Pastor Jerry A. Burns
On Genesis 7:6-15
And Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters was upon the earth. And Noah went in, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons' wives with him, into the ark, because of the waters of the flood (verses 6 and 7).
Noah was 600 years old when the flood came. He went in with his whole family, because of the waters of the flood. He believed God's warning before a single drop had fallen.
Of clean beasts, and of beasts that are not clean, and of fowls, and of every thing that creepeth upon the earth, There went in two and two unto Noah into the ark, the male and the female, as God had commanded Noah (verses 8 and 9).
The animals came unto Noah. He did not chase them down. God brought them, just as He had said (Genesis 6:20).
Right on time
And it came to pass after seven days, that the waters of the flood were upon the earth (verse 10).
God said seven days, and after seven days, the waters came. God keeps His Word to the day.
Many believe the people of that day had never seen rain, for before the flood the Lord God had not caused it to rain upon the earth... But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground (Genesis 2:5 and 6). Whether or not that is so, this was far more than water falling from the sky.
The fountains and the windows
In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened. And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights (verses 11 and 12).
Notice the details. The 600th year of Noah's life, the second month, the 17th day. It is precise. This is history, not legend.
Two sources of water were unleashed.
- The fountains of the great deep were broken up. Water burst up from beneath. Some scholars, like Merrill Unger, have described this as gigantic upheavals in the earth's crust that broke open great reservoirs of water beneath the ocean floors.
- The windows of heaven were opened. The word windows carries the idea of floodgates, and opened means to loosen. Many believe this included the waters which were above the firmament (Genesis 1:7), released to add to the torrents of rain.
We sometimes sing about the windows of heaven opening and blessings falling down. But here, the windows of heaven were not opened in blessing. They were opened in judgement. And the rain fell for forty days and forty nights.
The selfsame day
In the selfsame day entered Noah, and Shem, and Ham, and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and Noah's wife, and the three wives of his sons with them, into the ark; They, and every beast after his kind, and all the cattle after their kind, and every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind, and every fowl after his kind, every bird of every sort. And they went in unto Noah into the ark, two and two of all flesh, wherein is the breath of life (verses 13 to 15).
On the very day Noah and his family entered the ark, judgement came. Not a day early. Not a day late.
We call this the providence of God. The word providence comes from two Latin words meaning to see before. God sees before. He sees the need before it comes, and He provides.
The story is told of Dorothy Fletcher, a 67-year-old British woman on her way to her daughter's wedding in Florida. During the flight, she suffered a serious heart attack. The plane could not land in time to get her to a hospital, and she was minutes from death. A flight attendant asked, knowing the chances were slim, "Is there a doctor on board?" Fifteen heart specialists, all on their way to a medical conference, stood up and offered their help. Mrs. Fletcher made it, grateful for the doctors who happened to be there at the right time.
You can call that good luck, or you can say that God saw the need before it happened and took care of it. And my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19).
Historical Source
On Genesis 7:5-10
Here is Noah's ready obedience to the commands that God gave him. Observe, 1. He went into the ark, upon notice that the flood would come after seven days, though probably as yet there appeared no visible sign of its approach, no cloud arising that threatened it, nothing done towards it, but all continued serene and clear; for, as he prepared the ark by faith in the warning given that the flood would come, so he went into it by faith in this warning that it would come quickly, though he did not see that the second causes had yet begun to work. In every step he took, he walked by faith, and not by sense. During these seven days, it is likely, he was settling himself and his family in the ark, and distributing the creatures into their several apartments. This was the conclusion of that visible sermon which he had long been preaching to his careless neighbours, and which, one would think, might have awakened them; but, not obtaining that desired end, it left their blood upon their own heads. 2. He took all his family along with him, his wife, to be his companion and comfort (though it should seem that, after this, he had no children by her), his sons, and his sons' wives, that by them not only his family, but the world of mankind, might be built up. Observe, Though men were to be reduced to so small a number, and it would be very desirable to have the world speedily repeopled, yet Noah's sons were each of them to have but one wife, which strengthens the argument against having many wives; for from the beginning of this new world it was not so: as, at first, God made, so now he kept alive, but one woman for one man. See Matt. xix. 4, 8. 3. The brute creatures readily went in with him. The same hand that at first brought them to Adam to be named now brought them to Noah to be preserved. The ox now knew his owner, and the ass his protector's crib, nay, even the wildest creatures flocked to it; but man had become more brutish than the brutes themselves, and did not know, did not consider, Isa. i. 3.
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Pastor Jerry A. Burns
On Genesis 7:6-15
And Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters was upon the earth. And Noah went in, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons' wives with him, into the ark, because of the waters of the flood (verses 6 and 7).
Noah was 600 years old when the flood came. He went in with his whole family, because of the waters of the flood. He believed God's warning before a single drop had fallen.
Of clean beasts, and of beasts that are not clean, and of fowls, and of every thing that creepeth upon the earth, There went in two and two unto Noah into the ark, the male and the female, as God had commanded Noah (verses 8 and 9).
