Genesis 8:1-22

Cross-references For Better Understanding a Related Topics b Additional Materials c

Summary

• The waters subside; they leave the ark.

Details

• The waters subside.

• Noah sends out birds to find out the condition of the land.

• God tells Noah to exit the ark.

• Noah offers a sacrifice to God; God blesses Noah (and indirectly, all the creatures).

Scripture

Genesis 8:1-22 - Receding waters; leaving the ark.

• See also: Noah's Flood Chronology and Significant Events and Third World Ecosystem

Scripture Passage	Comments and Links
Gen 8:1 God remembered Noah, all the animals, and all the livestock that were with him in the ship; ...	Concept of "remembered" - God didn't "forget" them, but focused attention on him. The Idea of God "Remembering" Something
... and God made a wind to pass over the earth. The waters subsided. Gen 8:2 The deep's fountains and the sky's windows were also stopped, and the rain from the sky was restrained.	Subsiding waters. Most of this water is probably now in the oceans. The Fountains of the Deep The Sky's "Windows"
Gen 8:3 The waters receded from the earth continually. After the end of one hundred fifty days the waters decreased. Gen 8:4 The ship rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on Ararat's mountains. Gen 8:5 The waters receded continually until the tenth month. In the tenth month, on the first day of the month, the tops of the mountains were seen.	Most of the water from the Flood is probably now located in the oceans (which still cover the greater portion of the earth). Where did these waters come from? Those who hold to the Water Vapor Canopy Theory would claim that the original "waters above the sky" (Genesis 1:6-8) no longer exist above the sky, but are in the oceans. Others would theorize (with perhaps better support) that they came from the "fountains of the great deep," since much of the earth's surface would have collapsed, as the underground water emptied onto the surface (Genesis 7:11). If the ark is still on Ararat, it's probably buried under one of the glaciers. If "global warming" melts the glaciers, it will once again become visible to the public. In the tenth month, other mountains are visible; but plant life is not yet ready to support animal life (as noted below).
Gen 8:6 It happened at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the window of the ship which he had made, Gen 8:7 and he sent forth a raven. It went back and forth, until the waters were dried up from the earth.	An "unclean" bird of prey: It could have rested in places where the dove wouldn't (see next verse), such as in muddy areas, on floating dead animals (if any were still floating), etc. Concepts of "Clean" and "Unclean"
Gen 8:8 He sent forth a dove from him, to see if the waters were abated from the surface of the ground, Gen 8:9 but the dove found no place to rest her foot, and she returned to him into the ship; for the waters were on the surface of the whole earth. He put forth his hand, and took her, and brought her to him into the ship. Gen 8:10 He stayed yet another seven days; and again he sent forth the dove out of the ship. Gen 8:11 The dove came back to him at evening, and, behold, in her mouth was an olive leaf plucked off. So Noah knew that the waters were abated from the earth. Gen 8:12 He stayed yet another seven days, and sent forth the dove; and she didn't return to him any more.	A "clean" bird that will only rest on things that are dry and clean.
Gen 8:13 It happened in the six hundred first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, the waters were dried up from the earth. Noah removed the covering of the ship, and looked. He saw that the surface of the ground was dried. Gen 8:14 In the second month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, the earth was dry.	The covering - not the whole roof, but an area larger than the window.
Gen 8:15 God spoke to Noah, saying, Gen 8:16 "Go out of the ship, you, and your wife, and your sons, and your sons' wives with you. Gen 8:17 Bring forth with you every living thing that is with you of all flesh, including birds, livestock, and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, that they may breed abundantly in the earth, and be fruitful, and multiply on the earth."	They entered when God instructed (chapter 7); they left when God instructed.
Gen 8:18 Noah went forth, with his sons, his wife, and his sons' wives with him. Gen 8:19 Every animal, every creeping thing, and every bird, whatever moves on the earth, after their families, went out of the ship.
Gen 8:20 Noah built an altar to Yahweh, and took of every clean animal, and of every clean bird, and offered burnt offerings on the altar. Gen 8:21 Yahweh smelled the pleasant aroma. ...	Noah's priorities are correct: He focuses first on expressing gratitude to God! God accepts his expressions of thanksgiving. It's not the smell of the smoke that pleases God, but rather, the attitude of Noah's heart; which, symbolically, ascended to God in the smoke.
... Yahweh said in his heart, "I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake, because the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; neither will I ever again strike everything living, as I have done. Gen 8:22 While the earth remains, seed time and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease."	"Because the imagination of man's heart..." - Some translations use the phrase, "even though" in place of "because"; since this phrase is not intended to be the reason that God would not curse the ground. Even though the heart of man is evil... There will be no additional curse and no more global Floods caused by human sin. (Some believe that the original curse may have been lessened in intensity.) Instead, there will be cycles of planting/harvest, cold/heat, summer/winter and day/night (the same thing we read about in Ecclesiastes). This will continue as long as the earth remains - at least the present earth (which we know will be destroyed in a future judgment). Depravity of the Heart Life "Under the Sun" No more (no additional) curse / No more flood: This is part of the covenant God made with Noah - see also chapter 9. God's Covenant with Noah Covenants

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—— To avoid any copyright issues, all Scripture is either from a public domain translation (such as the World English Bible), my own translation, or a combination of these. ——

The name "Yahweh," when present in an Old Testament passage, represents the Hebrew name for the God of the Bible.

Unless otherwise noted, all notes and comments are © by Dennis Hinks.