What does Genesis 8:1 mean?
After the global destruction of chapter 7, Genesis 8 begins with a comforting statement: God "remembered" Noah. This does not imply that God "forgot" Noah for a while. Rather, the idea is that Noah was always in God's sight, and in His mind. In addition, God was thinking of the animals that were with Noah on the ark. The same God who wiped out all of humanity and every kind of animal in judgment against the violence on the earth now turns and treats those He has saved with compassion and care.God starts the process of removing the floodwaters from the earth. While the heaviest rains occurred in the first 40 days (Genesis 7:12), the next verse leaves open the possibility that lighter, less destructive rain has been falling since then (Genesis 8:2). In the upcoming verses, all the water will finally stop. God also causes a great wind to spring up and begin to evaporate the waters.