Genesis 1-11: A Bible Commentary By Charles R. Sabo Chapter 6
Genesis Chapter 6
A Bible Commentary
Introduction
Genesis chapter 6 follows right behind the genealogical disclosures within the previous chapter. Though the choice of the wives of these patriarchs was not disclosed by Moses, God left it up to our own research to find this information. Though Roman Catholicism has influenced various people into thinking that Genesis chapter 6 is to be interpreted in a way less offensive, the lack of solid evidence does not support their “sons of Seth” heresy. There is way more evidence to support that the “sons of God” (Gen. 6:2) were the cherubim angels, who had been sent by God to watch over the Creation’s wickedness, but had felt lusts for the “daughters of men.” The giants (Gen. 6:4) of this chapter had existed before the Flood of Noah, as well as afterward, as the children of Israel entered into the Promised Land (Deut. 2:10-12, 20-21; 3:11, Num. 13:30-33, Josh. 12:4-5, 1 Chron. 20:4-8, 2 Sam. 21:20-22).
Though it is upsetting, the fall of Lucifer from heaven, then being cursed by God in Genesis 3:15, motivated an endeavor to prevent the coming of the Messiah. If Satan could have corrupted the DNA of mankind, who were made in God’s image, he could have prevented the Messiah from being born of that pure genetic code of God.
In Genesis 5, during the time after the angels were sent down to be “Watchers,” the patriarchs of God took wives from specific members of their own families, which guaranteed the purity of the DNA of mankind. Though mankind has maintained an ignorance to this very important fact, it can be confirmed within two extra-biblical books (Book of Jasher, Book of Jubilees), which have been swept under the carpet. Some have already understood that Noah’s genetic code, along with his immediate family, were of an uncorrupted genetic code. It is easy to trust in God’s word and not do the research, but all the more fulfilling to actually read the historical accounts of these families, as they made special efforts to make sure to mate with pure genetic family members.
The outcome, of the events of Genesis chapter 6, led to the destruction of all flesh in the 1,656 year old Creation. I invite you to read what I have found and confirmed, while investigating thoroughly the information, so you can better understand the historical will of God for the salvation of His people.
Genesis 6:1 And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, From Adam to the time of the flood, we know that daughters were born unto them. These are being called the “daughters of men,” which has been twisted into an assumption by heretics, that God really meant “daughters of Cain.” Gullible people have believed this lie, ever since it was first spoken by the Roman Catholics, to sway those who are not willing to research anything themselves.
There are no confusing Hebrew words to research, because these words translate into consistently understood meanings. This verse simply implies that female gendered humans (daughters) were born among the families as the intended way for mankind to fulfill Genesis 1:28 “Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the Earth.”
Genesis 6:2 That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose. The inflected Hebrew noun “bēn,” is followed by the inflected Hebrew noun “'?lōh?m,” were put together to say “b'né '?lōh?m,” which was translated as “sons of God.” The intent for this expression needs to be defined first. What are the sons of God? Though the Son of God is the Messiah known as Jesus Christ, it obviously was not Him, as “bēn” was inflected into plurality, just as “'?lōh?m” is plural for “El.” The realization should be that multiple “sons” were created by the Triune Godhead, while God the Son is a part of that Godhead.
Uneducated men have misconstrued the intent of this expression “sons of God” to be reflective of what is now referred to Christians of the New Covenant (Matt. 5:9, Luke 6:35; 20:36, Rom. 8:14). Without thinking, these gullible people make an assumption: “what applies in the New Covenant of the New Testament applies to everywhere else in the Old Covenant and the Old Testament.” There is an Old Testament expression using “sons of God,” when Moses was being explained by God how to address Israel, which was a promise for them to be His people (Ex. 4:22-23). Though prophecy can be confusing to most, this promise to Israel was for those who would trust in God, and that He would bring His Messiah. The “sons of Seth” heresy uses verses like Exodus 4:22-23 and Hosea 1:10, in order to bring gullible people into their agenda. It is quite a stretch in the Hebrew to say that “b'né '?lōh?m” was really intended to mean “b'né '?ē?” (sons of Seth). As discussed back in my commentary on Genesis 4:26, The Targum of Onkelos is written with this verse saying: “then men desisted from praying in the name of the Lord.” The Targum of Onkelos, in Israel, is the most highly respected manuscript of the original Hebrew text. The Book of Jasher confirms the Targum of Onkelos and what had been disclosed.
2 And Seth lived one hundred and five years, and he begat a son; and Seth called the name of his son Enosh, saying, Because in that time the sons of men began to multiply, and to afflict their souls and hearts by transgressing and rebelling against God.
3 And it was in the days of Enosh that the sons of men continued to rebel and transgress against God, to increase the anger of the Lord against the sons of men.
