Gênesis 6
Bob Utley · Citado em PreceptAustin
Gênesis 6
Utley - "men" This is the generic use of the term "adam" with the DEFINITE ARTICLE (BDB 9, cf. Gen. 5:2). If it is also used in the generic sense in Gen. 6:2, which seems probable, then the angelic theory is strengthened. Paul Apple titles Ge 6:1-4 - DEMONIZATION OF MARRIAGE AND ITS IMPACT – UNUSUAL PERVERSE PROPAGATION THAT CORRUPTS SOCIETY. Man generically (adam) is multiplying over the face of the earth (adamah); play on words; Purity harder to control and maintain as the sphere of population rapidly grows Remember overall context of battle between the seed of the woman and the seed of Satan from Gen. 3:15 – how is God going to ultimately be victorious? How is Satan going to try to frustrate God’s plan for history? Again the daughters of men here used in generic sense -- not limited to either the line of Seth or of Cain – this is describing normal procreation – “after its kind” = important biblical command – established in Gen. 1 – all things are supposed to produce after their kind – not some strange mixture of strange flesh Genesis 6:2 that the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves, whomever they chose. the sons - Ge 4:26 Ex 4:22,23 De 14:1 Ps 82:6,7 Isa 63:16 Mal 2:11 Joh 8:41 Joh 8:42 Ro 9:7,8 2Co 6:18 saw - 2Pe 2:14 that they - Ge 3:6 39:6,7 2Sa 11:2 Job 31:1 1Jn 2:16 and they - Ge 24:3 27:46 Ex 34:16 De 7:3,4 Jos 23:12,13 Ezr 9:1,2,12 Ne 13:24-27 Mal 2:15 1Co 7:39 2Co 6:14-16 Genesis 6 Resources - Multiple sermons and commentaries Related Passages: Job 1:6 Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them. Job 2:1 Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them to present himself before the LORD. Job 38:7 When the morning stars sang together And all the sons of God shouted for joy? Genesis 3:6+ When the woman saw (רָאָה, ra’ah) that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took (SAME VERB AS IN Ge 6:2) from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate. SONS OF GOD SEE BEAUTIFUL DAUGHTERS that the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful - Who are the sons of God? The following notes address this question but you may not find the answer fully satisfying. Bob Utley - "the daughters of men were beautiful" The term "beautiful" is literally "good" or "fair". This has been a key theological concept from chapter 1 (esp. Gen. 1:31). It denotes that which is functional and fits its allotted task. Like the fruit of the tree of knowledge, these women looked "good" (cf. Gen. 3:6). NET NOTE - The Hebrew phrase translated “sons of God” (בְנֵי־הָאֱלֹהִים, béne-ha’elohim) occurs only here (Ge 6:2, 4) and in Job 1:6; 2:1; 38:7. There are three major interpretations of the phrase here. (1) In the Book of Job the phrase clearly refers to angelic beings. In Gen 6 the “sons of God” are distinct from “humankind,” (Ge 6:1) suggesting they were not human. This is consistent with the use of the phrase in Job. Since the passage speaks of these beings cohabiting with women, they must have taken physical form or possessed the bodies of men. An early Jewish tradition preserved in 1 En. 6–7 elaborates on this angelic revolt and even names the ringleaders. (2) Not all scholars accept the angelic interpretation of the “sons of God,” however. Some argue that the “sons of God” were members of Seth’s line, traced back to God through Adam in Gen 5, while the “daughters of humankind” were descendants of Cain. But, as noted above, the text distinguishes the “sons of God” from humankind (which would include the Sethites as well as the Cainites) and suggests that the “daughters of humankind” are human women in general, not just Cainites. (3) Others identify the “sons of God” as powerful tyrants, perhaps demon-possessed, who viewed themselves as divine and, following the example of Lamech (see Ge 4:19), practiced polygamy. But usage of the phrase “sons of God” in Job militates against this view. For literature on the subject see G. J. Wenham, Genesis (WBC). Paul Apple “sons of God” are distinct from the “men” mentioned in verse 1. the writer of Genesis states that the sons of God saw that the daughters of humankind were “beautiful” (Heb. tob). This connects the daughters of humankind in Ge 6:2 with Ge 4. There, in the genealogy of Cain, the sons of Lamech are named and something is said about each one’s impact on society; for example, Tubal-cain was the forger of all implements of bronze and iron. Tubal-cain’s sister, Naamah, is named, but nothing is said about her. This should make the reader wonder why she was mentioned at all, especially since women were viewed as lower class citizens. Interestingly, her name means “beautiful.” This is not the same word used in Ge 6:2, but we have already seen that passages do not need to use the same terms to be parallel. The word tob, “beautiful” or “good,” in Ge 6:2 sets up another connection with a statement in Ge 3:6: “The woman saw that the tree was good [tob].” The couple in the garden fell into judgment because they took (same verb laqah) the prerogative that belongs only to God — deciding what is good. Genesis 6:2, therefore, is presented as a reenactment of the Fall. [ saw, good, took] The godly line, who were supposed to walk with God, see the daughters of humankind from the ungodly line and decide for themselves that they are good. And they took wives for themselves, whomever they chose - ESV = "And they took as their wives any they chose." MSB = "They looked them over and picked out wives for themselves." The Hebrew verb for took is laqah which mean to take (1st use in Ge 2:15,21-23, God taking Enoch Ge 5:24), grasp, take hold of (Eve the fruit - Ge 3:6), as when Noah reached out and "took hold of," the dove to bring it back into the ark (Ge 8:9). It is used of grasping or seizing a person or an animal (Ge 12:5; Ex. 17:5; Ezek. 8:3; Hos. 14:2). The ark was captured (1 Sam. 4:11; 17, 19). It has the sense of keeping what one has (Gen. 14:21). In Ge 25:1 "Abraham took (laqah) another wife." Bob Utley has an interesting thought on took...whomever then chose - "they took wives for themselves, whomever they chose" The VERB "took" in the first phrase (Qal IMPERFECT with waw, cf. Gen. 4:19; 11:29; 12:19; 20:2,3; 21:21; 24:4,7,38,40,48; Jer. 29:6) implies marriage, which would militate against the view that it was angels. However, the second phrase implies that they took previously married and/or unmarried women, whomever they chose (Qal PERFECT). This could imply angelic beings, powerful human leaders of Cain's line (i.e., tyrants) practicing polygamy. The IVP Bible Background Commentary (OT), p. 36, suggests this phrase is related to the practice of Ancient Near East kings in the Gilgamish Epic who claimed the right to the first night with other men's wives. This would be viewed as a fertility rite." Walton on marrying whom they chose. The practice of marrying “any of them they chose” has been interpreted by some to be a reference to polygamy. While it is not to be doubted that polygamy was practiced, it is difficult to imagine why that would be worthy of note, since polygamy was an acceptable practice even in Israel in Old Testament times. It is more likely that this is a reference to the “right of the first night,” cited as one of the oppressive practices of kings in the Gilgamesh Epic. The king could exercise his right, as representative of the gods, to spend the wedding night with any woman who was being given in marriage. This presumably was construed as a fertility rite. If this is the practice referred to here, it would offer an explanation of the nature of the offense. John
Gênesis 6
Utley - SATANIC ATTEMPTS TO THWART THE MESSIANIC LINE IN GENESIS Cain's rebellion, Genesis 4 Mixing of human and angelic lines, Genesis 6 Tower of Babel rebellion, Genesis 11 Abram giving Sarai to Pharaoh, Genesis 12 Birth of Ishmael to Hagar (Sarah's servant), Genesis 16 Abram giving Sarah to Abimelech, Genesis 20 Sacrifice of Isaac, Genesis 22 Rivalry between Esau and Jacob, Genesis 25, 32 Isaac giving his wife to Abimelech, Genesis 26 Trickery and rivalry of Laban, Genesis 29-31 Jacob merging with Shechem, Genesis 34 Rivalry between Jacob's children, Genesis 37 Judah's faithlessness and promiscuity related to Tamar, Genesis 38 Warren Wiersbe agrees with Utley writing that "After chapter 3, Satan isn't mentioned by name in Genesis, but he and his demonic hosts are at work doing their utmost to keep the promised Redeemer from being born. This was Satan's purpose throughout all of Old Testament history. After all, he didn't want to have his head crushed by the Savior! (Ge 3:15) God had declared war on Satan and the deceiver intended to fight back. (Bible Exposition Commentary) Who Are the “Sons of God” and the “Daughters of Men?” - Jack Arnold I. PERSONS IDENTIFIED (Ge 6:1-2, 4) A. View #1: Godly Line of Seth and the Ungodly Line of Cain. These two lines intermarried, breaking down the separation between the godly line of Seth and the godless line of Cain. The result was the judgment of the Flood. 1. SUPPORT a. Context. There has been a discussion of the line of Cain and the line of Seth in chapter five. Then in chapter six is a discussion of the mingling of the two lines. Chapter seven brings the judgment of the Flood. b. Universality of Sin. It was the total wickedness of man that brought about the Flood. c. Sons of God Implies Men. While the specific term of God” is used in the Old Testament of angelic beings, there are other expressions which are akin and would express the fact of men rather than angels (Deut. 14:1; Isa. 43:6; Hos. 1:10; 11:1). d. Giants. The giants are nephilim and it does not say that they are a result of what happened in verse two. These nephilim were on the earth both previous (context) and subsequently (Num. 13:33). Why were they mentioned? Because the progeny of this relationship was like the nephilim they were violent men. e. Repetition of the Word “Man”. In Genesis 6:1-6 the words “men” or “man” are used five times. The context is about human beings, not angelic beings. 2. OBJECTIONS a. The context of Gen. 6:1-4 really gives very little evidence to take the “daughters” of men” as ungodly Cainitic women and “sons of God” as godly Sethites. NOTE. In fact, the context implies that the “sons of God” may have been the Cainites. If this is true, it would be strange to call the Cainites sons of God, for they were ungodly. b. By what rules of interpretation can one limit the word “men” to a separate portion of the human race, when the word is race wide in its significance, and then go a step further and single it out as a distinctive part of the human race, the Cainitic line. c. The New Testament uses the words “sons of God” to refer to a believers but Moses wrote Genesis, and would hardly be using New Testament terminology. Besides the words “sons of God” are specifically used of angels in the Old Testament (Job 1:6; 2:1; 38:7). d. How can we go so far to say that all the men of the line of Seth were saved and sons of God in that sense, and none of the men of the line of Cain? Then, too, it appears that the ungodly have only sons, while the godly have only daughters. e. Would the godly Sethites enter into such marriages, and obtain a plurality of wives, and do so by exercising force? f. Would the union of the lines of Seth and Cain produce beings of superhuman character and strength? g. How can this view harmonize with II Pet. 2:4-5; 1 Pet. 3:19-20 and Jude 6-7? B. View #2: Fallen Angels or Demon Possessed Men Cohabit with Sinful Women So As to Produce a Monstrous Progeny 1. SUPPORT a. “Sons of God” are Angelic Beings. This designation always refers to angels in the Old Testament and never to believers. (Job 1:6; 2:1; 38:1). NOTE. However, it must be admitted that the title refers to good angels and not bad ones. b. “Daughters of Men” is Universal. This designation indicates the natural increase of the whole human family, not a special class. c. Why Such a Severe Judgment? The crossing of fallen angels and human flesh brought a monstrosity of beings; thus God had to destroy the human race to keep it pure. Why such a cataclysmic judgment if this sin was just sexual immorality by humans? The sin must have been great in nature to bring God’s judgment upon the human race. d. Meaning of Nephilim. The word “giant” (nephilim) has as its original meaning the fallen ones and could refer to monsters or mixed human and angelic birth. e. New Testament (1 Pet. 3:19-20; 2 Pet. 2:405; Jude 6-7). 1 Pet. 3:19-20 says that Christ after death went to preach to disobedient spirits (angelic beings) and these spirits are connected up with the days of Noah. Second Peter 2:4-5 connects the sinning angels with the Flood in the days of Noah. Jude 6-7 seems to link the judgment of some bad angels with sexual lust and the words “strange flesh” really means “flesh of another nature,” f. Satanic Plot. This was another Satanic attempt to destroy the human race; thus making it impossible for the God-Man, Jesus Christ, to come to earth. This coincides with the “seed” in Gen. 3:15. Had the human race been completely infected by fallen angelic nature, there would be no place for Jesus Christ, the perfect man. g. Explains Greek Mythology: This viewpoint may explain early Greek mythology, which speaks of the Titans who were partly of celestial and partly of terrestrial origin. These monstrous beings of mixed birth rebelled against their father Uranus (Heaven) and after a prolonged contest were defeated by Zeus and thrown into Tartarus. 