2 That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose. b с A. M. 1536. 3 And the LORD said, My Spirit shall B. C. 2468. not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years. A. M. 1536. 4 There were giants in the earth in B. C. 2168. those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown. 5 And GoD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evilf continually. e 6 And it repented the LORD that he had A. M. 1536. made man on the earth, and it "grieved him at his heart. B. C. 2463. a Dent. 7. 3. 4.-b Gal. 5. 16, 17. 1 Pet. 3. 19, 20.- Ps. 78. 39. Or, the whole imagination. The Hebrew word signified not only the imagination, but also the purposes and desires-e Ch. 8. 21. Deut. 29, 19. Prov. 6. 18. 2 Esir. 3. 8. Matt. 15. 19-Heb. every day-g See Nam. 23. 19. 1 Sam. 15. 11, 29. 2 Sam. 24. 16. Mal. 3. 6. James 1. 17.- Isl. 63. 10. Eph. 4. 30.-i Heb. from man unto beast. Verse 4. There were giants in the earth] nephalim, from Dnaphal, he fell." Those who had apostatized or fallen from the true religion. The Septuagint translate the original word by yves, which literally signifies earth-born, and which we, following them, term giants, without having any reference to the meaning of the word, which we generally conceive to mean persons of enormous stature." But the word, when properly understood, makes a very just distinction between the sons of men and the sons of God: those were the nephalim, the fallen earth-born men, with the animal and devilish mind. These were the sons of God, who were born from above, children of the kingdom, because children of God. Hence, we may suppose, originated the different names given to sinners and saints; the former were termed giyavts, earth-born, the latter ay, persons not of, or separated from the earth. 66 The same were mighty men, men of renown] gibborim, which we render mighty men, signifies properly 'he prevailed, was conquerors, heroes, from gabar, victorious;" and no anshey ha-shem, "men of the name:"ve, Septuagint: the same as we render men of renown, renominati, twice named, as the word implies, having one name which they derived from their fathers, and another which they acquired by their daring exploits and enterprises. It may be necessary to remark here, that our translators have rendered seven different Hebrew words by the one term giants, viz. nephilim, gibborim, enachin, rephayim, emim, and zamzuzim, by which appellatives are probably meant in general, persons of great knowledge, piety, courage, wickedness, &c. and not men of enormous stature, as is generally conjectured. Verse 5. The wickedness of man was great] What an awful character does God give of the inhabitants of the antediluvian world! 1. They were flesh, (verse 3.) wholly sensual, the desires of the mind overwhelmed and lost in the desires of the flesh, their souls no longer discerning their high destiny, but ever minding earthly things, so that they were sensualized, brutalized, and become flesh; incarnated, so as not to retain God in their knowledge, and they lived, seeking their portion in this life. 2. They were in a state of wickedness. All was corrupt within, and all unrighteous without: neither the science nor practice of religion existed. Piety was gone: and every form of sound words had disappeared. 3. This wickedness was great, na rabbah, "was multiplied;" it was continually increasing, and multiplying increase by increase, so that the whole earth was corrupt before God, and was filled with violence, (verse 11.) profligacy among the low, and cruelty and oppression among the higher classes, being only predominant. 4. All the imaginations of their thoughts were evil-the very first embryo of every idea, the figment of every thought-the very materials out of which perception, conception, and ideas were formed, were all evil the fountain which produced them, with every thought, purpose, wish, desire, and motive, was incurably poisoned. 5. All these were evil, without any mixture of good-the Spirit of God which strove with them was continually resisted, so that evil had its sovereign sway. 6. They were evil continually-there was no interval of good, no moment allowed for serious reflection, no holy purpose, no righteous act. What a finished picture of a fallen soul! Such a picture as God alone, who searches 7 And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created, from the face of the earth! both man and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them. 8 But Noah * found grace in the eyes of the LORD. m 9 These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God. 10 And Noah begat three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. B. C. cir. 24-48. 11 The earth also was corrupt Phe- A. M. cir. 1556. 12 And God looked upon the earth, and, be- 13 And God said unto Noah, The end of all k Ch. 19. 19. Exod. 33. 12, 13, 16, 17. Luke 1. 30. Acts 7. 46.-1 Ch. 7. 1. Ezek. 14. 14, 20. Ecclus. 44. 17. Rom. 1. 17. Hebr. 11. 7. 2 Pet. 2, 5.-m Or, upright.-n-Ch. 5. 22-0 Ch. 5. 32-p Ch. 7. 1. & 10. 9. & 13. 13. 2 Chron. 34. 