4 And the sons of men went and they served other gods, and they forgot the Lord who had created them in the earth: and in those days the sons of men made images of brass and iron, wood and stone, and they bowed down and served them. (Jash. 2:2-4)
Book of Jubilees 3:12 indicates “she bare him Enos. He began to call on the name of the Lord on the Earth.” It is not clear, whether it was meant for Seth, or his son Enos, but it indicates a single person began to call upon the name of the Lord.
The intent for the expression “sons of God” is for us to understand that this was the angels (messengers) of God. In the New Covenant, Christians are “born again” and are a new creation in Christ (Jn. 3:3, 2 Cor. 5:17). The power of God has created “sons of God,” who will inherit His Eternal Kingdom (Rom. 8:12-25). The promise to Israel (Ex. 4:22-23) pertained to God’s intent for Israel, while He used them to bring His Messiah to them. One thousand, six hundred and fifty-six years into the Creation, the New Covenant was millenniums away from fulfillment.
Adam, Eve, and the angels of God were all direct creations of God within the Old Testament, while Christians are “new creatures” in the New Covenant. The “sons of Seth” were not directly created by the hand of God, because they had been born of the flesh from their biological mothers and fathers. The angels of God were all directly created by the hand of God, therefore are called “sons of God” in the Old Testament.
The Book of Job has the only other references in the Bible, where God refers to His angels as “sons of God.” This is the way the Lord works, because He will usually confirm a doctrine within other writings, through other prophets. Job 1:6; 2:1; 38:7 are all using the expression “sons of God” when referring to God’s angels.
Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan came also among them (Job 1:6)
Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan came also among them to present himself before the Lord. (Job 2:1)
If Jesus had declared that Old Testament Saints were not in heaven (but in sheol), which He called Abraham’s Bosom (Luke 16:19-31), then surely these sons of God in Job 1:6 and 2:1 were not the Old Testament Saints in heaven. The “sons of God” in Job 1:6 and 2:1 were at the throne of God, along with their leader, Satan. With all that has been said here, I will dogmatically state that the “sons of God” in Genesis 6 were the “cherubim angels” of God.
The name Jared comes from the Hebrew noun “yere?,” which is defined as “descent.” The Book of Jubilees indicates that Jared was given this name, because in his days the angels of the Lord “descended” on the Earth, those who are named the Watchers, that they should instruct the children of men what they should do.” (Book of Jub. 4:15c) Speculating, I would conclude that the Lord God sent his angels to watch over the Creation and to advise men of their rebellion and transgression against Him. It had been since the birth of Enos, which was two-hundred and thirty-five years into the Creation, which this rebellion and transgression against God had begun.
While these angels of God were watching over mankind, they looked upon the daughters of men and lusted over them (saw the daughters of men that they were fair). The Hebrew adjective “???” was translated as “fair,” which use to mean “beautiful,” when it came to a woman. The definition of “???” is: “pleasant, agreeable (to the senses).” Men who take themselves a wife will concur that their bride is pleasant and agreeable to their senses. Moses implied that the angels of God saw these woman to be so pleasant to their senses, that they “took them as wives of all which they chose.”
And their judges and rulers went to the daughters of men and took their wives by force from their husbands according to their choice, and the sons of men in those days took from the cattle of the earth, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air, and taught the mixture of animals of one species with the other, in order therewith to provoke the Lord; and God saw the whole earth and it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted its ways upon earth, all men and all animals. (Bk. of Jash. 4:18)
From what the Book of Jasher implies, the judges and rulers were the ones who stole and forced women to be their wives of their choice. If Jude 1:6 says there were angels who left their own habitation, then these angels may have intruded into the mix, which contradicted what the good angels were trying to accomplish. A contradiction would cause frustration and anger among men of the Earth. Though none of us were there in those times, can we imagine how dominant these angels of God would be, when they decided to rule over mankind? The angels would see men’s wives were pleasant to their site and lust to have them as their own. By force they would take the beautiful women from men, and it might cause ungodly men to be angry at God for sending them. The wickedness of mankind would have become even more-wicked, as they would do many things against God, just to make Him angry.
Genesis 6:3 And the Lord said, “My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.” This verse was intended for God’s people to realize how He felt about these wicked people of the Earth of that time. The Hebrew verb “d?n” was translated as “strive,” when the definition is also “to plead a cause,” or “to execute judgment.” Since God did and has always executed judgment against mankind, that definition is inappropriate here in this verse. It would more appropriately be the definition “to plead a cause.” And the Lord said, “My spirit shall not always plead a cause with man, because that he also is flesh,” Mankind are spiritual beings, but their fallen flesh tempts them to sin against God. The Holy Spirit empowered Methuselah and Noah to “plead the cause” of God to the people of the Earth for one-hundred twenty years.
