NIV – Then God blessed Noah and his sons, saying to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth. KJV – And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth. Alex. LXX – And God blessed Noe and his sons, and said to them, Increase and multiply, and fill the earth and have dominion over it. Hebrew – And blessed God Noah and his sons and he said to them, Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. God created the earth to be populated by people. This is repeated a number of times. Animals do not have birth control. They don’t need these orders. The Alex. LXX includes the phrase, “and have dominion over it.” This repeats the original statement God made to Adam (Genesis 1:26)
NIV – The fear and dread of you will fall upon all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air, upon every creature that moves along the ground, and upon all the fish of the sea; they are given into your hands. KJV – And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every fowl of the air, upon all that moves upon the earth, and upon all the fishes of the sea; into your hand are they delivered. Alex. LXX – And the dread and the fear of you shall be upon all the wild beasts of the earth, on all the birds of the sky, and on all things moving upon the earth, and upon all the fishes of the sea, I have placed them under your power [literal Greek is 'under your hands']. Hebrew – And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be on all the animals of the earth and every bird of the heavens; all that moves on the earth, and on all the fish of the sea; into your hands they are given. It is interesting that part of the nephesh creation which cannot sin is now afraid of us, who can... and for those who don’t seem to be naturally afraid of us, there seems to be a large segment of the human population intent on making them afraid. Dominion is not longer something the animals will cooperate with. Before they were evidently quite unafraid of people and thus, quite 'tame.' Today, we have some attacking people and people attacking many of them in one way or another. Isaiah 11:6-8 may be showing us the original natural order of things, which Christ will restore during His reign in the Millennium: "The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat; the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them. The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. The infant will play near the hole of the cobra, and the young child will put his hand into the viper's nest." Romans 8:19-22 tells us how things are now: "The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time." Nevertheless, God has placed the animals under our power.
NIV – Everything that lives and moves will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything. KJV – Every moving thing that lives shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things. Alex. LXX – And every reptile which is living shall be to you for meat, I have given all things to you as the green herbs [literal Greek is 'herbs of grass']. Hebrew – Every creeping thing which is alive for you shall be food; even as plant the green have I given you all things. Meat eating begins, evidently for animals as well as humans -- Noah had been told to gather the same food he ate for all the animals on the Ark, and that indicates everything was vegetarian up until the Flood. It is not until the time of Moses that we read certain foods are to be avoided. So if the big cats and other meat-eaters were just off the Ark and no longer vegetarian, what did they eat? Rodents do not require sunshine for breeding. In the one year on the Ark, the rodent population must have exploded. Let's take a look at a few samples:
So there was certainly food available for meat-eating animals. Two other questions remain, however:
Digestive systems did not need to change – the requirement is for concentrated proteins and amino acids. These must have been available in some kind of plant life which did not make it through the Flood. The closest hints we have today are things like soy beans or the combination of grains and legumes which do give a full, but not concentrated protein. Sharp teeth do not indicate a requirement to eat meat -- check in with squirrels, mice and such. Immediately after the humans and animals got off the Ark, the deer and similar would have left quickly, looking for grasses. Remember, they were on a mountain. The animals would have gravitated downhill. However there easily may have been feed left over for awhile from the time on the Ark, and that also may have been available. If so, then the rodents would have tended to stay nearer the Ark. Even today, some rodents do not venture more than feet or yards away from their birth place their entire lives. So the transition from the food on the Ark to the beginning of meat-eating may well have happened in the vicinity of the Ark. However, since the animals were now afraid of the humans, the humans would have been relatively safe for awhile.
