Genesis 9:8 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him,

NIV: Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him:

NASB: Then God spoke to Noah and to his sons with him, saying,

CSB: Then God said to Noah and his sons with him,

NLT: Then God told Noah and his sons,

KJV: And God spake unto Noah, and to his sons with him, saying,

NKJV: Then God spoke to Noah and to his sons with him, saying:

One difference of the post-flood era, beginning with chapter 9, is that God is speaking directly to Noah's sons, as well as to Noah. God is specifically including the next generation in His promises, commands, and blessings. In prior verses, God established some new details in man's relationship with animals, including the animal kingdom's fear of man and permission for humans to eat animal flesh. Blood, however, is not to be eaten.

Prior verses also established that instances of murder, whether by a man or an animal, would require the death penalty. As mankind are the image-bearers of God, God would not allow murder and violence to spread to the extent it did prior to the flood.

In this passage, God will establish a specific agreement with Noah and all of his descendants. This was foreshadowed by God prior to the flood (Genesis 6:18). This promise from God involves His vow to never again destroy all life on earth with a flood. The sign given to prove this covenant is God's bow, "set" in the clouds, rather than held ready for battle: the rainbow.

Genesis 9:1–17 continues God's interaction with Noah and his sons following the flood. First, God blesses them and gives them specific instructions about how to live in this remade world. God commands them to reproduce and fill the earth, among other things. Next, God establishes His unilateral covenant to never again end all life on earth with a flood, offering the rainbow as a sign of this promise.

Chapter 9 describes God's interactions with Noah and his sons following the flood. First, God gives blessings and instructions, including the command to reproduce and fill the earth. Next, God makes a unilateral covenant with humanity and animals never to end all life with a flood again. He offers the rainbow as a sign of this promise. Finally, Noah prophesies about the future of his son's descendants after an awkward episode in which Ham talks to his brothers about seeing Noah passed out drunk and naked.

Chapters 6, 7, and 8 describe God's destruction of the world in a massive flood. Now, in Genesis 9, Scripture describes God's dealings with Noah and his sons following the flood. First, God blesses them and gives specific instructions, including the command to fill the earth. Next, God expands on His promise to never again end all life on earth a flood. Finally, Noah curses Ham and blesses Shem and Japheth after Ham tells his brothers about seeing Noah passed out drunk and naked. Chapters 10 and 11 will sketch out the history of mankind from Noah to Abraham.

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 5/2/2024 9:51:50 PM