7 “Speak you, and proclaim to the sons of men, saying, ‘Thus saith the Lord, return from your evil ways and forsake your works, and the Lord will repent of the evil that he declared to do to you, so that it shall not come to pass.
8 For thus saith the Lord, Behold I give you a period of one hundred and twenty years; if you will turn to me and forsake your evil ways, then will I also turn away from the evil which I told you, and it shall not exist, saith the Lord.’”
9 And Noah and Methuselah spoke all the words of the Lord to the sons of men, day after day, constantly speaking to them. (Book of Jash. 5:7-9)
Moses most likely had read the Book of Jasher, as well as the Book of Jubilees; while writing of the history of this time, Moses wrote with some ambiguity, which he probably assumed that the people would always have the other books to fill in the blanks. The ambiguity of Genesis 6:3, leaves each person wondering what Moses meant by “yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.” Did it mean mankind was only going to live to be age one-hundred and twenty years, while no more would be living to be six-hundred to nine-hundred years old? That cannot be so, because after the Flood, there were ages lived beyond age two-hundred (Gen. 11:10-32).
The Book of Jasher provides the most accurate explanation for Genesis 6:3, when it reveals that God used Methuselah and Noah to preach for repentance of these wicked people of the Earth. God gave the people of the Earth one-hundred and twenty years to repent. If the evangelism of Methuselah and Noah had worked, the people would have repented, and the flood would not have happened.
Genesis 6:4 There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown. This verse has a lot to unravel and contextually break down. It is a very deeply argued verse among both men of discernment and those who believe a lie. As I break this down, let’s hope things become more-clear. The Hebrew noun “nāp??l” was inflected into plural is “nāp??lim” and written as “Nephilim.” The translators correctly translated this Hebrew plural noun as “giants.”
Moses stated that there were giants on the Earth in those days, which reflects back to the times of the previous verse. Please notice that the sentence was incorrectly punctuated with a colon (:), when the translators left dependent clauses that followed. It should be read as a run-on sentence and not a list. Replace the colon (:) with a comma (,) and keep the sentence flowing.
The following clause “and also after that” indicates that there were giants on the Earth after those days. Since we know that the Flood of Noah was coming, “those days” should be interpreted as pre-flood. Moses knew that giants were still roaming the Earth, even when he was writing the five books of the Pentateuch. (Deut. 2:10-12, 20-21; 3:11, Num. 13:30-33, Josh. 12:4-5, 1 Chron. 20:4-8, 2 Sam. 21:20-22) When Moses wrote “and also after that,” he was disclosing that the giants were still a problem.
The overall intent for this verse was to bring recognition of those days, as a demonic attack upon the genealogical DNA of God’s Creation. The sons of God (angels) seduced the daughters of men, or raped them, thus impregnated them with their “seed.” The result brought a hybrid race of men, who were much larger (giants) than normal men of God’s Creation. The daughters of men, impregnated by these cherubim angels, bare children to them. The upsetting realization of this, spooks people enough to want to rewrite and reinterpret what had been written by Moses.
These children offspring of the cherubim angels and the daughters of men “became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.” These hybrid mighty men became known as the Nephilim.
It would seem that this abomination had been happening throughout the dry land of the Earth. Because of the unwavering method of prearranged marriages, within the genealogy from Enos to Noah (see commentary on Gen. 5), there was a lack of trust in just any person to marry; the genealogy of Noah was kept pure, when they consistently sought the daughters of their uncles to mate with. Was it the angels who were shapeshifting to look human, so they could continue to corrupt God’s Creation? Please keep in mind, it was Satan, whose main goal was to prevent the Messiah of Genesis 3:15 from being able to come and destroy Him.
Then Noah took the three daughters of Eliakim, son of Methuselah, for wives for his sons, as the Lord had commanded Noah. (Bk. of Jash. 5:35)
Genesis 6:5 And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. Looking back in my research of the generations of Genesis 5, the time of Enos was when people began to do wickedly against the Lord. The Book of Jubilees and the Book of Jasher confirm that the wickedness had gotten so bad, while the cross genetics of God’s Creation had been inflicted in rebellion against God. “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” (Jer. 17:9)
1 And it came to pass when the children of men began to multiply on the face of the earth and daughters were born unto them, that the angels of God saw them on a certain year of this jubilee, that they were beautiful to look upon; and they took themselves wives of all whom they
2 chose, and they bare unto them sons and they were giants. And lawlessness increased on the earth and all flesh corrupted its way, alike men and cattle and beasts and birds and everything that walks on the earth ?all of them corrupted their ways and their orders, and they began to devour each other, and lawlessness increased on the earth and every imagination of the thoughts of all men
3 (was) thus evil continually. (Bk. of Jub. 5:1-3a)
The wickedness of this time, before God’s Judgment, should also be understood to be of the people during the last days of this Creation. Jesus had said that as it was in the days of Noah, so it shall be in the days of His Second Coming (Matt. 24:37). The Apostles Paul, Peter, John, and Jude had all described the wickedness of men in the last days. I cannot help but cringe when I read, hear, and see this wickedness occurring on the Earth in great numbers, as we move closer to the seven year judgment of God (Dan. 9:27).
