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Gen 7

 
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God's plan of destruction
1 And the Lord said to him: you go in and all your house into the ark: for you I have seen just before me in this generation. 2 Of all clean beasts take seven and seven, the male and female. 3 But of the beasts that are unclean two and two, the male and female. Of the fowls also of the air seven and seven,the male and the female: that seed may be saved upon the face of the whole earth. 4 For yet a while, and after seven days, I will rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights; and I will destroy every substance that I have made, from the face of the earth.


Noah and his household enter the Ark
5 And Noe did all things which the Lord had commanded him. 6 And he was six hundred years old, when the waters of the flood overflowed the earth. 7 And Noe went in and his sons, his wife and the wives of his sons with him into the ark, because of the waters of the flood. 8 And of the beasts clean and unclean, and of fowls, and of every thing that moves upon the earth, 9 Two and two went in to Noe into the ark, male and female, as the Lord had commanded Noe. 10 And after seven days were passed, the waters of the flood overflowed the earth.


Rain falls for forty days
11 In the six hundreth year of the life of Noe in the second month, in the seventeenth day of the month, all the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the flood gates of heaven were open: 12 And the rain fell upon the earth forty days and forty nights. 13 In the selfsame day Noe, and Sem, and Cham, and Japheth his sons: his wife, and the three wives of his sons with them, went into the ark: 14 They and every beast according to its kind, and all the cattle in their kind, and every thing that moves upon the earth according to its kind, and every fowl according to its kind, and every fowl according to its kind, all birds, and all that fly. 15 Went in to Noe into the ark, two and two of all flesh, wherein was the breath of life. 16 And they that went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God had commanded him: and the Lord shut him in on the outside.


The earth is covered with water
17 And the flood was forty days upon the earth, and the waters increased, and lifted up the ark on high from earth. 18 For they overflowed exceedingly: and filled all on the face of the earth: and the ark was carried upon the waters. 19 And the waters prevailed beyond measure upon the earth: and all the high mountains under the whole heaven were covered.



Every creature on earth destroyed
20 The water was fifteen cubits higher than the mountains which it covered. 21 And all flesh was destroyed that moved upon the earth, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of beasts, and of all creeping things that creep upon the earth: and all men. 22 And all things wherein there is the breath of life on the earth, died. 23 And he destroyed all the substance that was upon the earth, from man to beast, and the creeping things and fowls of the air: and they were destroyed from the earth: and Noe only remained, and they that were with him in the ark. 24 And the waters prevailed upon the earth a hundred and fifty days.

 
 
Commentary on Genesis 7
 
 
Q&A
Who preached salvation before Christ, so that those who did not believe in Him should be condemned? The answer to this, which Paul also adopted, is that those who lived before Christ had enough light given to them to enable them to distinguish good from evil. Because of this, if they chose to do evil, they are worthy of condemnation. Therefore St. Peter 3:21 reminds us that they were rebellious, not merely from the time of the prophets but 		long before that, virtually from the creation of the world. As he demonstrates, the way of salvation was proclaimed to them from the beginning, but they spurned it and preferred to go after vanities of one kind or another. The result was that of all the millions of people who lived at that time, only eight were saved, because they alone believed the message which they heard. (Theophylact)

 

7:2-3 The distinction of clean from unclean animals was taking place before the Law, not with regard to eating them, since it is written (Genesis 9:3): "Everything that moveth and liveth shall be meat for you": but only as to the offering of sacrifices because they used only certain animals for that purpose. If, however, they did make any distinction in regard to eating; it was not that it was considered illegal to eat such animals, since this was not forbidden by any law, but from dislike or custom. (St. Thomas Aquinas) also see note on 6:19-20.

7:12 forty days: God could have flooded the whole world in one downpour. The reason why He did it in forty days was for the purpose that many might come to their senses by seeing the destruction of their peers each day. (St. John Chrysostom)

 

7:20 fifteen cubits higher than the mountains: That means 22 feet. Considering Mt. Everest is 29,029 feet above sea level demonstrates how much water was upon the earth! (John Litteral)

7:23-24 St. Peter 3:20-21 says, "Which had been some time incredulous, when they waited for the patience of God in the days of Noe, when the ark was a building: wherein a few, that is, eight souls, were saved by water. Whereunto baptism being of the like form, now saveth you also: not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the examination of a good conscience towards God by the resurrection of Jesus Christ."
The water of the flood is a type of baptism because it both punished evil people and saved the good, just as baptism expels evil spirits and saves those who turn to Christ. (Andreas)

Subpages (1): Gen 8
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