NIV – But you must not eat meat that has its lifeblood still in it. KJV -- But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, you shall not eat. Alex. LXX – but flesh with the blood of life you shall not eat. Hebrew – but flesh in its life, its blood, not you shall eat. Traditionally this has been accepted as a prohibition of cooking the meat in the blood of the animal. All muscle tissue (meat) has some blood in it, so this is not what is being referred to. Hebrew culture demanded the killing be done swiftly, usually by cutting the animal’s throat and allowing the blood to drain out. The meat was then considered kosher in terms of the killing. The word translated blood is ‘dam,’ but its primarily meaning is that which when shed causes death. The root from which it comes means ‘to be dumb, to stop, to fail, to perish.’ The other obvious meaning here is more gross – it absolutely prohibits cutting a part off a live animal and eating it. (This has nothing to do with eggs.)
NIV – And for your lifeblood I will surely demand an accounting. I will demand an accounting from every animal. And from each man, too I will demand an accounting for the life of his fellow man. Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made man. KJV – And surely your blood of your lives will I require; at the hand of every beast will I require it, and at the hand of man; at the hand of every man’s brother will I require the life of man. Whosoever sheds man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man. Alex. LXX – For your blood of your lives will I require at the hand of all wild beasts, and I will require the life of a man at the hand of his brother man. He that sheds man’s blood, instead of that blood shall his own be shed, for in the image of God I made man. Hebrew – And surely the blood of your lives will I demand, at the hand of every animal will I demand it; and at the hand of man, at the hand of every man’s brother will I demand the life of man. Whoever sheds blood man’s, by man his blood shall be shed; for in the image of God he made man. Capital punishment is demanded for both man and animal when a man is murdered. The Law, written later, shows there was a clear delineation between an accidental killing and murder where two human beings were concerned. However any animal in the later law which killed a person had to be killed. The word for blood is again the word ‘dam.’ In verse 5 there is an interesting difference between the LXX and the Hebrew: the LXX states, “I will require the life of a man at the hand of his brother man,” and the Hebrew states, “at the hand of every man’s brother will I demand the life of man.” So the meaning is not the same as far as who will be the executioner. Later on, in the law given to the Israelites when they were in the Promised Land, the order was that in the case of murder (intentional, premeditated killing of another human being) the closest male relative to the victim was to be the executioner. The term for this person was “the avenger of blood.” (It should be noted that when this command was given by God, there were only three brothers aside from Noah and his wife, so everyone was ‘a brother’ (or a wife….). The reason for the command is given by God: because man is made in the image of God. This has not changed and is not applicable only to believers. There is nothing anywhere in the Bible indicating there is anyone who has ever lived who is not made in the image of God.
NIV – As for you, be fruitful and increase in number; multiply on the earth and increase upon it.” KJV – And you, be fruitful, and multiply; bring forth abundantly in the earth, and multiply therein. Alex. LXX – But do you increase and multiply, and fill the earth, and have dominion over it. Hebrew – And you, be fruitful and multiply: swarm over the earth and multiply on it. This is the third time the command is given to men to multiply. In the Hebrew the word ‘swarm’ is interesting. It is ‘sharats,’ and is a primitive root which means to ‘wriggle’ and hence by implication to swarm or abound. The word is used 11 times in the Old Testament. Once to ‘breed abundantly,’ once to ‘bring forth abundantly,’ once to ‘bring forth in abundance,’ once ‘increase abundantly,’ and six times it is translated ‘creep.’ This is the same word used in Genesis 1:21 regarding the sea animals which creep that will swarm the waters in the Masoretic Hebrew version. In the Alexandrian, the Greek word used and translated ‘fill’ is ‘pleros.’ Related words mean ‘fullness, to fill up, full, to accomplish, to fulfill, or to complete or make perfect.’ The implication of the word chosen by the Hebrew scholars seems to indicate that without men, the earth is not complete.