27. Luke 1. 6. Rom. 2. 13. & 3. 19-q Ezek. 8. 17. & 28. 16. Hab. 2. 8, 17.-r Ch. 18. 21. Ps. 14. 2. & 33. 13. 14 & 53. 2,3-Jer. 51. 13. Ezek. 7. 2, 3, 6. Amos 8. 2. 1 Pet. 4. 7. the heart, and tries the spirit, could possibly give. 7. To complete the whole, God represents himself as repenting because he had made them, and as grieved at the heart because of their iniquities! Had not these been voluntary transgressions, crimes which they might have avoided, had they not grieved and quenched the Spirit of God, could he speak of them in the manner he does here? 8. So incensed is the most holy and the most merciful God, that he is determined to destroy the work of his hands-And the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I have created, (verse 7.) how great must the evil have been, and how provoking the transgressions, which obliged the most compassionate God, for the vindication of his own glory, to form this awful purpose! Fools make a mock at sin-but none, except fools. Verse 8. Noah found grace in his sight] Why? because he was, 1. A just man, pry ish tsadik, a man who gave to all their due, for this is the ideal meaning of the original word. 2. He was perfect in his generation, he was in all things a consistent character, never departing from the truth in principle nor practice. 3. He walked with God, he was not only righteous in his conduct, but he was pious, and had continual communion with God. The same word is used here as before in the case of Enoch. See chap. v. 22. Verse 11. The earth was corrupt] See on verse 5. Verse 13. I will destroy them with the earth] Not only the human race was to be destroyed, but all terrestrial animals, i. e. those which could not live in the waters. These must necessarily be destroyed when the whole surface of the earth was drowned. But destroying the earth may probably mean the alteration of its constitution. Dr. Woodward, in his natural history of the earth, has rendered it exceedingly probable that the whole terrestrial substance was amalgamated with the waters, after which the different materials of its composition settled in beds or strata according to their respective gravities. This theory, however, is disputed by others. Verse 14. Make thee an ark] nan tebath, a word which is used only to express this vessel, and that, in which Moses was preserved, Exod. ii. 3, 5. It signifies no more than our word vessel in its common acceptation-a hollow place, capable of containing persons, goods, &c. without any particular reference to shape or form. Gopher wood] Some think the cedar is meant, others the cypress. Bochart renders this probable, 1. From the appellation, supposing the Greek word is, cypress, was formed from the Hebrew gopher, for take away the terminations, and then gopar and p will have a near resemblance. 2. Because the cypress is not liable to rot, nor to be injured by worms. 3. The cypress was anciently used for ship-building. 4. This wood abounded in Assyria, where it is probable Noah builded the ark.After all, the word is of doubtful signification, and occurs no where else in the Scriptures. The Septuagint render the place EX EVAN TETρayv, of square timber, and the Vulgate de lignis lævigatis "of planed timber," so it is evident that these translators knew not what kind of wood was intended by the original. The Syriac and Arabic trifle with the passage, rendering it wicker work, as if the ark had been a great basket! Both the Targums render it cedar, and the Persian, pine or fir. Verse 15. Thou shalt make the length of the ark three 53 hundred cubits, the breadth fifty, and the height_thirty.] flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled | door of the ark shalt thou set in the side with violence through them;" and behold, I will thereof; with lower, second, and third stories destroy them with the earth. shalt thou make it. A. M. 1536. b d 14 Make thee an ark of gopher B. C. 2168. wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it, within and without with pitch. 15 And this is the fashion which thou shalt make it of: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, the breadth of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits. 16 A window shalt thou make to the ark, and in a cubit shalt thou finish it above; and the a Ver. 17-b Or, from the earth. Heb nests. Exod. 2. 3.-e Chap. 7. 20. Deut. 3. 11.-Ch. 8. 6.-g Ch. 7. 16. Luke 13. 25.-h Ver. 13. Ch. 7. 