2. OBJECTIONS a. Angelic beings do not marry or have the capacity to reproduce (Luke 20:35-36; Mark 12:25; Matt. 22:30). ANSWERS: (1) In Matt. 22:30 the angels in heaven (good angels) are specified and it says nothing about fallen angels. (2) Angels do not procreate within their own kind but because all angels are spoken of in a masculine gender they may have united with those of another kind. In Jude 6-7 it says the angels went after “strange flesh” and it literally means “a flesh of another kind.” (3) Angels do appear in human form and have eaten food. Why should they not have a sex function? b. The whole idea of angels uniting with humans is too fantastic. ANSWER: Perhaps this is a case of demon possession on a large scale. In Jude 6 it says these wicked angels (demons) did not keep their regular habitation (dwelling place). The implication is that they found another place of dwelling. In the Bible, the human body is often referred to as a habitation or dwelling place. Thus these demons took up residence in human bodies where they did not belong. Thus evil spirits, fallen angels, possessed the bodies of men, and these demon possessed men married women and produced a race of strange beings called here in Genesis 6 “Nephilim.” They were a race of giants and were known as the “fallen ones.” NOTE: This suggests that demonic possession has the ability to affect genetic structure. The chromosomes are changed so that the progeny are markedly different; a sort of mutation takes place and the result is a pronounced change in the children of such a union. We know today that certain drugs (LSD, thalidomide, etc.) have this kind of affect on genetic structure. NOTE. We are also told in this passage that this phenomenon (apparently on a smaller scale) happened “also afterward,” that is, after the Flood a similar incursion of demonic beings took place. This second invasion resulted in the presence in the land of Canaan of certain gigantic races which are called in our Bible, the Canaanites This is one explanation why God told the Israelites to destroy the whole Canaanite society. NOTE: It is interesting that archeologists have now discovered the giant cities of Bashan, and they confirm the fact that there did exist in this area races of gigantic beings whose beds are ten, eleven or twelve feet long. C. Conclusion. The best explanation is to see the “sons of God” as demons, which possessed men, and the “daughters of men” as probably lewd women, which became so corrupt that they opened themselves to demonic activity. The result was a race of supermen, fallen ones. Thus God had to bring judgment upon men. QUESTION - Who were the sons of God and daughters of men in Genesis 6:1-4? WATCH VIDEO (And read their article on Nephilim below) ANSWER - Genesis 6:1-4 refers to the sons of God and the daughters of men. There have been several suggestions as to who the sons of God were and why the children they had with daughters of men grew into a race of giants (that is what the word Nephilim seems to indicate). The three primary views on the identity of the sons of God are 1) they were fallen angels, 2) they were powerful human rulers, or 3) they were godly descendants of Seth intermarrying with wicked descendants of Cain. (ED: PROPONENTS OF #3 INCLUDE J VERNON MCGEE, WARREN WIERSBE AND STEVEN COLE) Giving weight to the first theory is the fact that in the Old Testament the phrase “sons of God” always refers to angels (Job 1:6; 2:1; 38:7). A potential problem with this is in Matthew 22:30, which indicates that angels do not marry. The Bible gives us no reason to believe that angels have a gender or are able to reproduce. The other two views do not present this problem. The weakness of views 2) and 3) is that ordinary human males marrying ordinary human females does not account for why the offspring were “giants” or “heroes of old, men of renown.” Further, why would God decide to bring the flood on the earth (Genesis 6:5-7) when God had never forbidden powerful human males or descendants of Seth to marry ordinary human females or descendants of Cain? The oncoming judgment of Genesis 6:5-7 is linked to what took place in Genesis 6:1-4. Only the obscene, perverse marriage of fallen angels with human females would seem to justify such a harsh judgment. As previously noted, the weakness of the first view is that Matthew 22:30 declares, “At the resurrection people will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven.” However, the text does not say “angels are not able to marry.” Rather, it indicates only that angels do not marry. Second, Matthew 22:30 is referring to the “angels in heaven.” It is not referring to fallen angels, who do not care about God’s created order and actively seek ways to disrupt God’s plan. The fact that God’s holy angels do not marry or engage in sexual relations does not mean the same is true of Satan and his demons. View 1) is the most likely position. Yes, it is an interesting “contradiction” to say that angels are sexless and then to say that the “sons of God” were fallen angels who procreated with human females. However, while angels are spiritual beings (Hebrews 1:14), they can appear in human, physical form (Mark 16:5). The men of Sodom and Gomorrah wanted to have sex with the two angels who were with Lot (Genesis 19:1-5). It is plausible that angels are capable of taking on human form, even to the point of replicating human sexuality and possibly even reproduction. Why do the fallen angels not do this more often? It seems that God imprisoned the fallen angels who committed this evil sin, so that the other fallen angels would not do the same (as described in Jude 6). Earlier Hebrew interpreters and apocryphal and pseudepigraphal writings are unanimous in holding to the view that fallen angels are the “sons of God” mentioned in Genesis 6:1-4. This by no means closes the debate. However, the view that Genesis 6:1-4 involves fallen angels mating with human females has a strong contextual, grammatical, and historical basis.GotQuestions.org Bob Utley - SPECIAL TOPIC: "the sons of God" in Genesis 6 There is great controversy over the identification of the phrase "the sons of God." There have been three major interpretations the phrase refers to the godly line of Seth (cf. Genesis 5) the phrase refers to a group of angelic beings the phrase refers to the kings or tyrants of Cain's line (cf. Genesis 4) Evidence for the phrase referring to Seth's line The immediate literary context of Genesis 4 and 5 shows the development of the rebellious line of Cain and the godly line of Seth. Therefore, contextual evidence seems to favor the godly line of Seth. The rabbis have been divided over their understanding of this passage. Some assert that it refers to Seth (but most to angels). The phrase, "the sons of God," though most often used for angelic beings, rarely refers to human beings Deut. 14:1, "sons of YHWH your God" Deut. 32:5, "His sons" Exod. 21:6; 22:8-9, (possibly Levitical Judges, cf. Ps. 82:1) Psalm 73:15, "Thy children" Hosea 1:10, "sons of the Living God" Evidence for the phrase referring to angelic beings This has been the most common traditional understanding of the passage. The larger context of Genesis could support this view as another example of supernatural evil trying to thwart God's will for mankind (the rabbis say out of jealousy; see SPECIAL TOPIC: SATANIC ATTEMPTS TO THWART THE MESSIANIC LINE IN GENESIS). The phrase ("sons of God") is used overwhelmingly in the OT for angels. Psalm 89:6,7 The intertestamental book of I Enoch, which was very popular among believers in the first century church, along with the Genesis Apocryphon from the Dead Sea Scrolls and Jubilees 5:1, interprets these as rebellious angels (i.e., I Enoch 6:1-7:4; 12:4; 19:1; 21:1-10). The immediate context of Genesis 6 seems to imply that "the mighty men who were of old, men of renown" came from this improper mixing of the orders of creation. I Enoch even asserts that Noah's Flood came to destroy this angelic/human union which was hostile towards YHWH and His plan for creation (cf. I Enoch 7:1ff; 15:1ff; 86:1ff). Evidence for the phrase referring to kings or tyrants of Cain's line There are several ancient translations that support this view. Targum or Onkelos (second century A.D.) translates "sons of God" as "sons of nobles" Symmachus (second century A.D.) Greek translation of the OT, translated "sons of God" as "the sons of the kings" the term elohim is sometimes used of Israelite leaders (cf. Exod. 21:6; 22:8; Ps. 82:1,6, note NIV and NET Bible; see SPECIAL TOPIC: NAMES FOR DEITY, C.) Nephilim (NIDOTTE, vol. 3, p. 130, #5) is linked to Gibborim in Gen 6:4. Gibborim is PLURALof Gibbor, meaning "a mighty man of valor; strength; wealth or power" (see SPECIAL TOPIC: NEPHILIM) This interpretation and its evidence is taken from Hard Sayings of the Bible, pp. 106-108. Historical advocates the phrase refers to Sethites Cyril of Alexandria Theodoret Augustine Jerome Calvin Kyle Gleason Archer J. J.Watts the phrase refers to angelic beings writers of the Septuagint Philo Josephus (Antiquities 1.3.1) Justin Martyr Clement of Alexandria Tertullian Origen Luther Delitzsch Hengstenberg Olford Westermann Wenham F. F. Bruce, Answers to Questions NET Bible footnotes How are the Nephilim of Gen. 6:4 related to the "sons of God" and "the daughters of men" of Gen. 6:1-2? Note the three theories: They are the giants that resulted from the union between angels and human women (see Wisdom of Ben Sira 16:7). They do not relate at all. They are simply mentioned as being on the earth in the days of the events of Gen. 6:1-2 and also afterwards. R. K. Harrison in Introduction to the Old Testament, p. 557, has the following cryptic quote, "to miss entirely the invaluable anthropological insights into the interrelation of Homo sapiens and pre-Adamic species which the passage contains, and which are amenable to those scholars who are equipped to pursue them." This implies to me that he sees these two groups as representing differing groups of humanoids. This would imply a later special creation of Adam and Eve, but also an evolutionary development of Homo erectus. It is only fair to disclose my own understanding of this controversial text. First, let me remind all of us that the text in Genesis is brief and ambiguous. Moses' first hearers must have had additional historical insight or Moses used oral or written tradition from the Patriarchal period that he himself did not fully understand. This issue is not a crucial theological subject. We are often curious about things the Scriptures only hint at. It would be very unfortunate to build an elaborate theology out of this and similar fragments of biblical information. If we needed this information God would have provided it in a more clear and complete form. I personally believe it was angels and humans because: the phrase "sons of God" is used consistently, if not exclusively, for angels in the OT the Septuagint (Alexandrian) translates (late first century B.C.) "sons of God" as "angels of God" the pseudepigraphal apocalyptic book of I Enoch (possibly written about 200 B.C.) is very specific that it refers to angels (cf. chapters 6-7; also notice Jubilees 4:19) 2 Peter 2 and Jude speak of angels who sinned and did not keep their proper abode (also note I Enoch 10:4,12) I know that to some this seems to contradict Matt. 22:30, but these specific angels are neither in heaven nor earth, but in a special prison (Tartarus). I think that one reason many of the events of Genesis 1-11 are found in other cultures (i.e., similar creation accounts, similar flood accounts, similar accounts of angels taking women) is because all humans were together and had some knowledge of YHWH during this period, but after the tower of Babel's dispersion this knowledge became corrupted and adapted to a polytheistic model. A good example of this is Greek mythology where the half human/half superhuman giants called Titans are imprisoned in Tartarus, this very name used only once in the Bible (2 Peter 2) for the holding place of the angels that kept not their proper abode. In rabbinical theology Hades was divided into a section for the righteous (paradise) and a section for the wicked (Tartarus). Mesopotamian version of the flood is imbedded in the famous Gilgamesh Epic QUESTION - What similarities are there between the Gilgamesh flood account and the biblical flood account? ANSWER - There are many similarities between the Gilgamesh flood account and the biblical flood account (Genesis 6—8), beginning most importantly with God choosing a righteous man to build an ark because of an impending great flood. In both accounts, samples from all species of animals were to be on the ark, and birds were used after the rains to determine if flood waters had subsided anywhere to reveal dry land. There are other similarities between the Gilgamesh flood account and the biblical flood account. One major point of clear agreement is that a global flooding disaster occurred in ancient times. Portions of the Gilgamesh account (Chaldean Flood Tablets) have been found dating back to 2000 BC or earlier. Tablets containing the full story, however, date to approximately 650 BC, or well after the Genesis account (c. 1450—1410 BC). These Chaldean tablets, from the city of Ur (modern-day southern Iraq), describe how the Babylonian God Ea decided to end all life except for the ark dwellers with a great flood. Ea, believed by the Babylonians to be the god who created the earth, selected Ut-Napishtim (or Utnapishtim) to construct a six-story square ark. During the mid-nineteenth century, this complete “Epic of Gilgamesh” (from 650 BC) was unearthed in some ruins at Nineveh’s great library, and the depth and breadth of similarities and differences became evident. Here is a more extensive listing of the similarities and differences: God (or several gods in the Gilgamesh account) decided to destroy humankind because of its wickedness and sinfulness (Genesis 6:5–7). A righteous man (Genesis 6:9) was directed to build an ark to save a limited