What does Genesis 8:16 mean?
It is finally time to leave the ark! This is the moment Noah and his family have likely been eagerly anticipating for quite some time. After all of the work preparing the ark, the catastrophic deaths of all other people, and an entire year sealed inside a floating box, this is a moment of incredible triumph.Without the ark, they would all have died along with the rest of humanity. But the purpose of the ark was simply to preserve Noah, his family (Genesis 7:13), and the animals for this moment. Now, God intends them to begin humanity over again. The fact that Scripture specifically refers to Noah, and his wife, and his sons, and his sons' wives is no accident. This emphasizes the fact that God has had them in his sight, and that He recognizes their desire to walk freely on the earth once again (Genesis 8:18).