1This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,
4 Traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.
6 For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with diverse lusts,
7 Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. (2 Tim. 3:1-7)
Genesis 6:6 And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. This comment from Moses can confuse someone, who has little understanding of God. There are two emotions being disclosed here. The verb “repented” was translated from the Hebrew verb “nā?am,” can also be defined as: “to be sorry, to feel regret, be moved to pity, have compassion.” The verb “grieved” was translated from the Hebrew verb “ā?a?,” which is defined as: “to hurt, pain, grieve, displease, vex.” The verb “repented” does not seem to best explain the feelings of the Lord, while the verb “grieved” fits well. The omniscient God of heaven knows all things, while He has planned everything and is always in control. It is reasonable to ascertain that He had known that this was to happen, down to every minor detail. To say “He was sorry that He had created man,” would mean that the Lord is fickle. The following verse defines what He was feeling. If He felt regret, then He would be grieved.
To better explain what the Lord was feeling, I have referred ahead to the situation that Jesus had felt, when He saw the people grieving over the death off Lazarus (Jn. 11:30-35). The Creator (Jesus) walking in human fallen flesh, while omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent, could recall eternities past, present, and future, simultaneously. He could remember the fall of Adam and Eve and the Messianic promises that He made to them; He could remember the satanic deterioration of the Creation before the Flood of Noah; He could remember all of the events of the Old Testament; He could remember all of the evil of mankind since the beginning. He could remember all of the death and suffering that mankind had to endure, through the first 4,000 years on Earth, as well as know all of the death and suffering that was yet into the future.[1]
The moment had built to that point as a preplanned event between Himself and His Father, before the foundations of the world. He even knew that His emotions were going to escalate within this incident. He felt the emotional anguish of Mary and Martha concerning His dear son, brother, and friend, Lazarus. The impact of death was very personal to Jesus now, while He felt the climax to His emotions, which would only ever be topped by His blood-sweating prayers in the Garden of Gethsemane.[2]
After Jesus asked in John 11:34: “Where have you laid him?” the Jews responded: “Lord, come and see.” Jesus already knew where He was laid, but in order to draw the crowd to a multitude, He orchestrated the Jews involvement in showing where Lazarus was laid. If He had just walked over to the tomb, the crowd would not have been as well accumulated. With the emotions of all those present climaxing all simultaneously, Jesus felt the pains of mankind and how gripping the curse of death was on even those paid to mourn. With Mary on her knees crying, the crowd rushing to show Him the tomb, Jesus Wept. The Creator of the Universe wept openly.[3]
Though God had preplanned all of the events that happened before the Flood of Noah, He felt regret and grieved that He had chosen this path (that he had made man on the earth), but knew it had to be fulfilled. Because the Lord is omniscient, He knows all possible outcomes and paths, and chose this path to follow in His plan. His emotions were escalated as He watched all of the evil and suffering occurring on the Earth. We know that experiencing our own preplanned event can cause regret, while knowing it was the best possible plan for the best possible outcome. If God’s eternal children were to know good and evil, then this path was the most effective, in order to accomplish His ultimate outcome. To say it was a do over, or that Satan got the best of God before the flood, is to say that Satan is omnipotent and God is impotent. God’s omniscience allows Him to know more and plan effectively.
8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.
9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. (Is. 55:8-9)
The following verse, in Genesis 6:7, reveals that God proceeded to work towards fulfilling His plan further.
Genesis 6:7 And the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repented me that I have made them. Those that believe in the lies within the false doctrine of the “sons of Seth” having mated with the daughters of Cain, believe that it is the reason the God brought the great flood. They ignorantly believe that doctrine, while never really investigating the details of God’s word, as well as the extra-biblical texts such as the Book of Jasher, Book of Jubilees, as well as the Book of Enoch. The Lord had said here that the Lord regretted that He had not only created man, but also the beasts, the creeping things, and the fowls of the air. Why would God regret creating the animals, if they had nothing to do with the marital tendencies of the sons of Seth?