4, Allowing the cubit, which is the length from the elbow to the top of the middle finger, to be eighteen inches, the ark must have been four hundred and fifty feet in length, seventy-five, in breadth, and forty-five in height. But that the ancient cubit was more than eighteen inches, has been demonstrated by Mr. Greaves, who travelled into Greece, Palestine, and Egypt, in order to be able to ascertain the weights, moneys, and measures of antiquity. He measured the pyramids in Egypt, and comparing the accounts which Herodotus, Strabo, and others give of their size, he found the length of a cubit to be twenty-one inches and eight hundred and eighty-eight decimal parts out of a thousand, or nearly twenty-two inches. Hence the cube of a cubit is evidently ten thousand four hundred and eighty-six inches. And from this it will appear that the three hundred cubits of the ark's length, make fire hundred and forty-seven feet. The fifty for its breadth, ninety-one feet two inches; and the thirty for its height fifty-four feet eight inches. When these dimensions are examined, the ark will be found to be a vessel whose capacity was more than sufficient to contain all persons and animals said to have been in it, with sufficient food for each for more than twelve months. In the above calculation the decimals are omitted, which if received into the account, would have increased the capacity considerably. This vessel Dr. Arbuthnot computes to have been eighty-one thousand and sixty-two tons in burthen. As many have supposed the capacity of the ark to have been much two small for the things which were contained in it, it will be necessary to examine this subject thoroughly, that every difficulty may be removed. The things contained in the ark, besides the eight persons of Noah's family, were one pair of all unclean animals, and seven pair of all clean animals, with provisions for all, sufficient for twelve months. At the first view, the number of animals may appear so immense, that no space but the forest, could be thought sufficient to contain them. If however, we come to a calculation, the number of the different kinds of animals will be found much less than is generally imagined. It is a question, whether in this account any but the different genera of animals necessary to be brought into the ark, should be included. Naturalists have divided the whole system of zoology into CLASSES and ORDERS, containing genera and species. There are six classes thus denominated. 1. Mammalia. 2. Aves. 3. Amphibia. 4. Pisces. 5. Insecta; and 6. Vermes. With the three last of these, viz. fishes, insects, and worms, the question can have little to do. h 17 And behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and every thing that is in the earth shall die. k 18 But with thee will I establish my covenant; and thou shalt come into the ark, thou and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons' wives with thee. 21, 22, 23. 2 Pet. 2 5. Ps. 29. 10. & 93. 3, 4. Amos 9. 6.-i Ch. 2. 7. Ch. 7. 15.-k Ch 9. 9.-1 Ch. 7, 1, 7, 13. 1 Pet. 3. 20. 2 Pet. 2. 5. which could not live in the water, to two hundred. Of quadrupeds he shows that only seventy-two species needed a place in the ark: and the birds he divides into nine classes, including in the whole one hundred and ninetyfive kinds, from which all the web-footed should be deducted, as these could live in the water. He computes all the carnivorous animals equivalent, as to the bulk of their bodies and food, to twenty-seven wolves; and all the rest to one hundred and eighty oxen. For the former, he allows one thousand eight hundred and twenty-five sheep, for their annual consumption: and for the latter, one hundred and nine thousand five hundred cubits of hay; these animals and their food, will be easily contained in the two first stories, and much room to spare; as to the third story, no person can doubt of its being sufficient for the fowls, with Noah and his family. One sheep each day, he judges will be sufficient for six wolves; and a square cubit of hay, which contains fortyone pounds, as ordinarily pressed in our ricks, will be amply sufficient for one or in the day. When the quantum of room which these animals and their provender required for one year, is compared with the capacity of the ark, we shall be led to conclude with the learned bishop, "that of the two it is more difficult to assign a number and bulk of necessary things to answer to the capacity of the ark, than to find sufficient room for the several species of animals and their food already known to have been there." This he attributes to the imperfection of our lists of animals, especially those of the unknown parts of the earth; and adds, "that the most expert mathematicians at this day," and he was one of the first in Europe, "could not assign the proportion of a vessel better accommodated to the purpose than is here done." And concludes thus: "The capacity of the ark, which has been made an objection against Scripture, ought to be esteemed a confirmation of its divine authority: since, in those ruder ages, men being less versed in arts and philosophy, were more obnoxious to vulgar prejudices than now; so that had it been a human invention, it would have been contrived according to those wild apprehensions, which arise from a confused and general view of things, as much too big as it has been represented too little.' Bp. Wilkin's Essay toward a Philosophical Character and Language. See Verse 16. A window shalt thou make] What this was cannot be absolutely ascertained. The original word tsahar: signifies clear or bright; the Septuagint translate it by vay, collecting, thou shalt make the ark," which plainly shows they