Genesis 9:1-11

1 God blessed Noah and his sons and said, "Have many children, so that your descendants will live all over the earth. ¹

2 All the animals, birds, and fish will live in fear of you. They are all placed under your power.

3 Now you can eat them, as well as green plants; I give them all to you for food.

4 The one thing you must not eat is meat with blood still in it; I forbid this because the life is in the blood. ²

5 If anyone takes human life, he will be punished. I will punish with death any animal that takes a human life.

6 Human beings were made like God, so whoever murders one of them will be killed by someone else. ³

7 "You must have many children, so that your descendants will live all over the earth." ⁴

8 God said to Noah and his sons,

9 "I am now making my covenant with you and with your descendants,

10 and with all living beings - all birds and all animals - everything that came out of the boat with you.

11 With these words I make my covenant with you: I promise that never again will all living beings be destroyed by a flood; never again will a flood destroy the earth.

Genesis 9:1-11 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO GENESIS 9

In this chapter we have an account of God's blessing Noah and his sons, being just come out of the ark, with a renewal of the blessing of propagating their species, and replenishing the earth, the dominion over the creatures, and a freedom from the fear of them; with liberty to eat flesh, only it must not be eaten with blood; with a providential care and preservation of their lives from men and beasts, by making a law that that man or beast should die that shed man's blood, Ge 9:1-6 and after repeating the blessing of procreation, Ge 9:7 mention is made of a covenant God made with Noah, his sons, and all the creatures, that he would drown the world no more, the token of which should be the rainbow in the cloud, Ge 9:8-17 the names of the sons of Noah are observed, by whom the earth was repeopled, Ge 9:18,19 and seem to be observed for the sake of an event after recorded; Noah having planted a vineyard, and drank too freely of the wine of it, lay down uncovered in his tent, which Ham seeing, told his two brothers of it, who in a very modest manner covered him, Ge 9:20-23 of all which Noah being sensible when he awoke, cursed Canaan the son of Ham, and blessed Shem and Japheth, Ge 9:24-27 and the chapter is concluded with the age and death of Noah, Ge 9:28,29.

Cross References

• 1. 9.1Genesis 1.28.
• 2. 9.4Leviticus 7.26, 27; 17.10-14; 19.26;Deuteronomy 12.16, 23; 15.23.
• 3. 9.6Exodus 20.13;Genesis 1.26.
• 4. 9.7Genesis 1.28.