Genesis 6:19 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And of every living thing of all flesh, you shall bring two of every sort into the ark to keep them alive with you. They shall be male and female.

NIV: You are to bring into the ark two of all living creatures, male and female, to keep them alive with you.

NASB: And of every living thing of all flesh, you shall bring two of every kind into the ark, to keep them alive with you; they shall be male and female.

CSB: You are also to bring into the ark two of all the living creatures, male and female, to keep them alive with you.

NLT: Bring a pair of every kind of animal — a male and a female — into the boat with you to keep them alive during the flood.

KJV: And of every living thing of all flesh, two of every sort shalt thou bring into the ark, to keep them alive with thee; they shall be male and female.

NKJV: And of every living thing of all flesh you shall bring two of every sort into the ark, to keep them alive with you; they shall be male and female.

God has revealed to Noah that He will wipe out all land-dwelling life on earth with a great flood. The reason for this is the pervasive wickedness of mankind (Genesis 6:5; Genesis 6:11–12). He has given Noah instructions about building an ark, a huge structure meant to float while carrying men and animals. Most importantly, God told Noah that he and his family would be saved from the flood by entering the ark. In doing so, God says he will make a covenant with Noah. This implies the most serious, solemn kind of promise.

Here, God gives Noah a truly remarkable command: Bring a pair of each kind of animal with you in the ark. For those in the modern era, particularly those in the west, we may be so familiar with the story that the enormity of this command doesn't affect us. And yet, it must have sounded daunting to Noah. Not only is he being tasked with building an enormous box, but he has to put an enormous number of animals into it! Fortunately, God will later suggest that the animals will come on their own (Genesis 6:20).

As we will see in the next verse, though, God's command was motivated by God's desire to preserve the good creation that He had made for future generations. This, again, shows God's plan to preserve humanity. Rather than simply obliterate life, and the human race, God graciously provides to help heal from this catastrophe.

This command is universal: Noah will bring two of every kind. Just a few verses from now, God will provide more specific instructions regarding "clean" animals, which will require seven pairs each (Genesis 7:2).

Genesis 6:9-22 begins another new section in Genesis called the ''generations of Noah.'' Because of humanity's power and wickedness, the earth had become filled with violence and sinfulness. By contrast, Noah was a righteous, blameless man who walked with God. God chooses to declare to Noah His plan to end all land-dwelling life on earth, but also to save Noah and his family and two of every animal. Noah obeys God's command to build the ark that would preserve the human race from total destruction in the flood.

God sees. In the first chapter of Genesis, God saw that all He had made was good. Now, many generations after sin entered the world, God sees that all man has made is wickedness and evil. Human beings have used their power for violence and destruction. God declares His plan to wipe out all land-dwelling life on the face of the earth. He will however, preserve humanity and animal life for a new beginning through the one righteous man, Noah, and a huge life-giving structure called an ark.

The previous chapter traced the generations from Adam through his son Seth and all of the way to Noah. This chapter reveals that Noah will be the man through whom God will preserve humanity for a new beginning after wiping out all life on the face of the earth. God tells Noah to build an enormous structure, an ark, and prepare to welcome representatives of all of the animals on earth. Noah does exactly that, setting the stage for the cataclysmic judgment of God to come in chapter 7.

The book of Genesis establishes fundamental truths about God. Among these are His role as the Creator, His holiness, His hatred of sin, His love for mankind, and His willingness to provide for our redemption. We learn not only where mankind has come from, but why the world is in its present form. The book also presents the establishment of Israel, God's chosen people. Many of the principles given in other parts of Scripture depend on the basic ideas presented here in the book of Genesis. Within the framework of the Bible, Genesis explains the bare-bones history of the universe leading up to the captivity of Israel in Egypt, setting the stage for the book of Exodus.