And Noah builded an altar unto the Lord
Not an house for himself and his family, but an altar for God;
his first and greatest concern being for the glory of God, and
not for the temporal good of himself and his: this altar was
erected, and devoted to the service of God; it was built
according to his will, and by his direction: Noah's view was to
renew the worship of God, preserve and propagate it by his
example; and this was done by way of thanksgiving to God for his
wonderful preservation of him, and was also propitiatory and
typical of Christ: the Jewish writers F4 say,
this was the altar on which Adam sacrificed, when expelled the
garden of Eden, and on which Cain and Abel offered; and being
demolished by the flood, was rebuilt by Noah, which is not at all
probable; it is much more likely what Aben Ezra says, that it was
built on one of the mountains of Ararat, and that as Noah took
the first opportunity, so he built it in the first place he came
to, or at least not far from the place where he came out of the
ark:
and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and
offered
burnt offerings on the altar;
the clean beasts were the bullock, the sheep, and goat, and the
clean fowl, the turtle and young pigeon, one of each sort at
least was taken. The Targum of Jonathan says, he offered four
upon the altar: these were typical of Christ; the bullock or
heifer might denote his strength, the sheep or lamb his patience
and harmlessness, the turtle or dove his meekness; and being
burnt offerings, may signify the painful and dolorous sufferings
of Christ, when the wrath of God was poured on him like fire.