A Journey Thru The Bible's First Book

[Beetow]

• Gen 6:3a . . And the Lord said: My Spirit shall not strive with man forever

Some translations have "abide" instead of strive. But the Hebrew word is diyn (deen) which means: to rule; by implication: to judge (as umpire); also to strive (as at law). It can also mean to plead the cause of; or to contend in argument.

So; how did "My Spirit" accomplish this striving with man? In person Himself? No; just like He always has: via inspired men; e.g. Noah and Enoch. (2Pet 2:5 & Jude 1:14-15)

note: According to 1Pet 3:18-20, the Spirit of Christ and My Spirit are one and the same spirit. In point of fact; according to 1Pet 1:10-11, all the Old Testament preachers (a..k.a. prophets) were motivated by the Spirit of Christ. (cf. Rom 8:9 and 1Cor 6:19 where the Spirit of Christ and The Spirit are seen as one and the same spirit)

• Gen 6:3b . . for they are only mortal flesh.

A problem with flesh is it's brevity. The human body eventually loses its vigor, so God has a limited amount of time to work with people before they pass on. Were humans immortal, He would have plenty of time to turn people around; but alas, without access to the tree of life, such is not the case; which is why I sometimes advise certain folk to use what time they have remaining to begin preparing themselves for the worst when they pass on.

• Gen 6:3c . . yet his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.

Some feel that God set the limits of human longevity in that verse. But people still continued to live long lives for a great number of years afterwards. Even Abraham, who lived many, many years after the Flood, didn't die till he was 175 years old.

It's far more reasonable to conclude that God was announcing a deadline; viz: they had 120 years left to get ready to meet their maker. But you think that alarmed anybody? Heck no. They went right on; business as usual.

"And as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man: They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all." (Luke 17:26-27)

The time of God's patience is sometimes long; but never unlimited; viz: reprieves are not pardons-- though God bear a great while, He never bears forever.

• Gen 6:4 . .There were giants on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men, and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown.

The Hebrew word for "giants" in that passage is somewhat ambiguous. It not only refers to people of unusual stature, but also to bullies, i.e. alpha males, achievers, tyrants, movers and shakers, and Machiavellian types.

Historical examples would be men like Genghis Khan of Mongolia, and Alexander the Great of Greece; Napoleon of France, Peter Alekseyevich Romanov of Russia, Chandragupta Maurya of India, shogun Minamoto no Yoritomo of Japan, conquistador Hernando Cortes of Spain, Timur: founder of the Timurid dynasty, and Zahir-ud din Muhammad Babur: founder of the Mughal dynasty that ruled the Indian subcontinent for over three centuries.

In other words: nephiyl doesn't necessarily indicate a special race of people; but can also refer to strong men whose ambition is to dominate others; even if they have to completely destroy their culture and kill them all off to do it.

I would categorize Nimrod as a nephiyl. He was the first statesmen to successfully unite the world; and it was such a solid unity that only divine intervention could bring it down.

The phrase "men of renown" indicates that the nephil types got all the press: they were the Man Of The Year back then while guys like Noah and Enoch were marginalized and went largely unnoticed.

faq: If all the nephiyl types drowned in the Flood; then how did their characteristics manage to resurface down the road?

a: Well; from whence did nephiyl types originate in the first place? Same place every other personality type originated: from Adam's genes; viz: since Noah and his wife, and his sons and their wives, were Adam's biological descendants, then nephiyl characteristics survived the Flood by riding it out in the DNA of the people aboard the ark.
_

 

[Beetow]

• Gen 6:5 . . And the Lord saw that the evil of man was great in the earth, and
every imagination of his heart was only evil all the time.

Man's descent into depravity didn't catch his creator by surprise. After all; not only
can God see the future but He can also manipulate it; so He was well aware even
before beginning that the people He was about to create were destined for a global
deluge.

Also, when God inspected His handiwork at Gen 1:31, He evaluated it not just
good, but "very" good. So as far as He was concerned; everything went smoothly
and according to plan-- nothing was broken, no parts were missing, and nothing
failed to mate with its matching part.

• Gen 6:6 . . And the Lord regretted that He had made man upon the earth, and He
became grieved in His heart.

When God created the people of man, it was no doubt with the awareness that the
day would come when He would have to put a number of them down like dogs gone
mad with rabies.

If it can be safely assumed that God saw man's depravity coming well in advance--
prior to creating even one of the many forces, energies, and particles that would go
into the construction of the cosmos --then we have to wonder why it is that He felt
remorse for going ahead as planned. Surely it wasn't because He made a terrible
mistake. I seriously doubt that a master architect with the creator's intelligence
would fail to foresee every possible ramification of their actions.

