Genesis 8:8 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Then he sent forth a dove from him, to see if the waters had subsided from the face of the ground.

NIV: Then he sent out a dove to see if the water had receded from the surface of the ground.

NASB: Then he sent out a dove, to see if the water was low on the surface of the land;

CSB: Then he sent out a dove to see whether the water on the earth's surface had gone down,

NLT: He also released a dove to see if the water had receded and it could find dry ground.

KJV: Also he sent forth a dove from him, to see if the waters were abated from off the face of the ground;

NKJV: He also sent out from himself a dove, to see if the waters had receded from the face of the ground.

Noah has been sending out a raven on failed missions to discover if the ground had become dry enough to occupy (Genesis 8:7). Now, Noah turns to a dove. The dove was a clean animal in God's sight. Genesis 7:2–3 revealed that God considered some birds and animals clean and others unclean. God sent seven pairs of each of the clean animals on the ark, but only one pair of those that were unclean in His eyes.

That means Noah had at least seven pairs of doves to choose from for this mission. If the waters had subsided from the face of the ground, the dove might not come back. However, the dove would be expected to come back to the ark in search of food. If it came back empty-handed, Noah would assume that land was dried out enough for a bird to land on, but not yet ready to support life.

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 5/7/2024 10:07:19 AM