Genesis

Chapter 6

22 verses — switch translations with the toolbar below.

Scripture

KJV

1And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them,

2That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.

3And 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.

4There 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.

5And 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.

6And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.

7And 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 repenteth me that I have made them.

8But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.

9These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.

10And Noah begat three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

11The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.

12And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.

13And 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.

14Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch.

15And this is the fashion which thou shalt 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.

16A window shalt thou make to the ark, and in a cubit shalt thou finish it above; and the door of the ark shalt thou set in the side thereof; with lower, second, and third stories shalt thou make it.

17And, 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.

18But 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.

19And 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.

20Of 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.

21And 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.

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

Key VerseGenesis 6:8

But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.

Overview

As humanity multiplies, wickedness increases to the point where 'every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually,' and God grieves that He made man. But Noah finds grace in the eyes of the Lord. God reveals His plan to destroy the earth with a flood and instructs Noah to build an ark of gopher wood, giving him precise dimensions. Noah obeys God completely, building the ark as commanded and preserving his family.

Key Themes

1

The Depth of Human Depravity

The description of mankind's wickedness — every thought 'only evil continually' — reveals the total corruption of the human heart apart from God's grace.

2

Noah Found Grace

Before Noah is described as righteous, Scripture says he 'found grace' — his righteousness was the fruit of God's unmerited favor, not the cause of it.

3

Obedient Faith in God's Word

Noah builds an enormous ark based solely on God's warning about an unprecedented event, demonstrating faith that acts on God's word even when the world mocks.

Study Questions

1.

What does it mean that 'it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth' (v. 6), and how do we understand God's grief?

2.

How is the statement that Noah 'found grace in the eyes of the LORD' (v. 8) foundational for understanding salvation throughout the Bible?

3.

What does Noah's obedience in building the ark teach about the relationship between faith and works?

4.

How does the corruption of 'all flesh' (v. 12) set the stage for understanding why God's judgment is just?

5.

In what ways does the ark serve as a picture of salvation — a vessel of safety in the midst of judgment?

Connection to Christ

Noah's ark is one of the Bible's most powerful pictures of Christ. As the ark was the only means of salvation from the flood of judgment, so Christ is the only refuge from the judgment to come. Peter explicitly draws this parallel in 1 Peter 3:20-21. Noah 'found grace' — the first mention of grace in Scripture — pointing to the grace fully revealed in Jesus Christ.

Personal Reflection

Take time to journal or meditate on what God is teaching you through Genesis 6. How can these truths transform your thinking and actions today?

Genesis

6 of 50