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Hebrews 11:7
ESV By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.
NIV By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith.
NASB By faith Noah, being warned by God about things not yet seen, in reverence prepared an ark for the salvation of his household, by which he condemned the world, and became an heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.
CSB By faith Noah, after he was warned about what was not yet seen and motivated by godly fear, built an ark to deliver his family. By faith he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.
NLT It was by faith that Noah built a large boat to save his family from the flood. He obeyed God, who warned him about things that had never happened before. By his faith Noah condemned the rest of the world, and he received the righteousness that comes by faith.
KJV By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.
NKJV By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.

What does Hebrews 11:7 mean?

Faith, according to the writer of Hebrews, is what gives us confidence in an unseen future (Hebrews 11:1). When we trust God, based on what we know of Him, we act according to His will. That is the "faith" which God commends, and which is required in order to please Him. Prior examples of this kind of faith were Abel and Enoch.

Noah, listed here, also exemplifies trusting obedience. God's communication with Noah was relatively detailed—he was told about the upcoming flood and how the ark would serve to rescue mankind (Genesis 6:13–18). All Noah had to do was obey, which he did (Genesis 6:22). Of course, Noah would have grappled with his own unanswered questions, which is what the writer means by referring to "events as yet unseen." At the time God gave His command for Noah to build the ark, Noah had never seen anything like the flood before. He could see no physical evidence that the flood was imminent. But Noah chose to trust God.

This trust, sufficient to produce obedience, is what the writer of Hebrews extolls as the "faith" we ought to live by. Noah's trust proved the wickedness of those who rejected God, and his obedience saved his family (Genesis 7:11–13, 22–23). Noah is also referred to here as an "heir of the righteousness that comes by faith." Obedience to God, in the book of Hebrews, is often tied to the concept of an "inheritance," usually meaning the victorious rewards God intends us to obtain by following His will (Hebrews 6:11–12). Noah's behavior should be contrasted with the actions of the nation of Israel as described earlier in the book of Hebrews (Hebrews 3:7–15).
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