did not understand the The first CLASS, Mammalia, or animals with teats, word as signifying any kind of window or light. Symcontains seven, orders, and only forty-three genera, if we machus translates it gaves a transparency; and Acquila except the seventh order cete, i. e. all the whale kind, Bevov, the noon. Jonathan ben Uzziel supposes that which certainly need not come into this account. The different species in this class amount, the cete excluded, to five hundred and forty-three. The second CLASS, AVES, birds, contains six orders, and only seventy-four genera, if we exclude the third order, anseres, or web-footed fowls, all of which could very well live in the water. The different species in this class, the anseres excepted, amount to two thousand three hundred and seventy-two. The third CLASS, AMPHIBIA, contains only two orders; reptiles and serpents; these comprehend ten genera, and three hundred and sixty-six species; but of the reptiles, many could live in the water, such as the tortoise, frog, &c. Of the former, there are thirty-three species, of the latter, seventeen, which excluded, reduce the number to three hundred and sixteen. The whole of these would occupy but little room in the ark, for a small portion of earth, &c. in the hold, would be sufficient for their accommodation. Bishop Wilkins who has written largely, and with his usual accuracy, on this subject, supposes, that quadrupeds do not amount to one hundred different kinds, nor birds, it was a precious luminous stone, which Noah by divine command brought from the river Pison. It is probably a word which should be taken in a collective sense, signifying apertures for air and light. In a cubit shalt thou finish it (the ark) above] Probably meaning that the roof should be left a cubit broad at the apex or top, and that it should not terminate in a sharp ridge. But this place is variously understood. Verse 17. Do bring a flood] mabul, a word which is used only to designate the general deluge, being never applied to signify any other kind of inundation; and does not the Holy Spirit intend to show by this, that no other flood was ever like this; and that it should continue to be the sole one of the kind? There have been many partial inundations in various countries, but never more than ONE general deluge: and we have God's promise, ch. ix. 15. that there shall never be another. Verse 18. I will establish my covenant] The word nna berith, from 2 bar, "to purify, or cleanse, signifies properly a purification, or purifier: (see on Gen. xv.) because, in all covenants made between God and man, sin and sinfulness were ever supposed to be on man'■ A. M. 1536. B. C. 2468. CHAP. VII. 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. 20 Of fowls after their kind, and of cattle after their kind, of every creeping thing of the earth after his kind, two of every sort shall come unto thee, to keep them alive. 21 And take thou unto thee of all food that is eaten, and thou shalt gather it to thee; and it shall be for food for thee, and for them. 22 Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he. of beasts that are not clean by two, the male 3 Of fowls also of the air by sevens, the male 4 For 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 1 destroy from off the face of the earth. 5 m And Noah did according unto all that the LORD commanded him. 6 And Noah was six hundred years old, when the flood of waters was upon the earth. 7 And 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. 8 Of clean beasts, and of beasts that are not clean, and of fowls, and of every thing that creepeth upon the earth, 9 There went in two and two unto Noah into the ark, the male and the female, as God had commanded Noah. 10 And it came to pass after seven days, AND the LORD said unto Noah, Come that the waters of the flood were upon the earth. thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation. 2 Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens, the male and his female: and side, and that God could not enter into any covenant or engagement with him without a purifier: hence in all covenants, a sacrifice was offered for the removal of offences, and the reconciliation of God to the sinner; and hence the word na berith, not only signifies a covenant, but also the sacrifice offered on the occasion, Exod. xxiv. 8. Psal. 1. 