Genesis 6
Berean Standard Bible · Compare translations · Beginnings · Tap a verse to copy, share or highlight ·
22 verses · 496 words · ~2 min read · ~3 min listen
Corruption on the Earth
1Now when men began to multiply on the face of the earth and daughters were born to them, 2the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful, and they took as wives whomever they chose.
3So the Lordsaid, “My Spirit will not contend with man forever, for he is mortal; his days shall be 120 years.”
4The Nephilim were on the earth in those days—and afterward as well—when the sons of God had relations with the daughters of men. And they bore them children who became the mighty men of old, men of renown.
5Then the Lordsaw that the wickedness of man was great upon the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was altogether evil all the time. 6And the Lordregretted that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. 7So the Lordsaid, “I will blot out man, whom I have created, from the face of the earth—every man and beast and crawling creature and bird of the air—for I am grieved that I have made them.”
Noahʼs Favor with God
8Noah, however, found favor in the eyes of the Lord.
9This is the account of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation; Noah walked with God. 10And Noah had three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
11Now the earth was corrupt in the sight of God, and full of violence. 12And God looked upon the earth and saw that it was corrupt; for all living creatures on the earth had corrupted their ways.
Preparing the Ark
13Then God said to Noah, “The end of all living creatures has come before Me, because through them the earth is full of violence. Now behold, I will destroy both them and the earth.
14Make for yourself an ark of gopher wood; make rooms in the ark and coat it with pitch inside and out. 15And this is how you are to build it: The ark is to be 300 cubits long, 50 cubits wide, and 30 cubits high. 16You are to make a roof for the ark, finish its walls a cubit from the top, place a door in the side of the ark, and build lower, middle, and upper decks.
17And behold, I will bring floodwaters upon the earth to destroy every creature under the heavens that has the breath of life. Everything on the earth will perish. 18But I will establish My covenant with you, and you will enter the ark—you and your sons and your wife and your sonsʼ wives with you.
19And you are to bring two of every living creature into the ark—male and female—to keep them alive with you. 20Two of every kind of bird and animal and crawling creature will come to you to be kept alive. 21You are also to take for yourself every kind of food that is eaten and gather it as food for yourselves and for the animals.”
22So Noah did everything precisely as God had commanded him.
Footnotes (6)
- a v3 LXX and Syriac My Spirit will not remain in man forever
- b v12 Literally all flesh; similarly in verses 13, 17, and 19
- c v14 Gopher is an unknown kind of tree; possibly cypress or cedar.
- d v15 The ark was approximately 450 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet high (137.2 meters long, 22.9 meters wide, and 13.7 meters high).
- e v16 Or skylight or window
- f v16 A cubit is approximately 18 inches or 45.7 centimeters.
Study notes on this chapter · 2
The sons of God and the daughters of humans
Genesis 6 says the 'sons of God' saw that the daughters of humans were beautiful and took wives, and that the Nephilim were on the earth. The phrase 'sons of God' is used elsewhere for angels and for people in God's family. Jude and 2 Peter speak of angels who sinned and were held in chains, which some link to this passage.
When: Genesis, in the primeval history, before the flood.
Ways people read this (4)
- Angelic beings who married humans (the dominant reading in the Second Temple period, 1 Enoch and some early Christian writers).
- Descendants of Seth who married descendants of Cain (a view common from Augustine onward).
- Human rulers or kings who practiced polygamy, taking wives by force.
- The passage is a brief and puzzling account that Genesis does not explain fully.
Editorial note by BibleWay. Interpretations vary; dates are approximate scholarly estimates.
Noah's flood and baptism
Peter says that in the ark a few people were saved through water, and that baptism corresponds to this (the Greek word antitypos means 'corresponding' or 'answering'). Jesus also compares the days of Noah to the days of the Son of Man, and Peter elsewhere cites the flood as an example of judgment.
When: Genesis (primeval history); 1 Peter, c. AD 60–65.
Ways people read this (2)
- Peter stresses the saving power of God through water and the resurrection, not the water itself.
- Traditions differ on what baptism accomplishes, but most read the flood as a pattern of judgment and salvation.
Editorial note by BibleWay. Interpretations vary; dates are approximate scholarly estimates.