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 every thing that is in the earth shall die.

Having provided instructions for the ark, God now identifies its purpose: the judgment He has decreed will take the form of a devastating flood.

The scale of the destruction parallels the scale of the sin, verse 13 indicates that violence and evil had become universal, and the verse at hand prescribes a universal flood as the remedy.

Scholars debate whether the term all flesh should be taken to mean that the flood was to be global, covering the entire earth, or regional, confined to one specific part of the world.

The latter interpretation emphasizes the fact that judgment is pronounced on and targeted at humanity.

And at this point, humans seem confined to a specific area of the world, signifying that all human life can be destroyed by a flood that affects only that region.

In either case, the scope of the devastation to come is clear; God intends to wipe out the entire human race, with just a few exceptions.



Genesis 6:18
But with thee will I establish my covenant; and thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons’ wives with thee.

The term covenant, appearing here for the first time in the Bible, is used in a way that specifically distinguishes faithful Noah and his family from the rest of the human race that will be destroyed.

Covenant means “contract.” This covenant implies that obedience to a sovereign ruler; in this case God; will result in protection and provision.

The terms of the agreement presuppose that Noah, as a servant of God, must follow the command to build and enter the ark; the implied reward is protection from the (deh-lyooj) - deluge, which Noah receives as a result of his obedience.

The explicit terms of the Noahic covenant are listed in Genesis 8:20–9:17.



Genesis 6:19
And of every living thing of all flesh, two of every sort shalt thou bring into the ark, to keep them alive with thee; they shall be male and female.

The terms of Noah’s obedience to God’s covenant continue, now regarding the plan for preserving animal life.

These instructions cover the full range of creatures.

“Two of every sort shall come unto thee, to keep them alive.” Noah was not a Frank Buck who went out “to bring ’em back alive.”

He was not a big game hunter. He did not have to go after these animals—they came to him.

Animals in danger will do that.

When an animal is in danger, they will come to man.

At the time of the Flood, I do not think Noah had any problem at all, for the animals all came to him.



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 thee, to keep them alive.

It will be physically impossible for Noah to capture a mating pair of each and every species.

The fact will leave room for another miraculous display of God’s power as He will compel healthy representatives to come into the ark.

The note that the animals will come in pairs of male and female reflects their purpose of repopulation.

These instructions are further clarified in Genesis 7:1–3.

Skeptics who doubt the truth of the biblical narrative question the ark’s ability to accommodate eight humans and representatives of all animal species of land and air.

They generally approach the question by noting the number of species extant today and arguing that Noah’s ark was not big enough to hold them all.

The biblical account, however, takes the opposite approach: only those animals who travel on the ark will survive the flood.



Genesis 6:21
And take thou unto thee of all food that is eaten, and thou shalt gather it to thee; and it shall be for food for thee, and for them.

As a final instruction, Noah is commanded to stock the ark with supplies for his family and the animals.

Comparing Genesis 7:11 with 8:3–14 indicates that they were in the ark for more than a year.

Noah is now to do something very practical.

It took a lot of hay in the ark to feed these animals.

Some people are going to say, “But some of those animals ate meat. They would eat each other!” I do not think so.

Up to the time of the Flood, apparently both men and animals were not flesh-eating.

They just did not eat flesh; there were no carnivorous animals.

We are told of a day in the Millennium when the lion and the lamb will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like an ox (see Isa. 11:6–7).

That could certainly come to pass, for that probably was the original state of the animals in the first place.



Genesis 6:22
Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he.

Now aware of the forthcoming reality of the annihilation of the human race, Noah proceeds with God’s intricate instructions.

The action God intends to take is unprecedented, and we wonder if this quickens the pace of construction.

We don’t know.

This part of the story merely concludes with a simple statement of Noah’s obedience.

Just as he has distinguished himself throughout his life by his righteous conduct, he now distinguishes himself by his full and unquestioning obedience to God’s commands.

This aspect of Noah’s story is highlighted in Hebrews 11:7, part of a listing known as the Faith Hall of Fame.

By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.