and select group of people and all species of animals (Noah received his orders directly from God, Utnapishtim from a dream). Both arks were huge, although their shapes differed. Noah’s was rectangular; Utnapishtim’s was square. Both arks had a single door and at least one window. A great rain covered the land and mountains with water, although some water emerged from beneath the earth in the biblical account (Genesis 7:11). The Noahic flood was the result of a storm lasting 40 days and nights (Genesis 7:12), while the Gilgamesh storm was much shorter: “Six days and seven nights / came the wind and flood, the storm flattening the land” (from Tablet XI, trans. by Maureen G. Kovacs) Birds were released to find land (a raven and three doves in the biblical account, Genesis 8:6–12; a dove, swallow, and raven in the other). After the rains ceased, both arks came to rest on a mountain, Noah’s on Ararat (Genesis 8:4); Utnapishtim’s on Nisir. These mountains are about 300 miles apart. Sacrifices were offered after the flood (Genesis 8:20). God was (or gods were) pleased by the sacrifices (Genesis 8:21), and Noah and Utnapishtim received blessings. Noah’s blessing was to populate the earth and have dominion over all animals (Genesis 9:1–3); Utnapishtim’s was eternal life. God (or the many gods) promised not to destroy humankind again (Genesis 8:21–22). Perhaps most interesting is how the stories remain consistent over time. Although the complete Epic of Gilgamesh was discovered in the mid-nineteenth century, much earlier segments (before the writing of Genesis) have been discovered and dated. Yet most significant is the greater fidelity of the Hebrew account. This is attributed to the importance of Jewish oral tradition and the possibility that some of the story was recorded by Noah or from his time, which would make the Hebrew account precede the Babylonian version. Some scholars hypothesize the Hebrews borrowed the Babylonian account, but no conclusive proof has been offered to support this. Based on the many and varied differences and details within these stories, it seems unlikely that the biblical version depended upon an existing Sumerian source. Further, given the Jews’ reputation for passing down information scrupulously from one generation to another and maintaining a consistent reporting of events, Genesis is viewed by many as far more historical than the Epic of Gilgamesh, which is regarded as mythological because of its numerous gods and their interrelationships and intrigues in deciding the fate of humankind. Certainly, for those who believe the Bible is God’s Word, it is sensible to conclude He chose to preserve the true account in the Bible through the oral traditions of His chosen people. By God’s providence, His people kept this account pure and consistent over the centuries until Moses ultimately recorded it in the Book of Genesis. The Epic of Gilgamesh is believed to contain accounts which have been altered and embellished over the years by people not following the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.GotQuestions.org QUESTION - Are there really hundreds of flood legends giving credence to the Genesis flood? ANSWER - The book of Genesis tells of a worldwide flood sent as God’s judgment on the world long ago. The memory of that flood has been preserved in cultures all over the globe, as acknowledged by ancient writers such as Flavius Josephus, who wrote almost 2,000 years ago, “All writers of barbarian histories make mention of this flood and of this ark. Among whom is Berosus the Chaldean, Hieronymous the Egyptian, also, who wrote the Phoenician Antiquities, and Mnaseas, and a great many more, make mention of the same. Nay, Nicolaus of Damascus [as well]” (Antiquities of the Jews 1.3.6). Josephus is correct. All nations around the world possess historical texts or traditions of a global flood in ancient times, and those narratives match the Genesis account in general outline and many specific details (Genesis 6—9). Some of the recurring details in flood narratives around the world are as follows: God sends the flood in judgment of human evil and violence a righteous man or prophet is forewarned by God the preparation of an ark or “great canoe” the gathering of animals aboard the ark a global flood covers mountains and drowns all but a few survivors the “great canoe” comes to rest on a high mountain the sending of a raven and a dove the dove returns with something in its beak as a sign of the flood coming to an end exiting the ark and repopulating the world a burnt offering sacrifice a rainbow the confusion of languages afterward The existence of such stories is a stunning but undeniable fact, and one that demands an explanation. We find Native American legends confirming the Genesis flood, for example. The Apache people refer to the ancient flood and the tus, a gigantic floating vessel, provided by God, which was sealed watertight with gum from the pinion tree. A few people entered the tus and thus escaped the flood that “completely submerged the earth for twelve days.” The Apaches remember the vessel landing on a hill and the sending of birds, including a pigeon (named Agocho) to inspect the flooded world (Curtis, E. S., The North American Indian, vol. 1, Cambridge University Press, 1907, pp. 27–28). In what is now North Dakota, the Mandan tribe, of the Sioux language family, held a sacred annual ceremony memorializing the flood. The ceremony featured an old man (Nu-mohk-munk-a-nah, “the only man”), who survived in a “big canoe” that he constructed upon a prophetic warning. The “big canoe” landed somewhere at a mountain far to the west, according to the Mandan. This tribe also held the turtle dove in highest honor. Even their dogs were forbidden to harm it, on account of its having returned to the Nu-mohk-munk-a-nah carrying a willow twig in its beak, a sign that the flood had ended (Catlin, G., North American Indians - BORROW). Similar traditions can be found among other Sioux-language tribes and other language families. In the American Northwest, the Spokanes, Nez Perces, and Cayuses had their own flood tradition: “One man and wife were saved on a raft. Each of those three tribes also, together with the Flathead tribes, has their separate Ararat in connection with this event” (Eells, M., “Traditions of the Deluge Among the Tribes of the North-West,” The American Antiquarian and Oriental Journal, vol. 1, 1878, p. 70). Numerous other tribes from the Pacific Northwest remember Noah’s flood as well. In the Southwest, the Hualapai people of Arizona left ancient pictographs bearing witness to the flood. These are preserved at Spirit Mountain, a site considered sacred by neighboring tribes as well. One carving shows eight people being carried across the waters of the flood, departing from Wikahme Mountain where they had found refuge from the flood that destroyed the rest of humanity. Another drawing shows a bird being sent on two flights and returning on the second flight to the old man with a blade of grass in its peak (Liguori, N., Echoes of Ararat: A Collection of Over 300 Flood Legends from North and South America, Master Books, 2021). The Havasupai, Yima, Cochiti, Maricopa, Zia, and many other tribes of the Southwest also have flood traditions matching Genesis in several particulars. We learn of the global flood from the Dene tribes, the Ottawa, the Ojibwe, the Inuit, and dozens of other tribes of Canada and Alaska. In Mexico we find that the Aztecs, Toltecs, Mayans, Purepecha, and other peoples had clear traditions and pre-colonial paintings depicting the flood. Alexander de Humboldt, a German geographer and naturalist, wrote, “The people of Mechoacan preserved a tradition, according to which Coxcox, whom they called Tezpi, embarked in a spacious ‘acalli’ with his wife, his children, several animals, and grain, the preservation of which was of importance to mankind. When the great spirit, Tezcatlipoca, ordered the waters to withdraw, Tezpi sent out from his bark a vulture. . . . This bird, which feeds on dead flesh, did not return on account of the great number of carcasses, with which the earth, recently dried up, was strewed. Tezpi sent out other birds, one of which, the hummingbird alone, returned, holding in its beak a branch covered with leaves.” Humboldt adds that “Tezpi, seeing that fresh verdure began to clothe the soil, quitted his bark near the mountain of Colhuacan” (Researches Concerning the Institutions & Monuments of the Ancient Inhabitants of America, trans. Helen Maria Williams, vol. 2, Longman, 1814, p. 23). In Central and South America, the earliest records of the European explorers preserve flood traditions narrated by the native peoples. Those narratives include clear similarities to the Genesis flood account. The Tupinamba of Brazil told the early Portuguese that “before the flood arrived, there was a man of great knowledge,” a prophet named Tupa. God warned Tupa of the coming flood and provided a place of refuge, where Tupa fled with his family. The flood covered the entire earth for a great length of time. “When the flood ended, they came down, multiplied, and again inhabited the land” (De Vasconcellos, S., Noticias Curiosas do Brasil Lisbon: Ioam da Costa, 1668, pp. 78–79). George Catlin, a widely traveled American painter and author, summarized these findings this way: “Amongst one hundred and twenty different tribes that I have visited in North and South and Central America, not a tribe exists that has not related to me distinct or vague traditions of such a calamity, in which one, or three, or eight persons were saved above the waters, on the top of a high mountain” (O-Kee-Pa: A Religious Ceremony and Other Customs of the Mandans J. B. Lippincott and Co., 1867, pp. 1–2). The above examples all come from the Western Hemisphere, but that hemisphere alone contains over 300 people groups possessing flood traditions. The Eastern Hemisphere has even more. To be sure, some traditions are better preserved than others. As a result, some flood narratives parallel Genesis more closely than others. However, there are specific details in all these accounts—such as the landing of a “great canoe” on a high mountain or the sending of a raven and a dove—that clearly match the biblical record. It is important to note that it is the Genesis flood account that they confirm, not some alternate text such as a Babylonian flood tradition. This is one of several indicators that Genesis is the authentic, original historical account that explains all the others. All of these flood legends and histories told around the world are exactly what we should expect if Genesis is true. If Genesis were not true, then hundreds of matching flood legends are the last thing we should expect to find. Secularists typically try to explain the abundance of global flood traditions in one of two ways: 1) the traditions are not referring to a global flood like that in Genesis but to a local flood or a purely mythical flood; or 2) Christian missionaries influenced the tribes and changed their traditions. However, the secular explanations of flood stories do not really fit the data. The similarities of other flood accounts to Genesis are too specific and too multi-faceted to be describing a different flood. The sources are also too ancient, too well attested, and too consistent with one another within language families. In addition to oral traditions recorded very early, we have written histories, rock carvings, and ancient paintings that predate the arrival of Europeans in the New World. Many of the flood traditions form part of annual ceremonies and songs commemorating the flood. These are difficult to attribute to “missionary influence.” And if “missionary influence” were the cause, where are all the traditions of other famous biblical events like the virgin birth, the resurrection of Jesus, the Red Sea crossing, and David and Goliath? We maintain that the best explanation for the hundreds of flood legends around the world is that tribes and nations remember the flood because it actually happened, just as Genesis says it did. The existence of flood legends around the world should give us great encouragement that we can trust the Bible. God did indeed judge the world with water, and there is another judgment by fire still to come. The sinfulness of mankind is one of the foundational truths of the gospel and points us directly to our need for Jesus Christ, the ultimate ark of our salvation.GotQuestions.org Related Resources: Tim LaHaye and John Morris book The Ark on Ararat [BORROW THIS BOOK], see page 230 for fascinating chapter - "UNIVERSAL FLOOD TRADITIONS" Almost every culture has a tradition of a global flood Noah's Ark - answersingenesis Could Noah's Ark really hold all the animals Excerpt - Remember there are really only a few very large animals, such as the dinosaur or the elephant, and these could be represented by young ones. Assuming the average animal to be about the size of a sheep and using a railroad car for comparison, we note that the average double-deck stock car can accommodate 240 sheep. Thus, three trains hauling 69 cars each would have ample space to carry the 50,000 animals, filling only 37% of the ark. This would leave an additional 361 cars or enough to make five trains of 72 cars each to carry all of the food and baggage plus Noah’s family of eight people. The Ark had plenty of space.” Gleason Archer in New International Encyclopedia of Bible Difficulties discusses the widespread "flood stories" - One notable feature of the biblical account sets it off from all other Flood narratives discoverable among other nations. Flood sagas have been preserved among the most diverse tribes and nations all over the world: the Babylonians (who called their Noah by the name of Utnapishtim), the