Genesis 6:3

Two different meanings of this verse are possible.

• Some people think that God made people’s lives shorter. People’s lives had been much longer than this. (See for example Genesis 5:27.) Instead of that, people’s lives after this time would be 120 years or less.

• A different meaning of this verse is possible. God said that he would wait for 120 years. During those 120 years, people would continue to live. And during those 120 years, God would look at people. He would decide whether any people were good. If he found any good people, he would save them. He decided to save Noah and his family. (See verse 8.) But everyone else died in the flood. Compare this with the story that Jesus told about crops and bad plants. (See Matthew 13:24-30.) The farmer did not remove the bad plants, because good crops were among them. He waited until the harvest. God does not remove evil things immediately when good things are among them. He waits until the right time. So he waited for 120 years and he did not remove evil men immediately. He waited until the right time. In that way, he could save Noah and his family.

v5 The *Lord saw the men who were on the earth. He saw that they were very wicked. He saw that men always thought in evil ways. And he saw that men always desired evil things. v6 And the *Lord was sorry that he had made men on the earth. He was extremely sad. v7 So the *Lord said, ‘I will kill men, whom I have created. I will remove them from the earth. I will kill men and animals and birds. I will kill all that crawl on the ground. I am sorry that I made them.’ v8 But Noah pleased the *Lord.