Genesis 6: The sons of God, and God's command to build the ship
A free study, verse by verse. Text: World English Bible. Notes come from the Hebrew. How to read a study
What happens?
People multiply on the earth, and the sons of God take wives from the daughters of men. Yahweh sees that human wickedness is great and is sorry he made man, but Noah finds favor with him. God tells Noah he will send a flood, tells him to build a ship for his family and the animals, and promises him a covenant.
Who is speaking?
The narrator tells the story. God speaks in 11 of the 22 verses: the limit of 120 years, his decision to destroy what he made, and his instructions to Noah for the ship. Noah does not speak; he does what God commands. God's own words are printed in gold, and those verses are marked God speaks
1When men began to multiply on the surface of the ground, and daughters were born to them,
In plain English: When people began to increase on the face of the earth, and daughters were born to them,
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2God’s sons saw that men’s daughters were beautiful, and they took any that they wanted for themselves as wives.
In plain English: the sons of God saw that the daughters of people were beautiful, and they took as wives any of them they chose.
The Hebrew words: "God's sons" is bene ha-elohim, "the sons of God". In the Bible this phrase appears only here, in , and in Job (, , ). In and they come before Yahweh, and Satan comes among them.
Church tradition: There are three main readings. Some read the sons of God as angels or other heavenly beings who took human wives, as in old Jewish writings such as 1 Enoch; is often read with this. Others read them as men from Seth's family line marrying women from Cain's line, as Augustine and many churches after him taught. Others read them as kings or powerful men. Genesis 6 does not say which.
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3Yahweh said, “My Spirit will not strive with man forever, because he also is flesh; so his days will be one hundred twenty years.”God speaks
In plain English: Yahweh said, "My Spirit will not strive with (or: remain in) man forever, because he, too, is flesh. His days will be 120 years."
Good to know: The meaning of the Hebrew word for "strive" is uncertain here. The old Greek translation reads "remain": "My Spirit shall certainly not remain among these men for ever".
Good to know: The 120 years can be read as a new limit on how long people live, or as the time left before the flood. The verse does not say which.
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4The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also after that, when God’s sons came in to men’s daughters and had children with them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown.
In plain English: The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came to the daughters of people and the women had children by them. Those were the mighty men of long ago, the famous men.
The Hebrew word: "Nephilim" is left untranslated. The dictionary links it to naphal, "to fall". The only other verse that names the Nephilim is , where the spies say they saw them in Canaan and felt like grasshoppers next to them.
How it is translated: Older Bibles like the King James say "giants" here, following the old Greek translation.
What changes: The verse does not say plainly that the Nephilim were the children of these marriages. It says they were on the earth "in those days, and also after that".
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5Yahweh saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of man’s heart was continually only evil.
In plain English: Yahweh saw how great human wickedness was on the earth, and that every plan of the thoughts of people's hearts was only evil, all the time.
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6Yahweh was sorry that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him in his heart.
In plain English: Yahweh was sorry that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him in his heart.
The Hebrew word: "Sorry" is nacham, the word Lamech used at Noah's birth: "this one will comfort us" ().
How it is translated: In its 100 verses this Bible says "comfort" in more than half, "relent" in 13 and "repent" in 12. It says "sorry" only here and in .
Church tradition: Many churches teach that God does not change his mind, pointing to , where the same word is used: "nor a son of man, that he should repent". They read "sorry" here as speaking of God's grief in human terms. Genesis 6 says Yahweh was sorry and was grieved in his heart.
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7Yahweh said, “I will destroy man whom I have created from the surface of the ground—man, along with animals, creeping things, and birds of the sky—for I am sorry that I have made them.”God speaks
In plain English: Yahweh said, "I will wipe out man, whom I created, from the face of the ground: people, along with animals, creeping things, and birds of the sky, because I am sorry that I made them."
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8But Noah found favor in Yahweh’s eyes.
In plain English: But Noah found favor with Yahweh.
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9This is the history of the generations of Noah: Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time. Noah walked with God.
In plain English: This is the story of Noah's family line. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time. Noah walked with God.
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10Noah became the father of three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
In plain English: Noah had three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
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11The earth was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.
In plain English: The earth was corrupt in God's sight, and the earth was full of violence.
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12God saw the earth, and saw that it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth.
In plain English: God looked at the earth and saw that it was corrupt, because all flesh (all people, or all living things) had corrupted their way on the earth.
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13God said to Noah, “I will bring an end to all flesh, for the earth is filled with violence through them. Behold, I will destroy them and the earth.God speaks
In plain English: God said to Noah, "I will bring an end to all flesh, because the earth is filled with violence through them. Look, I will destroy them along with the earth.
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14Make a ship of gopher wood. You shall make rooms in the ship, and shall seal it inside and outside with pitch.God speaks
In plain English: Make a ship (an ark) of gopher wood. Make rooms in it, and seal it inside and outside with pitch.
The Hebrew words: "Ship" is tevah, a box or chest. Older Bibles say "ark". Outside the flood story it appears only for the basket baby Moses was laid in ( and 2:5). "Gopher wood" is a word found only in this verse, and no one knows for sure what tree it was. One old guess is cypress.
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15This is how you shall make it. The length of the ship shall be three hundred cubits, its width fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits.God speaks
In plain English: This is how to make it: the ship is to be 300 cubits long, 50 cubits wide, and 30 cubits high.
Good to know: A cubit is the length from the elbow to the fingertip, about a foot and a half (45 cm). That makes the ship about 450 feet long, 75 feet wide and 45 feet high.
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16You shall make a roof in the ship, and you shall finish it to a cubit upward. You shall set the door of the ship in its side. You shall make it with lower, second, and third levels.God speaks
In plain English: Make a roof (or: an opening for light) for the ship, and finish it to a cubit upward (or: finish it a cubit from the top). Put the door of the ship in its side. Make it with lower, second, and third decks.
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17I, even I, will bring the flood of waters on this earth, to destroy all flesh having the breath of life from under the sky. Everything that is on the earth will die.God speaks
In plain English: As for me, I am going to bring the flood waters on the earth, to destroy all flesh under the sky that has the breath of life. Everything on the earth will die.
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18But I will establish my covenant with you. You shall come into the ship, you, your sons, your wife, and your sons’ wives with you.God speaks
In plain English: But I will set up my covenant with you. You will go into the ship: you, your sons, your wife, and your sons' wives with you.
The Hebrew word: "Covenant" is berit, a binding agreement. This is the first time the word appears in the Bible. The covenant itself is spelled out after the flood, in .
How it is translated: This Bible says "covenant" in 253 of its 264 verses.
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19Of every living thing of all flesh, you shall bring two of every sort into the ship, to keep them alive with you. They shall be male and female.God speaks
In plain English: Of every living thing, of all flesh, you are to bring two of every kind into the ship, to keep them alive with you. They are to be male and female.
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20Of the birds after their kind, of the livestock after their kind, of every creeping thing of the ground after its kind, two of every sort will come to you, to keep them alive.God speaks
In plain English: Two of every kind of bird, every kind of livestock, and every kind of creeping thing on the ground will come to you, to be kept alive.
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21Take with you some of all food that is eaten, and gather it to yourself; and it will be for food for you, and for them.”God speaks
In plain English: Take with you some of every food that is eaten, and store it up. It will be food for you and for them."
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22Thus Noah did. He did all that God commanded him.
In plain English: Noah did this. He did everything God commanded him.
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