Genesis 6:9–22 — Noah makes a barge

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Gen 6:9–22

6:9 Noah makes a barge

9 This is the account of Noah:[ref] He was a man who obeyed God, blameless among the people of his time and he walked around with God. 10 Noah had three sons: Yefet (Japheth), Shem, and Ham.

11 Now God noticed that humankind was corrupt and very violent. 12 Yes, God looked at the earth, and wow, all the living creatures on the earth had corrupted their behaviour.

13 So God told Noah, “I’ve decided to put an end to all people on earth because the earth is filled with violence because of them. So listen, I myself am going to destroy all of them, along with the earth. 14 Make yourself a wooden chest[fn] out of cypress. Build rooms inside it, and seal it both inside and outside with resin. 15 These are the dimensions for it: 140m long, 23m wide, and 14m high. 16 It must have a roof, but the last half a metre between the sides and the roof should remain open. Put the door in its side, and build lower, middle, and upper decks. 17 You see, I’m going to flood the earth with water to destroy every creature that breathes. Everything that’s on the earth will die. 18 But I’ll make an agreement with you, so you must go into this chest along with your wife and sons and their wives, 19 and you must take a pair, male and female, of everything that lives into the chest to keep alive with you. 20 Pairs of every kind of bird and animal, including every kind of creature that moves on the ground, will come to you so that you keep them alive, 21 and you must take with you some of every different kind of food and store it in there for you and them to eat. 22 So Noah did that exactly as God had specified.[ref]

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Read the Literal Version in context

9 These are_the _accounts _of Noaḩ Noaḩ was_a _man righteous blameless he _was in_his/its_generations with the_ʼElohīm Noaḩ he _walked _about.

10 And_ Noaḩ _he/it _fathered three sons DOM Shēm DOM Ḩām and_DOM Yefet/(Japheth).

11 And_ the_earth/land _it(f)_was _decaying/corrupt to_(the)_face _of/in _front _of/before the_ʼElohīm and_ the_earth/land _she/it _was _filled violence.

12 And_ god _he/it _saw DOM the_earth/land and_BEHOLD/LO/SEE it _was _corrupt if/because all _of flesh it _had _corrupted DOM its_road/course on the_earth/land.

13 And_ god _he/it _said to/for_Noaḩ the_end _of all _of flesh is_coming to/for_my_face/front if/because the_earth/land it _is _full violence from_their_face/front and_WOW_I ready _for _destroying_them with the_earth/land.

14 Make to/for_yourself(m) an _box _of wood(s)_of gopher nests you _will _make DOM the_box and_you(ms)_will _cover DOM_her/it from_inside and_from_outside with_pitch.

15 And_this is_how you _will _make DOM_her/it will _be_three hundred(s) cubit[s] the _length _of the_box will _be_fifty cubit[s] breadth _of_its and_thirty cubit[s] height _of_its.

16 A _roof you _will _make for_box and_near/to a _cubit you_will _finish _it[fn] from_to_above and_the _entrance _of the_box in_side _of_its you _will _put lower_decks second_decks and_third_decks you_will _make _it.

17 And_I HERE_I am_about _to _bring DOM the_flood water on the_earth/land to_destroy all _of flesh which in/on/over_him/it the_breath _of life from_under the_heavens all that on _the_earth it _will _die.

18 And_I _will _establish DOM covenant _of_my with_you and_you _will _go into the_box you and_sons _of_your and_wife _of_your and_the _wives _of your(pl)_sons _of_your with_you.

19 And_of_every _of (the)_living_thing from_all flesh two from_all you _will _bring into the_box to_preserve _alive with_you male and_female they _will _be.

20 Of_the_bird[s] to_his/its_kind and_from the_cattle/livestock to_its_kind from_all (the)_creeping _thing _of the_soil to_his/its_kind two from_all they _will _come to_you to_preserve _alive.

21 And_you(ms) take to/for_yourself(m) from_all food which it _is _eaten and_you _will _gather_it to_yourself and_it _was to/for_yourself(m) and_for_them for_food.

22 And_ Noaḩ _he/it _made according_to _all that god he _commanded DOM_him/it so he _did.

6:16 OSHB note: BHS has been faithful to the Leningrad Codex where there might be a question of the validity of the form and we keep the same form as BHS.

6:14 The reader might have expected the word ‘ark’ here, but sadly the Latin word ‘arca’ meaning ‘large box, chest’ led to the English word ‘ark’ being invented, and why we can’t use it here, is that now for most English readers, they picture a large boat in their minds when they hear that word. If you think about the ‘ark of the covenant’ that uses the same word, hopefully you can understand how anything like a ‘boat’ is the wrong word picture, hence we’ve gone back to translating the actual Hebrew word here.

6:9: 2Pe 2:5.

6:22: Heb 11:7.

OET-RV by cross-referenced section GEN 6:9

Noah makes a barge

Gen 6:9–22

Collected OET-RV cross-references