Genesis 8:1-22

 

8:1

“But God remembered”

  • The reversal of events begins with God
  • Everything depends on God to change.  Here history goes from total destruction to deliverance.
  • “remembered” is Hebrew “zakar” and is covenant language.  God is acting in agreement with a covenant he made.  He is showing himself faithful to his word.

 

A comparison of the 7 days of creation or restoration of Genesis 1
with the restoration of the earth in Genesis 8-9

Day

Verse

Event

1

1:2

earth, deep, spirit (ruah), waters

8:1-2

Wind (ruah), earth, waters, deep

2

1:7-8

Waters, sky

8:2

sky

3

1:9

Water, dry ground, appear

8:3-5

Water, tops of the mountains, appear (NIV: visible)

4

-

(Sun, stars, moon)

-

(these still functioned as is seen by identification of time)

5

1:20

Birds, above the earth, across (al pene) the expanse

8:7-8

Raen, from the earth, from the surface (al pene) of the ground

6

1:24

Creatures, livestock, creatures that move along the ground, wild animals

8:17

Creature, birds, animals, creatures that move along the ground

1:26

Man, image

9:6

Image, man

7

2:1-3

Competed, finished, rested, blessed, holy, established the 7th day

8:1-9:17
  • Noah (noah) means “rest”, the ark coming to “rest (nuah) and “pleasing aroma” (reah hannihoah) continues the concept of “rest” in a Hebrew phrase that means “soothing, rest or appeasement” aroma 8:4 “dove could find no place to rest” until 8:12,
  • “Never again will I curse the ground” 8:21,
  • “blessed Noah” 9:1,
  • established the rainbow as a sign of the covenant

 

Recede is used 4x, dry 3x, and come out 4x

 

8:2

“springs of the deep” are no longer called “great”

 

“wind” is “ruah” which is the same word translated “Spirit” in 1:2

 

God or “elohim” is the name that refers to the creator.

LORD or YHWH is the covenant name of God.

8:3-5

The ark came to rest 5 months after the rain started.

Then there were 5 more months from the time the tops of mountains were seen until the earth was completely dried (8:14)

 

Reference

Event

Date
Month/Day/Noah’s Age

7:10

Noah enters ark

2/10/600

7:11

Flood begins

2/17/600

7:12,17

Water falls for 40 days

3/26/600

7:24; 8:3

Water prevails 150 days

7/16/600

8:4

Ark grounds on mountain

7/17/600

8:5

Hill tops visible

10/1/600

8:6,7

Raven sent

11/10/600

8:8

Dove sent

11/17/600

8:10,11

Dove sent, returns w/ leaf

11/24/600

8:12

Dove sent, does not return

12/1/600

8:13

Ground appears dry

1/1/601

8:14

Noah leaves ark

2/27/601

 

7 days waiting on the ark

150 days the water prevailed (first 40 days the water came)

150 days the water receded

70 days the earth dried

 

The ark come to “rest” is “nuah” and begins to let us know how Lamech’s naming and prophecy of his son was fulfilled (5:29)

 

“Ararat” was the large territory that bordered the northern Mesopotamian area.  Its boundaries included southeast Turkey, southern Russia, northwest Iran.  In this mountainous area in the country of Armenia there is a mountain peak that is called Mount Ararat.  It is 17,000 feet high.  This verse here says the ark landed not on a mountain peak called Mt. Ararat, but in this mountainous region called Ararat.

8:6-12

“opened the window”
It will take 4 weeks to send the birds out 4 times.

 

“raven” is a strong bird and feeds on the carcass of dead animals.  This bird probably found plenty of food on the mountain peaks.

 

“dove”

  • a clean animal
  • symbolizes in scripture the Holy Spirit
  • Used in the sacrificial system
  • A bird that lives in the valleys
  • First time returns. “Place” (“manoah”)comes from the Hebrew word “rest” (“nuah”)
  • Second time brings an olive leaf (olives oil another symbol of the Holy Spirit)
  • Third time does not return