Genesis 9:1-6

God's Covenant with Noah

1 God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.

2 The fear and terror of you will be in every living creature on the earth, every bird of the sky, every creature that crawls on the ground, and all the fish of the sea. They are placed under your authority.^[a]

3 Every living creature will be food for you; as [I gave] the green plants, I have given you everything.^[b]

4 However, you must not eat meat with its lifeblood in it.

5 I will require the life of every animal and every man for your life and your blood. I will require the life of each man's brother for a man's life.^[c]

6 Whoever sheds man's blood, his blood will be shed by man, for God made man in His image.

Genesis 9:1-6 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.

Footnotes

• [a]. Lit are given in your hand
• [b]. Gn 1:28-30
• [c]. Gn 4:2,8