Sumerians with their Ziusidru, the Greeks with their Deucalion, the Hindus with their Manu, the Chinese with their Fah-he, the Hawaiians with their Nu-u, the Mexican Indians with their Tezpi, the Algonquins with their Manabozho. All these relate how this lone survivor (with perhaps his wife, children, and a friend or two) was saved from the destruction of a universal flood and was then faced with the task of repopulating a devastated earth after the flood waters had receded. But of all these accounts, only the Genesis record indicates with the exactitude of a diary or ship’s log the date of the inception of the Deluge (when Noah was exactly 600 years old, on the seventeenth day of the seventh month of that same year), the length of the actual downpour (40 days), the length of time that the water-depth remained at its maximum (150 days), the date at which the tops of the mountains became visible once more (on the first day of the tenth month), the length of time until the first evidence of new plant growth was brought to Noah in the beak of his dove (47 days, according to Gen. 8:6–9), and the precise day of Noah’s emerging from the ark on Mount Ararat (his 601st year, the first day of the first month). Here we have a personal record that apparently goes back to Noah himself. The Babylonian account contains vivid details of how Utnapishtim built his ark, but there is no suggestion of a specific date. Like most legends handed down orally across the centuries or millennia, the Gilgamesh Epic (Tablet 11) fails to say anything at all about the year, even though the friendly sun-god, Shamash, had warned of the precise day when the prospective survivors would have to board their ark. It would seem that this Babylonian account is substantially closer to the Genesis record than any of the other Flood stories. Thus a friendly god warns the hero in advance and orders him to build an ark, to save not only his own family but also representative animals. That ark finally grounds on a mountain named Nisir (in the Zagros Range, northeast of Babylon); and Utnapishtim sends out a dove, a swallow, and a raven to bring back a report of conditions outside. Then finally he emerged with his family to offer sacrifice to the now-famished gods (who had been without altar-food for the weeks while the Flood was covering the earth). Some comparative religionists have suggested that the Babylonian myth was earlier than the Hebrew, and that the compilers of Genesis 7 and 8 borrowed from it. But this is rendered most unlikely in view of the significant contrasts between the two. Thus, the ark built by Utnapishtim was completely cubic, equipped with six decks for all the animals to be quartered in. A more impractical and unseaworthy craft could hardly be imagined. But Noah’s ark was three hundred cubits long, fifty cubits wide, and thirty cubits deep—an ideal set of measurements for an ocean liner. If the cubit measured twenty-four inches in that earlier period (as it may well have done in an age when men were bigger than they were after the Flood—cf. Gen. 6:4), then the ark of Noah would have been six hundred feet long, by one hundred feet wide, and sixty feet deep. If it was fairly boxlike in shape (as would be probable in view of its special purpose), it would have had a capacity of 3.6 million cubic feet. This is the capacity of about two thousand cattle cars, each of which can carry 18 to 20 cattle, 60 to 80 hogs, or 80 to 100 sheep. Whybray adds that "Stories of a great flood sent in primeval times by gods to destroy mankind followed by some form of new creation are so common to so many peoples in different parts of the world, between whom no kind of historical contact seems possible, that the notion seems almost to be a universal feature of the human imagination." (BORROW Introduction to the Pentateuch page 44) Warren
Gênesis 6
Utley - The term "spirit" is ambiguous. It surely refers to YHWH's personal presence (i.e., Gen. 1:2). The VERB "strive" can be translated "remain" (Qal IMPERFECT, cf. LXX, NRSV "abide"). This either refers to (1) God's patience (i.e., He postponed the flood until the ark was finished, cf. 1 Pet. 3:20) or (2)mankind's reduced life span. How does Gen. 6:3 relate to Gen. 6:1-2 and 6:4? It is very difficult to follow the original author's intent through this context. Possibly even though humans had mixed with angels they will still die. As Eve "saw" and took (i.e., of the fruit in Genesis 3), so now "sons of God" "saw" and took, which implies the same type of rebellion (i.e., possibly grasping independence). NET NOTE on one hundred and twenty years - Heb “his days will be 120 years.” Some interpret this to mean that the age expectancy of people from this point on would be 120, but neither the subsequent narrative nor reality favors this. It is more likely that this refers to the time remaining between this announcement of judgment and the coming of the flood. QUESTION - What does it mean that God will not strive with man forever (Genesis 6:3)? ANSWER - Moral chaos filled the earth during the historical period leading up to the flood. Wickedness in people’s hearts had become so pervasive that God decided to press the restart button (see Genesis 6:5–8, 11–13). Humanity would receive a fresh beginning with another chance at obeying the Lord. Against this backdrop, God said, “My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, for he is indeed flesh; yet his days shall be one hundred and twenty years” (Genesis 6:3, NKJV). Some scholars believe the 120 years in Genesis 6:3 refers to a shorter, post-flood lifespan that God would begin to impose on humans. Before the flood, people lived hundreds of years longer than they did after the flood (see Genesis 5; cf. Genesis 11:10–26), but many people after the flood still lived well past the age of 120. Likewise, Psalm 90:10 says, “Seventy years are given to us! Some even live to eighty” (NLT). Consequently, 120 does not seem to signal a new average lifespan after the flood. Another interpretation of the 120 years suggests that it was the time remaining before the flood. In the richness of His grace, God was giving people more than enough time to repent. This concept aligns with the immediately preceding statement that God’s Spirit would not strive with man forever. The Hebrew word translated as “strive” (KJV, NKJV), “contend” (NIV), “abide” (ESV), and “remain” (CSB) appears only this once in the Old Testament. Its origin and meaning are uncertain. It could mean “stay” in the sense of remaining with or abiding with someone, or “argue” as in struggling with or having an argument with someone. Either way, by Noah’s day, we know God could no longer tolerate the corruption and rebellion that had overtaken human hearts. Living with it was so troubling to Him that “it broke his heart” (Genesis 6:6, NLT). Thus, God will not strive with man forever appears to mean that the Lord will not put up with our sinful disobedience indefinitely. We know from Scripture that God is exceptionally patient with humanity (Exodus 34:6; Numbers 14:18; Psalm 78:38; Isaiah 48:9; Acts 13:18; Romans 2:4). One hundred and twenty years is a long time to delay judgment. The apostle Peter makes this connection while writing about the flood: “They deliberately forget that God made the heavens long ago by the word of his command, and he brought the earth out from the water and surrounded it with water. Then he used the water to destroy the ancient world with a mighty flood. And by the same word, the present heavens and earth have been stored up for fire. They are being kept for the day of judgment, when ungodly people will be destroyed” (2 Peter 3:5–7, NLT). Immediately, Peter highlights God’s great patience in delaying judgment: “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance” (2 Peter 3:9, ESV). The Lord’s “patience gives people time to be saved” (2 Peter 3:15, NLT). The apostle Paul elaborates: “Even though God has the right to show his anger and his power, he is very patient with those on whom his anger falls, who are destined for destruction. He does this to make the riches of his glory shine even brighter on those to whom he shows mercy” (Romans 9:22–23, NLT). As tolerant and gracious as He is, God will not strive with man forever. He won’t wait open-endedly for us to repent (Luke 13:3; Revelation 2:5). Before it’s too late and our years come to an end, we must choose good and not evil (Joshua 24:15)—to serve and obey God and not our own selves (Hebrews 11:24–26; Matthew 7:21). For Jesus said, “Unless you repent, you too will all perish” (see Luke 13:1–5).GotQuestions.org Norman Geisler - When Critics Ask - GENESIS 6:3—Does this contradict what Moses said in Psalm 90 about human longevity? PROBLEM: This text seems to indicate that human longevity after the flood will not exceed “one hundred and twenty years.” Yet in Psalm 90 Moses took it to be as 70 or 80 years at best (v. 10). SOLUTION: First of all, it is not certain that Genesis 6:3 is referring to human longevity. It may be speaking about how many years remained before the flood would come. Second, even if it does envision how long humans would live, it does not contradict the later reference to 70 or 80 years for two reasons: for one, it refers to an earlier period when people still lived longer (Moses himself lived to 120, Deut. 34:7); further, the 70 or 80 was probably not intended as an absolute upper limit, but merely as an average for people who died of old age. QUESTION - Is there an age limit to how long we can live? ANSWER - Many people understand Genesis 6:3 to be a 120-year age limit on humanity, “Then the Lord said, ‘My Spirit will not contend with man forever, for he is mortal; his days will be a hundred and twenty years.’” However, Genesis chapter 11 records several people living past the age of 120. As a result, some interpret Genesis 6:3 to mean that, as a general rule, people will no longer live past 120 years of age. After the flood, the life spans began to shrink dramatically (compare Genesis 5 with Genesis 11) and eventually shrank so that very few people lived to be 120 years old. By the time of the Exodus, almost no one survived to that age. Moses and Aaron lived that long (Numbers 33:39; Deuteronomy 34:7), and Jehoiada the priest lived to 130 (2 Chronicles 24:15). So, 120 years was not a “hard” boundary; rather, it was near the age that an especially healthy and fortunate person could expect to survive. However, another interpretation, which seems to be more in keeping with the context, is that Genesis 6:3 is God’s declaration that the flood would occur 120 years from His pronouncement. Humanity’s days being ended is a reference to humanity itself being destroyed in the flood. Some dispute this interpretation due to the fact that God commanded Noah to build the ark when Noah was 500 years old in Genesis 5:32 and Noah was 600 years old when the flood came (Genesis 7:6); only giving 100 years of time, not 120 years. However, the timing of God’s pronouncement of Genesis 6:3 is not given. Further, Genesis 5:32 is not the time that God commanded Noah to build the Ark, but rather the age Noah was when he became the father of his three sons. It is perfectly plausible that God determined the flood to occur in 120 years and then waited several years before He commanded Noah to build the ark. Whatever the case, the 100 years between Genesis 5:32 and 7:6 in no way contradicts the 120 years mentioned in Genesis 6:3. Several hundred years after the flood, Moses declared, “The length of our days is seventy years—or eighty, if we have the strength; yet their span is but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away” (Psalm 90:10). Neither Genesis 6:3 nor Psalm 90:10 are God-ordained age limits for humanity. Genesis 6:3 is a prediction of the timetable for the flood. Psalm 90:10 is simply stating that as a general rule, people live 70-80 years (which is still true today).GotQuestions.org John Bennett - MY SPIRIT SHALL NOT ALWAYS STRIVE WITH MAN (BORROW Day by day Paradise to the Promised Land) The swelling stream of humanity, poisoned at its source by Adam’s wilful disobedience, was now marked by such foul, moral lawlessness, that ‘it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart’, v. 6. Most grievous of all, was the fact that fallen angelic beings (the sons of God, v. 2) made physical, sexual union with the ‘daughters of men’: which expression is a Hebraism meaning simply ‘human daughters’. This awful invasion from the realm of evil, having come ‘in unto the daughters of men’, produced offspring called ‘giants’, v. 4. This word, translated as ‘fallen ones’ by ROBERT YOUNG in his Literal Translation, comes from the Hebrew root which means ‘to fall’. According to Psalm 8 verse 5, man was made ‘a little lower than the angels’, but this cohabitation of fallen angelic beings with ‘human daughters’ was blurring this divinely ordained distinction and God was compelled to destroy man from the face of the earth. ‘Unless He had done so, the entire human race would have become a mongrel breed. Satan would have become triumphant. Only through a godly remnant and a new start would the human race be preserved so that Messiah eventually would come to identify Himself with the human race to redeem it’, MERRILL UNGER. It was in this depressingly dark, immoral scene that one bright light appears, ‘And Noah walked with God’, v. 9. The true greatness of this man of faith is seen in the fact that this walk was maintained for many decades, without any supporting fellowship other than his own immediate family and the God he served. Peter’s commentary on this shameless period in man’s history is, ‘the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah’. Though great, the longsuffering of God is not infinite, as is indicated by the direct