NIV – Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him: “I now establish my covenant with you and with your descendants after you and with every living creature that was with you – the birds, the livestock and all the wild animals, all those that came out of the ark with you – every living creature on earth. I establish my covenant with you: Never again will all life be cut off by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth.” KJV – And God spoke unto Noah, and to his sons with him, saying, And I, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after you; and with every living creature that is with you, of the fowl, of the cattle, and of every beast of the earth with you; from all that go out of the ark, to every beast of the earth; and I will establish my covenant with you; neither shall all flesh be cut off anymore by the waters of a flood; neither shall there anymore be a flood to destroy the earth. Alex. LXX – And God spoke to Noe, and to his sons with him, saying, And behold I establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after you, and with every living creature [alternate: 'living soul’ is literal Greek] with you, of birds and of beasts, and with all the wild beasts of the earth, as many as are with you, of all that come out of the ark. And I will establish my covenant with you and all flesh shall not any more die by the water of the flood, and there shall no more be a flood of water to destroy all the earth. Hebrew – And spoke God to Noah, and to his sons with him, saying, Even I, behold I, am establishing My covenant with you, and with your seed after you. And with every creature living which is with you, among fowl, among cattle, and among every animal of the earth with you; from all that out from go the ark, to every animal of the earth. And I have established My covenant with you, and not shall be cut off all flesh again by the waters of the flood; nor shall be ever again a flood to destroy the earth. This is not just a covenant with Noah, but with the entire human race -- we are all his descendants. this covenant is not dependent upon anything man can do or agree to. It is a one-sided covenant, a promise from God to us and to all the animals. The Greek, literally, refers to the animals with soul. This promise does not deny local disasters. It does however promise there will never be another flood like Noah's which inundates the entire earth.
NIV – And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. KJV – And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth. Alex. LXX – And the Lord God said to Noe, This is the sign of the covenant which I set between me and you, and between every living creature which is with you for perpetual generations. I set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of covenant between me and the earth. Hebrew – And said God, This is the sign of the covenant which I am about to give between me and you, and every soul living which is with you for generations everlasting. My bow I have set in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of a covenant between me and the earth. There is no reason to suppose all physics had been changed at the time of the Flood. A rainbow could have been seen close to the ground in any spray of water before the Flood. But God says here not that He is forming, or inventing, the rainbow, but that He is setting it in the clouds. This means there will be rain during the daytime after the Flood. We know from Genesis 2 that there is no indication that there was no rain before the Flood -- only that there was none before plant life came on the second part of day 3 of Creation Week. The hydrologic cycle involves water evaporating, condensing as it cools, and then raining back down. There is no reason to suspect this did not happen before the Flood. However, if the earth's axis were not tilted, then there would be no jet streams or Hadley cells carrying the clouds over land. Rain would have been primarily at night over the open waters with some on land, but again at night. During the warmth of the days, water would be evaporating -- it would not condense as rain until the cool of the nights. But now there is something different. The rainbow is in the clouds. That means daytime rain. That, along with the mention of the establishment of the seasons earlier, means the earth's axis tilted during the Flood. God says this covenant is everlasting. That means the earth's axis would never again be completely corrected. God’s promise involving the rainbow was also meant as a reassurance to Noah – he and his family may well have felt a little panicked when the rains were there in the daytime. Too reminiscent of that year on the Ark. But the rainstorms would have broken up relatively quickly and rainbows would have shown through, reminding men of God’s promise. There is one other note to make here. Today the New Age and homosexuals have adopted the rainbow as their symbol. Today people mock God and His believers.
