Genesis 8:19 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Every beast, every creeping thing, and every bird, everything that moves on the earth, went out by families from the ark.

NIV: All the animals and all the creatures that move along the ground and all the birds--everything that moves on land--came out of the ark, one kind after another.

NASB: Every animal, every crawling thing, and every bird, everything that moves on the earth, went out by their families from the ark.

CSB: All the animals, all the creatures that crawl, and all the flying creatures--everything that moves on the earth--came out of the ark by their families.

NLT: And all of the large and small animals and birds came out of the boat, pair by pair.

KJV: Every beast, every creeping thing, and every fowl, and whatsoever creepeth upon the earth, after their kinds, went forth out of the ark.

NKJV: Every animal, every creeping thing, every bird, and whatever creeps on the earth, according to their families, went out of the ark.

Finally, after a full year aboard the ark, all the animals—wild animals, creeping things, birds, everything that moves—left the ark together in an orderly fashion. Note that, while the animals were specifically said to have entered in pairs (Genesis 6:19–20; 7:8–9), this verse simply says that the animals went out "by families." No mention is made of pairs here, and "families" were not mentioned when the ark was being filled. While the text itself does not say so explicitly, it is all but certain that many of the pairs of animals reproduced during the voyage. These creatures are now setting foot on the remade earth as a larger family groupings.

Also clear in this verse is the supernatural influence of God. Animals simply don't co-exist in an orderly fashion like this. Noah was not an expert in taming wild beasts. The only way these animals could have entered, survived together, and exited the ark was through the direct intervention of God for the sake of saving each kind of animal that was saved.

Genesis 8:1–19 describes the process of God drying out the earth following the flood. Noah and his family and the animals wait for the waters to recede. Noah uses birds as a test to see if any land is nearby. When the time is finally right, a full year after they entered, God commands Noah, his family, and all the animals to leave the ark. Their mission from God is to swarm over the earth, multiply, and begin again.

Even as all other life was being destroyed, God didn't forget Noah and the animals. He stops the deluge of water flowing from above and below and causes a great wind to blow to begin drying out the earth. The ark comes to rest on the mountains of Ararat. There, its occupants wait for the flood waters to go down. After a full year aboard, Noah and his family and the animals finally disembark. Noah builds an altar in worship to God and offers animal sacrifices. God commits to never curse the earth as He had through the flood, and to never again strike down all life on earth.

Genesis 6 and 7 explain the events leading up to the flood, and the actual catastrophe itself. After the devastation and destruction are over, God begins to dry out the earth in Genesis 8. The waters recede, Noah and the animals finally leave after a year aboard, and Noah offers animal sacrifices in worship to God. God commits to never again strike down all life on earth at once. As long as the earth remains, living things will enjoy the cycles of day, night, and seasons. The following chapters describe the re-population of earth by mankind, leading up to another instance of God's intervention, at the Tower of Babel (Genesis 11).

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 4/29/2024 3:00:57 AM