GENESIS 6
Human Wickedness and Noah’s Ark
About This Chapter
As humanity grows and spreads across the earth, Genesis 6 describes a world increasingly filled with wickedness and violence. The consequences of sin, first introduced in the Garden of Eden, have now spread throughout human society.
God sees the corruption of humanity and announces a coming judgment through a great flood. Yet amid this widespread evil, Noah finds favor with God. He is described as a righteous man who walks faithfully with Him.
As you read, notice the contrast between the violence filling the earth and Noah’s obedience to God’s instructions. God provides Noah with detailed plans for building an ark, preparing the way for the preservation of his family and the living creatures that will enter it.
This chapter begins the account of the flood, but it also introduces an important theme that continues throughout Scripture: even in times of judgment, God provides a way for life to continue.
1As people began to spread across the earth, daughters were born to them. 2The sons of God saw that the daughters of humans were beautiful, and they took any of them they chose as their wives. 3Then the LORD said, "My Spirit will not put up with humans forever, because they are only flesh. Their days will be 120 years."
4The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God slept with the daughters of humans and had children by them. These were the mighty men of long ago, men who were famous.
What This Means | The Sons of God and the Nephilim The identities of the “sons of God” and the Nephilim are debated. Some understand the sons of God as heavenly beings, while others see them as a human family line or powerful rulers. The passage does not clearly settle which interpretation is correct. The Nephilim are described alongside mighty men of ancient times. Their exact identity is uncertain, so claims about who they were should be treated cautiously.
5The LORD saw how great human wickedness on the earth had become. Every plan their hearts came up with was evil, all the time. 6The LORD was sorry that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply hurt. 7So the LORD said, "I will wipe off the face of the earth the human beings I created, and with them the animals, the creatures that crawl on the ground, and the birds in the sky. I am sorry that I made them." 8But Noah found favor in the LORD's eyes.
Noah Builds the Ark
9This is the story of Noah and his family.
Noah was a man who did what was right, and he was without blame among the people of his time. He walked closely with God. 10Noah had three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
11The earth was corrupt in God's sight and full of violence. 12God looked at the earth and saw how corrupt it had become, because all the people on earth had ruined their way of life. 13So God said to Noah, "I am going to put an end to all people, because the earth is full of violence because of them. I am going to destroy them along with the earth.
14"Make yourself an ark, a huge wooden boat, out of gopher wood. Build rooms in it, and coat it with tar inside and out. 15This is how you are to build it: make it 450 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet high. 16Make a roof for it, leaving an opening of eighteen inches between the roof and the sides. Put a door in the side of the ark, and build it with a lower deck, a middle deck, and an upper deck.
17"I am going to bring a flood of water on the earth to destroy every living thing that breathes under the sky. Everything on earth will die. 18But I will make my covenant with you. You will go into the ark, you and your sons, your wife and your sons' wives. 19Bring into the ark two of every kind of living creature, a male and a female, to keep them alive with you. 20Two of every kind of bird, every kind of animal, and every kind of creature that crawls on the ground will come to you to be kept alive. 21Also take every kind of food that is eaten and store it away, to be food for you and for them."
What This Means | What Is a Covenant? A covenant is a binding commitment that establishes or shapes a relationship. Here, God promises to establish His covenant with Noah as He prepares to preserve Noah’s family through the flood. Covenants will become important throughout the Bible, including God’s later commitments to Abraham and Israel and the new covenant associated with Jesus Christ.
22Noah did everything just as God commanded him.