Genesis 8:18

8:13-19 God consults our benefit, rather than our desires; he knows what is good for us better than we do for ourselves, and how long it is fit our restraints should continue, and desired mercies should be delayed. We would go out of the ark before the ground is dried; and perhaps, if the door, is shut, are ready to thrust off the covering, and to climb up some other way; but God's time of showing mercy is the best time. As Noah had a command to go into the ark, so, how tedious soever his confinement there was, he would wait for a command to go out of it again. We must in all our ways acknowledge God, and set him before us in all our removals. Those only go under God's protection, who follow God's direction, and submit to him.

And Noah went forth,.... Being obedient to the divine command, and no doubt with great pleasure in his countenance, and with a heart full of thankfulness for so great a deliverance: and his sons, and his wife, and his sons' wives with him: in all eight persons, and no more were saved in the ark, as Peter observes, 1 Peter 3:20 and the Arabic writers say (a), Noah and his sons built a city near the place where they came out of the ark, and called it Themanin, giving this as a reason of the name, we are eight, that is, who have escaped; so Berosus says (b), that the earth being dried of the waters, there were then only eight men in Armenia, from whence all mankind sprung. (a) Elmacleus, p. 12. Patricides, p. 10. apud Hottinger. Smegma Oriental. l. 1. c. 8. p. 282. (b) Hist. l. 2. fol. 11. 1.

Ge 8:15-22. Departure from the Ark. 15, 16. And God spake … Go forth—They went forth in the most orderly manner—the human occupants first, then each species "after their kinds" [Ge 8:19], literally, "according to their families," implying that there had been an increase in the ark.

Verses 18, 19. - And Noah went forth , - in obedience to the Divine command, - and his sons, and his wife, and his sons' wives with him , - in obedience to Noah, to whom alone the Divine instructions were communicated; - an early instance of filial subjection to parents. Every beast, every creeping thing, and every fowl, and whatsoever creepeth upon the earth , i.e. the chayyah, the remes, the 'oph, all creepers upon the ground (cf. Genesis 1:26 ; Genesis 7:8, 14 ), all of which had previously entered in. After their kinds . Hebrew, families, tribes ( Genesis 10:18 ); i.e. not confusedly, but in an orderly fashion, as they had come in, each one sorting to its kind. Went forth out of the ark. Genesis 8:18

- XXVII. The Ark Was Evacuated 19. משׁפחה mı̂shpāchah, "kind, clan, family." שׁפחה shı̂pchâh, "maid-servant; related: spread." 20. מזבח mı̂zbēach, "altar; related: slay animals, sacrifice." 21. עלה 'olâh, "whole burnt-offering." That which goes up. "Step; related: go up." Genesis 8:15-19 The command to leave the ark is given and obeyed. As Noah did not enter, so neither does he leave the ark, without divine direction. "The fowl, the cattle, and the creeper." Here, again, these three classes are specified under the general head of every living tiring. They are again to multiply on the earth. "Every living thing." This evidently takes the place of the cattle mentioned before. "After their families." This word denotes their tribes. It is usually applied to families or clans.

O Lord. - Abraham uses the word אדני 'adonāy denoting one having authority, whether divine or not. This the Masorites mark as sacred, and apply the vowel points proper to the word when it signifies God. These men in some way represent God; for "the Lord" on this occasion appeared unto Abraham Genesis 18:1 . The number is in this respect notable. Abraham addresses himself first to one person Genesis 18:3 , then to more than one Genesis 18:4-5 . It is stated that "'they' said, So do Genesis 18:5 , 'they' did eat Genesis 18:8 , ' they' said unto him, Where is Sarah thy wife" Genesis 18:9 . Then the singular number is resumed in the phrase "'and he said'" Genesis 18:10 , and at length, "The Lord said unto Abraham" Genesis 18:13 , and then, "and he said" Genesis 18:15 . Then we are told "'the men' rose up, and Abraham went with them" Genesis 18:16 . Then we have "The Lord said" twice Genesis 18:17 , Genesis 18:20 . And lastly, it is said Genesis 18:22 "'the men' turned their faces and went toward Sodom, and Abraham was yet standing before the Lord." From this it appears that of the three men one, at all events, was the Lord, who, when the other two went toward Sodom, remained with Abraham while he made his intercession for Sodom, and afterward he also went his way. The other two will come before us again in the next chapter. Meanwhile, we have here the first explicit instance of the Lord appearing as man to man, and holding familiar conversation with him.

Noah waited some time, and then, on the first day of the first month, in the 601st year of his life, removed the covering from the ark, that he might obtain a freer prospect over the earth. He could see that the surface of the earth was dry; but it was not till the 27th day of the second month, 57 days, therefore, after the removal of the roof, that the earth was completely dried up. Then God commanded him to leave the ark with his family and all the animals; and so far as the latter were concerned, He renewed the blessing of the creation ( Genesis 8:17 cf. Genesis 1:22 ). As the flood commenced on the 17th of the second month of the 600th year of Noah's life, and ended on the 27th of the second month of the 601st year, it lasted a year and ten days; but whether a solar year of 360 of 365 days, or a lunar year of 352, is doubtful. The former is the more probable, as the first five months are said to have consisted of 150 days, which suits the solar year better than the lunar. The question cannot be decided with certainty, because we neither know the number of days between the 17th of the seventh month and the 1st of the tenth month, nor the interval between the sending out of the dove and the 1st day of the first month of the 601st year.

Under the head of ( c ), the following are examples of distinctive phraseology: P J “God” ( Elohim ), Genesis 6:9 ; Genesis 6:11-13 ; Genesis 6:22 , Genesis 7:16 a, Genesis 8:1 ; Genesis 8:15 . “the Lord” (Jehovah), Genesis 7:1 ; Genesis 7:5 ; Genesis 7:16 b, Genesis 8:20-21 . “male and female” ( zâkâr un’ḳêbâh ), Genesis 6:19 , Genesis 7:16 . “the male and his female” ( ish v’ishto ), Genesis 7:2 . “destroy” ( shâḥath ), Genesis 6:13 ; Genesis 6:17 . “destroy” ( mâḥâh ), Genesis 6:7 , Genesis 7:4 ; Genesis 7:23 . “all flesh,” Genesis 6:12-13 ; Genesis 6:17 , Genesis 7:21 . “every living thing,” Genesis 7:4 ; Genesis 7:23 . “breath ( ruaḥ ) of life,” Genesis 7:15 . “breath of ( nishmath ) the spirit of ( ruaḥ ) life,” Genesis 7:22 . “die” ( gâv‘â ), Genesis 7:21 . “die” ( mûth ), Genesis 7:22 . “waters prevailed” ( gâbâr ), Genesis 7:18-19 ; Genesis 7:24 . “waters increased” ( râbâh ), Genesis 7:17 b. “waters abated” ( ḥâsêr ), Genesis 8:3 b, 5. “waters abated” ( qâlal ), Genesis 8:8 . Also characteristic of P is the minute description of the ark and its dimensions ( Genesis 6:14-16 ), the varieties of animals ( Genesis 6:20 ), the Flood’s depth ( Genesis 7:20 ), and the members of Noah’s family ( Genesis 7:13 , Genesis 8:15 ; Genesis 8:18 ); while, in J, Divine action is described in anthropomorphic terms (e.g. Genesis 6:6 , Genesis 7:16 , Genesis 8:21 ), and vivid details of narrative are introduced ( Genesis 8:6-12 ). Roughly speaking the portions derived from P consist of