_AND IT CAME TO PASS, WHEN MEN BEGAN TO MULTIPLY ON THE FACE OF THE EARTH, AND DAUGHTERS WERE BORN UNTO THEM,_ When men began to multiply. This is a general statement relative to the increase of the human family, without any intimation of the precise period to which it refers. Some writers have mai... [ Continue Reading ]
_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 sons of God saw the daughters of men. This is a difficult passage, and various modes of interpreting it have been proposed: (1) An opinion extensively adopted is, that the "son... [ Continue Reading ]
_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._ And the Lord said. There is nothing said either of the time when or the parties to whom this communication was made. But it is supposed that the words which... [ Continue Reading ]
_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._ There were giants in the earth in those days [Hebrew, _ HA-NªPILIYM_ (H5303)]. Th... [ Continue Reading ]
_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._ God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth. The corruption had not only become universal, it had assumed a colossal character in the... [ Continue Reading ]
_AND IT REPENTED THE LORD THAT HE HAD MADE MAN ON THE EARTH, AND IT GRIEVED HIM AT HIS HEART._ No JFB commentary on this verse.... [ Continue Reading ]
_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 REPENTETH ME THAT I HAVE MADE THEM._ And the Lord said. Here the Lord (Yahweh) is identified with God (_ 'ELOHIYM_ (H430)), who create... [ Continue Reading ]
_BUT NOAH FOUND GRACE IN THE EYES OF THE LORD._ But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. Mankind was not to be annihilated; means were to be adopted for preserving a small remnant. Noah was selected: `Among the faithless, faithful only he.' This was an exercise of divine mercy in the midst o... [ Continue Reading ]
_THESE ARE THE GENERATIONS OF NOAH: NOAH WAS A JUST MAN AND PERFECT IN HIS GENERATIONS, AND NOAH WALKED WITH GOD._ These are the generations of Noah - (see the note at Genesis 2:4.) This is the commencement of a Parashah (new section), indicated in the Hebrew Bible by the letter pe (p), and extendi... [ Continue Reading ]
_AND NOAH BEGAT THREE SONS, SHEM, HAM, AND JAPHETH._ Noah begat three sons. This is a recapitulation from Genesis 5:32, introductory to the ensuing narrative, of which the three sons of Noah form prominent subjects.... [ Continue Reading ]
_THE EARTH ALSO WAS CORRUPT BEFORE GOD, AND THE EARTH WAS FILLED WITH VIOLENCE._ The earth also was corrupt before God. The phrase "before God," expresses the enormity of the corruption which, though proceeding from men, had infused the elements of evil so thoroughly, as it were, into the material... [ Continue Reading ]
_AND GOD LOOKED UPON THE EARTH, AND, BEHOLD, IT WAS CORRUPT; FOR ALL FLESH HAD CORRUPTED HIS WAY UPON THE EARTH._ NO JFB COMMENTARY ON THIS VERSE.... [ Continue Reading ]
_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._ The end of all flesh is come before me. That "the end of all flesh" does not here mean the destruction of mankind appears not only f... [ Continue Reading ]
_MAKE THEE AN ARK OF GOPHER WOOD; ROOMS SHALT THOU MAKE IN THE ARK, AND SHALT PITCH IT WITHIN AND WITHOUT WITH PITCH._ Make thee an ark of gopher wood - ark х_ TEEBAAH_ (H8392) - old Hebrew or Chaldaic, Gesenius], a hollow chest or boat (cf. Exodus 11:3). Bunsen traces the word to an Egyptian root,... [ Continue Reading ]
_AND 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._ And this is the fashion. According to the description, the ark was a ship, destined not to sail, but 'only to float-an oblo... [ Continue Reading ]
_A 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._ A window shalt thou make to the ark. [Hebrew, _ TSOHAR_ (H6672)] - light; a collective noun, and th... [ Continue Reading ]
_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._ Behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth. This is the first intimation of the mode in whic... [ Continue Reading ]
_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._ But with thee will I establish my covenant, х_ BªRIYTIY_ (H1285)]. A covenant or league has commonly a reference to the severed pieces of a sacrifice, bet... [ Continue Reading ]
_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._ No JFB commentary on these verses.... [ Continue Reading ]
_THUS DID NOAH; ACCORDING TO ALL THAT GOD COMMANDED HIM, SO DID HE._ Thus did Noah. He began without delay to prepare the colossal fabric, and in every step of his progress faithfully followed the divine directions he had received. His acting as he did was one of the most heroic acts of faith which... [ Continue Reading ]