Read the Passage: Genesis 8:1–9:17

Listen to the Redeemed Mind Podcast: Genesis 8:1–9:17

Deliverance of Noah (8:1–19)

In Gen. 8:1–4, Noah and his family had been on the ark for 150 days (cf. Gen. 7:24; 8:3), which included the 40 days of the flood (cf. Gen. 7:12, 17). At this time, God caused a wind to blow and dry the earth, resulting in the ark finally resting in the mountains of Ararat. Gen. 8:5 notes that after 74 additional days, the tops of the mountains became visible. Gen. 8:6–9 record that after 40 more days, Noah sent out a raven, followed by a dove, both of which found no place to rest, and thus returned to the ark. Gen. 8:10–12 reports that after 7 further days Noah released a dove, which returned to him with a fresh olive leaf. The covering on the ark was then removed 50 days after Noah initially released the raven (cf. Gen. 8:13). Next, after 56 more days the earth was finally dried (cf. Gen. 8:14). From the start of the flood to Noah’s leaving the ark was roughly 370 days or, accord to the ancient calendar, one year and ten days.

Since the dove brought a flesh olive leaf to Noah a mere few months after the waters of the flood began to subside, it is evident that the flood did not completely destroy all of the plant life. Indeed, there is no mention of God recreating plant life after the flood. At Gen. 8:15–17, God spoke to Noah for the first time since He had commanded Noah to board the ark at Gen. 7:1–4. God’s instructions to Noah were to depart from the ark, to let the animals loose, and perhaps most importantly to “be fruitful and multiply” (Gen. 8:17; cf. Gen. 9:1). This mandate to procreate is critical, for the earth needed to be repopulated. Furthermore, the command to be fruitful and multiply highlights the parallels between the creation narrative of Gen. 1–2, and the re-creation narrative of Gen. 6–8. Indeed, after both of these accounts, man began to sin, which demonstrates that man’s sin problem is internal, not external.

Renewal of Creation (8:20–22)

It is significant that the first act of Noah upon leaving the ark was to “build an altar to the Lord” (Gen. 8:20a). On this altar Noah offered burnt offerings from “every clean animal and of every clean bird” (Gen. 8:20b). Recall that earlier God had instructed Noah to bring seven pairs of every clean animal and bird on the ark, but only one pair of the unclean animals (cf. Gen. 7:2–3). The extra pairs of clean animals, then, allowed for the burnt offerings to be made. Since the purpose of burnt offerings is later identified as atonement (cf. Lev. 1:4), it seems likely that the reason for Noah’s offering was to thank God for preserving his life, to acknowledge man’s sinful state, and to express man’s need of substitutionary atonement. Gen. 8:21–22 records that God accepting the burnt offering, God agreed with Noah’s assessment of man’s condition, and God purposed never again to flood the earth.

Covenant of God (9:1–17)

In a similar manner to Gen. 8:17, so here in Gen. 9:1–4 God instructs mankind to “be fruitful and multiply” (Gen. 9:1, 7). However, here God discloses two new facts about man’s relationship with the animals that are absent from the earlier narrative. First, Noah is told that now the animals will naturally fear mankind. Second, God gave the animals to Noah for nourishment. This may indicate that prior to the flood, man’s diet was plant based; yet, after the flood, the animals were given by God to man for his sustenance (cf. Acts 10:15). Gen. 9:5–7 is an important passage, as in these verses, for the first time in Scripture, God imposes capital punishment for murder. While capital punishment is recognized elsewhere in the Bible (cf. Acts 25:11; Rom. 13:4; 1 Pet. 2:14) this passage is significant, for it gives the basis for capital punishment—that is, the violation of the image of God.

Gen. 9:8–17 is noteworthy, as this passage records the ratification of the first explicit covenant God made with mankind, which is often referred to as the Noahic Covenant. Note that this covenant was inaugurated at Gen. 6:18. While covenants take many different forms in Scripture, they all have four common aspects: a personal relationship, a public oath, a coordinating sign, and perpetual obligations. In the Noahic Covenant the personal relationship was between God and Noah, as well as his descendant and all living animals (cf. Gen. 9:8–10); the public oath is God’s declaration that He will not destroy the earth again by flood (cf. Gen. 8:21; 9:11); the coordinating sign is the rainbow, which appears when the rain stops and the sun shines (cf. Gen. 9:13–17); and the perpetual obligation is for God to remember His promise to never again flood the earth (cf. Gen. 9:12, 15–16).

Application Questions:

1. Given that Noah’s name means “rest,” in what ways did God provide rest through Noah? How important is the concept of rest?
2. How could a dove have found a flesh olive leave after the flood? Did the flood destroy both flora and fauna?
3. Is there any evidence for the great flood in the physical world? Why is the parallel between Gen. 1–2 and Gen. 6–8 important?
4. Why was God pleased with Noah’s burnt offering of clean animals (cf. Isa. 53:10; Acts 2:23; Heb. 12:2)?
5. How ought Christians to think about capital punishment? Does capital punishment apply to any crimes other than murder?