Genesis Chapter 7

Verses 1-5 Call to Embark

“And the Lordsaid unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation. Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens, the male and his female: and of beasts that are not clean by two, the male and his female. Of fowls also of the air by sevens, the male and the female; to keep seed alive upon the face of all the earth. For yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights; and every living substance that I have made will I destroy from off the face of the earth. And Noah did according unto all that the Lord commanded him. [1]”

Verse 1

And the Lord said unto Noah – Some one hundred to one hundred and twenty years from have passed between chapters six and seven. The Lord said, denotes a conversation that takes place between God and Noah.

Come – Also rendered entered. The call to embark has gone forth.

Thou and all thy house – Those chosen to enter the safety provided of the enormous structure are confined to Noah, and all his house. Revealed in chapter six to be him, his sons, his wife, and his sons wives. This is, of interest, in comparison to the next statement.

For thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation – God informs Noah that he alone is righteous in this generation before God. The selection of his family appears to be on Noah’s righteousness alone, and hinges not on that of the individual family members.

What do we know of Noah’s righteousness? We know that his righteousness is one of faith, but all have sinned and fall short of God’s glory. Noah expressed a faith and worship in God that the rest of the world had abandoned.

This does reveal to us things to be said of his family, which also, had the faith to help construct the ark and enter in for things not seen as of yet.

Verse 2

Verse two expands upon the instructions given of chapter six, dividing all animals into two groups, Clean, and unclean.

Of every clean best – The beasts that are considered clean are listed for us in the book of Leviticus 11:3-8. Noah, being righteous before God would have understood the difference between clean and unclean animals. Clean animals are the only appropriate and allowed for sacrifice, and become the only meat permissible to the Jews in the days of Moses.

Thou shall take to thee by sevens – Many view this as a contradiction of chapter six, in which, God commands Noah to take unto him a single pair of each animal. Chapter six, rather, focus on the rule rather than the exception, and here, God expands upon His instructions to Noah. Many have read and interpreted the statement to mean “seven animals of each clean kind,” however, the text clearly indicates God’s intention of seven pairs. The male and his female.

Of every unclean beast take two, the male and his female – Of the unclean beasts, the command given Noah (chapter six) remains the same. He is to take on pair of such.

Verse 3

Of the fowls of the air by sevens, the male and his female – The fowls, like the animals are to be taken in breeding pairs of seven aboard the ark.

To keep seed alive upon the face of the earth – Gods purpose for the pairs is explained, to keep the seed of these animals alive.

The purpose of multiple pairs of clean animals then, verses the single pair of unclean, is to provide the multitude of animals needed for sacrifices while allowing the population to expand.

The question and topic of food has arisen in many debates of the years. How did Noah provide enough food, for his family and the large cargo of animals, for fourteen months? We know pre-flood, both humans and animals were herbivores. While there is evidence of some animals transitioning to a carnivore diet before the flood, we have also seen in the modern-day environment, carnivores switch to a plant-based diet in times of need. Examples include animals kept in zoo’s, during times in which meat diets are not sustainable. We can assume conclude Noah’s animals would have been infant, to young, requiring much less food, and, a strong possibility God had caused many of them to hibernate the duration of their stay. Noah also had between a hundred and a hundred and twenty years to complete the project and begin storing up food for the event.

Verse 4

For yet seven days – God’s final instructions pre-flood include a final warning. There shall be yet seven days more, and He will pour his judgement upon the land. These final seven days may have served as a buffer, allowing for Noah to board and organize the animals.

And I will bring rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights – Until this point, there has never been rain upon the face of the earth. In other places, the flood is spoken of as forty days, likely indicating day and night. The mention of forty days and forty nights here serves the purpose of indicating continual rain throughout the period.

Every living substance I have made I will destroy from the face of the earth – The purpose of the rain is stated, to flood and destroy life from the earth.

Verse 5

***See notes on 6:22

Verses 6-20 The Flood

“And Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters was upon the earth. And Noah went in, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons’ wives with him, into the ark, because of the waters of the flood. Of clean beasts, and of beasts that are not clean, and of fowls, and of every thing that creepeth upon the earth, There went in two and two unto Noah into the ark, the male and the female, as God had commanded Noah. And it came to pass after seven days, that the waters of the flood were upon the earth. In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened. And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights. In the selfsame day entered Noah, and Shem, and Ham, and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and Noah’s wife, and the three wives of his sons with them, into the ark; They, and every beast after his kind, and all the cattle after their kind, and every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind, and every fowl after his kind, every bird of every sort. And they went in unto Noah into the ark, two and two of all flesh, wherein is the breath of life. And they that went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God had commanded him: and the Lordshut him in. And the flood was forty days upon the earth; and the waters increased, and bare up the ark, and it was lift up above the earth. And the waters prevailed, and were increased greatly upon the earth; and the ark went upon the face of the waters. And the waters prevailed exceedingly upon the earth; and all the high hills, that were under the whole heaven, were covered. Fifteen cubits upward did the waters prevail; and the mountains were covered. [2]”

Verse 6

Noah’s relative age is mentioned in verse six, with a more exact age given later in the passage. With the absence of chronological events, there are two ways to date exact events in history. We can, as the book of Kings had done, date events based on a date in a given kings rule (for example, 1 Kings 22:41 “And Jehoshaphat the son of Asa began to reign over Judah in the fourth year of Ahab king of Israel.”). Another option is to use a very well known figure to give a precise date (In this case Noah, see notes on verse 11).

Verse 7

Noah and his family entered into the ark. This is the fulfilment and obeyance of the invitation, “come, or enter,” in verse 1.