phrase of warning, ‘My spirit shall not always plead with man’, v. 3 JND. The name Methuselah means ‘when he is dead it shall be sent’. So the deluge would only come after the death of Methuselah, whose life was lengthened out beyond that of any other man who has ever walked the planet. Such is the longsuffering of God! Genesis 6:4 The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men, and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown. giants - Nu 13:33 De 2:20,21 3:11 1Sa 17:4 2Sa 21:15-22 after - Ge 6:3 men of - Ge 11:4 Nu 16:2 Genesis 6 Resources - Multiple sermons and commentaries Related Passages: Numbers 13:33+ “There also we saw the Nephilim (the sons of Anak are part of the Nephilim); and we became like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.” (COMMENT: The Greek version uses gigantes (“giants”) to translate “the Nephilim,” but it does not retain the clause “the sons of Anak are from the Nephilim.”) THE NEPHILIM WERE ON THE EARTH We come to another controversial passage regarding the identity of the Nephilim. The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God (see note Ge 6:2) came in to the daughters of men, and they bore children to them - Note that the Nephilim were on the earth before and after the marriages of the sons of God to the daughters of men. In other words the Nephilim are NOT the offspring of the union of the sons of God and daughters of men. The phrase came in to the daughters of men is a euphemistic way to describe having sex and in this context procreating children and the "Hebrew imperfect verbal form draws attention to the ongoing nature of such sexual unions during the time before the flood." (NET Note) Those were the mighty (gibbor) men who were of old, men of renown - This refers to the Nephilim. Ray Pritchard explains that the “nephilim” were a race of ancient leaders who in their arrogance ignored God, built vast empires, acted as despots and tyrants, and embodied the worst traits of humanism—living as if God did not exist. They would agree with the man who said, “I am the master of my fate, the captain of my soul.” No doubt they were highly gifted individuals who could be charming when they needed to be but underneath were ravenous wolves, filled with corruption, violence, hatred and all manner of evil. Such men filled the earth in the days before the flood. NET NOTE - "The parenthetical/explanatory clause uses the word הַגִּבֹּרִים (haggibborim) to describe these Nephilim. The word means “warriors; mighty men; heroes.” The appositional statement further explains that they were “men of renown.”" NET NOTE on Nephilim - The Hebrew word נְפִילִים (néfilim) is simply transliterated here, because the meaning of the term is uncertain. According to the text, the Nephilim became mighty warriors and gained great fame in the antediluvian world (BEFORE THE GLOBAL FLOOD). The text may imply they were the offspring of the sexual union of the “sons of God” and the “daughters of humankind” (Ge 6:2), but it stops short of saying this in a direct manner. The Nephilim are mentioned in the OT only here and in Nu 13:33, where it is stated that they were giants (thus KJV, TEV, NLT “giants” here). The narrator observes that the Anakites of Canaan were descendants of the Nephilim. Certainly these later Anakite Nephilim could not be descendants of the antediluvian Nephilim (see also the following note). NET NOTE on and also afterward - This observation is parenthetical, explaining that there were Nephilim even after the flood. If all humankind, with the exception of Noah and his family, died in the flood, it is difficult to understand how the postdiluvian Nephilim could be related to the antediluvian Nephilim or how the Anakites of Canaan could be their descendants (see Nu 13:33). It is likely that the term Nephilim refers generally to “giants” (see HALOT 709 s.v. נְפִילִים) without implying any ethnic connection between the antediluvian and postdiluvian varieties. QUESTION - What is the significance of the fact there were giants in those days (Genesis 6:4)? ANSWER - Genesis 6 records the expansion of the human race and its descent into further corruption. The writer records that there were “giants on the earth in those days” (Genesis 6:4, NKJV) and offers a brief explanation of how that came to be. As humanity multiplied and began to be numerous on the earth (Genesis 6:1), the “sons of God” took wives (Genesis 6:2), and they began to increase. In light of the rapid multiplication of humanity and its evil, God limited the human lifespan to one-hundred, twenty years (Genesis 6:3). Prior to that time, people lived a very long time—even up to around nine hundred years (see Genesis 5). Though lifespans were decreasing on their own, God intervened to limit them greatly. Despite this significant limitation, there were giants (Hebrew, Nephilim) in those days—in the days of Noah. These were mighty men of renown and were apparently the products of relationships between the “sons of God” and the “daughters of men” (Genesis 6:4). The giants in those days were extraordinary, leading some to suppose that the “sons of God” in Genesis 6:2 and Genesis 6:4 are fallen angels and not merely regular people. In that theory, these fallen angels took on physical form and procreated with women. The demon-human hybrid DNA resulted in giant size and, apparently, enhanced physical abilities. There are three objections to this theory: First, there is nothing in the text that suggests the “sons of God” are angels. While the phrase can be used of angels (as it is apparently in Job 1:6, 2:1, and 38:7), it is also regularly used of people (e.g., Matthew 5:9 and Luke 20:36). Second, there is no indication that angels are physiologically compatible with women and can procreate with them (unless this is the only instance). Third, the theological implications are significant enough that one might expect some further explanation. Instead, we only see the offspring referred to as “giants” (Nephilim) and mighty, but nothing beyond that. Others have suggested that the sons of God might be people possessed by demonic beings. As in the other view, the phrase sons of God would still refer to fallen angels. While this view would resolve the physiological implications, there is nothing in the text that would suggest this possibility. A third view is that there were giants in those days simply because humanity hadn’t been fully genetically corrupted—everyone was big and tall and mighty—and God intervenes to shorten human lifespans. This theory takes the biblical account at face value, that these sons of God were simply men. In any case, there were giants in the land at this time before the flood and “afterward” (Genesis 6:4). There were still giants during the time of Israel’s conquest of Canaan (Numbers 13:33) and David’s time (1 Samuel 17:4–7). If these Nephilim were superhumans resulting from demonic and human cohabitation, it seems they would have died in the flood (Genesis 7:21–23). The fact that they were still around after the flood is either evidence that the fallen angels performed the same act again at some point after the flood, or it is another indicator in support of the third view that these giants on the earth from time to time were exceptional, but not superhuman. Whatever the case, Genesis 6:4 states that there were giants in the land in those days. The passage does not explicitly say how these giants came to be. It is best to not be dogmatic on an issue that the Bible says so little about and that is not theologically significant in the grand scheme of things. GotQuestions.org Genesis 6:5 Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. MSG God saw that human evil was out of control. People thought evil, imagined evil—evil, evil, evil from morning to night. God was sorry that he had made the human race in the first place; it broke his heart. God said, “I’ll get rid of my ruined creation, make a clean sweep: people, animals, snakes and bugs, birds—the works. I’m sorry I made them.” Then the LORD saw - Ge 13:13 18:20,21 Ps 14:1-4 53:2 Ro 1:28-31 3:9-19 every intent of the thoughts Ge 8:21 De 29:19 Job 15:16 Pr 6:18 Ec 7:29 9:3 Jer 17:9-10 Eze 8:9,12 Mt 15:19 Mk 7:21-23 Eph 2:1-3 Titus 3:3 thoughts - Jer 4:14 Genesis 6 Resources - Multiple sermons and commentaries Related Passages: Jeremiah 17:9-10 “The heart is more deceitful than all else And is desperately sick; Who can understand it? 10 “I, the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind, Even to give to each man according to his ways, According to the results of his deeds. Mark 7:21-23+ “For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, 22 deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride and foolishness. 23 “All these evil things proceed from within and defile the man.” Jeremiah 4:14 Wash your heart from evil, O Jerusalem, That you may be saved. How long will your wicked thoughts Lodge within you? Genesis 3:6+ When the woman saw saw (רָאָה, ra’ah) that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate. Matthew 24:37-38 “For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah (UNBRIDLED LAWLESSNESS!). 38 “For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage (APATHY AND REFUSAL TO HEED GOD'S WARNINGS), until the day that Noah entered the ark, THE HEART OF THE PROBLEM: EVIL ON A "GLOBAL SCALE!" Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth - Then marks progression in the narrative. The LORD saw (anthropomorphic expression)...on the earth is an allusion to His omniscience and omnipresence, as described in Pr 15:3+ (see also "Eyes of the Lord" below) Saw (רָאָה, ra’ah), used here of God’s evaluation of mankind’s evil deeds contrasts with God’s evaluation of His perfect creative work in Genesis 1, when "God saw (רָאָה, ra’ah) all that He had made and behold it was very good." (Ge 1:31+). Now what He sees is VERY BAD! This grieves His holy heart! Jack Arnold says that "Wickedness is always the absence of the life of God at work in human society.This would include all kinds of evil but with special emphasis upon sexual perversion (Gal. 5:19-21; Rom. 1:24-32). The second mark of decline is an unusual manifestation of sexual wickedness, not sporadic but continuous, not localized but everywhere. " Nowhere else in the Bible will you find such a clear description of the doctrine of Total Depravity. -- Ray Pritchard And that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually - Every intent...only evil continually is a sad all inclusive phrase! Don't miss the emphasis brought out by the words "every", "only" and "continually!" This is mankind as God sees it. This is the human race wholly apart from God’s grace. This is man at his worst! His corruption was inward, continual and habitual. Their evil heart led to evil thoughts which led to evil conduct. They were "rotten" from the inside out! This was the pattern and practice in Noah's day just as it is in our day (just watch the evening news!) What a picture of men made in God's image but terribly maring His image! Godly thoughts did not even enter their ungodly hearts! The heart refers to the seat of one's thoughts and thus is essentially the same as one's mind. Adrian Rogers has an interesting thought on every intent (imagination - KJV) of the thoughts of his heart says "that word imagination is an interesting word. The scholars tell us that it comes from a root, a Hebrew root word (ED: yatsar = to form or fashion), which means “to shape, as a potter would shape things with his hands.” That is, there were new philosophies that were being spawned. There were new ideas that were being molded. Actually, men were fashioning—they were molding—wicked philosophies. And with these wicked philosophies, they were espousing filthy causes. What they were doing was trying to reshape and remold society. They were trying to get perversion and vice and immorality to become the acceptable norm, to say what was good was bad and what was bad was good, and to get the people of that day to be molded into their mold. Ray Pritchard - This is what you are apart from God’s grace. 1) Sin is internal. It is a matter of the heart first and foremost. “The thoughts of his heart.” 2) Sin is pervasive. It touches every part of our existence. “Every intent of the thoughts of his heart.” 