Well; it's at least comforting to know the destruction of life is not something God
enjoys as if He were an outdoor guy who kills fish and wildlife for sport with no
more sensitivity than a kid blasting aliens in a video game. Man's creator knew the
day was coming when He would have to do what He was about to do next, and
clearly wasn't looking forward to it, but nevertheless; leaves us with unavoidable
questions about His sanity because from a rational perspective, God's procedures
make no sense at all.

Anyway, aside from all that; it appears to me that God had high expectations for
the people of man, and was very disappointed that numbers of them went bad; sort
of like how parents feel when a kid, whom they've given every privilege, every
opportunity, and every advantage imaginable, lets it all go overboard and somehow
ends up incorrigible and a total failure instead.

note: The Hebrew word translated "regret" is somewhat ambiguous. Though it
includes feeling rue for making a mistake, it also implies taking an unpleasant
course of action that you know will cause people harm and/or inconvenience though
for sure the course is the wise thing to do.

For example: God was poised to destroy the city of Nineveh lest they changed their
ways. Within that city were 60,000 underage children, and numbers of beasts, that
would've been collateral damage had not the adults heeded Jonah's preaching.

God impressed upon Jonah that He would not take pleasure in destroying those
children, nor those beasts. However, God would have done so because it was the
wise thing to do.

I cannot even begin to imagine how it was wise (or right) for God to go ahead and
create mankind while knowing well in advance by means of precognition that they
would go bad and He would have to kill off just about everything-- birds, beasts,
men, women, and underage children too.

From a purely rational perspective, the Judeo/Christian God is fiendish. I mean
think about it: why would a sensible designer proceed to bring into existence,
without their consent, human lives whom he knew in advance that some day he
would be destroying most of them.

For example: the creator knew in advance that if He went ahead as planned, the
end result would be the termination of untold numbers of terrified people not only
in a Flood, but also in the brimstone depicted by Rev 20:10-15.

It's a mystery. People brighter and better educated than I have thus far been
unable to figure it out: they make excuses for God (a.k.a. apologetics) instead of
coming to grips with the reality that we're all little more than an insect zoo: just
bugs imprisoned in a terrarium constructed for the supreme being's amusement.

• Rev 4:11 . . O Lord our God . . you created everything, and it is for your pleasure
that they exist and were created.
_

 

[Beetow]

• Gen 6:7 . . And the Lord said: I will blot out man, whom I created, from upon the
face of the earth, from man to cattle to creeping thing, to the fowl of the heavens,
for I regret that I made them.

The destruction of earth's birds and beasts was unavoidable; they became collateral
damage in God's contention with the evil antediluvians.

The Hebrew word for "blot" is from machah (maw-khaw') which means: to stroke or
rub; by implication, to erase; also to smooth (as if with oil), i.e. grease or make
fat; also to touch, i.e. reach to.

God intended to not only remove the antediluvians from the face of the earth, but
also to scrub off all of their works too so that when He was done, it would be very
difficult, if not impossible, to even be able to tell the antediluvians were ever here
at all.

It's always been a mystery to me why paleo-anthropologists have managed to find
so few fossilized remains of pre-historic human beings.

In 1992, Tim White of the University of California at Berkeley, discovered the
fossilized skeletons of human-like creatures in Ethiopia's Afar Rift who lived 4.4
million years ago but those are not the remains of h.sapiens; but rather, of beasts
that resemble h.sapiens. To my knowledge; no truly human remains have been
found from that era.

While mysterious; that lack of remains isn't exclusive. Take for instance the
Passenger Pigeon. That bird at one time numbered an estimated four to five billion
individuals; which is a number equal in quantity to the current year-round
population of all North American birds combined. Yet an archeological search for the
pigeon's bones left behind by people who ate the bird for food, through all pre
Columbian times, has thus far yielded very few remains; at only two sites.

But my point is: where are the remains of the antediluvians? They're gone; lock,
stock, and barrel-- no metal implements from Tubal-Cain's blacksmith shop, no
musical instruments from Jubal's work shop, no dwellings, no footprints, no bones,
no pottery, no pictographs, no petro glyphs, not even any geological evidence of a
world-wide deluge: nothing. It's like they were never here.

God moved against the antediluvians like a relentless newspaper editor deleting
superfluous words and sentences so skillfully that the reader cannot even tell those
superfluous words and sentences ever existed in the original copy.

