Genesis 9:8-17

8 Then God spoke to Noah and to his sons with him, saying,
9 "Now behold, 1I Myself do establish My covenant with you, and with your descendants after you;
10 and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the cattle, and every beast of the earth with you; of all that comes out of the ark, even every beast of the earth.
11 "I establish My covenant with you; and all flesh shall 2never again be cut off by the water of the flood, 3neither shall there again be a flood to destroy the earth."
12 God said, "This is 4the sign of the covenant which I am making between Me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all successive generations;
13 I set My 5bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a sign of a covenant between Me and the earth.
14 "It shall come about, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow will be seen in the cloud,
15 and 6I will remember My covenant, which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and 7never again shall the water become a flood to destroy all flesh.
16 "When the bow is in the cloud, then I will look upon it, to remember the 8everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth."
17 And God said to Noah, "This is the sign of the covenant which I have established between Me and all flesh that is on the earth."

Genesis 9:8-17 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 8

  • 1. Genesis 6:18
  • 2. Genesis 8:21
  • 3. Isaiah 54:9
  • 4. Genesis 9:13, 17; Genesis 17:11
  • 5. Ezekiel 1:28
  • 6. Leviticus 26:42, 45; Deuteronomy 7:9; Ezekiel 16:60
  • 7. Genesis 9:11
  • 8. Genesis 17:13, 19; 2 Samuel 23:5

Footnotes 2

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