Annotations on the Pentateuch, Psalms, Song of Songs, Biblical commentary 1 · Chapter 7
CHAP. VII.
1, God commandeth Noe and his house, to enter into the Arke, with beasts and fowles. 7, Noe and they goe in. 12, It raineth forty dayes and forty nights: 17, the waters beare up the Arke, 18, and drowne the earth. 21, All that were on the dry land dyed, 23, save Noe, and those with him. 24, The waters prevaile an hundred and fifty dayes.
ANd Iehovah said unto Noe, Enter thou and all thy house into the Ark: for thee have I seene just before mee, in this generation. Of every cleane beast, thou shalt take to thee, seven and seven, the male and his female: and of the beast which is not cleane, two, the male and his female. Also of the fowle of the heavens, seven and seven, the male and the female: to keepe alive seed upon the face of all the earth. For seven dayes hence I will cause-it-to raine upon the earth, forty dayes, and forty nights: and will blot-out every living substance that I have made, from upon the face of the earth. And Noe did: according to all that Iehovah commanded him. And Noe was sixe hundred yeeres old: and the Flood was; waters upon the earth. And Noe went in, and his sonnes, and his wife, and his sonnes wives with him, into the Arke: because of the waters of the Flood. Of the cleane beast, and of the beast which was not cleane: and of the fowl, and of every thing that creepeth upon the earth. Two and two went in unto Noe, into the Ark, the male and the female: even as God had commanded Noe. And it was at the seventh of the dayes; that the waters of the Flood were upon the earth. In the yeere, the sixe hundred yeere, of the life of Noe, in the second monethmonth; in the seventeenth day of the monethmonth: in the same day, all the fountaines of the great deepe were broken-up; and the windowes of the heavens were opened. And the raine was upon the earth: forty dayes, and forty nights. In this selfe same day, entred Noe, and Sem, and Cham, and Iapheth, the sonnes of Noe: and the wife of Noe, and the three wives of his sonnes, with them, into the Ark. They, and every beast after his kind; and all the cattell after their kind; and every creeping-thing that creepeth upon the earth, after his kind; and every fowle after his kind; every bird of every wing. And they went in unto Noe, into the Ark: two and two of all flesh which had in it the spirit of life. And they that went in, went in male and female of all flesh, even as God had commanded him: and Iehovah shut him in. And the Flood was forty dayes upon the earth: and the waters increased, and bare-up the arke, and it was lift-up from the earth. And the waters prevailed, and were increased greatly upon the earth: and the arke went upon the face of the waters. And the waters prevailed most exceedingly upon the earth: and all the high mountaines that are under all the heavens, were covered. Fifteene cubits upwards did the waters prevaile: and the mountaines were covered. And all flesh that moved upon the earth, gave up the ghost; of fowle, and of cattell, and of beast; and of every creeping-thing, that creepeth upon the earth: and every man. All which had the breath of the spirit of life in his nostrils; of all which was in the dry land, they died. And every living substance was blotted out, which was upon the face of the earth; from man unto cattell, unto the creeping thing, and unto the fowle of the heavens; and they were blotted out from the earth: and Noe onelyonly remained, and they that were with him in the arke. And the waters prevailed upon the earth: a hundred and fifty dayes.
Annotations.
ENter thou] that is, Betake thy selfe unto my tuition and providence, who will save thee and thine from the wrath that commeth upon the world, 2 Pet. 2. 5. A like speech is made unto the godly, in Esa. 26. 20. just before me] that is, syncerely just, by faith, and so heyre of the justice which is by faith, Heb. 11. 7. for no flesh is just before God, by the workes of the Law, Rom. 3. 20. Noc is also named a preacher of justice, 2 Pet. 2. 5. The just before God, are opposed to hypocrites, which justifie themselves before men, Luke 16. 15. Rom. 2. 29. in this generation] that is, among the men of this age: which are called the world of ungodly ones, 2 Pet. 2. 5. See Gen. 6. 9.