5. and Jesus Christ, the great atonement and purifier, has the same word for his title, Isai. xlii. 6. xlix. 8. and Zech. ix. 11. Almost all nations in forming alliances, &c. made their covenants or contracts in the same way. A sacrifice was provided, its throat was cut, and its blood poured out before God; then the whole carcass was divided through the spinal marrow from the head to the rump, so as to make exactly two equal parts; these were placed opposite to each other, and the contracting parties passed between them, or entering at opposite ends, met in the centre, and there took the covenant oath. This is particularly referred to by Jeremiah, ch. xxiv. 18, 19, 20. "I will give the men (into the hands of their enemies, ver. 20.) that have transgressed my covenant, which have not performed the words of the covenant, which they made before me, when they cut the calf in twain, and passed between the parts thereof," &c. See also Deut. xxix. 12. A covenant, says Mr. Ainsworth, is a disposition of good things faithfully declared, which God here calls his, as arising from his grace towards Noah (ver. 8.) and all men; but implying also conditions on man's part, and therefore is called our covenant, Zech. ix. 11. The apostles call it A, a testament or disposition; and it is mixed of the properties both of covenant and testament, as the apostle shows, Heb. ix. 16. &c. and of both, may be named a testamental covenant, whereby the disposing of God's favours and good things to us is declared. The covenant made with Noah signified, on God's part, that he should save Noah and his family from death by the ark. On Noah's part, that he should in faith and obedience make and enter into the ark-Thou shalt come into the ark, &c. so committing himself to God's preservation, Heb. xi. 7. And under this the covenant or testament of eternal salvation by Christ was also implied, the apostle testifying, 1 Pet. iii. 21. that the antitype, baptism, doth also now save us; for baptism is a seal of our salvation, Mark xvi. 16. To provide a Saviour, and the means of salvation, is GOD'S part-to accept this Saviour, laying hold on the hope set before us, is ours. Those who refuse the way and means of salvation, must perish: those who accept of the great Covenant Sacrifice, cannot perish, but shall have eternal life.-See on chap. xv. 10, &c. Verse 19. To keep them alive] God might have destroyed all the animal creation, and created others to occupy the new world; but he chose rather to preserve those already created. The Creator and Preserver of the universe does nothing but what is essentially necessary to be done. Nothing should be wantonly wasted; nor should power or Verse 22. Thus did Noah] He prepared the ark; and Verse 1. Thee have I found righteous] See on ch. vi. 9. Verse 2. Of every clean beast] So we find the distinction between clean and unclean animals existed long before the Mosaic law. This distinction seems to have been originally designed to mark those animals which were proper for sacrifice and food, from those that were not. See Lev. xi. Verse 4. For yet seven days] God spoke these words probably on the seventh or sabbath day, and the days of the ensuing week were employed in entering the ark, in embarking the mighty troop, for whose reception ample provision had been already made. Forty days] This period became afterward sacred, and was considered a proper space for humiliation. Moses fasted forty days, Deut. ix. 9, 11. so did Elijah, 1 Kings xix. 8. so did our Lord, Matt. iv. 2. Forty days' respite were given to the Ninevites that they might repent, Jonah iii. 3. And thrice forty (one hundred and twenty) years were given to the old world for the same gracious purpose. Gen. vi. 3. The forty days of lent, in commemoration of our Lord's fasting, have a reference to the same thing; as each of Verse 11. In the six hundredth year, &c.] This must these seems to be deduced from this primitive judgment. have been in the beginning of the six hundredth year of his life; for he was a year in the ark, ch. viii. 13. and lived three hundred and fifty years after the flood, and died nine hundred and fifty years old, ch. ix. 29. so it is evident, that when the flood commenced, he had just entered on his six hundredth year. Second month] The first month was Tisri, which 55 answers to the latter half of September, and first half of 12 And the rain was upon the earth forty | creased greatly upon the earth; and the ark days and forty nights. went upon the face of the waters. 13 In the self-same 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; C 14 They, 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. d e 15 And they went in unto Noah into the ark, two and two of all flesh, wherein is the breath of life. 16 And they that went in, went in male and female of all flesh, fas God had commanded him: and the LORD shut him in. 19 And the waters prevailed exceedingly upon the earth; and all the high hills, that were under the whole heaven, were covered. 20 Fifteen cubits upward did the waters prevail; and the mountains were covered. k 21 And 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: 22 All, in whose nostrils was the breath of life, of all that was in the dry land, died. 23 And 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. 17 And the flood was forty days upon the earth; and the waters increased and bare up the ark, and it was lifted up above the earth. 18 And the waters prevailed, and were in-earth än hundred and fifty days. a Ver. 4. 17.-b Ver. 1, 7. Ch. 6. 18. Hebr. 11. 7. 1 Pet. 3. 20. 2 Pet. 2. 5.-c Ver. 2, 3, 8, 9.-d Heb. wing-e Ch. 6. 20-f Ver. 2, 3-g Ver. 4, 12-h Ps. 104, 26.i Pa. 104. 6. Jer. 3. 23-k Ch. 6. 13, 17. Ver 4. Job 22. 16. 2 Esdr. 3. 