Bereshis 8:20-22

20 And Noach built a Mizbe’ach unto Hashem; and took of every behemah hatehorah, and of kol haoph hatahor, and offered olot (burnt offerings) on the Mizbe’ach.

21 And Hashem smelled a re’ach hannichoach; and Hashem said in His lev, I will not again curse the adamah any more ba’avur (because of) haAdam; for the yetzer of the lev haAdam is rah from his ne’urim (youth, childhood); neither will I again strike any more every thing living, as I have done.

22 While ha’aretz remaineth, zera (seedtime) and katzir (harvest), and kor (cold) and chom (heat), and kayitz (summer) and choref (winter), and yom and lailah shall not cease.

Bereshis 8:20-22 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO GENESIS 8

This chapter gives an account of the going off of the waters from the earth, and of the entire deliverance of Noah, and those with him in the ark, from the flood, when all the rest were destroyed: after an one hundred and fifty days a wind is sent over the earth, the fountains of the deep and the windows of heaven are stopped, the waters go off gradually, and the ark rests on Mount Ararat, Ge 8:1-4 two months and thirteen days after that the tops of the mountains were seen, Ge 8:5 and forty days after the appearance of them, Noah sent forth first a raven, and then a dove, and that a second time, to know more of the abatement of the waters, Ge 8:6-12. When Noah had been in the ark ten months and thirteen days, he uncovered it, and the earth was dry, yet not so dry as to be fit for him to go out upon, until near two months after, Ge 8:13,14 when he had an order from God to go out of the ark, with all that were with him, which was accordingly obeyed, Ge 8:15-19 upon which he offered sacrifice by way of thankfulness for his great deliverance, which was accepted by the Lord; who promised him not to curse the earth any more, nor to drown it, but that it should remain, and as long as it did there would be the constant revolutions of the seasons of the year, and of day and night, Ge 8:20-22.