Genesis 6

princes.” Now, our Lord, in quoting this passage, says, “He called them gods, to whom the word of God came;” that is, who had an appointment from him as princes or judges. ((John 10:35).) Such we take to be these “sons of God, children of the Most High,” who became so tyrannical, (like many of their successors in all ages) as to seize upon all the finest women they could find, for their seraglios; and from these sprang a race of “giants,” that is, “mighty men, which were of old, men of renown.” The Hebrew word here used for giants, means warriors, or rather destroyers, men of violence and blood, who fall upon the weak and helpless, as in the case of the females just mentioned. It is applied also to the Sabeans, who fell upon Job’s cattle; and to the soldiers of Joshua, who fell upon the Canaanites.

((Job 1:15). (Joshua 11:7).) It is also not at all improbable, that many of these might be men of extraordinary strength and stature, which enabled them the more effectually to oppress others. Such were the heroes of antiquity, who boasted themselves to be “sons of the gods;” of Jupiter and Mars, as the Greeks pretended; or of the sun and moon, like the American Indians. These “giants,” or heroes, are partly to be referred to the generations before the flood, and partly “also after that” epoch, to men of the same character and “On each hand slaughter and gigantic deeds.” Now, the great Jehovah is represented, in condescension to our weakness, as having his spirit stirred up within him by the violence and wickedness of men; and he said, “My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh.”

“I will not be always raising up prophets, and sending them to negotiate with rebels, beseeching them to be at peace with me;” or, as we conceive the words might be rendered, “My Spirit shall not always sit in judgment upon man”—listening, as it were, alternately to the pleadings of pity and the cries of blood; no, he is but flesh! “yet his days (of trial) shall be one hundred and twenty years;” that is, during the time that Noah preached repentance to the transgressors, and prepared an ark for the salvation of his house. When God speaks of human wickedness, he traces it to its source—to the heart of man; and we are here told, that, “every imagination of the thoughts of his heart is only evil, and that continually;”

and a marginal note of our translators adds, that the Hebrew word refers, not to the imagination only, but also to his purposes and desires.” And here follows an expression one of the strongest and the strangest in the Bible, “It repented the Lord that he had made man, and it grieved him at his heart!” Now, as it is sufficiently obvious, and often asserted in the Scriptures, that God is not subject, in his infinitely exalted nature, to be agitated by passions of joy or grief, Be this language can be meant only to express his infinite abhorrence of man’s sin, and his determination to put an end to his rebellion. ((Numbers 23:19). (1 Samuel 15:29). (Job 23:13). (James 1:17).) “The (above) words,” says Fuller, “express with an energy and impressiveness, which it is probable nothing purely literal could have conveyed, the exceeding sinfulness and provoking nature of sin.”

“The change is not in God’s will, but in his dispensations: just as it is with regard to the heavenly bodies—our globe moves, and they seem to move around us.” Then follows the determination of the Most High to destroy all the inhabitants of the earth, both man and beast; for, as the animal creation was evidently made for the use of man, they ‘became involved in the same destruction; save only Noah and his family, and the beasts permitted to accompany him into the ark. Ver. 8-13. The acceptance of Noah, who is ordered to prepare the ark.—The character of Noah is so similar to that of Enoch, that we need not enlarge on it. By faith Enoch pleased God, and Noah found acceptance with him. Both walked with God, preached to their fellow men, and predicted the awful judgment of God on sinners.

The principal point of distinction in Noah’s character, is, that he was a ‘just man, and perfect (or upright) in his generation;’ which marks the singular virtue of his character, “in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation.” “Among the faithless, faithful only he.” Persevering in his integrity, when all around him was infidelity and idolatry, intemperance and debauchery, riot, violence, and confusion; not saving himself by flight, but fighting the good fight, and conquering; not going out of the world, but living uncorrupt in it; “a lily among thorns,” diffusing its sweets in the wilderness; a light burning and shining in the blackness of darkness. Therefore was he the favourite of heaven, and the delight of the Most High, who was pleased to constitute him the representative deliverer and restorer of the human race.”’— Bishop Horne.

Noah was also, as we have said, actuated by the same principle of faith as Enoch. “By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.” ((Hebrews 11:7).) To this act of faith our attention must now be directed. Ver. 14—22. Directions for making the ark.—‘The word here rendered an ark, is only used for Noah’s ark, and that ark

Notes on the verses

Chap. VI. Ver. 1—7. The degeneracy of mankind.—It is not at all strange, that when nations increase in population, wealth, and luxury, they should increase also in licentiousness and crime. A notion was entertained by some of the Jewish Rabbins and Christian fathers, that “the sons of God” here spoken of were angels, who, having the power of assuming the human form, committed lewdness with the women of that age, and produced a race of human monsters; this, however, is now considered merely as a poetic fiction. Others, by “the sons of God,” understand the race of Seth; but why these, rather than the sons of Cain, should produce giants, is utterly inexplicable: we are, therefore, driven to seek another meaning.

