Genesis 7:21

21 And each flesh was wasted that moved on [the] earth, of birds, of living beasts, of unreasonable beasts, and of all reptiles/all creeping beasts that creep on [the] earth. (And all flesh that moved on the earth was destroyed, yea, birds, and living beasts, and unreasoning beasts, and all the reptiles that creep on the earth.)

Genesis 7:21 Meaning and Commentary

Genesis 7:21

And all flesh died that moved upon the earth
That had animal life in them, of which motion was a sign:

both of fowl, and of cattle, and of beast, and of every creeping
thing that creepeth on the earth;
excepting those that were in the ark. This general destruction of the creatures, as it was for the sins of men, whose they were, and by whom they were abused, and is expressive of God's hatred of sin, and of his holiness and justice in the punishment of it; so, on the other hand, it is a display both of the wisdom of God, in causing a decrease of the creatures, in proportion to the decrease of men, who now would not need so many; and of the goodness of God to those that were spared, that so the beasts of the field, especially the wilder sort, might not multiply against them, and prevail over them, see ( Exodus 23:29 )

and every man:
except those in the ark; and the number of them is supposed to be as great, if not greater, than of the present inhabitants of the earth, by those who are skilful in the calculation of the increase of men. It is thought it may be easily allowed, that their number amounted to eleven billion; and some have made their number to be eighty billion ^F16. The Apostle Peter calls them, the world of the ungodly, ( 2 Peter 2:5 ) .

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FOOTNOTES:

F16 Scheuchzer. Physica Sacra, vol. 1. p. 55.

Genesis 7:21 In-Context

19 And the waters had mastery greatly on [the] earth (And the waters had great mastery over the earth), and all [the] high hills under all (of) heaven were covered;

20 (yea,) the water was higher, by fifteen cubits, over (all) the hills which it covered.

21 And each flesh was wasted that moved on [the] earth, of birds, of living beasts, of unreasonable beasts, and of all reptiles/all creeping beasts that creep on [the] earth. (And all flesh that moved on the earth was destroyed, yea, birds, and living beasts, and unreasoning beasts, and all the reptiles that creep on the earth.)

22 All men, and all things in which the breathing of life was in [the] earth, were dead. (And all men, and all the things on the earth in which was the breath of life, died.)

23 And God did away all the substance that was on [the] earth, from man till to beast, as well a creeping beast, as the birds of (the) heaven(s); and those were done away from [the] earth. Forsooth Noe dwelled alone, and they that were with him in the ship. (And so God did away all the life that was on the earth, from man unto beasts, and reptiles, and the birds of the air, they were all done away from the earth. And only Noah, and those who were with him in the ship, remained alive.)