9, 10. Wisd. October; and the second was Marheshvan, which answers to part of October and part of November. After the deliverance from Egypt, the beginning of the year was changed from Marheshvan to Nisan, which answers to a part of our March and April. But it is not likely that this reckoning obtained before the flood. Dr. Lightfoot very probably conjectures that Methuselah was alive in the first month of this year. And it appears, says he, how clearly the spirit of prophecy foretold of things to come, when it directed his father Enoch, almost a thousand years before, to name him Methuselah, which signifies, they die by a dart; or, he dieth, and then is the dart; or, he dieth, and then it is sent. And thus Adam and Methuselah had measured the whole time between the creation and the flood, and lived above two hundred and forty years together.-See chap. V. at the end. The fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.] It appears that an immense quantity of waters occupied the centre of the antediluvian earth; and as these burst forth by the order of God, the circumambient strata must sink, in order to fill up the vacuum occasioned by the elevated waters. This is probably what is meant by breaking up the fountains of the great deep. These waters, with the seas on the earth's surface, might be deemed sufficient to drown the whole globe, as the waters now on its surface are nearly three-fourths of the whole, as has been accurately ascertained by Dr. Long.-See note on ch. i. verse 10. By the opening of the windows of heaven, is probably meant the precipitating all the aqueous vapours which were suspended in the whole atmosphere, so that, as Moses expresses it, ch. i. 7. the waters that were above the firmament, were again united to the waters which were below the firmament; from which, on the second day of creation, they had been separated. These two causes concurring, were amply sufficient, not only to overflow the earth, but probably to dissolve the whole terrene fabric, as some judicious naturalists have supposed: indeed, this seems determined by the word mabul, translated flood, which is derived from 2 bal, or ↳ɔɔ balal, to mix, mingle, confound, confuse, because the aqueous and terrene parts of the globe were then mixed and confounded together; and when the supernatural cause that produced this mighty change suspended its operations, the different particles of matter would settle according to their specific gravities, and thus form the various strata or beds of which the earth appears to be internally constructed. Some naturalists have controverted this sentiment, because, in some cases, the internal structure of the earth does not appear to justify the opinion that the various portions of matter had settled according to their specific gravities; but these anomalies may easily be accounted for, from the great changes that have taken place in different parts of the earth since the flood, by volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, &c.-Some very eminent philosophers are of the opinion, "that by the breaking up of the fountains of the great deep, we are to understand an eruption of waters from the Southern ocean." Mr. Kirwan supposes, that "this is pretty evident from such animals as the elephant and rhinoceros being found in great masses in Siberia, mixed with different marine substances; whereas no animals, or other substances belonging to the northern regions, have been ever found in southern climates. Had these animals 24 And the waters prevailed upon the 10. 4. Matt. 24. 39. Lnke 17. 27. 2 Pet. 3. 6.-1 Ch. 2. 7.-m Heb. the breath of the spirit of life. Ch. 2. 7. & 7. 17.-n Ezek. 14. 14-20. Mal. 3. 18. Wisd. 10. 4.1 Pet. 3. . 2 Pet. 2. 5. & 3. 6.-0 Ch. 8. 3, 4. compared with ver. 11. of this chapter. died natural deaths in their proper climate, their bodies would not have been found in such masses. But that they were carried no farther northward than Siberia, is evident from there being no remains of any animals, besides those of whales, found in the mountains of Greenland. That this great rush of waters was from the south or southeast, is farther evident, he thinks, from the south and southeast sides of almost all great mountains being much steeper than their north or northwest sides, as they necessarily would be, if the force of a great body of water fell upon them in that direction."