Why would God do that? I would hazard to guess that His purpose in doing so was
to prevent people from believing too easily that the Flood actually happened.

The funny thing about the Bible is that portions of it are just as effective at driving
people away from God as they are at attracting them. No doubt it is God's wishes
that everybody believe the Bible; but at the same time it seems He's thwarted His
own longings by taking steps to ensure that a substantial number of people don't.
For example:

"Moses summoned all Israel and said to them: You have seen all that The Lord did
before your eyes in the land of Egypt to Pharaoh and all his servants and all his
land; the great trials which your eyes have seen, those great signs and wonders.
Yet to this day The Lord has not given you a heart to know, nor eyes to see, nor
ears to hear." (Deut 29:2-4)
_

 

[Beetow]

• Gen 6:8 . . But Noah found favor with The Lord.

The word for "favor" is from chen (khane) and means: graciousness. Translators
sometimes render chen as grace. But the important thing is that The Lord didn't
find chen with Noah. No, just the opposite-- Noah found chen with The Lord.

Webster's defines graciousness as: kind, courteous, inclined to good will, generous,
charitable, merciful, altruistic, compassionate, thoughtful, cordial, affable, genial,
sociable, cheerful, warm, sensitive, considerate, and tactful.

Those are all good qualities, and the very things you would expect to see in
someone you loved and trusted-- like your spouse or a very close friend.

• Gen 6:9a . .This is the line of Noah.-- Noah was a righteous man;

The Hebrew word for "righteous" is tsaddiyq (tsad-deek') which means: just.

Webster's provides several definitions of "just", but perhaps the ones best suited
for our purpose are: conscientious, honest, honorable, right, scrupulous, true,
dependable, reliable, tried, trustworthy, dispassionate, equal, equitable, impartial,
nondiscriminatory, objective, unbiased, uncolored, and unprejudiced. So then, Noah
was not only religious to his fingertips; but he was a pretty decent guy to boot.

The kind of righteousness spoken of in Gen 6:9a is a personal kind of
righteousness. There's also a spiritual righteousness, but I don't think that's in view
here. The emphasis is upon Noah as a man rather than a believer; though
according to Heb 11:7 he was that too.

• Gen 6:9b . . he was blameless in his era; Noah walked with God.

Blameless in the Bible means something altogether different than what you'd
expect. In this case, "blameless" means that God had nothing negative to say about
Noah; i.e. on the books, Noah's performance was spotless. How is that possible?
Well; if God chooses not to record your badness, then the only thing remaining to
record is your goodness.

This is a very important aspect of not just Old Testament piety, but New Testament
too.

"God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses
against them" (2Cor 5:19)

The Greek word translated "counting" is logizomai (log-id'-zom-ahee) which means
to take an inventory; i.e. an indictment. 2Cor 5:19 is quite an advantage because
when there is nothing bad on the books, then there is nothing that can in any way
be used to prove that somebody has ever been anything less than 100% innocent;
i.e. blameless. This may seem like cooking the books, but God has a way to do it on
the up and up.

note: Too often Supreme Court judges-- the State level and the US level --are
unjust; viz; they're biased and they're prejudiced; and that's because seldom, if
ever, are they nominated on the basis of their objectivity; rather, they're typically
nominated solely on the basis of their political leanings.

God highly recommended Noah, but it's doubtful Noah would ever be considered for
a federal judgeship let alone America's supreme.

The most incredible thing about Noah was his degree of piety in a world gone mad
with evil. He was actually a nobody in his day; eclipsed by the nephiyl types. They
got all the press, the publicity, and the notoriety while God's man went
marginalized and largely ignored. Yet he persisted; and continued pounding a pulpit
right up to the end.

• Gen 6:10 . . Noah begot three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

Were those the only kids Noah had? And no daughters? I seriously doubt it. Noah
was six hundred when the flood began. It is unlikely that a healthy, hard working,
robust man would live that long without engendering a much larger family than
three; especially in those days without birth control. But these three boys are the
only ones that count now because they're going on the ark with their dad.
_

 

[Beetow]

• Gen 6:11a . .The earth became corrupt before God;

The word for "earth" is 'erets (eh'-rets) which basically refers to the planet (Gen
1:1).

I think we're going to see that the planet wasn't corrupt due to itself going bad,
rather, the activities of its human inhabitants.

The word for "corrupt" is shachath (shaw-khath') which means: to decay,
decompose, and/or disintegrate; viz: to become decadent.