3) Sin is continual. It consumes man and controls him. “Every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” Pritchard goes on - Any “good” you may do is stained with the dirt of your own sinful inclinations. You have never done a truly good deed in and of yourself and you never will. All that we do is tainted with self-interest. Even our good deeds are but “filthy rags” in the sight of Almighty God (Isaiah 64:6). Your heart is so wicked that you don’t even know the half of your own sin. In the words of Anselm of Canterbury, you have not yet considered how sinful you are. Do not read Genesis 6:5 and say, “Those people must have been terrible.” Read it and then look in the mirror. There is no difference. That’s the whole point of Romans 3:23. No difference between them and us. No difference between then and now. No difference between the savage in the jungle and the corporate executive who is under indictment. Take away his MBA, his fine Brooks Brothers suit, his shiny BMW, and underneath beats the heart of a sinner. All the thoughts of his heart are evil continually. (The Days of Noah: Why God Sent the Flood) Ray Pritchard makes a good point that 'in civilized society, many evil thoughts are left that way—as thoughts, never to be mentioned or spoken or written or acted upon. In the days before the flood, evil thoughts became evil words that ultimately led to acts of unspeakable atrocity, brutality, lust and perversion. The unthinkable became thinkable, then speakable, then doable. And finally the unspeakable was done openly and praise was given to those who did it openly." (Genesis 6:9-22 Noah’s Ark: A Picture of Salvation) Wycliffe Bible Commentary adds that "The whole bent of his thoughts and imaginations was completely out of line with the will of Jehovah. Flesh was on the throne. God was forgotten or openly defied." Lawrence Richards - “Grief and pain” Gen. 6:6. Note the text does not say “anger and outrage”! God takes no pleasure in punishing those who sin. Instead He is deeply pained—by the hurt His creations cause one another and by the necessity of punishing persons made in His own image. (BORROW The 365 day devotional commentary) NET NOTE "Every inclination of the thoughts of their minds was only evil. There is hardly a stronger statement of the wickedness of the human race than this. Here is the result of falling into the “knowledge of good and evil”: Evil becomes dominant, and the good is ruined by the evil." NET NOTE says intent (inclination) is the "noun יֵצֶר (yetser) is related to the verb יָצָר (yatsar, “to form, to fashion [with a design]”). Here it refers to human plans or intentions (see Gen 8:21; 1 Chr 28:9; 29:18). People had taken their God-given capacities and used them to devise evil. The word יֵצֶר (yetser) became a significant theological term in Rabbinic literature for what might be called the sin nature—the evil inclination (see also R. E. Murphy, “Yeser in the Qumran Literature,” Bib 39 [1958]: 334–44). QUESTION - What is the meaning of “the eyes of the Lord” in the Bible? ANSWER: The eyes of the Lord is an anthropomorphic expression, meaning that it attributes humanlike qualities to God. God, who is spirit (John 4:24), does not have a physical body with eyes and ears, or arms and legs. The omniscience of God is most often the intended implication of the eyes of the Lord, as seen in Proverbs 15:3: “The eyes of the LORD are everywhere, keeping watch on the wicked and the good.” Nothing and no one in heaven and on earth can escape being observed by the watchful, all-pervading eyes of the Lord. God is always assessing, appraising, overseeing, superintending, and safeguarding His creation. God sees all people and knows all people, both the evil and the righteous. Since the eyes of the Lord are everywhere, so too is His presence. Thus, the idiom also expresses God’s omnipresence: “For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him” (2 Chronicles 16:9+). The eyes of the Lord conveys the all-knowing, all-seeing limitlessness of God, and yet at the same time His personal, ever-caring nature. The Bible tells us that God is always paying attention to our needs: “The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, and his ears are attentive to their cry” (Psalm 34:15). Believers can count on the individual, intimate care and concern of a loving God: “But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love” (Psalm 33:18). The eyes of the Lord often indicates His recognition and the bestowing of His favor: “But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD” (Genesis 6:8; see also 1 Peter 3:12). Likewise, the phrase frequently expresses His protection: “It is a land the LORD your God cares for; the eyes of the LORD your God are continually on it from the beginning of the year to its end” (Deuteronomy 11:12). The heavenly Father keeps a fond eye on His children: “He will not let your foot slip—He who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep” (Psalm 121:3–4+). The Bible tells us that God sees everything: “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account” (Hebrews 4:13; see also Psalm 11:4). The Lord’s field of vision is omnidirectional and unrestricted. Nothing we do can be hidden or kept secret from Him. Closed doors and locked chambers will not obscure His vision. He sees everything, including our sins, which displease Him, and the depravity of the world, which breaks His heart (Jeremiah 17:9–10). In His sovereign knowledge and foresight of all things, God is never caught off guard or taken by surprise. Nothing happens to Him or to His children unexpectedly. We may find ourselves in difficult circumstances, but we can rest assured that God is in control. As the psalmist reassures, God will be there with us: “If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. If I say, ‘Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,’ even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you” (Psalm 139:11–12). The concerned and compassionate eyes of the Lord are always on us, penetrating even our darkest night. From the moment we are conceived and every day thereafter, He sees us (Psalm 139:16). The Lord keeps His eyes on His children to protect and preserve them and lead them home. May we pray daily for the Lord to equip us “with everything good” so that we “may do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight through Jesus Christ” (Hebrews 13:20–21). GotQuestions.org QUESTION - What was it like in the days of Noah? ANSWER - The biblical account of Noah begins in Genesis 6. Approximately 1,600 years had passed since the creation of Adam and Eve (Genesis 1:26–27). As the earth’s population exploded in number, it also exploded with evil. Long forgotten was the righteous sacrifice of Abel (Genesis 4:4) as “the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Genesis 6:5). Verses 11 and 12 say, “Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight, and the earth was filled with violence. And God saw the earth, and behold, it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth.” However, “Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord” (verse 8). When Jesus described the events that will surround His second coming, He said, “Just as it was in the days of Noah, so will it be in the days of the Son of Man. They were eating and drinking and marrying and being given in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all” (Luke 17:26–27). Jesus was pointing out that, although the people of Noah’s day were totally depraved, they were not the least bit concerned about it. They were carrying on the events of their lives without a single thought of the judgment of God. Noah is described as a “preacher of righteousness” (2 Peter 2:5), meaning he had spent years warning his friends and neighbors what the Holy God was about to do. No one listened. The depravity and ungodly lifestyles of the entire world at that time were enough to cause the Lord to “regret that He had made man” (Genesis 6:6). Many scholars believe that part of the need to destroy every human being except Noah and his family was the sin mentioned in Genesis 6:1–4, when “the Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men, and they bore children to them.” As evil reproduced and overtook the world, the most merciful act God could perform was to start over. It is interesting that God allowed Noah nearly one hundred years to complete the building of the ark. Through all that time, God patiently waited (1 Peter 3:20). Scripture seems to imply that Noah preached to the people of that time about what was coming (Hebrews 11:7). They did not believe Noah and were content with their wickedness and idolatry. Their hearts were hard and their ears dull. No one repented, and no one cared to seek God. Jesus said that the world will be much the same before He returns to set up His earthly kingdom (Matthew 25:31–33). He warned us to “be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.” 2 Timothy 3:1–4 gives us a clear picture of the state of the world before Jesus comes and most likely also describes the world in the days of Noah. That verse says, “But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God.” It is becoming increasingly obvious that, to understand what the world was like in the days of Noah, we only need to watch the evening news. GotQuestions.org QUESTION - Does God make mistakes? ANSWER - God makes no mistakes. His perfection and greatness disallow mistakes: “Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom.” (Psalm 145:3). In the original language, the word translated “fathom” incorporates the thought of “possible to find out or enumerate.” In other words, God’s greatness is infinite. This statement cannot refer to a fallible person, for, with even one mistake, his greatness would be quantifiable and finite. God’s ability to do all things and comprehend all matters also prevents Him from making mistakes: “Great is our Lord and mighty in power; his understanding has no limit” (Psalm 147:5). Again, Scripture shows that God is infallible. Limited knowledge leads to mistakes, but God has unlimited knowledge and makes no mistakes. God has made no mistakes in His creation of the world. God’s infinite wisdom, infinite power, and infinite goodness combined to produce a perfect world. At the end of six days of creation, God surveyed all He had made and pronounced it “very good” (Genesis 1:31). There was no exception or qualification or disappointment. Just the statement “very good.” “God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?” (Numbers 23:19). Unlike man, God makes no mistakes and has no afterthoughts leading to a change of mind. God makes no decrees that He must later annul because He did not consider all the consequences or because He did not possess the power to fulfill. Also, God is not like man whose sinfulness requires judgment. “God is light; in him there is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5b). “The LORD is righteous in all his ways and faithful in all he does” (Psalm 145:17). Some claim that Scripture shows God having second thoughts about His creation: “The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time. The Lord regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled. So the Lord said, ‘I will wipe from the face of the earth the human race I have created—and with them the animals, the birds and the creatures that move along the ground—for I regret that I have made them’” (Genesis 6:5-7). It’s good to understand the word regret in this passage. When used of God, regret incorporates the thought of compassionate grief and an action taken. God was not showing weakness, admitting an error, or regretting a mistake. Rather, He was expressing His need to take specific, drastic action to counteract the wickedness of mankind: “Everything they thought or imagined was consistently and totally evil” (Genesis 6:5). The fact that God did not consider His creation a mistake is proved by the world’s continued existence. We’re still here, sinful though we are. Praise the Lord for His grace: “Where sin increased, grace increased all the more” (Romans 5:20b), and “Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD” (Genesis 6:8). God has never made a mistake. He has had a purpose in everything, and outcomes are no surprise to Him, for He declares the end from the beginning: “I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure” (Isaiah 46:9-10). Someone may think God has made a mistake in his or her own personal life. Certain experiences and conditions beyond our control make us wonder if God has maybe miscalculated. However, “we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28). This takes faith to accept, but “we live by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7). In everything we must understand that the things of this life are expendable and are being spent for our eternal reward according to the wisdom of Him who “is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy” (Jude 1:24). We can rejoice that our Lord God makes no mistakes in our lives but has a good and loving purpose for everything He allows. There is no fault in our God; there are no mistakes He has made. And there is no fault in His Son; Jesus committed no sin in thought, word, or deed (Hebrews 4:15). Satan was desperate to reveal even one fault in Jesus, but the devil utterly failed in his attempts (Matthew 4:1-11). Jesus remained the spotless Lamb of God (1 Peter 1:19). At the end of Jesus’ life, His earthly judge, Pontius Pilate, declared, “I find no fault in this man” (Luke 23:4). We live with our mistakes, big and little, petty and disastrous, and we get used to making them. But we serve an infallible, mistake-free God whose greatness cannot be fathomed. “Many, LORD my God, are the wonders you have done, the things you planned for us. None can compare with you; were I to speak and tell of your deeds, they would be too many to declare” (Psalm 40:5). It’s good to know that God’s in charge and that He who makes no mistakes can more than compensate for ours.GotQuestions.org G Campbell
Gênesis 6
