Genesis 6:9-22

9 This is the account of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation; Noah walked with God.

10 And Noah had three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

11 Now the earth was corrupt in the sight of God, and full of violence.

12 And God looked upon the earth and saw that it was corrupt; for all living creatures ^[a] on the earth had corrupted their ways.

Preparing the Ark

13 Then God said to Noah, “The end of all living creatures has come before Me, because through them the earth is full of violence. Now behold, I will destroy both them and the earth. ¹

14 Make for yourself an ark of gopher wood; ^[b] make rooms in the ark and coat it with pitch inside and out.

15 And this is how you are to build it: The ark is to be 300 cubits long, 50 cubits wide, and 30 cubits high. ^[c]

16 You are to make a roof ^[d] for the ark, finish its walls a cubit from the top, ^[e] place a door in the side of the ark, and build lower, middle, and upper decks.

17 And behold, I will bring floodwaters upon the earth to destroy every creature under the heavens that has the breath of life. Everything on the earth will perish.

18 But I will establish My covenant with you, and you will enter the ark—you and your sons and your wife and your sons’ wives with you.

19 And you are to bring two of every living creature into the ark—male and female—to keep them alive with you.

20 Two of every kind of bird and animal and crawling creature will come to you to be kept alive.

21 You are also to take for yourself every kind of food that is eaten and gather it as food for yourselves and for the animals.”

22 So Noah did everything precisely as God had commanded him.

Genesis 6:9-22 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO GENESIS 6

This chapter gives an account of the wickedness of the old world, both among the profane and the professors of religion, which was taken notice of and resented by God, upon which he determined the destruction of it, Ge 6:1-7 only one man, Noah, is excepted, who found favour with God, and whose character is given, Ge 6:8-10 and to whom was observed by God the general corruption of the earth, Ge 6:11-13 and to whom he gave orders and directions for the building an ark for himself, and his family, being determined to destroy the earth with a flood, and all creatures in it, Ge 6:14-17 only he would preserve him and his wife, his three sons and their wives, and two of every living creature, for which, and for himself and his family, he was to take food into the ark when built, Ge 6:18-21 and the chapter is concluded with observing, that Noah did as he was commanded, Ge 6:22.

Cross References

• 1. (Hebrews 11:7)

Footnotes

• [a] Literally all flesh; similarly in verses 13, 17, and 19
• [b] Gopher is an unknown kind of tree; possibly cypress or cedar.
• [c] The ark was approximately 450 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet high (137.2 meters long, 22.9 meters wide, and 13.7 meters high).
• [d] Or skylight or window
• [e] A cubit is approximately 18 inches or 45.7 centimeters.