The perspective "before God" indicates the Almighty's own personal estimation. No
doubt the antediluvians disagreed with His evaluation of their moral condition just
like people today disagree. And again, this disparity of evaluations has its roots all
the way back in the garden when humans became their own gods; discerning right
and wrong from within a natural system of values instead of their creator's.

• Gen 6:11b . . the earth was filled with lawlessness.

Crime is pretty much inevitable in a world of sinful beings sans cops and courts.
Nobody was accountable for a single thing in those days. The only rules that may
have existed were those among clans or in towns. But those rules wouldn't be
universal. Rules like that would be different from clan to clan and from town to
town. And primitive clans are known to war with each other on a regular basis like
the Native Americans did here in America's early years.

I just hope I don't live to see the day when some sort of nationwide disaster, like a
nuclear holocaust, occurs in America. Nobody will be safe. Electrical power will be
out, the banks won't be open, ATM machines won't work, everyone will be
desperate to survive; and hoarders will strip supermarket shelves of food and
commodities practically overnight.

Roving gangs of thugs will prowl the rubble looking to scavenge and to steal
anything not nailed down or protected by guards. Law enforcement and medical
services will be so overwhelmed that dialing 911 will be no more productive than
writing a letter to Santa Claus; that is, if telephones even work. If hurricanes
Katrina and Sandy taught us anything in New Orleans and Manhattan, it's that
large-scale disasters produce large-scale anarchy and chaos.

The criminal element has neither honor nor sympathy for its victims. After the
September 29, 2009 tsunami subsided in Samoa, residents returned to
neighborhoods only to find that their homes had been looted.

According to the 2016 World Almanac, in the year 2013, there were a total of
1,163,146 violent crimes committed in the USA . The number of property crimes
totaled 8,632,512. Those totals exclude crimes like arson, perjury, forgery, insider
trading, contempt of court, bail jumping, internet hacking, traffic violations, J
walking, trespassing, animal abuse, feeding parking meters, cheating on taxes; et
al.

And to think the USA and its territories are a society of law abiding citizens. Just
think what it must have been like in Noah's day with no law enforcement
whatsoever to control crime. All I can say is; if something really bad should ever
happen here in the USA, you'd better own deadly weapons like swords and guns
plus lots of pepper and/or bear spray because neither your life nor your possessions
will be safe after dark.

• Gen 6:12-13a . . God saw how corrupt the earth had become, for all the people
on earth had corrupted their ways. So God said to Noah: I am going to put an end
to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them.

Some people would probably like to translate some of that verse like this: "for the
earth is filled with violence through God." But Genesis doesn't say it was filled with
violence through God; no, God said it was filled with violence through them.

• Gen 6:13b . . I am about to destroy them with the earth.

Here is set a precedent of God forewarning His own when He is about to execute a
calamitous event. The Passover was another such example. God forewarned Moses,
and Moses' people, of the imminent annihilation of all the firstborn of Man and
Beast in Egypt; which would also impact Moses and his people if they didn't do
exactly as God said and paint the blood of a lamb on their door jambs (Ex 11:1
13).

And our man Noah, super-duper righteous man that he was, would have drowned
right along with the rest of the antediluvians had he neglected to construct an ark.
When God gives a warning, it is best to respond accordingly.

"A prudent man sees danger and takes refuge, but the simple keep going and suffer
for it." (Prov 22:3)

• Gen 6:14a . . Make yourself an ark

The Hebrew word for ark is tebah (tay-baw') and just simply indicates, not a ship,
but a nondescript box. The only other object in the Old Testament defined by tebah
is the little watertight container Moses' mom constructed to hide her little boy from
Pharaoh's assassins. (Ex 2:1-10)

• Gen 6:14b . . of gopher wood;

Nobody really knows for sure exactly what kind of tree Noah used to make the ark.
The word for "gopher" has nothing to do with little subterranean rodents. It's a
transliteration of the Hebrew word gopher (go'-fer) which only suggests a kind of
tree suitable for building structures out of wood. Some think it was cypress because
the wood of those trees is so resinous that it resists rotting even after prolonged
submersion in water. Others think it may have been cedar or spruce; which are
good too.

Noah would've needed some massive structural members so in my estimation;
Redwood-- a.k.a. Sequoia --would've been an excellent choice seeing as how the
wood is not only resistant to rot, but the trees themselves are typically very large
and yield huge quantities of lumber.

Unfortunately, this is the one and only occurrence of gopher in the entire Old
Testament so there's no other passages that might help identify a specific kind of
tree.