Vers. 2. of every cle…e beast] Of these there were after by Moses law, two sorts; some cleane for men to eate in common use, such as were all that parted the … two, and chewed the cudd, Lev. 11. 3. &c. all other were uncleane. And some that were clean for sacrifice to God, which were either beeves, or sheepe, or goats, Lev. 1. 2. 10. So of fowles, many were counted cleane for mans meat, Lev. 11. 13. 21. &c. but for sacrifice to the Lord, onelyonly tur…le doves and pigeons, Lev. 1. 14. And all these sacrifices Abram offered, Gen. 15. 9. and of every cleane beast and cleane fowle, Noe offered a burnt offering after hee came out of the Arke, Gen. 8. 20. wherefore by cleane beasts here, such onelyonly seeme to be meant, as were sanctified of God for sacrifice: which ordinances (as appeareth) were revealed of God to the Fathers from the beginning, as divers others, after written by Moses; as clensing of mens persons, and garments, Gen. 35. 2. paying of tythes to the Priests, Gen. 14. 20. offering of first fruits, Gen. 4. 3. 4. and the like. As for civill use, all beasts seeme to be cleane to the sonnes of Noe, for meat, by that law in Gen. 9. 3. see the notes there. By nature all Gods creatures are good, Gen. 1. 31. and there is nothing uncleane of it selfe, Rom. 14. 14. but onelyonly by the institution of God, to teach men holinesse and obedience, Act. 10. 15. Lev. 11. 44. 45. and seven,] Hebr. seven, seven, that is, by sevens, or seven of each sort: so after, two two, vers. 9. that is, two of each. This number of seven was after much used in sacrificing, as Iob 42. 8. 1 Chron. 15. 26. Num. 23. 1. 14▪ 29. male and his female] the Hebrew is, man and his wife: which the Greeke and Chaldee translateth, male and female, and so the Hebrew it selfe is in the next verse for the fowles. It is the manner of the Hebrew tongue, to call all living creatures by the name of man and wife, and their young ones sonnes, Lev. 1. 5. and things also without life, woman and sister, Exod. 26. 3. The mystery of things may by such names the better be descerned: for beasts cleane and uncleane, figured out men; as the vision shewed to Peter, manifesteth, Act. 10. 11. 20. 28. two] the Greeke explaineth it, two two, that is, by twoes; as before by sevens: and in the 9. verse following, the word two is doubled.
Vers. 3. seven] to weet, of the cleane, and two of the uncleane, as was before of beasts. And so the Greek expresseth it.
Vers. 4. seven dayes hence] Hebr. to yet seven daies, that is, the seventh day after this, as vers. 10. So, yet three dayes, 2 Chron. 10. vers. 5. is in vers. 12. shewed to be in the third day: So in Gen. 40. 13. The Hebrew to, is sometime used for after, as Exod. 16. 1 Psal. 19. 3. Num. 33. 38. Ier. 41. 4. Ezr. 3. 8. I will cause] Hebr. I causing: it is spoken as if it were then in doing, for the more certainty. So, thou heaping coles, Prov. 25. 22. is translated, thou shalt heape, Rom. 12▪ 20. forty dayes] This time of vengeance is after used for the time of humiliation: as Moses, Elias, and Christ our Lord, fasted forty dayes, and forty nights, Deut. 9. 9. 11. 1 King. 19. 8. Mat. 4. 2. And forty daies respite was given to Niniveh, Ion. 3. 4. as thrice 40. (that is 120.) yeeres to the old world before it was drowned, Gen. 6. 3. blot out] or, wipe out: that is, destroy, and abolish. This the Hebrew Doctors expound to be out of the land of the world to come, the land of the living: R. Menachem. on Gen. 7. and the Apostle placeth their spirits in prison, 1 Pet. 3. 19. living substance] every thing that standeth up, or subsisteth. This word is also used Deuteron. 11. 6. and Iob. 22. 20.
Vers. 6. 600 yeere old] Hebr. a sonne of 600. yeeres: that is, going in his 600 yeere. See Gen. 5. 32. and hereafter in vers. 11. waters] or, as the Greeke hath, the Flood of water.
Vers. 7. his sonnes wives] Thus but a few, that is, eight soules were saved by water: as the Apostle observeth, 1 Pet. 3. 20. And here againe, Noes rare faith and obedience is set forth, Heb. 11. 7. because] or, for feare of: Hebr. from the face.
Vers. 9. and two] that is, by twoes: as v. 2.
Vers. 10. at the seventh] or, as the Greeke saith, after seven dayes: see before v. 4.
Vers. 11. the 600 yeere] or, In the yeere of 600 yeres; that is, while Noe was living, in the 600 yeere of his life: which was from the creation of the world the 1656 yeere, and this was the beginning of that yeere of his life, for hee continued a yeere in the Arke, Gen. 8. 13. and lived 350 yeere after the flood, and dyed 950 yeere old, Gen. 9. 28. 29. the second monethmonth] to weet, of the yeere: agreeable in part to that we now call October: for the end, and revolution of the yeere, was about the monethmonth which we call September, Exod. 23. 16. and 34. 22. and so the new yeere then began: this was after called the monethmonth of Ethanim, 1 King. 8. 2. where the Chaldee paraphraseth, that they called it of old, the first monethmonth, but now (saith he) it is the seventh monethmonth. For the yeere changed the beginning of it ecclesiastically, upon the comming of Israel out of Aegypt: see Exod. 12. 2. and Lev. 23. 39. compared with Exod. 23. 16. Some take it here to bee meant of the second monethmonth, according to the Iewes ecclesiasticall account, that is, April. of the great deepe,] that is, of the waters, which had by the providence of God beene put into treasuries (or store-houses) under the earth, Iob 28. 4. 10▪ Psal. 33. 7. Deut. 8. 7. As also of the Ocean sea, which sometime is called the Deepe, Iob 38. 16. 30. and 41. 31. Psal. 106. 9. the windowes] or sluices, flood-gates of heaven: that is, of the ayre; as is noted on Gen. 1. 7. So Esay 24. 18. This denoteth the extraordinary violent falling of the waters from above; as the former did their springing up from beneath. Hereupon waters, deeps, floods, and the like, are used for great afflictions, whereby the life is indangered, Psal. 69. 2. 3. 15. 16.
