Genesis 7:9 - Printer Friendly

ESV: two and two, male and female, went into the ark with Noah, as God had commanded Noah.

NIV: male and female, came to Noah and entered the ark, as God had commanded Noah.

NASB: they all went into the ark to Noah by twos, male and female, as God had commanded Noah.

CSB: two of each, male and female, came to Noah and entered the ark, just as God had commanded him.

NLT: They entered the boat in pairs, male and female, just as God had commanded Noah.

KJV: There went in two and two unto Noah into the ark, the male and the female, as God had commanded Noah.

NKJV: two by two they went into the ark to Noah, male and female, as God had commanded Noah.

Verses 8 and 9 explain that what God has commanded to Noah, Noah does (Genesis 6:22; Genesis 7:5). This is a distinguishing aspect of Noah's character: his willingness to obey God (Genesis 6:9, 22). And, what God has told Noah will happen has happened. Genesis 6:20 indicated that God would send pairs of animals to Noah, in order to keep their species alive after the flood. After a week of last-minute preparation (Genesis 7:13), pairs of animals, both clean and unclean, along with the birds and insects ("creeping things"), entered the ark with Noah and his family. God's plan was under way. Life would be preserved in the midst of the destruction to come.

Humanity, on the other hand, was doomed, other than Noah and his wife, and his sons and their wives (Genesis 7:7). The following verse is the fulfillment of God's dire prediction: a massive flood of water to purge earth of mankind's horrific sin (Genesis 6:5; 11–12).

Genesis 7:1–10 confirms that Noah fulfilled all that he was commanded in chapter 6. In addition to the two pairs of all animals, Noah is also told to bring seven (total) pairs of ''clean'' animals, most likely for sacrificial purposes. God gives Noah a last-minute warning of the coming flood. As the preparations are completed, the great catastrophe occurs, just as God said it would. The next passage describes the colossal event.

Genesis 7 tells the story of the actual flood itself. God again commends Noah for his righteousness. The animals of every kind come to the ark. God shuts Noah and his family and the animals in, and it begins to rain. Water pours from above and bursts forth from below with incredible intensity. This outpouring of water lasts for 40 days, and covers the surface of the earth for another 110 days. The ark floats, rises, moves across the surface of the water. Outside of it, every land-dwelling, air-breathing thing dies. God wipes it all out, including every human being other than Noah and his family.

In chapter 6, God saw the wickedness and violence of humanity and resolved to wipe it all out. He revealed that plan to Noah, and He commanded Noah to build the ark. In chapter 7, the ark is finished, the animals arrive, the door is shut, and the rain begins on a specific date in the history of the world. All life aboard the ark is saved; all land-dwelling, air-breathing life outside of it is ended. The waters burst from below the earth and pour from above with great intensity for 40 days and then covered the earth for another 110. In the following chapter, the ark will come to rest, and the remade earth will begin to dry out.

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.

Accessed 4/27/2024 8:08:47 AM