• Gen 6:14c . . make it an ark with compartments,

The word for "compartments" is from qen (kane) which means: a nest (as fixed),
sometimes including the nestlings; figuratively, a chamber or dwelling. The
construction of nests (and stalls) indicates the animals weren't just herded or
jammed together like the crowds attending an outdoor rock concert. They were
neatly stowed aboard in their own areas and apparently made to feel quite
comfortable.
_

 

[Beetow]

• Gen 6:14d . . and cover it inside and out with pitch.

The word for "pitch" is kopher (ko'-fer) which means: a cover. It can also mean a
village (as covered in); and also bitumen (as used for coating) and the henna plant
(as used for dye).

Kopher is a common word in the Old testament for "atonement" which is like pitch
as a coating, or a covering, which not only serves the purpose of a sealing
compound like the stuff people apply to weatherproof their patio decks, but also a
concealment coating like paint and/or tar and feathers.

note: Old Testament atonements, while gaining offenders a pardon, do nothing to
exonerate them; viz: atonements don't expunge their history, i.e. their offenses
stay on the books like a rap sheet, and available to God as a means of evaluating
peoples' character. This is pretty serious because according to Rev 20:11-15, those
books are going to be opened for examination to determine whether people qualify
for a pass to heaven. (God has figured out a way to expunge people's records so
that they can be legally adjudged innocent, but a discussion of it is not within the
scope of a study in Genesis.)

Anyway; coating the ark with bitumen not only served to waterproof it; but also
preserved the wood for future uses after the Flood subsided and Noah no longer
had need of a titanic water craft.

note: Bitumen is a naturally-occurring kind of asphalt formed from the remains of
ancient, microscopic algae (diatoms) and other once-living things. In order for
bitumen to be available in Noah's day, the organisms from whence it was formed
had to have existed on the earth several thousands of years before him. In point of
fact, I read somewhere that the biomass that gave us fossil fuels existed even
before the dinosaurs. That's really going back a ways.

• Gen 6:15a . .This is how you shall make it:

What if Noah had some ideas of his own? Would that have been alright? No; when
God says "you shall" and/or "you shall not" then that's the law.

Some object that since paper and writing were not yet invented in Noah's day, then
God couldn't possible have provided him with plans for the ark. But any pictograph,
even one on a clay tablet or a rock face, qualifies as a drawing. That objection
infers that God was illiterate until Man learned to read. (chuckle) I guess it just
never occurs to them that holy men like Noah were far more advanced than your
average cave-dwelling hominid.

Other skeptics object that a wooden vessel the size of Noah's ark couldn't be built
because the timbers required for its structural strength would have been so
massive that Noah would never have managed to assemble its pieces and parts.

But ancient craftsmen were far more ingenious than most people living today
realize. For example, nobody yet has really figured out how the Egyptians built the
pyramids nor how the people of Easter Island cut, carved, and moved all those big
stone heads around. And the Egyptians aren't the only ones to mystify us. There
are ancient stone structures around the world that seem impossible to be erected
by human hands prior to the age of heavy industrial machinery; but nevertheless,
there they are.

And not to forget that Noah's God was in the project. Since that's the case, it's not
unreasonable to assume God also provided Noah the tools necessary to complete
the task He assigned; and very, very possibly chipped in to help out with the
construction too. When people fail to factor in God, they invariably end up
mystified. To this day scientists are baffled about the origin of the cosmos, with all
of its life, matter, and energy, because they refuse to factor God into their thinking.

How did Noah cut the logs that went into constructing the ark? Well; according to
the Bible, Cain's people were proficient with metals. If nothing else; it's probably
pretty certain that Noah had at least a metal hammer and an axe; maybe several
metal hammers and axes; and quite possibly saws and wedges too.

"And Zillah she too bore Tubal-cain, who sharpened all tools that cut copper and
iron" (Gen 4:2, Chabad.org)

How did Noah join the logs and other wooden pieces that went into constructing the
ark? Well; you know, a good cabinet maker can assemble a very nice armoire
without using nuts and bolts by the strategic use of dowels and clever joinery like
grooves, rabbets, dovetails, mortises, and tenons.

Others object that a wooden vessel the size of the ark would never hold up on the
open sea without steel reinforcement; especially when the super storm of Gen 8:1
began blowing to mop up the water. But again; those skeptics typically fail to factor
God's involvement in the Flood. You really think He left the only surviving humans
and the only surviving beasts on the whole planet to the mercy of the elements?

The Flood was a miraculous event, which by its very nature circumvented the laws
of physics.