Princes, judges, and chiefs, are, in some instances, dignified with the name of Elohim, thus rendered plurally “gods.” That this is the case in the 82d Psalm, seems evident. “God standeth in the congregation of the mighty; he judgeth among the gods.” That this refers to earthly princes, is the general sense of commentators, and admitted by Bishop Horne himself. They are then accused with unjust judgment; and the Supreme is represented (poetically) as if about to retract his words. “I have said, ye are gods, and all of you, children of the Most High: but ye Samaritan, the sons of the Sultans; Arabic, sons of the Nobles.” (Expos. Index to Gen.) [Dr. Wall supposes the first verses of this chapter should be thus paraphrased; ‘When men began to multiply on the earth, the chief men took wives of all the handsome poor women they chose.

There were tyrants in the earth in these days; and also after the ante-diluvian days, powerful men had unlawful connexion with the inferior women; and the children which sprang from this illicit commerce were the renowned heroes of antiquity, of whom the heathen made their gods.”}—Bagséer. This view is adopted by Bishop Wilson, Dr. Boothroyd, and others. Ver. 3. My spirit shall not always strive.—The word certainly means to plead, as in a court of justice; but it also means to judge, to sit in judgment, ((Genesis 49:16).) See Pool’s Synopsis; Dr. Gill’s Cause of God. It has been commonly supposed that the ark was 120 years in building; but this is not said; only that the world had so long warning to repent.

Noah no doubt preached repentance all the while he was preparing his materials, which must be a work of many years, before he actually began to build. Ver. 4. Giants.—Hebrew Nephilim, fellers; that is, men that cut down and destroy all around them, as a feller does trees. The Greek word gigantes, from which we borrow “giants,” means earth-born; that is, the first race of mankind, supposed to have sprung up from the earth like trees. Drs. Clarke and Hurdis. Danet’s Dict. in Gigantes, 93 Ver. 13. With the earth.—Margin, from, &c. Ver. 14. Pitch.—Hebrew, Kophar; by which, it is generally agreed, is meant the asphaltum, or native bitumen. “The asphaltum,” says Dr. Shaw, “is of a shining black colour, and so like Stockholm pitch, that were it not for the rank smell of that pitch, and the superior hardness of the bitumen, there would be no distinguishing them.”

Boerhaave’s Chem.—“Rooms.” Margin, “nests;” small compartments. Ver. 15. The dimensions of the ark appear to have been very nearly the length of St. Paul’s church, London, (500 feet,) but its breadth was one fifth less than that of the nave, or choir, which is 100 feet wide, or nearly three times as long as the City Hall, New York, but not quite so broad: whose dimensions are 216 feet long and 105 feet broad. This may give an idea of the immense magnitude of this vessel; though very narrow in proportion to its length. Ships have been tried upon this plan, and though not adapted for sailing, are supposed less liable to founder. On the size of this ark, Dr. Clarke says, “Greaves, who travelled into Greece, Palestine, and Egypt, in order to ascertain the weights, moneys, and measures of antiquity, measured the pyramids in Egypt, and comparing them with the accounts which Herodotus, Strabo, and others, give of their size, found the length of a cubit nearly 22 inches.”

This would make it 47 feet longer than St. Paul’s, and nearly as wide…. “This vessel Dr. Arbuthnot computes to have been 81,662 tons in burden. This equals the tonnage of about 81 first-rate ships of war. It was 547 feet long; 91 feet broad, and 54 feet high; making 2,730,782 solid feet. As to the capacity of the ark to hold the various creatures to be 24 e it has indeed been much disputed; but Bishop Wilkins has reduced the number of species of animals, which at first view may seem almost infinite, within very moderate bounds. He reckons that they do not amount to 109 of quadrupeds, and 200 birds; and of these must be excepted such as live in the water, such as proceed from a mixture of different species, and such as change their colour, size, and shape, by changing their climate, and thence, in different countries, seem to be of a different species, when they are not.

He afterwards enters into a particular detail of the animals, of the quantity of food necessary for them, and of the capacity and proportions of the ark; and concludes there was room enough, and to spare; whereupon he observes, that had the most skilful mathematicians and philosophers been set to consult what proportions a vessel designed for such a use, should have, in the several parts of it, they could not have pitched on any more suitable to the purpose, than those mentioned by Moses. Ver. 16. A window.—It seems very doubtful what is here meant by Tsohar, since it is not the same word used (Genesis 8:6). though it may mean the same thing; in which case the derivation of the word would lead us to the idea of a small sky-light in the roofs which, however, must have been well protected, to preserve it from the storm.

This agrees with the fact of opening or uncovering it, to send forth the raven and the dove, in the latter chapter. As this must be of little use while torrents were pouring from on high, some have understood this of an artificial light; and it is certain that a kindred word is used for oil, ((Deuteronomy 7:13).) but never, we find, for a lamp. Among his provisions it is not likely Noah should