And their judges and rulers went to the daughters of men and took their wives by force from their husbands according to their choice, and the sons of men in those days took from the cattle of the earth, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air, and taught the mixture of animals of one species with the other, in order therewith to provoke the Lord; and God saw the whole earth and it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted its ways upon earth, all men and all animals. (Bk. of Jash. 4:18)
As I explained in the previous verse, God preplanned all of these events; though it was to come to pass as the best possible path towards God’s ultimate plan, He regretted that path that He had chosen; He watched the wickedness and the cross contamination of the DNA of all living creatures, and He felt regret and He grieved. He had planned for the flood before He ever created anything, but when it came to seeing it, He felt regret and grief.
Genesis 6:8 But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. The Lord had preplanned Noah before the foundations of the creation. The Lord chose Noah as His father of the post-flood era. Noah was given God’s grace and He gifted Noah with this honor.
Genesis 6:9 These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God. What does this mean to be “perfect in his generations?” As I had been discovering within the Book of Jubilees, it seems that the Lord made it known to His future people to preserve the purity of their generations. The omniscience of God preplanned and initiated them to pick wives from the daughters of the brother of their fathers. We know that Noah walked with God and he abided in his purity both physically and spiritually. His generations were perfect. The previous generations up to him were perfect in God’s eyes. His genealogy was perfect. If one takes it a step further, Noah’s genetics were perfect in God’s eyes.
In my commentary of Genesis 5:15, the wife of Mahalaleel is said to be Dinah, who was the daughter of Barakiel, the daughter of his father Cainan’s brother (not named) (Bk. of Jub. 4:15). In my commentary of Genesis 5:18, I disclosed that the wife of Jared was named Baraka, the daughter of Rasujal, a daughter of his father Mahalaleel’s brother (Bk. of Jub. 4:16). In my commentary of Genesis 5:21, I disclosed that Enoch’s wife’s name was Edna, the daughter of Danel, the daughter of Jared’s brother (Bk. of Jub. 4:20). In my commentary of Genesis 5:25, I disclosed that Methuselah’s wife’s name was Edna, who was the daughter of Azrial, the daughter of his father's (Enoch’s) brother (Bk. of Jub. 4:27). In my commentary of Genesis 5:28, I disclosed that the Book of Jubilees 4:28b states: “Lamech took to himself a wife, and her name was Betenos the daughter of Baraki'il, the daughter of his father's brother.” In my commentary of Genesis 5:32, I disclosed that the Book of Jasher indicates that Noah took Naamah, the daughter of Enoch to be his wife and beget Japheth, meanwhile the Book of Jubilees indicates that Noah took Emzara, the daughter of Rake'el, the daughter of his father's brother as his wife. The Lord never felt it pertinent to mention her name to Moses for the Book of Genesis.
As we follow the post-flood patriarchs, Abraham took his niece (Sarai) to be his wife (Bk. of Jash. 12:44), then Isaac took Rebecca, his cousin to be his wife (Gen. 22:20-23). Jacob took Rachel and Leah, who were his cousins (Gen. 29:12-16), to be his wives. Judah had twin boys with his dead son’s widow, who was named Tamar. “And in those days Judah went to the house of Shem and took Tamar the daughter of Elam, the son of Shem, for a wife for his first born Er.” (Bk. of Dash. 45:23) Since we know Shem, son of Noah had pure DNA, then we know his son, Elam had as well. This meant that Elam’s daughter, Tamar had pure godly DNA as well. The son of Judah and Tamar, Pharez, led to Messiah (Gen. 38:29; Matt. 1:3). The Laws of Moses had commanded the Jews to not intermarry with the Canaanites (Deut. 7:3). Though Deuteronomy 7:4 states that Israel should not intermarry with them, because they would be influenced to worship their gods; the Canaanites were mingling themselves with the angels. There were giants in the land of Canaan, which meant that the DNA of the Canaanites had been corrupted (Deut. 2:10-12, 20-21; 3:11, Num. 13:30-33, Josh. 12:4-5, 1 Chron. 20:4-8, 2 Sam. 21:20-22). The key point, to realize in all cases, is the purity of the DNA of mankind was preserved while intermarrying close within the family.
Noah walked with God, because his grandfather Methuselah walked with God and taught him. Noah became a just man and obedient to the word of the Lord. The Lord had preserved his godly DNA through the generations, in spite of the satanic efforts to thwart the genetics of mankind; if Satan would have succeeded, he would have caused mankind’s genetics to be completely corrupt, which would have corrupted the DNA of Messiah.
Genesis 6:10 And Noah begat three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. One hundred years before the flood, Noah begat Japheth (Gen. 10:21), then later Shem, then Ham. Shem is listed first, because Shem was God’s choice in continuing and maintaining the bloodline to His Messiah. Messiah was to go through the bloodline of Shem; the descendants of Shem would be called the Shemites, or Semites.
