Genesis 8

1 And god remebred Noe and all ye beastes and all ye catell yt were with hi in ye arke And god made a wynde to blow vppo ye erth and ye waters ceased:

2 ad ye fountaynes of the depe ad the wyndowes of heave were stopte and the rayne of heaven was forbidde

3 and the waters returned from of ye erth ad abated after the ende of an hundred and .l. dayes.

4 And the arke rested vppo the mountayns of Ararat the .xvij. daye of the .vij. moneth.

5 And the waters went away ad decreased vntyll the x. moneth. And the fyrst daye of the tenth moneth the toppes of the mounteyns appered.

6 And after the ende of .xl. dayes. Noe opened the wyndow of the arke which he had made

7 ad sent forth a raven which went out ever goinge and cominge agayne vntyll the waters were dreyed vpp vppon the erth

8 Then sent he forth a doue from hym to wete whether the waters were fallen from of the erth.

9 And when the doue coude fynde no restinge place for hyr fote she returned to him agayne vnto the arke for the waters were vppon the face of all the erth. And he put out hys honde and toke her and pulled hyr to hym in to the arke

10 And he abode yet .vij. dayes mo and sent out the doue agayne out of the arke

11 And the doue came to hym agayne aboute eventyde and beholde: There was in hyr mouth a lefe of an olyve tre which she had plucked wherby Noe perceaved that the waters wer abated vppon the erth.

12 And he taried yet .vij. other dayes and sent forth the doue which from thence forth came no more agayne to him.

13 And it came to passe the syxte hundred and one yere and the fyrst daye of the fyrst moneth that the waters were dryed vpp apon the erth. And Noe toke off the hatches of the arke and loked: And beholde the face of the erth was drye.

14 so by the .xxvij. daye of the seconde moneth the erth was drye.

15 And God spake vnto Noe saynge:

16 come out of the arcke both thou and thy wyfe ad thy sonnes and thy sonnes wyues with the.

17 And all the beastes that are with the whatsoever flesh it be both foule and catell and all maner wormes that crepe on the erth brynge out with the and let them moue growe ad multiplye vppon the erth.

18 And Noe came out ad his sonnes and his wyfe and his sonnes wyues with hym.

19 And all the beastes and all the wormes and all the foules and all that moved vppon the erth came also out of the arke all of one kynde together.

20 And Noe made an aulter vnto the LORDE and toke of all maner of clene beastes and all maner of clene foules and offred sacrifyce vppon the aulter.

21 And the LORDE smellyd a swete savoure and sayd in his hert: I wyll henceforth no more curse the erth for mannes sake for the imagynacion of mannes hert is evell even from the very youth of hym. Morover I wyll not destroy from henceforth all that lyveth as I haue done.

22 Nether shall sowynge tyme and harvest colde and hete somere and wynter daye and nyghte ceasse as longe as the erth endureth.

Genesis 8 Commentary

Chapter 8

God remembers Noah, and dries up the waters. (1-3) The ark rests on Ararat, Noah sends forth a raven and a dove. (4-12) Noah being commanded, goes out of the ark. (13-19) Noah offers sacrifice, God promises to curse the earth no more. (20-22)

Verses 1-3 The whole race of mankind, except Noah and his family, were now dead, so that God's remembering Noah, was the return of his mercy to mankind, of whom he would not make a full end. The demands of Divine justice had been answered by the ruin of sinners. God sent his wind to dry the earth, and seal up his waters. The same hand that brings the desolation, must bring the deliverance; to that hand, therefore, we must ever look. When afflictions have done the work for which they are sent, whether killing work or curing work, they will be taken away. As the earth was not drowned in a day, so it was not dried in a day. God usually works deliverance for his people gradually, that the day of small things may not be despised, nor the day of great things despaired of.

Verses 4-12 The ark rested upon a mountain, whither it was directed by the wise and gracious providence of God, that might rest the sooner. God has times and places of rest for his people after their tossing; and many times he provides for their seasonable and comfortable settlement, without their own contrivance, and quite beyond their own foresight. God had told Noah when the flood would come, yet he did not give him an account by revelation, at what times and by what steps it should go away. The knowledge of the former was necessary to his preparing the ark; but the knowledge of the latter would serve only to gratify curiosity; and concealing it from him would exercise his faith and patience. Noah sent forth a raven from the ark, which went flying about, and feeding on the carcasses that floated. Noah then sent forth a dove, which returned the first time without good news; but the second time, she brought an olive leaf in her bill, plucked off, plainly showing that trees, fruit trees, began to appear above water. Noah sent forth the dove the second time, seven days after the first, and the third time was after seven days also; probably on the sabbath day. Having kept the sabbath with his little church, he expected especial blessings from Heaven, and inquired concerning them. The dove is an emblem of a gracious soul, that, finding no solid peace of satisfaction in this deluged, defiling world, returns to Christ as to its ark, as to its Noah, its rest. The defiling world, returns to Christ as to its ark, as to its Noah, its rest. The carnal heart, like the raven, takes up with the world, and feeds on the carrion it finds there; but return thou to my rest, O my soul; to thy Noah, so the word is, ( Psalms 116:7 ) . And as Noah put forth his hand, and took the dove, and pulled her to him, into the ark, so Christ will save, and help, and welcome those that flee to him for rest.

Verses 13-19 God consults our benefit, rather than our desires; he knows what is good for us better than we do for ourselves, and how long it is fit our restraints should continue, and desired mercies should be delayed. We would go out of the ark before the ground is dried; and perhaps, if the door, is shut, are ready to thrust off the covering, and to climb up some other way; but God's time of showing mercy is the best time. As Noah had a command to go into the ark, so, how tedious soever his confinement there was, he would wait for a command to go out of it again. We must in all our ways acknowledge God, and set him before us in all our removals. Those only go under God's protection, who follow God's direction, and submit to him.

Verses 20-22 Noah was now gone out into a desolate world, where, one might have thought, his first care would have been to build a house for himself, but he begins with an alter for God. He begins well, that begins with God. Though Noah's stock of cattle was small, and that saved at great care and pains, yet he did not grudge to serve God out of it. Serving God with our little is the way to make it more; we must never think that is wasted with which God is honoured. The first thing done in the new world was an act of worship. We are now to express our thankfulness, not by burnt-offerings, but by praise, and pious devotions and conversation. God was well pleased with what was done. But the burning flesh could no more please God, than the blood of bulls and goats, except as typical of the sacrifice of Christ, and expressing Noah's humble faith and devotedness to God. The flood washed away the race of wicked men, but it did not remove sin from man's nature, who being conceived and born in sin, thinks, devises, and loves wickedness, even from his youth, and that as much since the flood as before. But God graciously declared he never would drown the world again. While the earth remains, and man upon it, there shall be summer and winter. It is plain that this earth is not to remain always. It, and all the works in it, must shortly be burned up; and we look for new heavens and a new earth, when all these things shall be dissolved. But as long as it does remain, God's providence will cause the course of times and seasons to go on, and makes each to know its place. And on this word we depend, that thus it shall be. We see God's promises to the creatures made good, and may infer that his promises to all believers shall be so.

Chapter Summary

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.