The First Book of Moses, called Genesis
Genesis 6
Chapter VI · Vol. I, pp. 222–223
1 The wickedness of the world, which provoked God's wrath, and caused the flood. 8 Noah findeth grace. 14 The order, form, and end of the ark.
1 And it came to pass, when men3 began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them,
2 That the sons of God4 saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.
4 Seth's posterity. [The sons of God, born of the Spirit, Jn. 3. 6, by faith, Ga. 3. 26, have been from the beginning the only real divisions of the human race. But as believers are by grace gathered out of the sons of men, so hypocrites and unbelievers are by temptation, Mat. xiii., discovered amongst the sons of God, their apostasy in principle soon degenerates into sensuality of practice, and whilst power is extended, riches increased, and luxury indulged, mercy is pleading with them, but justice is ready to smite.—C.]
3 And the LORD said, aMy Spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days5 shall be an hundred and twenty years.
a 1 Pe. 3. 18,19. Ga. 5.16,17.
5 Before the flood come.
4 There were giants6 in the earth in those days; and also after that,7 when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.7
6 The word translated giants, is derived from a root that signifies to fall, or fall upon; and conveys the idea of apostasy from true religion, and violent invasion of others' rights and properties—apostate persecutors and tyrants.—C.
7 God's warning, ver. 3.
A.M. 1556. B.C. 2448.
7 For strength and stature.
5 And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination8 of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.9
8 Or, the whole imagination. The Hebrew word signifieth not only the imagination, but also the purposes and desires.
9 Heb. every day.
6 And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.1
1 We must remember in interpreting this passage that language is intended to express human ideas. When used to describe the attributes, nature, or acts of God, it must not be interpreted in its exact literality. The repentance of God is not the same as the repentance of man. It undoubtedly expresses some process of the Eternal Spirit—a process, too, in a measure analogous to what we call repentance; but which is, at the same time, in perfect harmony with the eternity of the divine purpose. We cannot understand it, for it is beyond the range of our intellect.—P.
7 And the LORD said, I will destroy man, whom I have created, from the face of the earth, both man and beast,2 and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air: for it repenteth me that I have made them.
2 Heb. from man unto beast, Je. 4. 22-27; 12. 3, 4. Hos. 4. 3. Zep. 1.3. Ro. 8.20,22.
8 But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.
9 These are the generations3 of Noah: Noah was a just man, and perfect4 in his generations, and Noah bwalked with God.
10 And Noah begat three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.
12 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt: cfor all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
c ver. 4, 5,11,13. Job 22. 15, 16. 1 Pe. 3.19,20. 2 Pe. 2.5.
13 And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is dfilled with violence through them: and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.5
d ch. 49.5. Hos. 4.1,2; ver. 4,11,12.
5 Or, from the earth.
14 Make thee an ark6 of gopher-wood: rooms7 shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch.
6 It typified Christ and his church. He. 11.7. 1 Pe. 3.20.
7 Heb. nests.
15 And this8 is the fashion which thou shalt make it of: the length9 of the ark shall be three hundred cubits[≈ 140 m · 450 ft], the breadth of it fifty cubits[≈ 23 m · 75 ft], and the height of it thirty cubits[≈ 14 m · 45 ft].
8 That the ark was sufficient to contain the animals enumerated with sufficient food, will appear when we consider that it was at least upwards of 80,000 tons burden. Neither was it necessary that any but young animals should be selected.—C.
A.M. 1556. B.C. 2448.
9 Its length was an hundred and eighty-one yards and a half, its breadth near thirty-one yards, and its height eighteen yards and one-fourth part. It could well contain the animals and their food.
16 A window1 shalt thou make to the ark, and in a cubit[≈ 46 cm · 1 ft 6 in] shalt thou finish it above; and the door of the ark shalt thou set in the side thereof: with lower, second, and third stories shalt thou make it.
1 Zohar, translated window, signifies also splendour, light, and never occurs in the singular but in this one place. The Septuagint translators have declined to fix its meaning in Greek, perhaps for want of a correspondent word. In a case where the description is so general, may we not suppose it to have been a roofed and latticed verandah going round the upper stories of the ark, and serving at once for light and ventilation? Query. Does not the whole roof of the ark rise in a conical form till it terminates in a cubit?—C.
17 And, behold, eI, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and every thing that is in the earth fshall die.
18 But with thee will gI establish my covenant:2 and thou shalt hcome into the ark; thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons' wives with thee.
g ch. 9.9,11; 17.4,7.