-On a subject like this, men may innocently differ. Many think the first opinion accords best with the Hebrew text, and with the phenomena of nature, for mountains do not always present the above appearance. Verse 12. The rain was upon the earth] Dr. Lightfoot supposes that the rain began on the 18th day of the second month, or Marheshvan, and that it ceased on the 28th of the third month Cisleu. Verse 15. And they went in, &c.] It was physically impossible for Noah to have collected such a vast number of tame and ferocious animals; nor could they have been retained in their wards by mere natural means. How then were they brought from various distances to the ark, and preserved there? Only by the power of God. He who first miraculously brought them to Adam, that he might give them their names, now brings them to Noah, that he may preserve their lives. And now we may reasonably suppose, that their natural enmity was so far removed or suspended, that the lion might dwell with the lamb, and the wolf, lie down with the kid, though each might still require his peculiar aliment. This can be no difficulty to the power of God, without the immediate interposition of which, neither the deluge nor the concomitant circumstances could have taken place. Verse 16. The Lord shut him in] This seems to imply that God took him under his especial protection; and as he shut HIM in, so he shut the OTHERS out. God had waited one hundred and twenty years upon that generation: they did not repent; they filled up the measure of their iniquities, and then wrath came upon them to the uttermost. Verse 20. Fifteen cubits and upward] Should any person object to the universality of the deluge, because he may imagine there is not water sufficient to drown the whole globe in the manner here related, he may find a most satisfactory answer to all the objections be can raise on this ground, in Mr. Ray's Physico-theological Discourses, second edition, 8vo. 1693. Verse 22. Of all that was in the dry land] From this we may conclude, that such animals only as could not live in the water, were preserved in the ark. Verse 24. And the waters prevailed upon the earth an hundred and fifty days.] The breaking up of the fountains of the great deep, and the raining forty days and nights, had raised the waters fifteen cubits above the highest mountains: after which forty days, it appears to have continued at this height for one hundred and fifty days more. "So," says Dr. Lightfoot, "these two sums are to be reckoned distinct, and not the forty days included in the one hundred and fifty; so that when the one hundred and fifty days were ended, there were six months and ten days of the flood past." For an improvement of this awful judgment, see the conclusion of the following chapter. A. M. 1656. B. C. 2348. CHAPTER VIII. CHAP. VIII. At the end of one hundred and fifty days the waters begin to subside, 1-3. The ark rests on Mount Ararat, 4. On the first of the tenth month the tops of the hills apFear, 5. The window opened, and the raven sent out, 6, 7. The dove sent forth, and returns, 8, 9. The dove sent forth a second time, and returns with an olive-leaf, 10, 11. The dove sent out the third time, and returns no more, 12 On the twentieth day of the second month the earth is completely dried, 13, 14. God orders Noah, his family, and all the creatures, to come out of the ark, 15-19. Noah builds an altar, and offers sacrifices to the Lord, 20. They are accepted, and God promises that the 21, 22 earth shall not be cursed thus any more, notwithstanding the iniquity of man, living thing, and all the cattle that was with him in the ark: band God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters assuaged; 2 The fountains also of the deep, and the windows of heaven were stopped, and the rain from heaven was restrained 3 And the waters returned from off the earth continually: and after the end of the hundred and fifty days, the waters were abated. 4 T And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month upon the mountains of Ararat. 5 And the waters & decreased continually until the tenth month: in the tenth month, on the first day of the month, were the tops of the mountains seen. 6 And it came to pass at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made: 7 And he sent forth a raven, which went forth ito and fro, until the waters were dried up from off the earth. 8 Also he sent forth a dove from him, to see if the waters were abated from off the face of the ground; 9 But the dove found no rest for the sole of her foot, and she returned unto him into the ark, a Ch. 19. 29. Exod. 2. 21. 1 Sam. 1. 19.-b Exod. 14. 21.-c Ch. 7. 11. Prov. 8. 28. d Job 38. 37.-e Heb. in going and returning- Ch. 7. 24g Heb, were in going NOTES ON CHAPTER VIII. Verse 1. And God made a wind to pass over the earth] Such a wind as produced a strong and sudden evaporation. The effects of these winds, which are frequent in the east, are truly astonishing. A friend of mine, who had been bathing in the Tigris, not far from the ancient city of Ctesiphon, and within five days' journey of Baghdad, having on a pair of Turkish drawers, one of these hot winds, called by the natives samiel, passing rapidly across the river, just as he had got out of the water, so effectually dried him in a moment, that not one particle of moisture was left either on his body, or in his bathing dress! With such an electrified wind as this, how soon could God dry the whole of the earth's surface! And probably this was the agent that restored to the atmosphere the quantity of water which it had contributed to this vast inundation. The other portion of waters, which had proceeded from the breaking up of the fountains of the great deep, would, of course, subside