NIV – Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life. Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.” So God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant I have established between me and all life on earth.” KJV – And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud: and I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh. And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth. And God said to Noah, This is the token of the covenant, which I have established between me and all flesh that is upon the earth. Alex. LXX – And it shall be when I gather clouds upon the earth, that my bow shall be seen in the cloud. And I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you, and between every living soul in all flesh, and there shall no longer be water for a deluge, so as to blot out all flesh. And my bow shall be in the cloud, and I will look to remember the everlasting covenant between me and the earth, and between every living soul in all flesh, which is upon the earth. And God said to Noe, This is the sign of the covenant, which I have made between me and all flesh which is upon the earth. Hebrew – And it shall be when I gather clouds on the earth, then shall be seen the bow in the clouds. And I will remember My covenant which is between Me and you and every living soul in all flesh; and not shall become again the waters for flooding to destroy all flesh. And shall be the bow in the clouds and I shall see it, to remember the covenant everlasting between God and every living soul in all flesh which is on the earth. And said God to Noah, This is the sign of the covenant which I have established between Me and all flesh that is on the earth. God's words here add emphasis to the promise. The fact that God uses the verb ‘remember’ does not mean He forgets! It means He will always pay attention to that Promise. In Revelation 4:3 we see God on the throne surrounded with a rainbow and the four living creatures around Him. This would also be a constant reminder of the covenant.
NIV – The sons of Noah who came out of the ark were Shem, Ham and Japheth. (Ham was the father of Canaan.) These were the three sons of Noah, and from them came the people who were scattered over the earth. KJV – And the sons of Noah, that went forth of the ark, were Shem, and Ham, and Japheth: and Ham is the father of Canaan. These are the three sons of Noah : and of them was the whole earth overspread. Alex. LXX – Now the sons of Noe which came out of the ark, were Sem, Cham, Japheth. And Cham was father of Chanaan. These three of the sons of Noe, of these were men scattered over all the earth. Hebrew – And were the sons of Noah that went out of the ark Shem, Ham, and Japheth; and Ham, he is father Canaan’s. These three are the sons of Noah, and from them was overspread the whole earth. The Bible is definite about these being the only people left on earth – all the world’s population came from Noah’s three sons. Genetics – how can this be? Three sons and their three wives are more to start with than Adam and Eve. The gene pool is still much less than original population before Flood, but nevertheless it has enough variation that we get all that we see now. Mutations are not required as there are massive amounts of combinations possible within the human genome. However, mutations would add to this variation. All dark-skinned people not from Ham; as we will see in Genesis 10, there are dark skinned people in each of the three branches. Genetic research has shown there is a greater amount of variation within any so-called ‘race’ than there is between the ‘races.’ The genetic differences are almost negligible mathematically. Essentially there is one race: the human race.
NIV – Noah, a man of the soil, proceeded to plant a vineyard. KJV – And Noah began to be an husbandman, and he planted a vineyard: Alex. LXX – And Noe began to be a husbandman, and he planted a vineyard. Hebrew – And began Noah, a man of the ground, and planted a vineyard. Genesis 5:29 seems to indicate Noah’s father, Lamech, was also a man of the soil. Noah knew what he was doing. It takes time for a vineyard to grow – a couple of years at least for grapes to be produced, and more likely about three or four years. Then the wine takes time to ferment, so Noah had been off the Ark some time when this happened.
NIV – When he drank some of its wine, he became drunk and lay uncovered inside his tent. KJV – And he drank of the wine, and was drunken; and he was uncovered within his tent. Alex. LXX – And he drank of the wine, and was drunk, and was naked in his house. Hebrew – And he drank from the wine and was drunk; and he bared himself inside his tent. If Noah was expecting grape juice and got wine, he would have spit it out immediately. He fermented it on purpose and expected the wine. The Bible never criticizes or says anything negative about this event in Noah's life. On the contrary, he is listed as one of the three God commends for righteousness in Ezekiel 14. So why did he get drunk? Possibly air pressure difference after the Flood. The lower the air pressure, the faster and greater the effect of a given amount of alcohol. If Noah was used to drinking a certain amount of wine before the Flood and then drank that same amount of wine after, and the air pressure was not the same, that could explain a lot. Why a difference in air pressure? It could have been simply that there was a difference after the Flood, but there is another reason that comes to mind. If Noah was bulding an Ark before the Flood, which he was, it would seem logical to think he was at sea level. He landed on a high mountain. If he moved down to a mountain valley, that could still have been at a high elevation -- certainly higher than sea level. This would be enough to explain the unexpected drunkenness. It seems clear that Noah did not expect to get drunk. The wine evidently hit him so fast that all he had time to do was take off his (probably outer) outer garments before he lay down and passed out.