2 Of preservation.
h ch. 7. 1. Is. 26. 20. Mat. 11. 28. He. 6. 18, 19; 11.7. Is. 4.6. 1 Pe. 3. 20. 2 Pe. 2.5.
19 And of every living thing of all flesh, 3two of every sort shalt thou bring into the ark, to keep them alive with thee; they shall be male and female.
3 At least.
20 Of fowls iafter their kind, and of cattle after their kind, of every creeping thing of the earth after his kind; two of every sort shall come unto thee, to keep them alive.
i ch. 1. 24; 2. 19; 7.9. Ac. 10. 11, 12 with Ps. 22.30. Is. 11.10. Re. 7.9. 1 Co. 6.9,11.
Notes
Ver. 1, 2. The descendants of Cain, or other profane persons who had joined them, are here called men, because they had quite cast off all regard to God and his ways; and the professors of the true religion are called the sons of God—they had a visible relation to him, lived in his church, and professed to be born from above, and to be ready to yield a cheerful and evangelical obedience to his commands, ch. 4. 26; De. 14. 1; 2 Co. 6. 18. These wantonly gazed on the daughters of Cain, who seem to have been extremely handsome and jovial, Ju. 14. 1; 2 Pe. 2. 14; Mat. 5. 28; and, regardless of God's direction or allowance, they followed their fancies, and married them. Such unequal marriages of professors with the carnal and profane are expressly prohibited by the law of God, and have been a common plague to families, nations, and churches, 1 Co. 7. 39; 2 Co. 6. 14, 15; Mal. 2. 11; De. 7. 3, 4; Ex. 34. 16; Jos. 23. 12; Ge. 24. 3; 26. 34, 35; 27. 46; 28. 1, 2; xxxviii.; 2 Sa. 3. 3; with 13. 28, 29; xv.; 1 Ki. xi.; Ezr. 9. 1-3, 12; Ne. 13. 24-27.
Ver. 3. God's Spirit strove with them by his inward good motions, by the checks which he caused their consciences to give them, and by the counsels and warnings given them by Noah, the preacher of righteousness, or others, 1 Pe. 3. 18, 19; 2 Pe. 2. 5; Ne. 9. 30. They were flesh, not only frail and weak in their nature, but exceedingly and obstinately corrupt, carnal, and sensual in their heart and life—under the reign of actual sin, which is called flesh, Ro. 8. 1, 4, 7, 8; Jude 19—and mad on practising the manifest works of the flesh: adultery, fornication, &c., Ga. 5. 19-21.—[The action of the divine Spirit upon inert matter is mentioned in ch. 1. 2—he originated motion. His action upon man is here indicated. He strives with his sinful nature by internal, moral suasion; or, as it is called, the voice of conscience. God left man to himself; he 'gave them over to a reprobate mind,' Ro. 1. 28. The doctrine of the Holy Spirit is thus developed in the opening chapters of the Bible. P.]
Ver. 4. These giants, or huge-bodied men, in the pride and confidence of their stature and strength, became despisers of God and goodness, and oppressors of mankind.—[The Hebrew word nephilim ('giants') occurs only in one other passage (Nu. 13. 33), and there it is unquestionably used to denote men of extraordinary stature:—'There we saw the nephilim, the sons of Anak, who came of the nephilim, and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.' The statement of the sacred writer is strikingly corroborated by eastern tradition. The nephilim existed previous to the mixed marriages; and were therefore a different race from the 'mighty men—men of renown.' P.]
Ver. 5. Je. 17. 9, 10, 'The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked. I, the Lord search the heart, and try the reins, to give to every man according to his works;' Ro. 8. 7, 'The carnal mind is enmity against God, and is not subject to his law, neither indeed can be;' Mat. 15. 19, 'Out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies;' Ps. 58. 3, 'The wicked are estranged from the womb; they go astray as soon as they are born;' 53. 1-3, 'The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. Corrupt are they, they have done abominable iniquity. God looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, that did seek God. Every one of them is gone back, they are altogether become filthy; there is none that doeth good, no, not one;' Ps. 14. 1-4; Is. 1. 2-6; Ho. 4. 1, 2; Mar. 7. 21-23; Ro. 1. 28-31; 3. 10-19; 8. 8; Ga. 5. 19-21; Ep. 2. 1-3; Tit. 3. 3.