Vers. 12. the raine] or shower, that is, vehement raine. After this manner the Israelites were baptized in the cloud and sea; when the clouds streamed downe waters, 1 Cor. 10. 1. 2. Psal. 77. 18. Exod. 14. 24. 25. And now was Noe saved in the arke in the midst of the waters, and was spiritually baptized into Christs death by faith, 1 Pet. 3. 20. 21. Heb. 11. 7.
Vers. 13. In this selfe same] Hebr. In the strength (or body) of this day. So Gen. 17. 23. Levit. 23. 14. Ios. 10. 27.
Vers. 14. every beast,] that is, some of every sort, two of the uncleane; as before, v. 2. every wing] that is, of every sort; for some are winged with fethers, others with skin, as Batts. Therefore the Greeke translateth here, as before, according to his kind.
Vers. 15. went in] of their owne accord, miraculously, God so moving them: that they seemed beforehand to know the wrath of God that should come on the world.
Vers. 16. shut him in] or, shut (the doore) upon him, or after him: the Greeke saith, shut the Arke on the outside of him. And this was to keepe him safe, and (as the Chaldee translateth) protect him, from the violence of the raine: also that no other should come in: for so the like speech seemeth to import, in 2 King. 4. 4. 5. The record of this grace to Noe, is found in sundry heathen Writers; they say Deucalion (when waters drowned all the rest) was with his wife preserved in a ship or arke, Ovid. Metamorph. l. 1. Lucian. de Dea Syriae. Noe was of the Greekes called Deucalion, (as Iustin Martyr Apol. 1. testifieth) and the name implieth so much, it being made of the wet and of the sea.
Vers. 17. 40 dayes] that is, large dayes, comprehending nights also: as v. 4. and so the Greeke expresseth it, forty dayes, and forty nights. See the notes of Gen. 1. 5. from] or from upon: but the Greek saith, from the earth: and the Hebrew meghnal, from upon, is sometime onelyonly from: as Exod. 10. 28. Therefore that which in 2 Chron. 33. 8. is written from upon the Land, in 2 King. 21. 8. is but from the land. So from by me, Gen. 13. 9.
Vers. 18. went upon the face] that is, as the Greeke translateth, was caried upon the waters: So ships are said to goe (or walke,) Psal. 104. 26. Thus Noe in the Arke escaped the waters of Gods wrath, wherin the world perished: as Israel after this, passed safe through the waters of the sea, wherein the Aegyptians were drowned, Exod. 14. Hebr. 11. 29. Noe was baptized into Christs death, and buried, (in the Arke) with him into his death, but raised up againe with him also, God giving him victory through faith in Christ, Rom. 6. 3. 4. 1 Pet. 3. 20. 21
Vers. 19. most exceedingly] or, most vehemently: the Hebrew phrase (as also the Greeke) doubleth the word, vehemently vehemently. So Gen. 17. 2. and 30. 43. and often.
Vers. 20. Fifteene cubits] that is, 22 foot and an halfe. God weigheth the waters by measure, Iob 28. 25 prevaile] that is, as the Greeke explaineth, were lifted up, higher then all mountaines: To this Iob hath reference, saying; he sendeth out (the waters) and they overturne the earth, Iob 12. 15. this judgement was admirable, seeing there are mountaines, as Atlas, Olympus, Causacus, Athos, and other such, that are so high, as their tops are above the clouds, and winds; as Historiographers do report. And the mountaines of Ararat so high, that the Arke rested upon them long before the face of the earth was discovered, Gen. 8. 4. 5. &c.
Vers. 21. every man] the flood came and destroyed them all, Luke 17. 27. they were wrinkled before their▪ time; a flood was powred upon their foundations, Iob. 22. 16.
Vers. 23. Noe onelyonly] or, but Noe. To this the Scripture after hath reference, Ezek. 14. 14. though Noe, Daniel, and Iob were among them, they should deliver but their owne soules. So, a few were saved, 1 Pet. 3. 20. and 2. 5. And heathen stories give testimony unto this truth, that at the deluge of all men Deucalion onelyonly was left alive, (that is, Noe;) by going with his wife and children into a certaine great Arke which he had, &c. Lucian. l. de Dea Syriae.