Genesis 10:6-20 traces the descendants of Ham, one of Noah’s sons, highlighting nations that play critical roles in Israel’s history. Ham’s sons—Cush, Mizraim (Egypt), Put, and Canaan—are the ancestors of peoples who become Israel’s primary adversaries. The genealogy of Ham receives more attention than Japheth’s because it outlines the…

Genesis 10:1-5 presents the genealogy of Japheth, one of Noah’s three sons, as part of the broader Table of Nations. This genealogy is the fourth major genealogical section in Genesis and marks the post-flood repopulation of the earth. The order of Noah’s sons is reversed here, with Japheth’s descendants listed first, followed by…

Noah’s story after the flood takes a dramatic turn with his drunkenness and the response of his sons. Noah, described as a man of the soil, plants a vineyard and becomes drunk, lying uncovered in his tent. Ham, the father of Canaan, sees his father’s nakedness and tells his brothers, while Shem and Japheth respectfully cover…

Genesis 9:18-19 shifts the focus from Noah to his three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth. These men become the ancestors of all post-flood humanity, tasked with repopulating the earth. The text highlights Ham as the father of Canaan, a detail that prepares readers for the later narrative involving Canaan’s descendants. This mention is not…

God establishes the rainbow as a visible sign of His covenant with Noah, all his descendants, and every living creature. This covenant promises that God will never again destroy the earth by flood. The rainbow serves as a reminder for both God and humanity. When the rainbow appears, it calls God to remember His promise and reassures…

God renews His blessing to Noah and his sons, commanding them to "be fruitful and multiply" and fill the earth. This command echoes the original creation mandate given to Adam and Eve, signaling a fresh start for humanity after the flood. The use of the Hebrew term "teem" emphasizes the abundant proliferation of life, highlighting…

God blesses Noah and his sons with the command to be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth. This blessing echoes the original creation blessing given to Adam and Eve, marking Noah’s family as the new humanity tasked with repopulating the earth. However, the blessing is adapted to a post-flood world. Unlike the original command…

After the flood, Noah’s first act was to build an altar and offer burnt offerings from clean animals and birds. This act of worship acknowledges GOD as Creator and Savior. It is the first explicit mention of an altar in Genesis, setting a pattern for worship and sacrifice that continues throughout Scripture. Noah’s sacrifice was an act of mediation…

Genesis 8:13-19 marks a pivotal moment in the flood narrative. After the waters begin to recede, the earth dries in two stages. On the first day of the first month in Noah’s 601st year, the water dries off the earth’s surface. However, the ground remains saturated until the twenty-seventh day of the second month, when the earth is fully dry…

After the floodwaters begin to recede, Noah seeks to know if the earth is ready for life again. He opens a window in the ark and sends out a raven first. The raven, a scavenger that feeds on carrion, flies back and forth but does not provide a clear sign that the land is habitable. 

The flood narrative reaches a turning point as God remembers Noah and all who are with him in the ark. This divine remembrance signals a shift from judgment to mercy. It does not mean God had forgotten Noah, but that HE is now actively fulfilling HIS covenant promises. God’s intervention begins the process of restoring order to a world…

The flood begins with Noah and his family safely sealed inside the ark. The waters rise relentlessly, covering the earth in a vast and unstoppable flood. The narrative uses repeated words and phrases to emphasize the overwhelming power of the waters. Words meaning “grew strong,” “high,” and “rose” appear repeatedly, creating a strong sense…

Noah is 600 years old when he and his family enter the ark, obeying God’s command precisely. The flood lasts one year and eleven days, emphasizing the seriousness and completeness of God’s judgment. The narrative highlights Noah’s obedience as he follows every instruction, including gathering animals in pairs and distinguishing…

God commands Noah to enter the ark with his family and to bring animals in a specific way: seven pairs of every clean animal and bird, and one pair of every unclean animal. The distinction between clean and unclean animals is not random. Clean animals are brought in greater numbers because they are intended for sacrifice. If only two of the…

As we discussed yesterday, being in covenant with God does not mean that only God has obligations to fulfill. A covenant relationship is a two-way street – each party has duties to fulfill. That is what we see in this verse. Noah obeyed. Noah did all that God commanded him to do. This is his part of the covenant with God. 

The concept of covenant is one of the most important themes in the Bible. Genesis 6:18-21 introduces the first explicit use of the Hebrew word for covenant, bĕrît. A covenant is a binding relationship between two parties that involves promises and obligations on both sides. God initiates the covenant with Noah, promising to save him and his family…

God declares His intention to destroy all life because the earth is filled with violence and corruption. The Hebrew wordplay between “destroy” and “corrupted” highlights that the flood is a direct response to human sin. The judgment is comprehensive, affecting both people and the earth. Human wickedness has brought…

I appreciate how the flood narrative begins, not with an angry God, but with a heartbroken God. 

The text reveals a world overwhelmed by moral decay. The Lord saw that human wickedness was great and that every thought and intention of the heart was…

The world had become deeply corrupt. Every thought and intention of humanity was consistently evil. God’s heart was filled with grief and sorrow over the extent of human wickedness. This divine anguish led God to decide to wipe humanity and the creatures from the earth. Yet, even in this dark moment, there is a beacon…

The story of humanity’s moral decline reaches a critical point as God observes the full extent of human wickedness. Every thought and intention of the human heart is described as continuously evil. This total corruption marks a tragic reversal from the original creation, where God saw everything as very good. The events described…