NIV – Ham, the father of Canaan, saw his father’s nakedness and told his two brothers outside. KJV – And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brethren without. Alex. LXX – And Cham the father of Chanaan saw the nakedness of his father, and he went out and told his brothers without. Hebrew – And saw Ham, the father of Canaan, nakedness his father’s; and he told to two his brothers outside. The word translated “nakedness” is ‘ervah’ and is translated ‘nakedness’ throughout the OT. This word has come to mean ‘disgrace, blemish, uncleanness.’ In Chaldean it is ‘arvah’ and means ‘nakedness’ as well as ‘impoverishment’ or ‘dishonor.’ ‘Ervah’ can also mean ‘to level.’ The root word also means ‘to uncover’ among other meanings. The idea that it may not indicate full, to-the-skin nakedness needs to be considered here in light of something Noah says later. The word used in the Greek for nakedness is ‘gumnos,’ and can mean naked either literally or figuratively, absolutely or relatively. This is the word chosen by the translators of the Hebrew to the Greek. It is Ham who sees his father passed out and without at least some of his customary clothes. He does not try to cover his father, but instead goes and tells his two brothers. There is also something else he may have done, which the following verses seem to indicate.
NIV – But Shem and Japheth took a garment and laid it across their shoulders; then they walked in backwards and covered their father’s nakedness. Their faces were turned the other way so that they would not see their father’s nakedness. KJV – And Shem and Japheth took a garment, and laid it upon both their shoulders, and went backward, and covered the nakedness of their father; and their faces were backward, and they saw not their father’s nakedness. Alex. LXX – And Sem and Japheth having taken a garment, put it on both their backs and went backwards, and covered the nakedness of their father; and their face [was] backward, and they saw not the nakedness of their father. Hebrew – And took Shem and Japheth the garment and laid it on shoulders both their, and they went backwards and covered the nakedness of their father, their faces backward, and nakedness their father’s not did they see. The article “the” in the Hebrew may be very important. Was this a special cloak that Noah had taken off? Again, watch carefully what Noah says to Ham in a bit. Special clothes have, through history, been a mark of distinction, office, and honor. Think of the uniform a general wears, or the cloak worn by a judge even today. Consider the clothes worn by the Pope and bishops, as well as priests. Whether it is a matter of a special headdress or an entirely full set of special clothes, there is usually something along these lines to mark leaders or priests. They are symbols of authority. Here is a suggestion: when God made special clothes for Adam and Eve, He made them of the skins of animals, meaning they were leather. Adam was the head of the human race. Was that cloak then passed down through the generations as a mark of authority? If so, and if this is what Noah divested himself of (he was the eighth preacher of righteousness), then his nakedness might not have been to the skin, but a divesting of the cloak of authority because of the hot flush from the wine right before he passed out. It may not have been Adam's cloak, and we have no way of knowing. But it may have been some other cloak of authority. The Hebrew definite article, which is missing in the other versions, does seem to indicate that the cloak itself played a central role in what happened. Did Ham take this cloak, wanting authority for himself and his progeny? He was the youngest, the Bible indicates, and therefore would not have had the authority without usurping it. Again, watch Noah’s words later. Shem and Japheth's reaction was at the least one of deep respect for their father.