The animals came unto Noah. He did not chase them down. God brought them, just as He had said (Genesis 6:20).
Right on time
And it came to pass after seven days, that the waters of the flood were upon the earth (verse 10).
God said seven days, and after seven days, the waters came. God keeps His Word to the day.
Many believe the people of that day had never seen rain, for before the flood the Lord God had not caused it to rain upon the earth... But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground (Genesis 2:5 and 6). Whether or not that is so, this was far more than water falling from the sky.
The fountains and the windows
In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened. And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights (verses 11 and 12).
Notice the details. The 600th year of Noah's life, the second month, the 17th day. It is precise. This is history, not legend.
Two sources of water were unleashed.
We sometimes sing about the windows of heaven opening and blessings falling down. But here, the windows of heaven were not opened in blessing. They were opened in judgement. And the rain fell for forty days and forty nights.
The selfsame day
In the selfsame day entered Noah, and Shem, and Ham, and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and Noah's wife, and the three wives of his sons with them, into the ark; They, and every beast after his kind, and all the cattle after their kind, and every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind, and every fowl after his kind, every bird of every sort. And they went in unto Noah into the ark, two and two of all flesh, wherein is the breath of life (verses 13 to 15).
On the very day Noah and his family entered the ark, judgement came. Not a day early. Not a day late.
We call this the providence of God. The word providence comes from two Latin words meaning to see before. God sees before. He sees the need before it comes, and He provides.
The story is told of Dorothy Fletcher, a 67-year-old British woman on her way to her daughter's wedding in Florida. During the flight, she suffered a serious heart attack. The plane could not land in time to get her to a hospital, and she was minutes from death. A flight attendant asked, knowing the chances were slim, "Is there a doctor on board?" Fifteen heart specialists, all on their way to a medical conference, stood up and offered their help. Mrs. Fletcher made it, grateful for the doctors who happened to be there at the right time.
You can call that good luck, or you can say that God saw the need before it happened and took care of it. And my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19).
Adam Clarke
On Genesis 7:4-10
For yet seven days - God spoke these words probably on the seventh or Sabbath day, and the days of the ensuing week were employed in entering the ark, in embarking the mighty troop, for whose reception ample provision had been already made.
Forty days - This period became afterwards sacred, and was considered a proper space for humiliation. Moses fasted forty days, Deu 9:9, Deu 9:11; so did Elijah, Kg1 19:8; so did our Lord, Mat 4:2. Forty days' respite were given to the Ninevites that they might repent, Jon 3:4; and thrice forty (one hundred and twenty) years were given to the old world for the same gracious purpose, Gen 6:3. The forty days of Lent, in commemoration of our Lord's fasting, have a reference to the same thing; as each of these seems to be deduced from this primitive judgment.
Historical Source
On Genesis 7:5-10
Here is Noah's ready obedience to the commands that God gave him. Observe, 1. He went into the ark, upon notice that the flood would come after seven days, though probably as yet there appeared no visible sign of its approach, no cloud arising that threatened it, nothing done towards it, but all continued serene and clear; for, as he prepared the ark by faith in the warning given that the flood would come, so he went into it by faith in this warning that it would come quickly, though he did not see that the second causes had yet begun to work. In every step he took, he walked by faith, and not by sense. During these seven days, it is likely, he was settling himself and his family in the ark, and distributing the creatures into their several apartments. This was the conclusion of that visible sermon which he had long been preaching to his careless neighbours, and which, one would think, might have awakened them; but, not obtaining that desired end, it left their blood upon their own heads. 2. He took all his family along with him, his wife, to be his companion and comfort (though it should seem that, after this, he had no children by her), his sons, and his sons' wives, that by them not only his family, but the world of mankind, might be built up. Observe, Though men were to be reduced to so small a number, and it would be very desirable to have the world speedily repeopled, yet Noah's sons were each of them to have but one wife, which strengthens the argument against having many wives; for from the beginning of this new world it was not so: as, at first, God made, so now he kept alive, but one woman for one man. See Matt. xix. 4, 8. 3. The brute creatures readily went in with him. The same hand that at first brought them to Adam to be named now brought them to Noah to be preserved. The ox now knew his owner, and the ass his protector's crib, nay, even the wildest creatures flocked to it; but man had become more brutish than the brutes themselves, and did not know, did not consider, Isa. i. 3.
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown
On Genesis 7:4-8
For yet seven days - A week for a world to repent! What a solemn pause! Did they laugh and ridicule his folly still? He whose eyes saw and whose heart felt the full amount of human iniquity and perverseness has told us of their reckless disregard (Luk 17:27).
John Gill
On Genesis 7:6
And Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters was upon the earth,.... When it began, for he was in his six hundred and first year when it ended, Genesis 8:13 his eldest son was now an hundred years old, since when Noah was five hundred years old he begat children, Genesis 5:32.