Utley - I will blot out man whom I have created" The VERB "blot out" means "to annihilate" (BDB 562, KB 567, Qal IMPERFECT, i.e., the flood). The animals suffer because of the sin of mankind (cf. Rom. 8:19-22). The fish are not included in this judgment. This judgment is not based on the capricious actions of the gods as in the Mesopotamian accounts of creation but the moral evil of humanity. This evil remains even within the family of righteous Noah (cf. Gen. 8:21-22) but God's grace chooses to allow human evil (i.e., as a call to repentance) until the coming of Christ (cf. Galatians 3). NIV Study Bible note on animals - Though morally innocent, the animal world, as creatures under the corrupted rule of human beings, shared in their judgment (cf. 1Sa 15:3) Related Resources: Why did God send the flood when He knew sin would continue after the flood? | GotQuestions.org How was the flood in the time of Noah just? | GotQuestions.org Can the flood mentioned in Genesis be proven? | GotQuestions.org Did the Bible copy the Flood account from other myths and legends? | GotQuestions.org Was Noah’s flood global or local? | GotQuestions.org When was Noah’s flood? | GotQuestions.org (ED: It was actually "God's Flood!") What was the purpose of the flood in the time of Noah? Why did God flood the earth? | GotQuestions.org How can God be good if He drowned babies in Noah’s flood? | GotQuestions.org Had it ever rained before the Flood in Noah’s day? | GotQuestions.org Why did God also destroy animals in the Flood (Genesis 6-8)? | GotQuestions.org Why did Noah get drunk after the flood? | GotQuestions.org Does virtually every ancient culture have traditions about a great flood? - GotQuestions.org Podcast Episode 111 QUESTION - Were fish and sea creatures also destroyed during the Flood (Genesis 6-8)? ANSWER - When God revealed His plan to destroy the world with a Flood, He told Noah, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them” (Genesis 6:7). Interestingly, fish and sea creatures were not mentioned. Several passages in the Flood section of Genesis help shed some light on the question of whether or not fish were killed in the Flood. Genesis 6:17 states, “For behold, I will bring a flood of waters upon the earth to destroy all flesh in which is the breath of life under heaven. Everything that is on the earth shall die.” Specifically, everything on the earth would die. The flood of water would drown them. Logically, animals that live in the water would not be affected by more water. Also, it is hard to see how fish could be described as having “breath.” Land animals and birds were selected to board the ark, but fish and sea creatures were not (Genesis 6:19-21; 7:2-4). This would seem to indicate that sea creatures did not need the ark in order to survive. Genesis 7:20-23 lists animals that died, but sea life is not included: “The waters prevailed above the mountains, covering them fifteen cubits deep. And all flesh died that moved on the earth, birds, livestock, beasts, all swarming creatures that swarm on the earth, and all mankind. Everything on the dry land in whose nostrils was the breath of life died. He blotted out every living thing that was on the face of the ground, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens.” The reference to “dry land” limits what types of animals were affected. After the Flood, “God remembered Noah and all the beasts and all the livestock that were with him in the ark” (Genesis 8:1). Why didn’t God “remember” the fish and sea creatures? They had not been destroyed like the other animals. It is interesting to observe how the Hebrew worldview categorized animal life. The fifth day of creation included the creation of fish and sea life as well as flying creatures and birds: “So God created the great sea creatures and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarm, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good” (Genesis 1:21). Land animals were created on the sixth day (Genesis 1:24). Based on these verses, the Jewish people saw animal life in three categories—sea life, flying animals, and land animals. Of those three categories, only the flying animals and land animals were taken aboard the ark. The fish and sea life were not at risk under the water. GotQuestions.org James Smith - NOAH SAVED FROM WRATH Genesis 6:7 In these chapters we have a dark, dismal picture of man. After about two thousand years’ trial he is here only as a total failure. When man has altogether failed God comes in sovereign grace and manifests His saving power. It is always so. Grace comes when man is utterly lost and helpless. The coming forth of Noah and his family from the ark may be a foreshadowing of the coming of Christ and His saints to bless a new earth, purged by the judgment of God. Look at the I. Divine Verdict. “God said, The end of all flesh is come before ME” (chap. 6:13). What a poor end this was! “Evil, only evil, continually.” Mark, this is the end of all flesh. Evolutionists predict a different end, but the divine verdict has already gone forth—“Only evil.” “That which is born of the flesh is flesh” (John 3:6). “They that are in the flesh cannot please God” (Rom. 8:8). Unregenerate man, this is the end of your supposed good life, as seen by a righteous and holy God. II. Divine Plan. “God said to Noah, Make an ark.” Noah and his family could never have escaped the flood had not God been pleased to reveal this way of deliverance. It is not in man (1 Cor. 2:10, 11). Salvation is of the Lord. What a revelation of grace has come to us through Jesus Christ! God laid on Him the iniquity of us all. III. Divine Warning. “Behold, I, even I, will bring a flood” (v. 17). How gracious our God is in providing a Refuge for us in Christ, and in so plainly warning us of the coming wrath (Luke 3:7). There is no escape for those who neglect His merciful provision (Heb. 2:3). “Remember Lot’s wife” (Luke 17:32). IV. Divine Invitation. “Come thou, and all thy house, into the ark” (chap. 7:1). He who made the provision sends forth the invitation (Matt. 22:2, 3). He who gave His Son up to the death for us invites us to “hear Him.” The pleading of Jesus is the pleading of God in Him (Matt. 9:28). God’s gracious purpose is to save both you and your household (Acts 16:31). V. Divine Security. “The Lord shut him in” (v. 16). They are safely kept whom God shuts up. When He shuts, no man can open. If any man enter in he shall be saved (John 10:9), kept (1 Peter 1:5), and comforted (John 14:16). To be shut in by God is to be shut out from the world—from its pleasures, its sins, and its doom. If your life is hid with Christ in God, seek those things which are above. VI. Divine Carefulness. “God remembered Noah.” Those who hide know where to seek. Those hidden by God are ever remembered by Him. All who are shut up in Jesus Christ, like Noah, are shut up to faith. It is a blessed privilege to be where we cannot be touched by judgment, and cannot be forgotten of God. VII. Divine Commission. “God said unto Noah, Go forth” (chap. 8:16). We go in for salvation, and go forth for testimony. We are first taken out of the world before we are sent into it (John 17). Those who go in and out will find pasture. To the unsaved God’s word is, “Come in;” to the saved His word is, “Go forth.” Blessed coming and going! Genesis 6:8 But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD. Ge 19:19 Ex 33:12-17 Ps 84:11 145:20 Pr 3:4 8:35 12:2 Jer 31:2 Lu 1:30 Ac 7:46 Ro 4:4 11:6 1Co 15:10 Ga 1:15 2Ti 1:18 Tit 2:11 3:7 Heb 4:16 2Pe 2:5 Genesis 6 Resources - Multiple sermons and commentaries GOD'S GRACE TO NOAH But - One of the greatest terms of contrast in the Bible. Here is a change of direction, an about face. This passage is a great illustration of Romans 5:20 "where sin increased, grace abounded all the more." Had God not orchestrated a great turn-around, none of us would even be here now!!! One is reminded of Habakkuk's great prayer "in wrath, remember mercy!" (Hab 3:2+) Noah found favor (chen; Lxx = charis = grace) in the eyes of the LORD (see preceding note) - Found is translated in the Septuagint with the verb heurisko which means to discover or to find without seeking. Given that Noah was a sinner with Adam's seed (Ro 5:12+), clearly it was true of him also what Paul wrote in Romans 3:11b+ "There is none who seeks for God." Noah was not looking for God, but God was looking for Noah and drew Noah to Himself (cf Jn 6:44, 65+). Noah of course still had to believe (MYSTERY OF DIVINE SOVEREIGNTY/MAN'S FREE WILL AND RESPONSIBILITY) because God does not desire robots, but hearts of men and women who love Him for Who He is. Noah demonstrated his faith was genuine by his works (120 years constructing an Ark). Works always verify one's faith, but remember that faith alone saves. And the faith that saves is not alone. Faith without works is dead (Jas 2:14-26+) and will not save, so if you say you believe in Jesus and there is no clear, demonstrable change in your life (2Co 5:17+), then your faith is "dead" and you too are spiritually dead in your trespasses and sins (Eph 2:1+) and in grave danger (pun intended) of experiencing eternal separation from the One Who Created you (see 2Th 1:5-7, 8, 9+) Favor in the Septuagint is charis or grace, and this in fact is the first mention of grace in the Bible. Is not that apropos, for the world was now in its greatest need of the grace of God. Grace means undeserved favor, and describes the blessing God gives to those who do not deserve it. It is no accident that in this narrative, grace comes in verse 8 and righteous in verse 9. The only pathway to the latter is by God's provision of the former. Ephesians 2:8-9+ is the immutable pattern For by grace you have been saved (DECLARED RIGHTEOUS, JUSTIFIED) through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. Noah found grace in the same way that Paul obtained mercy (1Ti 1:16), namely, by mercy’s taking hold of him. Jack Arnold says "Noah “found grace” from God. It was sovereign grace that saved Noah. God was under no obligation to save Noah at all but He did it according to the good pleasure of His own will. It was pure grace that permitted Noah and his family to escape the judgment of the Flood. Salvation is directly related to God’s covenant." All that the eyes of the LORD saw (anthropomorphism) on the earth was evil continually with the exception of when He looked at Noah, on whom He had bestowed amazing grace, unmerited favor. Bob Utley- "Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord" The VERB (chen)(Qal PERFECT) is used of several key people in the OT, but it never states specifically why or what that favor involved. Noah ‒ Gen. 6:8, Abraham ‒ Gen. 18:3; 19:19, Moses ‒ Ex 33:12,13,16,17; 34:9; Num. 11:11,15, Gideon ‒ Jdgs. 6:17, David ‒ 2 Sam. 15:25 NET NOTE - The Hebrew expression “find favor [in the eyes of]” is an idiom meaning “to be an object of another’s favorable disposition or action,” “to be a recipient of another’s favor, kindness, mercy.” The favor/kindness is often earned, coming in response to an action or condition (see Gen 32:5; 39:4; Deut 24:1; 1 Sam 25:8; Prov 3:4; Ruth 2:10). This is the case in Gen 6:8, where v. 9 gives the basis (Noah’s righteous character) for the divine favor.n Heb “in the eyes of,” an anthropomorphic expression (SEE GOD DESCRIBED AS HUMAN anthropomorphism) for God’s opinion or decision. The LORD saw that the whole human race was corrupt, but he looked in favor on Noah. (ED: AREN'T WE GLAD GOD HAS "DOUBLE VISION" SO TO SPEAK!) Ray Pritchard calls grace the “contrary-to-merit” favor of God. Do not read this verse and think, “Noah was a really good man, a righteous man, and because he obeyed God, he earned God’s grace.” That’s impossible. It doesn’t happen that way. Noah didn’t “earn” anything. Grace was given to him the same way it is given to people today. Either grace is a gift or it isn’t grace. Instead of saying, “Noah found grace,” we should say instead, “Grace found Noah.” That would be more appropriate. Grace found him and saved him and his whole family. Let us learn two important truths from this verse: First, grace is available in the darkest hours. Even though the world was rushing headlong into judgment, Noah found grace. There is never a pit so deep that the love of God is not deeper still. Do not say, “I am too bad a sinner to ever be saved.” You don’t know that. Don’t say, “God could never forgive me.” Yes, he can. And he will, if you will cry out to him. And don’t say, “My husband is too far gone to ever be saved” or “I’m going to stop praying for that person because she is a hopeless case.” You don’t know that. While there is life, there is hope. Leave the final judgment in the hands of the Lord. Keep praying. And if you do not know the Lord, seek him while he may be found. Turn to him. Come to him. Trust in him. This is the day of grace. Though a thousand perish at your side, though your friends and family turn away, there is hope for you and plentiful grace if you will only come to Jesus. Second, grace is the only means of escape. Was Noah somehow “better” than his contemporaries? No, he was a sinner just like them. But he found grace and was spared. He turned to the Lord and was delivered.Hebrews 11:7 tells us that “by faith” Noah saved himself and his family. What Noah did, you can do. By grace we can be delivered even in the darkest days and from the deepest pit of sin. I admit that grace is a hard concept for us to grasp. I define it as God doing for us what we could never do for ourselves. It is God coming to our rescue when we were trapped in sin. Plenteous grace with Thee is found, Grace to cover all my sin; Let the healing streams abound, Make and keep me pure within: Thou of life the fountain art, Freely let me take of Thee; Spring Thou up within my heart, Rise to all eternity. ---Charles Wesley, Favor (grace) (02580) chen/hen; Lxx - charis = grace) means favor (acts which display one’s fondness or compassion for another), grace (acts of kindness displaying one’s pleasure with an object, which benefit the object of pleasure), acceptance. The idea is that a person finds favor in the sight of another person or acceptance by the person. This word plays a major role in helping us understand God's relationship with sinful men as shown in the first use in Genesis 6:8 with those wonderful words "And Noah found favor (grace) in the eyes of the Lord." The result of this favor was that he was delivered by God from His judgment of the world through the Flood. In a similar vein, the nation of Israel was granted by God to receive "favor in the sight of the Egyptians." (Ex 3:21, 11:3, 12:36). Meanings include - Favor, grace, charm, graciousness, kindness, beauty, pleasantness, attractiveness, loveliness, affectionate regard. Chen is translated in the Septuagint by the Greek word charis which is usually translated grace in the NT. Chen is used three times in Ruth (Ruth 2:2, 10, 13) all three in Ruth 2 (Ru 2:10 "Why have I found favor in your sight" and in Ru 2:13 -"I