Ver. 6, 7. God's repentance denotes not any change of his purpose or will within himself. In this respect he is unchangeable, and cannot repent, Mal. 3. 6; Nu. 23. 19; 1 Sa. 15. 29; Ja. 1. 17. But it denotes the change of his providence correspondent with his fixed purpose, 1 Sa. 15. 11; Ps. 106. 45; Je. 18. 10; De. 32. 36; Ho. 11. 8. It is a word suited to our capacity; and here it denotes God's detestation of sin, and his fixed resolution to punish it, after man had made himself quite another thing than God had made him at first.
Ver. 8. To find grace in the eyes of the Lord, is to be freely loved and delighted in by him, in order to preservation from some remarkable destruction, or to the bestowal of some distinguished blessing, Ge. 19. 19; Ex. 33. 12, 13; 2 Sa. 15. 25; Lu. 1. 30; Ac. 7. 46; 2 Ti. 1. 18; He. 4. 16; thus Pr. 8. 35, 'Whoso findeth Christ findeth life, and shall obtain favour of the Lord;' 12. 2, 'A good man obtaineth favour of the Lord;' 3. 4; 18. 22.
Ver. 9. Noah was a just man, justified by faith in the blessed righteousness of Christ: Hab. 2. 4; He. 11. 7; Ro. 1. 17; 3. 22, 24; 5. 1; 8. 33; Ro. 5. 19, 'By the obedience of one (Christ) shall many be made righteous;' 2 Co. 5. 21, 'For God made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him;' Is. 14. 24, 25; Je. 23. 6; 33. 16; Phi. 3. 9. He was perfect, upright, and sincere, a man of great integrity and godly sincerity, having his heart wholly consecrated for God, entire in his obedience to all God's commandments, and watchfully keeping himself unspotted from the world, as ch. 17. 1; De. 18. 13; Job 1. 1, 8; Ps. 37. 37; 119. 1, 5, 6; Pr. 2. 21; Mat. 5. 48; Lu. 8. 15; 2 Co. 13. 11; 2. 9; Ep. 4. 11, 12; Phi. 3. 15; Col. 1. 28; 2 Ti. 3. 17; He. 13. 21; 1 Pe. 5. 10; Re. 3. 2; Lu. 1. 6, 'Righteous before God, and walking in all the commandments of the Lord blameless;' 2 Co. 1. 12, 'In simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, we have had our conversation in this world.' Noah was perfect in his generation, amidst men extremely wicked, and notwithstanding their evil counsels, examples, and persecutions. Phi. 2. 15, 'Be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;' 1 Pe. 2. 15, 'That with well-doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men;' 3. 16.—[We have apparently another ancient document commencing here in the usual form, 'These are the generations,' &c.; see ch. 2. 4; 5. 1; 10. 1; 11. 10, &c. Let it be observed that two distinct Hebrew words are translated 'generations' in this verse. The first signifies 'families,' or 'race,' while the second signifies 'the period of a man's life.' Noah was a perfect man in his period or age. P.]
Ver. 11. Multitudes of the most enormous sins abounded among all ranks, and were committed before God in an open and presumptuous manner; without any fear of him; nay, in defiance to his justice. So the wickedness of Nimrod and the Sodomites was committed, ch. 10. 9; 13. 13; 19. 13.
Ver. 13. The end of all flesh is come before me. The time for the destruction of mankind and animals, fixed in my purpose, is near at hand; as Je. 51. 13; Eze. 7. 2, 3, 6; Am. 8. 2.
Ver. 22. He. 11. 7, 'By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear' of the approaching flood, and notwithstanding manifold scoffs from his neighbours, 'prepared an ark to the saving of his house.'
Reflections.—Behold the dreadful fruits of professors' intimacy and matrimonial connections with the carnal and profane! How sin transforms this world into a kind of hell, filled with corruption, wickedness, and disorder! Behold how quickly it ripens it for a destructive deluge of divine wrath! How long and how patiently God bears with the manners of these monsters of impiety, after they seem ripened for ruin! But how sad their case when his Spirit ceaseth to strive with their consciences for their conversion and reformation! What a blessing are upright saints in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation! How highly regarded and honoured of God! And what distinguished means of preserving families, nations, churches, or even the world, from utter ruin!
Measures in square brackets are modern equivalents added for this edition. They are not in the King James text or in Brown’s notes. They use common scholarly estimates: a cubit is about 45.7 cm (18 in), a shekel about 11.4 g (0.4 oz), an ephah about 22 litres. Money values give the worth of the silver or gold at spot prices on 28 October 2026, not what the sum would buy in the ancient world.