Genesis 6:11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. The translated word “corrupt” comes from the inflected Niphal, feminine singular, third person imperfect, Hebrew verb “?ā?a?” to mean “was being marred, was being spoiled, was being corrupted, was being corrupt, was being injured, was being ruined, was being rotted.” It is not correct for this verse to state that the Earth was corrupt, after knowing that it was being corrupted by the sons of God (angels) and the wicked men seeking revenge. There are two possible verb tenses in the Hebrew, which are “perfect” and “imperfect.” Hebrew “perfect” tense verbs are a completed action, such as “was corrupted,” while “imperfect” is incomplete tense actions such as “was being corrupted.” The translators had to choose the best English translation, after looking at the context of the verb and what is being said concerning the Earth. Once again, I must make the statement that the translators were not the best theologians, so they translated with some ignorance in what was being actually said. “The Earth was being corrupted before God” is more appropriate. It has a totally different meaning, and much more contextually correct.
After making the specific point within the last two verses, concerning the purity of the generations of Noah, verse 6:11 has to reflect what is being implied here. The Earth was being corrupted: someone had been corrupting the genetic foundation of the Creation on the Earth. This is not describing the morality of mankind! If this verse was stating that mankind was corrupt, then this Hebrew verb would not have been inflected Niphal, feminine singular, third person imperfect, but a Niphal, common plural, third person perfect. The noun would have been “men,” and would have said “men were corrupt,” instead of “the Earth was being corrupted.” Therefore, since the noun is the whole Earth, then this must say “the Earth was being corrupted.” The word “also” was added by the translators, and would make sense to say “in addition to” mankind, “the Earth also was corrupted before God.” I do not agree with adding the word “also” based on the context, since there was not a base statement to say “also” or “in addition to.” Therefore, since the noun is the whole Earth, and there was no base to compare to, then this must say “The Earth was being corrupted before God.”
…the sons of men in those days took from the cattle of the earth, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air, and taught the mixture of animals of one species with the other, in order therewith to provoke the Lord; and God saw the whole earth and it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted its ways upon earth, all men and all animals. (Bk. of Jash. 4:18b)
The genetics, of the living creatures of the Creation, had been corrupted before God during this time. “The Earth was being corrupted before God,” and (in addition to) the Earth was filled with violence. Not only was mankind committing violence, but the giants, the angels, the animals, insects, fish, and birds were all committing violence. We can reason that the living creature’s corrupted DNA had caused them to be aggressive to commit violence. It stands to reason that it was probably a relief to Noah to have non-corrupted creatures come onto the ark, then to have God bring fear of man to all creatures after the waters receded (Gen. 9:2).
An additional perspective must be looked at, while realizing that the genetics of the animals and men had been corrupted. The flood caused a massive skeletal preservation of the life forms, which caused fossils to be preserved. The many dinosaurs and so called “cavemen” fossils are nothing more than the skeletal remains of the corrupted DNA from before the Flood of Noah. Yes, there were large lizards, serpents, and birds on the Earth before the flood. The enhanced biosphere of the Earth had caused long life times of the animals, while some of these animals never stop growing their entire lives. Mankind attempts to prove God does not exist, by making up their own religion and calling it “evolution of the species.” In reality, they make their own view and beliefs work for their agenda, while the biblical world view is ignored.
Genesis 6:12 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth. Unlike the previous verse, the Hebrew verb “?ā?a?” had been inflected Niphal, feminine singular, third person perfect. This should be read as: “it was corrupted.” This statement by Moses implied that God looked upon the Earth (creation minus the heavens), then Moses brought his readers attention, by inserting the Hebrew interjection “behold,” which is actually the same as saying “look!” “Behold, it was corrupted” should not stop with a semi-colon, since the conjunction “for” begins a clause that supports the previous sentence, as an incomplete sentence. The conjunction “for” is interchangeable here with the conjunction “because.” The reason that the Earth was corrupted, was because all flesh had corrupted his way upon the Earth. Once again, this statement was not implying a state of immorality, because this is concerning all flesh, or all living creatures. All living creatures had been genetically corrupted upon the Earth. The corrupted living creatures had mated with uncorrupted flesh, which caused multiplicity from the corrupted offspring to occur; this caused the complete corruption of the DNA of all living creature.
Genesis 6:13 And God said unto Noah, “The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.” If this was concerning mankind and his sexual immorality of the sons of Seth, then one would think that God would not have addressed them as “all flesh,” while addressing the violence through them. God spoke this to Noah and began His explanation to him, concerning why He must destroy all flesh. As was stated in the previous verse, God saw that “all flesh” had been corrupted, so He decided that He must destroy all flesh.
It would have been overkill to suggest that God would destroy all living creatures of the Earth, just because the sons of Seth mated with the daughters of Cain. It is absolutely absurd! The text is very specific, and must be interpreted consistently.