have found favor in your sight") Grace is favor bestowed on someone who doesn’t deserve it and can’t earn it. As a woman, a poor widow, and an alien, Ruth was in need of grace and she sought it in the form of a field in which she could glean. This was completely an act of faith (cp 2Co 5:7) because, being a stranger, she didn’t know who owned the various parcels of ground that made up the fields. There were boundary markers for each parcel, but no fences or family name signs as seen on our farms today. Her great faith reminds us that "without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him." (Heb 11:6+) Chen - 67v - adornment(1), charm(1), charm*(1), charming*(1), favor(51), grace(8), graceful(2), gracious(3), pleases*(1). Gen. 6:8; Gen. 18:3; Gen. 19:19; Gen. 30:27; Gen. 32:5; Gen. 33:8; Gen. 33:10; Gen. 33:15; Gen. 34:11; Gen. 39:4; Gen. 39:21; Gen. 47:25; Gen. 47:29; Gen. 50:4; Exod. 3:21; Exod. 11:3; Exod. 12:36; Exod. 33:12; Exod. 33:13; Exod. 33:16; Exod. 33:17; Exod. 34:9; Num. 11:11; Num. 11:15; Num. 32:5; Deut. 24:1; Jdg. 6:17; Ruth 2:2; Ruth 2:10; Ruth 2:13; 1 Sam. 1:18; 1 Sam. 16:22; 1 Sam. 20:3; 1 Sam. 20:29; 1 Sam. 25:8; 1 Sam. 27:5; 2 Sam. 14:22; 2 Sam. 15:25; 2 Sam. 16:4; 1 Ki. 11:19; Est. 2:15; Est. 2:17; Est. 5:2; Est. 5:8; Est. 7:3; Est. 8:5; Ps. 45:2; Ps. 84:11; Prov. 1:9; Prov. 3:4; Prov. 3:22; Prov. 3:34; Prov. 4:9; Prov. 5:19; Prov. 11:16; Prov. 13:15; Prov. 17:8; Prov. 22:1; Prov. 22:11; Prov. 28:23; Prov. 31:30; Eccl. 9:11; Eccl. 10:12; Jer. 31:2; Nah. 3:4; Zech. 4:7; Zech. 12:10 ILLUSTRATION OF THE GRACE OF GOD - Trapped 240 Feet Below the Surface Perhaps an illustration will help. It’s Wednesday and you are a coal miner in Pennsylvania. Today you are working 240 feet underground. By accident a drill pierces through the wall of an abandoned mine shaft nearby. Suddenly millions of gallons of water rush toward you. Quickly you and your eight buddies run for safety. It’s clear you will never make it to the mine entrance. In desperation you clamber over the rocks, searching for an air pocket as the water rises around you. At length you find a tiny space with a little bit of air. There you and your friends huddle together. It is cold and dark. As the water continues to rise, you wonder how long you can survive. Slowly the truth hits you. You are 240 feet underground. There is no way out. You can do nothing to save yourself. You cannot swim to safety. You cannot dig your way to the surface. You are trapped in the darkness. If someone far above you does not come to your rescue, you will die where you are. And that is exactly what happens. Far above you rescue workers drill an air hole, sending in hot air that keeps you warm and pushes back the rising water. Unknown to you, hundreds of people work together to dig first one rescue shaft and then another. Finally, they break through, the capsule is lowered, and you are lifted to safety. When you were trapped, they came for you. When you could do nothing, they rescued you. When your life was nearly gone, they dug through and found you. Someone far above came for you and you were saved. This is the grace of God. When we were trapped in the darkness of sin, Someone far above us came down from heaven to rescue us. He left the comforts of heaven to dig through the layers of sin and guilt to set us free. Jesus knew where we were. He came to us in our darkness and he shined the light of freedom upon us. We were trapped by sin and living in the darkness. The waters of judgment were rising around us. There was nothing we could do to help ourselves. If someone from above does not come for us, we’re going to die. Someone came. His name is Jesus. He dug down to where we were to set us free. This is the grace of God! As it was…So it is A W Tozer - Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. Genesis 6:8 Grace is the goodness of God confronting human demerit. So, grace is what God is—unchanging, infinite, eternal! This throws light on God’s dealings with men and women throughout the Old Testament dispensations and history. It is certainly the truth, and a proper concept for us to hold, that no one was ever saved, no one is now saved, and no one will ever be saved except by the grace of God. Before Moses came with the Law, men were saved only by grace. During the time of Moses, no one was saved except by grace. After Moses, before the cross, and after the cross, and during all of the dispensations, anywhere, anytime, no one was ever saved by anything but the grace of God! We can say this with assurance because God dealt in grace with mankind looking forward to the Incarnation and the atoning death of Christ. If God had not always operated in grace, He would have swept the sinning human race away. This, then, is the good news: God is gracious all the time, and when His grace becomes operative through our faith in Jesus Christ, then there is the new birth from above! Standing Alone For God In A Godless World A tough but achievable assignment. • Noah, like you, lived in a wicked society. • Victoriously! • And so can you! God’s assessment of Noah’s life? “You alone I have seen to be righteous before Me in this generation.” (Genesis 7:1) The Lord was painfully aware of societies’ blatant sins as SEX and VIOLENCE dotted the landscape12 as it does ours. “Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil … continually … [God] was grieved in his heart … that He had made man …” (Genesis 6:5, 6) Living amidst this decadence, Noah stood up and was counted: “Noah found favor in the eyes of God”—That is, he was pleasing to God! (Genesis 6:8) “Noah was a righteous man”—That is, he was lawful and just before God! (Genesis 6:9) “Noah was blameless in his time”—That is, he lived a life of integrity before his fellow man. (Genesis 6:9) “Noah walked with God”—That is, he and God were conversant. They had a relationship. (Genesis 6:9) STANDING ALONE FOR GOD is a tough but achievable assignment which God expects us to accomplish! (FACTS OF THE MATTER -HILLIS) Croft Pentz - Noah Obeys God -- Genesis 6–8 I. SPECIAL Noah walked with God—Ge 6:9 A. Agreement (Amos 3:3). To walk together, both must agree. This is why many don’t walk with God—they can’t agree with Him. B. Acceptance (Gal. 5:16). If we walk in the Spirit, we will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh. II. SEPARATION Noah was a just (righteous) man—Ge 6:9 A. Source of righteousness (2 Cor. 5:17). Begins with salvation. B. Separation and righteousness (2 Cor. 6:17) C. Sanctification and righteousness (2 Cor. 7:1) III. SURRENDER Noah was a consecrated man—Ge 6:9 He was perfect (He did God’s perfect will). Note three types of God’s will in Romans 12:2. A. Good. This means the new convert. B. Acceptable. This means the growing Christian. C. Perfect. This means the mature Christian. IV. SUBSERVIENT Noah was an obedient man—Ge 6:22; 7:5 A. The plan. Build an ark. God would destroy the sinful world. B. The problem. Build an ark on dry ground? It had never rained before. God would destroy the world by rain? Noah didn’t understand, but he obeyed God fully! V. STABILITY Noah was a faithful man. Noah worked for 120 years in building the ark—Ge 6:3 A. Word. He was faithful to God’s word and prepared an ark (see Heb. 11:7). B. Work. He worked because he had faith (see James 2:17). Faith believes before it sees (Heb. 11:1; see also Heb. 11:6). VI. SERVICE Noah preached God’s Word (2 Peter 2:5). “A preacher of righteousness.” A. Concern. He was interested in man’s safety. B. Compassion. He was interested in man’s soul. VII. SALVATION All died except Noah’s family, which was saved—Ge 7:23 A. God’s plan (John 1:12). Accept Him and be saved. B. God’s provision (John 3:1–8). If you are not born again, then you are lost. Genesis 6:9 These are the records of the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his time; Noah walked with God. NET BIBLE - Genesis 6:9 This is the account of Noah. Noah was a godly man; he was blameless among his contemporaries. He walked with God. NET NOTE - Heb “Noah was a godly man, blameless in his generations.” The singular “generation” can refer to one’s contemporaries, i.e., those living at a particular point in time. The plural “generations” can refer to successive generations in the past or the future. Here, where it is qualified by “his” (i.e., Noah’s), it refers to Noah’s contemporaries, comprised of the preceding generation (his father’s generation), those of Noah’s generation, and the next generation (those the same age as his children). In other words, “his generations” means the generations contemporary with him. See BDB 190 s.v. דוֹר. These - Ge 2:4 5:1 10:1 just - Ge 7:1 Job 12:4 Pr 4:18 Ec 7:20 Eze 14:14,20 Hab 2:4 Lu 2:25 Lu 23:50 Ac 10:22 Ro 1:17 Ga 3:11 Heb 11:7 2Pe 2:5 perfect - or, upright, 2Ch 15:17 25:2 Job 1:1,8 Ps 37:37 Lu 1:6 Php 3:9-15 and Noah - Ge 5:22,24 17:1 48:15 1Ki 3:6 Lu 1:6 1Pe 2:5 Genesis 6 Resources - Multiple sermons and commentaries NOAH, A MAN WHO WALKED BY FAITH These are the records of the generations of Noah - Man's record was a "broken record," so God seeks to set the record straight with Noah! Noah was a righteous (saddiq; Lxx = dikaios) man, blameless (tamim; Lxx = teleios) in his time - Noah was righteous (first mention of righteous in the Bible), which indicates he had believed what he knew of the Gospel, for Paul says " the gospel...is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “BUT THE RIGHTEOUS man SHALL LIVE BY FAITH.” (Ro 1:16-17+) Noah was declared righteous by faith just as was Abram in Ge 15:6+ where Moses writes that "he believed in the LORD; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness." In Gal 3:8+ Paul says Abraham heard the Gospel! Noah must also have heard the Gospel (but we do not have a specific text like Gal 3:8 but see Heb 11:7 below). Noah had positional righteousness (aka "positional sanctification" = justified by faith) and in his daily life he manifested practical righteousness or progressive sanctification (as shown by his obedience to God's commands to built an Ark, etc). Noah was blameless not perfect but by grace through faith he was a saved man, the writer of Hebrews recording "By faith Noah, being warned by God about things not yet seen (IT HAD NEVER RAINED), in reverence prepared an ark (OBEDIENCE) for the salvation of his household, by which he condemned the world, and became an heir of the righteousness which is according to faith." (Heb 11:7+) Righteous (think "right") means that Noah conformed to the standard of his understanding about the will of God. Lawrence Richards - “A righteous man” Gen. 6:9. When applied to human beings in the Old Testament, “righteous” and “blameless” never imply being without sin. Instead they are used to portray persons who respond to God wholeheartedly and who honestly seek to please Him. Only Noah merited this description. (BORROW The 365 day devotional commentary) Bob Utley on righteous and blameless - These two descriptive words are very significant. The first one implies that Noah conformed to the standard of his understanding about the will of God. The second (BDB 1070) implies that he has a complete heart toward the Lord (e.g., Gen. 17:1; Ps. 18:23). The second term is later used for unblemished sacrifices. These two terms do not imply Noah's sinlessness, as Gen. 9:21 shows. There has been some speculation that "blameless" means "pure" (i.e., not contaminated with the mixture of rebellious angels and human women). Noah walked with God - He was in continual communication with God, having a walk that pleased God. Moses gave the same description of Enoch that he "walked with God" (Ge 5:22, 24+). There was thankfully one major difference, for with Enoch we read "he was not, for God took him," whereas Noah "entered the ark" (Mt 24:37-39+, Lk 17:26, 27+) and was saved to re-populate the earth. I love the Septuagint translation of "walked with God" for the Greek verb is euaresteo which means to do something or act is a manner that is pleasing to another, in this case God! The same verb describes Enoch in Ge 5:22, 24+ the English of the Septuagint being "And Enoch was well-pleasing to God." NET NOTE - The construction translated “walked with” is used in Gen 5:22, 24 (see the note on this phrase in 5:22) and in 1 Sam 25:15, where it refers to David’s and Nabal’s men “rubbing shoulders” in the fields. Based on the use in 1 Sam 25:15, the expression seems to mean “live in close proximity to,” which may, by metonymy, mean “maintain cordial relations with.” C H
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Utley on cubits - "cubits" There are two cubits (BDB 52, KB 61) in the Bible. The regular cubit is the distance between an average man's longest finger and his elbow, usually around 18 inches (cf. Deut. 3:11; 2 Chr. 3:3). There is also a longer cubit (royal cubit) used in construction (i.e., Solomon's temple), which was common in Egypt, Palestine, and sometimes Babylon. It was 21 inches long (cf.2 Chr. 3:3; Ezek. 40:5; 43:13). The physical dimensions of the ark were probably around 450 feet by 75 feet by 45 feet. This is about half the size of the Queen Elizabeth II. It has been surmised that it was square but it possibly had slanted sides to help control wave pressure against the hull. The ancients used parts of the human body for measurement. The people of the Ancient Near East used: (1) width between the outstretched arms (2) length from elbow to middle finger (cubit) (3) width from outstretched thumb to little finger (span) (4) length between all four fingers of a closed hand (handbreadth) The cubit (BDB 52, KB 61) was not completely standardized, but there were two basic lengths. (a) normal male's elbow to middle finger (about 18 inches, cf. Deut. 3:11) (b) royal cubit was a bit longer (about 21 inches, cf. 2 Chr. 3:3; Ezek. 40:5; 43:13) Henry