NIV – When Noah awoke from his wine and found out what his youngest son had done to him, KJV – And Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger son had done unto him. Alex. LXX – And Noe recovered from the wine, and knew all that his younger son had done to him. Hebrew – And awoke Noah from his wine and he knew what had done to him his son younger. There is an untranslated word in Hebrew -- “…and he knew ach what had done….” “Ach” is most often translated ‘another,’ but can also mean, ‘brother, kindred, like, other, or brotherly.’ Did Noah find out from one of the other brothers what had happened? His younger son DID something to him, and this has fascinated other commentators for a long time. Two ideas have been preached about this. The first is that Ham had sex with Noah's wife while Noah was unconscious and that Canaan was the result. This is why Canaan was cursed. However the indication is that Noah curses Canaan immediately upon finding out, and if Canaan had been the result of a union between Ham and Noah's wife, poor little Canaan would have been barely conceived at this point and certainly not named. This scenario also does not explain the cloak and the other brothers' reaction. The idea of incest is based upon the phrasing involved in Noah's nakedness, as phrasing which translates the same in English, but is different in Hebrew, is used later in the Bible to indicate sexual relations. The other idea is that Ham initiated a homosexual contact with his father. This is also not fitting with what the Bible says. If that had happened, Noah would not have needed the brothers to tell him something horrible had happened and there would also have been no reason to curse Canaan instead of his father, Ham. We keep coming back to the cloak, or garment, as having some special significance and probably indicating authority. Ham may well have taken the cloak and gone to boast to his brothers, who then took back the cloak and laid it over their father while he was asleep.
NIV – he said, “Cursed be Canaan! the lowest of slaves will he be to his brothers.” He also said, “Blessed be the LORD, the God of Shem! May Canaan be the slave of Shem. May God extend the territory of Japheth; may Japheth live in the tents of Shem, and may Canaan be his slave.” KJV – and he said, Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren; and he said, Blessed be the LORD God of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant. God shall enlarge Japheth, and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant. Alex. LXX – And he said, Cursed be the servant Chanaan, a slave shall he be to his brethren; and he said, Blessed be the Lord God of Sem, and Chanaan shall be his bond-servant. May God make room for Japheth, and let him dwell in the habitations of Sem, and let Chanaan be his servant. Hebrew – And he said, Cursed be Canaan; a slave of slaves shall he be to his brothers. And he said Blessed Jehovah, the God of Shem, and may Canaan be slave his. God shall enlarge Japheth, and he shall live in the tents of Shem and shall be Canaan a slave to them. Three times Noah declares Canaan shall be a servant. This is when it appears to validate the concept of the cloak having been stolen because Ham wanted authority for his side of the family. Noah not only denies that authority, but declares that Ham's line will be servants. When Noah blesses God, and declares Him to be Shem's God, the indication is that Ham had already strayed from the faith. “Extend the territory of Japheth,” “enlarge Japheth,” “make room for Japheth” – this may be a prophecy regarding the evidence that the descendents of Japheth ended up not only all over the world, but were the source of the discoverers we read about from the 14th – 18th centuries. To dwell in the tents, or habitations, of Shem indicates in the actual word meanings to worship either in the temples of Shem or to worship the God of Shem. In this sense we also find the nations coming from the Japheth branch tended to be the ones who not only were more involved with Christianity, but sent out the missionaries.
NIV – After the flood, Noah lived 350 years. Altogether Noah lived 950 years, and then he died. KJV – And Noah lived after the flood three hundred and fifty years. And all the days of Noah were nine hundred and fifty years: and he died. Alex. LXX – And Noe lived after the flood three hundred and fifty years. And all the days of Noe were nine hundred and fifty years, and he died. Hebrew – And lived Noah after the flood three hundred years and fifty years. And were all the days of Noah nine hundred and fifty years, and he died. Note: Noah lived as long as the pre-Flood people. However his sons did not, and the next generation down only lived half as long. This seems to indicate that the damage must have been done genetically, via mutations, instead of some other way, such as the conditions they found themselves in after the Flood.
Genesis 10:1 -- This closes the account of Shem, Ham and Japheth as co-authors in all translations. "This is the account of Shem, Ham and Japheth, Noah's sons, who themselves had sons after the flood."
going historically, we now go to the Tower of Babel, in Genesis 11: 1-9
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