With God's involvement, even a house of cards would've survived the Flood had He
wished it to because the strength of natural materials isn't fixed; they can be
greatly enhanced, e.g. Samson (Judg 13:2-16:31). He was just an ordinary man of
flesh and bone; but God made Samson strong enough to do things that no one man
alone could possibly attempt unassisted.
_

 

[Beetow]

• Gen 6:15b . . the length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, its width fifty
cubits, and its height thirty cubits.

There was a cubit among the Babylonians, and one in Egypt too. But there seems
to have existed double standards in both countries. Because of that, there exists no
undisputed example of the cubit that remains to the present time; so the length of
the cubit has been variously estimated.

One of the ancient cubits was the length of a man's forearm, from the elbow to the
tip of the middle finger, as is implied from the derivation of the word in Hebrew and
from the Latin cubitum. It seems to be referred to also in Deut 3:11 as "after the
cubit of a man." But that's too vague, and unsuitable for a scientific standard
because not all men's arms are exactly alike.

The Babylonians employed two different cubits: the so-called royal cubit and the
common cubit. From the remains of buildings in Assyria and Babylonia, the royal
cubit is made out to be about 20.6 inches. A cubit of similar length was used in
Egypt. This was probably the cubit mentioned by Ezk 40:5 and possibly that of
Solomon's temple as "cubits after the first measure" (2 Chr 3:3)

The commercial cubit was shorter, and has been variously estimated at between 16
and 18 inches or more, but the evidence of the Siloam inscription and of the tombs
in Palestine seems to indicate 17.6 inches as the average length. This was the cubit
of six palms, while the longer one was of seven (Ezk 40:5). The cubit mentioned in
Judges 3:16 is from a different word, the Hebrew gomedh, and was probably
shorter.

The cubit of Noah's day remains a total mystery. We have no way of knowing
exactly how long it was. Maybe Noah and his boys passed on their antediluvian
knowledge of weights and measures to the post-flood world and it stayed pretty
close to the original standards over the years; but it's impossible to know for sure.

If we use an 18-inch cubit as a close approximation, then the ark would have been
in the neighborhood of 450' long x 75' wide x 45' high. The ark's beam was 30 feet
wider than its height, so should have proved very stable, and difficult to capsize
even in rough seas-- especially since it had a flat bottom, which was good too for
the purpose intended.

Nothing fancy. Since the ark didn't have to navigate; then it didn't require a means
of propulsion nor was there any practical use for a bow, or a stern, or a wheel
house, a rudder, sails, engine room, anchor, windlasses, or masts-- not even a
handrail around the main deck. Since the ark didn't have to cut through the water
like a schooner, then it didn't need tapered undersides. All the ark really had to do
was float. It was really nothing in the world but a barge: and a very crude barge at
that. Really little more than a very large watertight crate.

Compared to modern ships, 450 feet is not all that big. Oil tankers are around
1,500, and the Nimitz aircraft carrier is about 1,092 feet. The distance from home
plate to the center field fence in major league baseball, averages 400 feet or better.
So the ark would just about fit into Yankee stadium. The main playing area of a
football field is 300 feet. Add 26 more for the end zones, and the total is 326; which
is still 124 feet short of the ark's length but at least gives some idea of its scale.

• Gen 6:16a . . Make an opening for daylight in the ark, and terminate it within a
cubit of the top.

The ark was probably capped with a steeply sloped roof so the immense volumes of
water falling from the sky during the rain stage of the Flood wouldn't impinge it
perpendicularly; but rather strike a glancing blow; and the eves were likely quite
considerable so water running off the roof wouldn't find its way to the window.
Whether or not the window was shuttered isn't stated, but was very likely a
practical consideration. The first forty days of the Flood were extremely inclement;
and later on down at the end of the voyage there was a howling wind to reckon
with.

The dimensions of the window aren't stated, and it's design is a bit of a mystery
because later we'll see that Noah was apparently unable to look out and see for
himself whether the ground was dry. It could have been as wide as six feet and
extended the full length and width of the ark-- all the way around it; who really
knows. The only requirement was that it be adequate for light; but undoubtedly
served for ventilation too. With all that respiration going on in there, Noah's air
supply would become foul in very short order.
_

 

[Beetow]

• Gen 6:16b . . Put the entrance to the ark in its side; make it with bottom, second,
and third decks.

A hatch in the hull was practical. Its cover could be let down as a boarding ramp.

The very bottom of a ship is normally not counted as a deck. The lowest deck is
usually somewhat above the bottom and separated from it by a void called the
double bottom. That way if the actual bottom is pierced, the ship won't sink
because the void is sealed.

