Genesis 9:5-15

5 For surely your blood which is your souls I will require; at the hand of every animal I will require it and at the hand of man; at the hand of every man’s brother I will require the soul (or life) of man.

6 Whoever sheds man’s blood in man, his blood shall be shed; for in the image of God is man made.

7 And you, be ye fruitful and multiply; bring forth abundantly in the earth and multiply therein.

8 And God spoke unto Noah and to his sons with him, saying,

9 Behold that I establish my covenant with you and with your seed after you

10 and with every living soul that is with you, of the fowl, of the animals, and of every beast of the earth with you, from all that go out of the ark to every animal of the earth,

11 that I will establish my covenant with you, that all flesh shall not be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth.

12 And God said, This is the sign of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living soul that is with you, for perpetual ages:

13 I set my bow in the clouds, and it shall be for a sign of a covenant between me and the earth.

14 And it shall come to pass when I bring clouds over the earth, that the bow shall appear in the clouds;

15 and I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living soul of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh.

Genesis 9:5-15 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.