It is said here the entered the ark due to the waters. It becomes unclear whether they entered in as the waters started, or if they entered in seven days prior and waited the period out on the ark.

Verse 8

A complete list of all creatures God commands Noah to take aboard with him. The clean, and the unclean, the fowls, and the creeping things.

Verse 9

Two by two – Literally, they went in pairs, the male and his female. The construction of the verse is done in such a way to include the pairs, whether by the a single pair (unclean animals) or seven pairs (clean animals).

Verse 10

It came to pass, after seven days – The fulfillment of verse four.

Verse 11

The six hundredth year, second month, seventeenth day – This is the first exact date mentioned in the Bible after the creation account, in which all dates are exact. Using the first and last dates given, we get a year and seventeen days Noah spend upon the ark (three hundred seventy seven days). *** Note: this is based on a Jewish Calendar and not the Gregorian Calendar used in the States.

Fountains of the deep broken up, windows of heaven were opened – In the creation account, God divided the waters from the waters, He put a firmament in (Gen 1:7). The description given, “fountains of the deep broken up, windows of heaven opened,” describes the act of undoing the work God performed on the second day. The earth will return to the state it was in during the period of (Gen 1:2), in which the full surface of the earth was covered in water.

During this time, God may have used earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and vast changes to the surface to break loose the water stored underground. It is also understood in our post-flood context as the reason of needing rain – the atmosphere no longer hold the amount of moisture it was designed to contain. It is for this reason, as well, we have deserts, and certain animals have gone extinct.

Verse 12

***See notes on verse four.

Verse 13

Shem, Ham, Japheth – This is the only place in the flood narrative the sons of Noah are named. Elsewhere in the account, they are “the sons of Noah,” or “thy sons.”

Noah’s wife, and his sons wives – The wives are always left nameless in the account.

In all, there were eight souls aboard the ark.

Verse 14

Recaps the groupings of animals of which entered the ark.

After his kind – Here again, appears the word critics of the flood account hate to be confronted with. As referred to in Genesis six, kind does not mean species, or sub-species, rather, it refers to the larger family of a particular animal. It is for this reason Noah had enough room aboard the ark to fit all “kinds” of animals. Surely, if Noah needed to fit two of every specie, there would not have been the room.

Verse 16

The Lord shut him in – This short, but easily dismissed phrase shows the tender care God provided in the salvation of Noah and his family. It is through the same tender care we are provided for today. The phrase also demonstrates the flood is under the control and divine direction of God.

Verse 17-19

The floods continued to increase upon the earth, both through rain (from above) and the fountains of the deep (from below). Over the forty days, the rains increased until they had lifted the ark, and then, flooded the earth to cover the tops of the mountains.

Verse 20

Fifteen cubits upward did the waters prevail – Fifteen cubits is not the total depth of the water, but the depth of the waters over the highest mountain top. Fifteen cubits is half the height of the ark (thirty cubits) and gives room for the ark to clear the highest mountain.

Critics of the flood account look to high mountains, such as Mount Everest (29,000 feet) and point to these mountains as evidence against such a great and worldwide flood. Either then, they claim, the flood did not happen, or it was a localized flood. Both assumptions are incorrect.

The Bible indicates, very clearly, the flood was globalized. It should be understood the super continent Pangea existed as the single land mass pre-flood. A global flood only had one land continent to cover. The formation of our seven continents today may have happened in one of two movements.

1. The beginning of the flood, when God breaks open the fountains of the deep (Gen 7:11)

2. The ending of the flood, when God raised the mountains and lowered the sea floors to drain the waters (Psalm 104:6-9)

A few additional clues in the world give us evidence of the great and worldwide flood. For example, the highest mountain tops, including Everest, all have sea sediment and sea fossils upon them. This means that Everest was once under water. This gives us a clue, of which, fits nicely with the Psalm. It only makes sense, naturally, for water to abate and drain, it must have somewhere to Go. God provided that location by lowering the valleys and lifting up the mountains.

An additional clue is found in every civilization that has sprung from the flood. All ancient civilizations include a flood account. They vary greatly, and the further from the original account, the more they vary in detail. This is evidence, however, of the flood that did occur, and the knowledge that had been passed down from generation to generation.

Verses 21-24 The Destruction of Life

“And all flesh died that moved upon the earth, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of beast, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth, and every man: All in whose nostrils was the breath of life, of all that was in the dry land, died. And every living substance was destroyed which was upon the face of the ground, both man, and cattle, and the creeping things, and the fowl of the heaven; and they were destroyed from the earth: and Noah only remained alive, and they that were with him in the ark. And the waters prevailed upon the earth an hundred and fifty days.[3]”

Verse 21

All flesh died – The fulfilment of Gen 6:13,17 and Gen 7:4.

It should be of interest that the stated order of things that died are in the order of which they had been created. Therefore, the fowl are listed first, with man, created last, listed last.

Verse 22

All in whose nostrils was the breadth of life – It was the breadth that God breathed into flesh that caused them to live.

Verse 23

Noah only remained alive, and those with him in the ark – Only those who entered by the only door were saved. Likewise, only those who enter through the door of Christ shall be saved.

Verse 24

The chapter closes with a awesome, and grim picture, of the world. The entire surface of the world has been covered, for a hundred and fifty days. This hundred and fifty days includes the forty days and nights in which the water rained upon and flooded the earth.

[1] The Holy Bible: King James Version. (2009). (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., Ge 7:1–5). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc. [2] The Holy Bible: King James Version. (2009). (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., Ge 7:6–20). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc. [3] The Holy Bible: King James Version. (2009). (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., Ge 7:21–24). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.