a royal monument.
Genesis does not identify gopher wood with a modern species. The 120 years in verse 3 have been read as a limit on lifespan or a period before judgment; the meaning is disputed.
Explore difficult questions →The earth is corrupt and filled with violence, especially in verses 11-13.
Detailed preparation, gathering provisions and constructing what God commands.
Read these passages in context. Notice what they repeat, develop or clarify.