more slowly, as openings were made for them to run off from the higher lands, and form seas. By the first cause, the hot wind, the waters were assuaged, and the atmosphere having its due proportion of vapours restored, the quantity below must be greatly lessened. By the second, the earth was gradually dried, the waters, as they found passage, lessening by degrees, till the seas and gulfs were formed, and the earth completely drained. This appears to be what is intended in the third and fifth verses, by the waters decreasing continually, or, according to the margin, they were in going and decreasing. Ver. 5. Verse 4. The mountains of Ararat.] That Ararat was a mountain of Armenia, is almost universally agreed. What is commonly thought to be the Ararat of the Scriptures, has been visited by many travellers, and on it there are several monasteries. For a long time the world has been amused with reports that the remains of the ark were still visible there; but Mr. Tournefort, a famous French naturalist, who was on the spot, assures us that nothing of the kind is there to be seen. As there is a great chain of mountains which are called by this name, it is impossible to determine on what part of them the ark rested: but the highest part, called by some the Finger-mountain, has been fixed on as the most likely place. These things we must leave; and they are certainly of very little consequence. From the circumstance of the resting of the ark on the 17th of the seventh month, Dr. Lightfoot draws this curious conclusion: That the ark drew exactly eleven cubits of water. On the first day of the month Ab, the mountain tops were first seen, and then the waters had fallen fifteen 13 And it came to pass in the six hun- A. M. 1657. 14 And in the second month, on the seven and 17 Bring forth with thee " every living thing that is with thee, of all flesh, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth; that they may breed abundantly in the earth, and be fruitful, and multiply upon the earth. 18 And Noah went forth, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons' wives with him: 19 Every beast, every creeping thing, and every fowl, and whatsoever creepeth upon the earth, after their P kinds, went forth out of the ark. and decreasing-h Ch. 6. 16.-i Heb. in going forth and returning.-k Heb. caused her to come.-1 Ch. 7. 11.-m Ch. 7. 13-n Ch. 7. 15.-0 Ch. 1. 22-p Heb. families. cubits; for so high had they prevailed above the tops of the mountains. This decrease in the waters took up sixty days: namely, from the first of Sivan, so that they appear to have abated in the proportion of one cubit in four days. On the 16th of Sivan, they had abated but four cubits and yet on the next day the ark rested on one of the hills, when the waters must have been as yet eleven cubits above it. Thus it appears that the ark drew eleven cubits of water. Verse 7. He sent forth a raven, which went to and fro] It is generally supposed that the raven flew off, and was seen no more; but this meaning the Hebrew text will not bear, a SNS vaiyetse yatsavashob; and it went forth, going forth and returning. From which it is evident that she did return, but was not taken into the ark. She made frequent excursions, and continued on the wing as long as she could, having picked up such aliment as she found floating on the waters; and then, to rest herself, regained the ark, where she might perch, though she was not admitted. Indeed, this must be allowed, as it is impossible she could have continued twenty-one days upon the wing, which she must have done, had she not returned. But the text itself is sufficiently determinate. Verse 8. He sent forth a dove] The dove was sent forth thrice: the first time she speedily returned, having, in all probability, gone but a little way from the ark, as she must naturally be terrified at the appearance of the waters. After seven days, being sent out a second time, she returned with an olive leaf plucked off, ver. 11. an emblem of the restoration of peace between God and the carth; and from this circumstance the olive has been the emblem of peace among all civilized nations. At the end of other seven days, the dove being sent out the third time, returned no more, from which Noah conjectured that the earth was now sufficiently drained, and therefore removed the covering of the ark, which probably gave liberty to many of the fowls to fly off, which circumstance would afford him the greater facility in making arrangements for disembarking the beasts and reptiles, and heavybodied domestic fowls which might yet remain. See verse 17. Verse 14. And in the second month, on the seven and twentieth day] From this it appears that Noah was in the ark a complete solar year, or three hundred and sixtyfive days; for he entered the ark the 17th day of the second month, in the six hundredth year of his life, ch. vii. 11, 13. and continued in it till the 27th day of the second month, in the six hundredth and first year of his life, as we see above. The months of the ancient Hebrews were lunar: |