Whether or not Noah's craft had a double bottom is unknown; but likely it had at
least a bilge because the lowest deck needs to be above the bottom a bit so the
passengers and crew don't have to slosh around down there in the lower parts of
the ship where fetid water and other unsavory liquids typically collect.

The spaces between decks were fairly tall. If we divide 45 by 3 we get roughly 15
feet apiece not counting a bilge, nor the thickness of the deck planks and their
beams. Fifteen feet can accommodate pretty tall animals; and provide enough room
for the birds to exercise now and then too.

An ark 450 feet by 75 feet, with three decks would have provided 101,250 square
feet of living space. If Noah were resourceful, he might have installed shelves and
cabinets on the hull and the bulkheads, plus more on the overheads, and the
underside of the ark's roof for even more storage/living space. thus he would have
taken advantage of not just the ark's square feet; but also its cubic feet.

Critics insist there wasn't enough space aboard for all the various creatures in
Noah's day, but they fail to take into account a few facts. For one, nobody really
knows how long the cubit of Noah's day was and, most importantly, nobody really
knows how many species of life existed in his day.

By the time h.sapiens appeared on this old earth of ours, some colossal mass
extinctions had already taken place; and on top of that, the species that exist on
earth in our day, may not have existed in Noah's day, but instead what we are
seeing in our day is the result of millennia of somatic mutations and adaptations.

Larger creatures could have shared their spaces with smaller creatures, even
permitting the ones smaller than themselves to climb up and rest on their backs.
Life finds a way.

They say there are seven wonders of the ancient world, but that is not quite
accurate. There's actually eight if we include Noah's ark. Sure, building a giant
floating barn like Noah's would be child's play for a modern shipyard like Northrop
Grumman Newport News; but in his day, it had to be quite a feat.

• Gen 6:17 . . For My part, I am about to bring the Flood-- waters upon the earth--
to destroy all flesh under the sky in which there is breath of life; everything on
earth shall perish.

Some think the Flood was merely a local event rather than a global deluge. But that
is not the way Genesis describes it. The author quotes God saying; to destroy "all
flesh under the sky" and: "everything on earth" shall perish.

If the Flood were to be local, then it would only be necessary for Noah and his
family and the animals to simply migrate to a different region rather than go to all
the trouble of building an ark. No. The idea of localized flooding is totally
unacceptable because "the sky" is everywhere.

Ironically, and perhaps even humorously, many of the people arguing for a
localized Flood are convinced it's a myth anyway so I have no clue where they see
the point of arguing its extent.

The word for "waters" is from mayim (mah'-yim) which is a plural noun that can be
used either in a plural sense as here in Gen 6:17, or in a singular sense as in Gen
21:14.

Were the waters of the Flood fresh or salt? It doesn't matter, since the one who
created the physical requirements of all life is easily able to adapt it to suit His
purposes. But the sea's saltiness isn't static; it's increasing all the time, and always
has. Which means that if you were to go back in time, the sea was a lot less salty in
Noah's day than it is today; ergo: aquatic life's adjustment to dilution back in his
day wouldn't have been as extreme as aquatic life's adjustment would be in our
day.
_

 

[Beetow]

• Gen 6:18 . . But I will establish My covenant with you, and you shall enter the
ark, with your sons, your wife, and your sons' wives.

Biblical covenants are legally-binding contracts; and may include stipulations for all
parties involved; and then again may stipulate responsibilities for only one of them
with the other simply being along for the benefit; sort of like an irrevocable trust.
Covenants may, or may not, include penalties for breach of contract; and
sometimes those penalties are very severe; e.g. Lev 26:3-38, Deut 27:15-26, and
Deut 28:1-69.

• Gen 6:19-20 . . And of all that lives, of all flesh, you shall take two of each into
the ark to keep alive with you; they shall be male and female. From birds of every
kind, cattle of every kind, every kind of creeping thing on earth, two of each shall
come to you to stay alive.

Apparently one pair of each kind was a minimum; I mean; Noah took four pairs of
humans aboard; and he was later given updated instructions to take seven pairs of
some species.

Fortunately Noah didn't have to go on safari to round up his passengers. The Bible
says two of each "shall come to you." which implies of course that species who
failed to come got left behind and died in the Flood.

There was plenty of time for them to make it because Noah was 120 years building
the ark and getting it ready. Since the animals selected were cooperative and
docile, then the smaller beasties could hitch rides on the larger ones and thus save
themselves some steps.

