Part E. The Great Flood (6:1—9:29)
E3. Entering the ark (7:1-10)
E4. The coming of the Flood (7:11-24)
† After a long period of preparation of perhaps 50-120 years, the ark was finally completed. During the whole period, Noah preached the message of repentence to the whole world (Heb 11:7; 2Pe 2:5). But no one outside his family believed. The time for God’s world-changing action finally arrived.
7:1 I have seen: Noah’s righteous behaviour was described in Gen 6:9; here is God’s recognition.
7:2 clean animals: These do not refer to the clean animals specified in Mosaic Law about food (Lev 11; Dt 14). No one used animals as food before the Flood. Cleanliness, therefore, refers to fitness for sacrificial use. These animals were used in the burnt offerings after the Flood.
7 pairs: (literal: seven by seven; NIV: seven of every kind) Some commentators believe that it means 7 of each kind, 3 pairs (totalling 6) plus one (the 7th) reserved for the sacrifice after the Flood.
7:4 7 days: They had 7 days to complete the work of moving the animals, birds, insects into the ark. God apparently intervened in some way to send the birds and animals to Noah. Of course, this also meant 7 more days for the people to repent.
I will send rain: The participal form in Hebrew indicates an action virtually on the point of beginning.
7:5 Noah did all: again describing Noah’s perfect obedience to God’s commands (again in v.9).
7:6 flood: The word “Flood” (Heb. mabbul) is a technical term for Noah’s Flood, occurring only in Gen 6—9 and Ps 29:10, different from the normal Hebrew word for flood.
7:7 went into the ark: v.1 was the command that they needed to go into the ark bringing the animals; v.7-9 describe the actual entry into the ark.
7:8 everything
that creeps on the ground: all crawlers are considered ritually
unclean.
7:9 two and two: the orderly entrance clearly indicated divine interference. The number of species to be contained in the ark varies greatly in different estimates: from 300 to 50,000.
7:10 after 7 days: The Flood came precisely on the day that God spoke about in v.4.
o According to Jewish interpretation, the 7-day interval was a period of mourning for the death of Methuselah. It is also explained as a period for God’s own grief for the world.
There are duplications of information in this chapter. The entry of Noah’s family is described in v.7 and again in v.13. The entry of the animals is described in v.8-9 and again in v.14-16. One explanation is that the repetitions are structural overlays which help to highlight the information. Another explanation is that v.1-10 focuses on Noah’s entry; v.11-16 focuses on the animals’ entry.
7:11 2nd month 17th day: (Day 1) October or November in the Hebrew calendar, the beginning
of the rainy season in the
Jewish calendar has lunar months (like the Chinese) of 29-30 days. A year of 12 months will have 354 days. 7 leap months are added every 19 years. A leap year of 13 months will have 384 days.
fountains of the great deep: bursting of springs and fountains from below.
windows of the heavens: torrential rainfall from above.
7:12 40 days and 40 nights: continuous rain day and night.
7:13 Even though polygamy was practised after Lamech (Gen 4:19) or maybe even earlier, Noah’s family still practised monogamy which was what God planned.
While Noah’s family prepared for the Flood, the rest of mankind were still carrying on with the normal affairs of their lives— “eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage” (Mt 24:37-39). They were indifferent to the gathering clouds above.
7:16 the Lord shut him in: a contrast to the expulsion of Adam; indicating God’s care and protection of Noah as the head of his family. The shut door produced 2 results: [a] God secured the ark from the raging Flood water; [b] God secured the ark from intruders who wished to escape the Flood.
7:17 the Flood continued 40 days: the Hebrew for “continued” is the word “multiplied” used in Gen 1:28; there, it was the proliferation of life; here, it is the proliferation of destruction. The Flood caused by the springs and rainfall continued to increase for 40 days. After it reached the maximum depth, the Flood water stayed for another 110 days (v.24).
o
Besides the number “7”, “40” is
an important number marking events in
7:18 floated: The ark as a box could not be navigated by man but the floating was under God’s control.
7:19 so mightily (Heb. meod meod, literal: “greatly greatly” or “very very much”): doubling of the word “greatly” in v.18; emphasizing the escalating waters.
7:20 15 cubits deep: 7 metres above the top of the mountains.
7:22 the breath of life: the physical exhalation of breath from the nostrils that is the sign of life.
7:23 v.21-23 are 3-time repetitions of the death of all man and animals. The idea is: All living things, created by God with the breath of life, were destroyed by God.
o In Hebrew, the words “all” or “every” occur 8 times in v.19-23. The emphasis shows that all that Noah and his generation knew were swallowed up by the Flood. No other human being survived.
only Noah was left: It points to the righteous remnant. “Remnant” is derived from the verb “remain, left over”. Theologically, the idea of remnant depicts the future hope of God’s people as a holy, regathered people (Isa 4:3; 10:20-23; Jer 23:3; Ro 9:27-28).
The passage (v.21-23) sounds like an elegy (funeral song) mourning the complete destruction of life.
7:24 150 days: The period included the 40-day rain.
† God waited a long long time for man’s repentence but eventually the Flood came. Today, God gave numerous opportunities for each one to repent and accept salvation. But there comes a time when the door of grace will be closed, either by the individual’s death or by the second coming of Christ. It is important to grab the opportunity now, both for the non-believers (to accept salvation) and for the believers (to spread the gospel).
† Many have wondered how Noah and his sons could round up all the animals and birds. The job was impossible for man and only God could achieve the results. Noah’s job was to build the ark and God took care of all other details. Often we do just the opposite of Noah. We worry about details over which we have no control, while neglecting specific areas (such as attitudes, relationships, responsibilities) that are under our control. Like Noah, concentrate on what God has given you to do, and leave the rest to God.