Genesis Chapter 7 — Noah and the Great Flood
God instructs Noah to enter the ark with his family and pairs of every animal before the Great Flood covers the earth.
1The LORD said to Noah, “Come with all of your household into the ship, for I have seen your righteousness before me in this generation.
2You shall take seven pairs of every clean animal with you, the male and his female. Of the animals that are not clean, take two, the male and his female.
3Also of the birds of the sky, seven and seven, male and female, to keep seed alive on the surface of all the earth.
4In seven days, I will cause it to rain on the earth for forty days and forty nights. I will destroy every living thing that I have made from the surface of the ground.”
5Noah did everything that the LORD commanded him.
6Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters came on the earth.
7Noah went into the ship with his sons, his wife, and his sons’ wives, because of the floodwaters.
8Clean animals, unclean animals, birds, and everything that creeps on the ground
9went by pairs to Noah into the ship, male and female, as God commanded Noah.
10After the seven days, the floodwaters came on the earth.
11In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep burst open, and the sky’s windows opened.
12It rained on the earth forty days and forty nights.
13In the same day Noah, and Shem, Ham, and Japheth—the sons of Noah—and Noah’s wife and the three wives of his sons with them, entered into the ship—
14they, and every animal after its kind, all the livestock after their kind, every creeping thing that creeps on the earth after its kind, and every bird after its kind, every bird of every sort.
15Pairs from all flesh with the breath of life in them went into the ship to Noah.
16Those who went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God commanded him; then the LORD shut him in.
17The flood was forty days on the earth. The waters increased, and lifted up the ship, and it was lifted up above the earth.
18The waters rose, and increased greatly on the earth; and the ship floated on the surface of the waters.
19The waters rose very high on the earth. All the high mountains that were under the whole sky were covered.
20The waters rose fifteen cubits*A cubit is the length from the tip of the middle finger to the elbow on a man’s arm, or about 18 inches or 46 centimeters. higher, and the mountains were covered.
21All flesh died that moved on the earth, including birds, livestock, animals, every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, and every man.
22All on the dry land, in whose nostrils was the breath of the spirit of life, died.
23Every living thing was destroyed that was on the surface of the ground, including man, livestock, creeping things, and birds of the sky. They were destroyed from the earth. Only Noah was left, and those who were with him in the ship.
24The waters flooded the earth one hundred fifty days.
WEB Translation
Notable Verses
Genesis 7:1
“The LORD said to Noah, “Come with all of your household into the ship, for I have seen your righteousness before me in this generation.”
This verse establishes Noah's righteousness as the reason for his family's preservation.
Genesis 7:16
“Those who went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God commanded him; then the LORD shut him in.”
This indicates God's finality and protection in securing the ark before the flood started.
Chapter Summary
In Genesis Chapter 7, God commands Noah to enter the ark with his household and specified numbers of clean and unclean animals. Noah obeys, and at six hundred years old, he enters the vessel just before the rains begin. The flood is triggered by the bursting of the fountains of the great deep and the opening of the sky's windows, leading to forty days and nights of continuous rain. The rising waters eventually cover even the highest mountains by fifteen cubits. Every living thing on the dry land that breathes through its nostrils perishes, including humans, livestock, and birds. Only Noah and those with him in the ark survive the cataclysm. The floodwaters prevail and cover the earth for a total of one hundred fifty days, marking a complete judgment on the generation while preserving a remnant through Noah’s obedience.
Frequently Asked Questions
Noah was commanded to take seven pairs of every clean animal and seven pairs of birds, consisting of males and females. For animals that were not clean, he was instructed to take only one pair, a male and its female.
According to the text, it rained on the earth for forty days and forty nights. However, the floodwaters remained and covered the earth for a total of one hundred fifty days before beginning to recede.
Noah was joined by his wife, his three sons—Shem, Ham, and Japheth—and his sons' three wives. A total of eight people were preserved on the ark to restart human life after the flood.
Study Note
The text specifies that the flood was caused not just by rain, but by the 'fountains of the great deep' bursting open, suggesting a massive geological event.
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