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Read Genesis Chapter 7

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1And the LORD said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation.

2Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens, the male and his female: and of beasts that are not clean by two, the male and his female.

3Of fowls also of the air by sevens, the male and the female; to keep seed alive upon the face of all the earth.

4For yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights; and every living substance that I have made will I destroy from off the face of the earth.

5And Noah did according unto all that the LORD commanded him.

6And Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters was upon the earth.

7And Noah went in, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons' wives with him, into the ark, because of the waters of the flood.

8Of clean beasts, and of beasts that are not clean, and of fowls, and of every thing that creepeth upon the earth,

9There went in two and two unto Noah into the ark, the male and the female, as God had commanded Noah.

10And it came to pass after seven days, that the waters of the flood were upon the earth.

11In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.

12And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights.

13In the selfsame day entered Noah, and Shem, and Ham, and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and Noah's wife, and the three wives of his sons with them, into the ark;

14They, and every beast after his kind, and all the cattle after their kind, and every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind, and every fowl after his kind, every bird of every sort.

15And they went in unto Noah into the ark, two and two of all flesh, wherein is the breath of life.

16And they that went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God had commanded him: and the LORD shut him in.

17And the flood was forty days upon the earth; and the waters increased, and bare up the ark, and it was lift up above the earth.

18And the waters prevailed, and were increased greatly upon the earth; and the ark went upon the face of the waters.

19And the waters prevailed exceedingly upon the earth; and all the high hills, that were under the whole heaven, were covered.

20Fifteen cubits upward did the waters prevail; and the mountains were covered.

21And all flesh died that moved upon the earth, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of beast, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth, and every man:

22All in whose nostrils was the breath of life, of all that was in the dry land, died.

23And every living substance was destroyed which was upon the face of the ground, both man, and cattle, and the creeping things, and the fowl of the heaven; and they were destroyed from the earth: and Noah only remained alive, and they that were with him in the ark.

24And the waters prevailed upon the earth an hundred and fifty days.

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Explanation

Genesis 7

In short

God commands Noah to board the ark with his family and selected animals as judgment comes through a great flood. The waters rise for 150 days, covering even the mountains, and everything outside the ark dies. Only Noah and those with him survive.

What the text says

God tells Noah in verse 1 that he is the only righteous person of his time, so he and his household must enter the ark. Verses 2-3 specify which animals to take: seven pairs of clean animals and birds, but only two of unclean ones, to preserve life on earth. God says in verse 4 that rain will fall for forty days and nights, destroying all living things. Verse 5 records that Noah obeys completely.

Verses 6-9 report Noah's age as 600 years and describe his entry with his wife, his three sons, and their wives, along with the animals "as God had commanded." Verse 11 marks the exact moment the flood begins: water erupts from below and falls from above simultaneously. The rain continues for forty days and nights (verse 12). Verse 16 adds that God himself shuts the ark's door.

Verses 17-20 describe the rising waters lifting the ark higher and covering all mountains by fifteen cubits. Verses 21-23 state that every breathing creature on land and in the air dies, except those inside the ark. Verse 24 records the waters prevailing for 150 days total.

Takeaways

  • God saves Noah because he is righteous, not because everyone deserves survival.
  • The flood is thorough and universal, covering the entire earth and destroying all land life outside the ark.
  • Noah obeys without question and God preserves him and his family through direct action.

Explanation written with the help of AI. The Bible text above is not changed. Context and interpretation are flagged as such; always come back to the text itself.