God had implied to Noah that because the Earth was filled with violence through them, being all flesh (all creatures), He must destroy them with the Earth. This in no way implies that God was going to annihilate the whole Earth, but He was going to totally destroy the ecosystem of the Earth, as well as make changes in His new living creature ecosystem. Please review my commentary in Genesis chapters 8 and 9 for further explanation.
Genesis 6:14 Make yourself an ark of gopher wood; rooms shall you make in the ark, and shall pitch it within and without with pitch. The definition of the Hebrew noun “tē?a” is: “a floating vessel on the water.” The noun “ark” is the English translator’s word, and it could have just as easily been translated as “boat.” “Make yourself a boat of gopher wood;” it is unknown what type of tree “gōp?er” wood was from, but many theologians suspect that it might have been cypress wood.
The second sentence of this verse, commanded Noah to put rooms within the boat, and to use pitch inside and out. The Hebrew verb “kāp?ar” was used, when Noah was to “pitch” the boat (it). The definition of the verb “kāp?ar” is: “to coat or cover with pitch.” We paint our house with paint, and Noah was to pitch the boat with pitch. The definition of the Hebrew noun “kōp?er” is: “asphalt, pitch (as a covering).” The best explanation, for what pitch may have been made from, is that they may have found a natural oil base from a plant (maybe corn, or soy beans), then combined with ground minerals, which resembled that of tar. Modern day tar, is made from crude oil from the ground. This was before the flood, so the compression of the wildlife and plants that produces crude oil, had not yet occurred at this point of the Creation.
Noah was commanded to use this “pitch” inside and outside of the boat, in order to water proof it. The way that Noah had been commanded, suggests that “pitch” may have already been a common water proofing method at this time in the Creation.
Genesis 6:15 And this is the fashion which you shall make it of: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, the breadth of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits. A “cubit” ('amma) is a biblical unit of measurement for distance. It is most commonly known to be the length of a man’s forearm (middle finger tip to elbow), or eighteen inches. God provided Noah the general measurements of the boat, by stating that he shall fashion (make) it with its length three hundred cubits (450 ft.), its breadth (width) fifty cubits (75 ft.), and height thirty cubits (45 ft.).
It would be hard for one carpenter to build this boat alone, especially one of this size, but Noah had been blessed with three sons to help him. Noah, Japheth, Shem, and Ham spent a considerably short time building this boat. Noah’s three sons were born ninety-five to one hundred years before the rains came. In the Book of Jasher, it states that Noah began to build the ark at age five hundred and ninety-five years old, and finished it in five years.
In his five hundred and ninety-fifth year Noah commenced to make the ark, and he made the ark in five years, as the Lord had commanded. (Book of Jash. 5:34)
Noah most likely evangelized to those curious in what he was building; it eventually became legendary as time moved on and it started to take its shape. Noah had already been evangelizing twenty years before his sons were born, then five years before the rains came, he probably stopped spending so much time evangelizing on the go, and just stayed building as the crowds would gather to watch.
Genesis 6:16 A window shall you make to the ark, and in a cubit shall you finish it above; and the door of the ark shall you set in the side thereof; with lower, second, and third stories shall you make it. Though when first reading, this can seem ambiguous. The window is described to be in the roof, like a skylight, while the cubit height may be the pitch of the roof, so that water would run off (in a cubit shall you finish it above). Many people do not give the people of this time much credit for ingenuity. After fifteen-hundred years, mankind was smart enough, and had enough time to know that glass is nothing but melted sand. So, yes, this was a skylight made from pre-flood glass.
This had to be a big door, like a draw-bridge of sort. The side of the boat was to have this big draw-bridge type door. Precision in its making was important, so that its seal would hold, when closed to prevent leaking. It does not say, but it was possible to find rubber trees growing in this region, which would really help to make a good door seal. Who said rubber door seals don’t grow on trees? Sorry, I could not resist the humor.
God’s instructions were specific here to reveal that it was a three story boat, which would mean each level had close to fifteen-foot ceilings, give or take.
Genesis 6:17 And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and everything that is in the earth shall die. After explaining the hard work that Noah and his sons needed to accomplish, the Lord reminded Noah that He was going to do the work in destroying all flesh, even all that had the breath of life.
The Hebrew word translated as “spirit” is “r?a?” and it means: “air in motion, spirit;” in addition, “r?a?” is the same Hebrew word for “breath.” The Holy Spirit is He who gives all life, including Everlasting Life (Gal. 6:8). In the case in Genesis 2:7, it was the Holy Spirit who breathed life into the nostrils of Adam. Thus, all life that maintained a need for breath was going to die. Interestingly, this was not only pertaining to oxygen breathing flesh, but also carbon dioxide breathing life as well (all plant life). The same Holy Spirit gave all life on Earth the breath of life. Therefore, from under heaven, and everything that is in the earth shall die.
