Genesis-Chap-6-1-22
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Throughout this site I
may use any of the following three versions of the Tanakh: 1. “Jewish Publication Society” (JPS-1917), 2. “Mechon-Mamre.org”
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(SEF), three brilliant versions, although JPS-1917 is my preferred version!
Colour coded
details of our beloved TaNaKh:
1. Torah = History & Law, 2. Nevi’im = The Prophets. 3. *Ketuvim = all other Writings.
*The Ketuvim - Includes, Poetical books - Psalms, Proverbs, Job,
the Megillot, or Scrolls - Song of Solomon, Ruth,
Lamentations of Jeremiah, Ecclesiastes, and Esther, prophecy of
Daniel, and history of Ezra, Nehemiah, and Chronicles I & II.
Please Note: Some
alterations or (additions) have been made relating to ‘Names’ and ‘Attributes’
of אֱלֹהִים - Elohim, having been
corrected like it once was pre the “Masoretic Text”.
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Remember
the following truth from our beloved Torah!
“Ye
shall NOT ADD
TO THE WORD which I command
you, NEITHER SHALL YE DIMINISH FROM IT,
that ye may keep the commandments of יְהוָה
אֱלֹהֵיכֶם - the LORD your Eloleichem, which I command you”. Davarim -
Deuteronomy 4:2. (JPS-1917).
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With Rabbi, Dr. Reuven Ben Avraham-Goossens, PhD.
Introduction:
Genesis Chapter 6 marks a dark turning point
in the human story. As the population grows, so does the departure from the
divine image, leading to widespread corruption and violence. Here, we see the
transition from אֱלֹהִים – Elohim’s (God’s)
sorrow over the state of creation to the selection of Noah the man who found
grace to preserve life through the coming judgment.
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Below is the chapter 6 ‘Text’ followed by an ‘Explanation’s based on JPS-1917 version of the Torah:
Verse 1: “And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the ground, and daughters were born unto them,
Explanation: Following the long
genealogy of Chapter 5, the human population begins to expand rapidly across
the earth.
Verse 2:
Text: That the sons of אֱלֹהִים - Elohim saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives, whomsoever they chose.
Explanation: A breakdown of
boundaries occurs. The “sons of אֱלֹהִים - Elohim” (often understood as the godly lineage or
powerful leaders) take wives based on physical desire rather than Divine order.
Verse 3:
Text: And יְהוָה - the LORD said:
‘My spirit shall not abide in man for ever, for that he also is flesh;
therefore shall his days be a hundred and twenty years’.
Explanation: אֱלֹהִים - Elohim sets a limit on human longevity. The
spirit given to man is divine, but because man has become purely “flesh”
(materialistic and sinful), his lifespan is decreed to shorten.
Verse 4: The Nephilim were in the earth in those days, and also after that, when the sons of אֱלֹהִים - Elohim came in unto the daughters of men, and they bore children to them; the same were the mighty men that were of old, the men of renown.
Explanation: This describes a period
of “giants” or “fallen ones” men of great physical power and fame whose legends
dominated the era before the flood.
Verse 5: And יְהוָה - the LORD 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.
Explanation: This is the Divine
diagnosis of the human condition. Sin was no longer an occasional act; it had
become the permanent state of the human heart.
Verse 6: And it repented יְהוָה - the LORD that He had made man on the earth, and it grieved Him at His heart.
Explanation: אֱלֹהִים - Elohim is depicted with deep emotion. The Hebrew
implies a “sigh” or a heavy heart He feels the pain of seeing His creation
destroy itself.
Verse 7: And יְהוָה - the LORD said: ‘I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the ground; both man, and beast, and creeping thing, and fowl of the air; for it repenteth Me that I have made them’.
Explanation: The judgment is
absolute. Since man was the steward of the earth, the corruption of man brings
consequences to the entire animal kingdom.
Verse 8: But Noah found grace in the eyes of יְהוָה - the LORD.
Explanation: One of the most hopeful “buts”
in the Torah. Amidst global corruption, one man stands apart!
Verse 9:
These are the generations of Noah.
Noah was in his generations a man ‘righteous’ and ‘whole-hearted’; Noah ‘walked with אֱלֹהִים - Elohim’.
Explanation: Noah’s character is
defined by three things: he was ‘righteous’ (just), ‘whole-hearted (blameless),
and he ‘maintained a constant relationship with יְהוָה - the LORD Elohim’.
Verse 10: And Noah begot three sons: ‘Shem’, ‘Ham’, and ‘Japheth’.
Explanation: This reaffirms the three
branches of the family that will survive the coming storm.
Verse 11: And the earth was corrupt before אֱלֹהִים - Elohim, and the earth was filled with violence.
Explanation: “Violence” (Chamas) is cited as the specific reason for the earth's
ruin. It implies a total breakdown of law and respect for life.
Verse 12: And אֱלֹהִים - Elohim looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way upon the earth.
Explanation: The corruption was
universal; the natural order had been twisted by human choice.
Verse 13: And אֱלֹהִים - Elohim 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.
Explanation: אֱלֹהִים - Elohim reveals His decree to Noah, explaining
that the destruction is a direct result of the violence humans brought upon the
world.
Verse 14: Make thee an ark of gopher wood; with rooms shalt thou make the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch.
Explanation: Noah is given specific instructions
for survival. The “pitch” (tar) ensures the vessel is watertight against the
coming depths.
Verse 15: And this is how thou shalt make it: the length of the ark three hundred cubits, the breadth of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits.
Explanation: The dimensions are
massive, roughly 450 feet long designed for stability rather than speed.
Verse 16: A light shalt thou make to the ark, and to a cubit shalt thou finish it upward; and the door of the ark shalt thou set in the side thereof; with lower, second, and third stories shalt thou make it.
Explanation: The ark is built for
maximum capacity and a single source of light/ventilation from above.
Verse 17: And I, behold, I do bring the flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; every thing that is in the earth shall perish.
Explanation: אֱלֹהִים - Elohim clarifies the method of judgment: a flood
that will undo the work of creation by returning the world to a watery abyss.
Verse 18: But I will establish My covenant with thee; and thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons’ wives with thee.
Explanation: אֱלֹהִים - Elohim initiates a covenant (a
binding promise) with Noah, ensuring the survival of his family unit.
Verse 19: 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.
Explanation: Noah is tasked with
preserving the biodiversity of the earth, ensuring that life can begin again
after the flood.
Verse 20: Of the fowl after their kind, and of the cattle after their kind, of every creeping thing of the ground after its kind, two of every sort shall come unto thee, to keep them alive.
Explanation: Nature itself will
cooperate; the animals will “come unto” Noah to be saved.
Verse 21: And take thou unto thee of all food that is eaten, and gather it to thee; and it shall be for food for thee, and for them’.
Explanation: Noah must act with
foresight, preparing a massive storehouse of food to sustain all life during
the long period of isolation.
Verse 22: Thus did Noah; according to all that אֱלֹהִים - Elohim commanded him, so did he”.
Explanation: This concludes the
chapter with a testament to Noah’s obedience. He does not argue; he simply
builds.
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My Closing
Message:
Chapter 6 is a sobering reminder that אֱלֹהִים - Elohim’s patience has a limit when “violence” replaces righteousness.
However, it also highlights that a single individual’s decision to walk with אֱלֹהִים - Elohim can change the course of history. Noah’s quiet obedience in
building the ark a task that likely took decades stands as the ultimate example
of faith in the face of a world that has lost its way.
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