Keil & Delitzsch
On Genesis 7:1-16
Gen 7:1-12
When the ark was built, and the period of grace (Gen 6:3) had passed, Noah received instructions from Jehovah to enter the ark with his family, and with the animals, viz., seven of every kind of clean animals, and two of the unclean; and was informed that within seven days God would cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights. The date of the flood is then given (Gen 7:6): "Noah was six hundred years old, and the flood was (namely) water upon the earth;" and the execution of the divine command is recorded in Gen 7:7-9. There follows next the account of the bursting forth of the flood, the date being given with still greater minuteness; and the entrance of the men and animals into the ark is again described as being fully accomplished (Gen 7:10-16). - The fact that in the command to enter the ark a distinction is now made between clean and unclean animals, seven of the former being ordered to be taken, - i.e., three pair and a single one, probably a male for sacrifice-is no more a proof of different authorship, or of the fusion of two accounts, than the interchange of the names Jehovah and Elohim. For the distinction between clean and unclean animals did not originate with Moses, but was confirmed by him as a long established custom, in harmony with the law. It reached back to the very earliest times, and arose from a certain innate feeling of the human mind, when undisturbed by unnatural and ungodly influences, which detects types of sin and corruption in many animals, and instinctively recoils from them (see my biblische Archeologie ii. p. 20). That the variations in the names of God furnish no criterion by which to detect different documents, is evident enough from the fact, that in Gen 7:1 it is Jehovah who commands Noah to enter the ark, and in Gen 7:4 Noah does as Elohim had commanded, whilst in Gen 7:16, in two successive clauses, Elohim alternates with Jehovah-the animals entering the ark at the command of Elohim, and Jehovah shutting Noah in. With regard to the entrance of the animals into the ark, it is worthy of notice, that in Gen 7:9 and Gen 7:15 it is stated that "they came two and two," and in Gen 7:16 that "the coming ones came male and female of all flesh." In this expression "they came" it is clearly intimated, that the animals collected about Noah and were taken into the ark, without his having to exert himself to collect them, and that they did so in consequence of an instinct produced by God, like that which frequently leads animals to scent and try to flee from dangers, of which man has no presentiment. The time when the flood commenced is said to have been the 600th year of Noah's life, on the 17th day of the second month (Gen 7:11). The months must be reckoned, not according to the Mosaic ecclesiastical year, which commenced in the spring, but according to the natural of civil year, which commenced in the autumn at the beginning of sowing time, or the autumnal equinox; so that the flood would be pouring upon the earth in October and November. "The same day were all the fountains of the great deep (תּהום the unfathomable ocean) broken up, and the sluices (windows, lattices) of heaven opened, and there was (happened, came) pouring rain (גּשׁם in distinction from טטר) upon the earth 40 days and 40 nights." Thus the flood was produced by the bursting forth of fountains hidden within the earth, which drove seas and rivers above their banks, and by rain which continued incessantly for 40 days and 40 nights.
Gen 7:13-16
"In the self-same day had Noah...entered into the ark:" בּא, pluperfect "had come," not came, which would require יבא. The idea is not that Noah, with his family and all the animals, entered the ark on the very day on which the rain began, but that on that day he had entered, had completed the entering, which occupied the seven days between the giving of the command (Gen 7:4) and the commencement of the flood (Gen 7:10).
Matthew Henry
On Genesis 7:5-10
Here is Noah's ready obedience to the commands that God gave him. Observe, 1. He went into the ark, upon notice that the flood would come after seven days, though probably as yet there appeared no visible sign of its approach, no cloud arising that threatened it, nothing done towards it, but all continued serene and clear; for, as he prepared the ark by faith in the warning given that the flood would come, so he went into it by faith in this warning that it would come quickly, though he did not see that the second causes had yet begun to work. In every step he took, he walked by faith, and not by sense. During these seven days, it is likely, he was settling himself and his family in the ark, and distributing the creatures into their several apartments. This was the conclusion of that visible sermon which he had long been preaching to his careless neighbours, and which, one would think, might have awakened them; but, not obtaining that desired end, it left their blood upon their own heads. 2. He took all his family along with him, his wife, to be his companion and comfort (though it should seem that, after this, he had no children by her), his sons, and his sons' wives, that by them not only his family, but the world of mankind, might be built up. Observe, Though men were to be reduced to so small a number, and it would be very desirable to have the world speedily repeopled, yet Noah's sons were each of them to have but one wife, which strengthens the argument against having many wives; for from the beginning of this new world it was not so: as, at first, God made, so now he kept alive, but one woman for one man. See Mat 19:4, Mat 19:8. 3. The brute creatures readily went in with him. The same hand that at first brought them to Adam to be named now brought them to Noah to be preserved. The ox now knew his owner, and the ass his protector's crib, nay, even the wildest creatures flocked to it; but man had become more brutish than the brutes themselves, and did not know, did not consider, Isa 1:3.
Tyndale Study Notes
On Genesis 7:6-7
7:6 covered the earth: See study note on 6:17.
Tyndale Open Study Notes · CC BY-SA 4.0