One thing that I have always contemplated is, all freshwater, oxygen-breathing marine life may have been all killed as well, while only a fraction of the sea creatures (salt water creatures) might die. They would be faced with being within their natural habitat. It may be reasonable to conclude that some of the sea creatures remained alive, through the devastation of the flood waters (see Gen. 7:22-23), but Genesis 7:4 states that every living substance of the face of the Earth was to die.
Genesis 6:18 But with you will I establish my covenant; and you shall come into the ark, you, and your sons, and your wife, and your sons' wives with you. The covenant being spoken of here can be found in Genesis 9:1-17. It should recognized as the Everlasting Covenant that fell upon all mankind, and not just Israel, since Noah is the father of all post-flood sons and daughters of the Earth.
The Lord then commanded Noah to take his wife, along with his sons’ wives into the ark, where they would be protected from this great deluge coming upon the Earth. The names of the wives were not included within this abbreviated account of the history of the Flood of Noah. However, this may be because Moses knew that the Book of Jasher was in existence, therefore the Book of Jasher filled in the blanks.
Some will argue that the Book of Jasher is not to be trusted; then, why did Joshua trust in it (Josh. 10:13), as then even King David (2 Sam. 1:18), as then the Apostle Paul? The Apostle Paul had found the names of the Pharaoh’s magicians (Ex. 7:10-12), which was from Jasher 79:27, and applied those names within 2 Timothy 3:8. The Book of Jasher should be respected as a history book of the times from creation to the times of King David.
35Then Noah took the three daughters of Eliakim, son of Methuselah, for wives for his sons, as the Lord had commanded Noah.
36 And it was at that time Methuselah the son of Enoch died, nine hundred and sixty years old was he, at his death. (Bk. of Jash. 5:35-36)
The point of the matter is that the wives of Japheth, Shem, and Ham were all of pure, godly DNA; this is because they were the daughters of Noah’s father’s (Lamech’s) brother, Eliakim.
Genesis 6:19 And of every living thing of all flesh, two of every sort shall you bring into the ark, to keep them alive with you; they shall be male and female. This seems like an impossible task to accomplish, but if one thinks logically and not preprogrammed by the opposing worldview, then it begins to make sense. All flesh should be realized to be all of the living things of their kinds, originally created on day six of the creation. This would not include all variations of each kind, such as a wolf and the many variations of dogs. It does, however, include even the insects and flying creatures of their kinds. Creatures, such as the giant lizards, which had grown into huge dinosaurs, such as the behemoth (brontosaurus) (Job 40:15), would be brought on as small babies and put in pens with room to grow. The importance for survival of all creatures was that both male and female be brought into the ark. The Bible is a bit vague, but leads us to believe that the Lord is who commanded the intended inventory of creatures to go into the ark and cooperate 100% with Noah and his sons.
Genesis 6:20 Of fowls after their kind, and of cattle after their kind, of every creeping thing of the earth after his kind, two of every sort shall come unto you, to keep them alive. This verse explains, in a little more detail, of what was implied in the previous verse. The most important point here is that the animals cooperated and came unto Noah, upon the command from the Lord to go (shall come unto you). The task of gathering of the animals was only to take them into the ark and into their prepared areas, where they would be kept alive. The two of every kind, was a male and female of each kind. These were most likely the youngest of those kinds that came, which would take up less space, eat less food and water, as well as live the longest life in the new world. It can be safe to assume that there were no full grown animals entering the ark.
Genesis 6:21 And take you unto you of all food that is eaten, and you shall gather it to you; and it shall be for food for you, and for them. To me, this seems like the hardest work in preparing for their journey. The making of the ark took five years (Book of Jash. 5:34), and was hard work; the gathering of all of the food quickly, before it would begin to deteriorate, seems like it would be hard work. They gathered all of the food that all of the life on the ark would need, in order to survive over a year without access to land (Gen. 7:6; 8:13).
Genesis 6:22 Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he. It is pretty basic and simple; Noah was obedient to the Lord and trusted in Him totally. That is righteousness. It always has been, always is, and will be, that when a person trusts in the Lord, they are counted as righteous. Abraham trusted in God’s words, and was counted as righteous. “And he believed in the Lord; and he counted it to him for righteousness.” (Gen. 15:6) The New Covenant is basically trusting in God’s word. Many fail to believe that Jesus Christ is God the Son, who died and resurrected from the dead. Trusting in God’s word is the key to righteousness.
[1] Charles R. Sabo, Jesus Wept, (Tucson, Charles R. Sabo School of Theology, 2017), 135.
[2] Ibid., 135-136.
[3] Ibid., 136.