A man named Dave Kunst walked across today's world in just a little over 4 years
from June 1970 to October 1974. Kunst walked a total of 14,450 miles, crossing
four continents and thirteen countries, wearing out 21 pair of shoes, and walking
more than 20 million steps. That was an odd thing to do, but does prove it can be
done in a relatively short time; so 120 years was plenty enough for all the critters
to make it on over to Noah's place in time for the Folly's maiden voyage.

If the ark were to launch in 2020, critters would have been on the move towards it
since 1900-- three years before the Wright Brothers historical flight, and twelve
years before the Titanic foundered --and probably reproduced many times along
the way since there are not all that many species that live to see 120 years of age.

But how did they cross oceans? In the past that was doubtless a thorny theological
problem. But with today's knowledge of the geological science of plate tectonics,
the answer is as simple as two plus two. Scientists have discovered that continental
land masses can be shifted, and in point of fact the dry parts brought so close
together as to form one single super continent.

Scientists have also discovered magma hot spots and pressure points that can raise
and lower the earth's crust like a service elevator. Subduction no doubt played a
role by pushing sea beds up above sea level and made to form land bridges; thus
expediting migration.

This idea is by no means novel. For example: in 2014, a 9,000 year-old stone
structure used to capture caribou was discovered 120 feet below the surface of
Lake Huron; and is the most complex structure of its kind in the Great Lakes
region.

The structure consists of two parallel lanes of stones leading to a cul-de-sac. Within
the lanes are three circular hunting blinds where prehistoric hunters hid while
taking aim at caribou. The structure's size and design suggest that hunting was
probably a group effort, with one group driving caribou down the lanes towards the
blinds while another group waited to attack.

The site-- discovered by using sonar technology on the Alpena-Amberley Ridge, 35
miles southeast of Alpena Michigan --was once a dry land corridor connecting
northeastern Michigan to southern Ontario.

Ten miles off the coast of Alabama in 60 feet of water in the Gulf of Mexico, are the
remains of a Bald Cypress grove that's estimated to be eight to fourteen thousand
years old; testifying that the earth's topography was quite a bit different in the
ancient past.

Actually the Earth's mantle is one continuous (albeit fractured) mass anyway,
although its profile is so irregular that dry land sticks up above sea level at various
high spots; which is a good thing because if the mantle were smooth, the world
would be quite flooded all the time. In point of fact, if the Earth's mantle were
perfectly smooth, like a billiard ball, there's enough water present even today to
cover the land to a depth of 9,000 feet of water. That would be equivalent to a
global ocean approximately 1.7 miles deep.

Normal geological processes take thousands of years to accomplish, but when you
factor in the creator's participation in the Flood event, it's no problem at all for the
supreme being who has absolute power over not just the earth's geological
processes; but all the rest of nature's processes too.

What about dinosaurs? Did they go aboard with Noah too? No; too late.
Paleontologists are pretty sure the Jurassic era was over and gone by means of a
mysterious mass extinction event several millennia before the entrance of human
life on the earth; which, in my layman's opinion, is pretty good proof that the six
"days" of creation were quite a bit greater in length than 24 hours apiece.
_

 

[Beetow]

• Gen 6:21-22 . . For your part, take of everything that is eaten and store it away,
to serve as food for you and for them. Noah did so; just as God commanded him,
so he did.

Noah was every supervisor's dream. He did just what he was told and all with nary
an argument; nor a single protest.

God didn't specify precisely how much food to load aboard. He only instructed Noah
to store things that are edible; but not their quantity. Nobody can be sure whether
or not Noah knew just how long the Flood was going to last. If he didn't, then of
course he would have no idea how much food he needed to bring along.

So what about the carnivorous animals that came aboard with Noah-- the lions and
tigers and hawks and eagles and meerkats and alligators and crocodiles? Well;
those kinds of animals can live on vegetation when they have to. According to Isa
11:6-9 and Isa 65:25, there's a day coming when the diet of carnivores will be
changed to that of herbivores.

Some have proposed that the animals hibernated so they wouldn't have to be fed
very often nor require much room for exercise nor would they generate much
manure to clean up. That's actually a very plausible explanation. For example:
arctic ground squirrels can lower their body temperature below freezing and avoid
serious head injuries while hibernating for as long seven months. Why the little
guys don't freeze to death is a mystery.

Others have proposed that Noah didn't actually load an entire year's supply of food
aboard the ark. Just a minimum amount that God then miraculously sustained. That
too is a very plausible explanation.

For example: there are incidents in the Bible where small amounts of food stuffs
were miraculously extended. One example is 1Kgs 17:8-16 where a tiny bit of flour
and oil nourished Elijah and a widow woman, and her son, for a good many days
during a time of prolonged drought.

Another incident is at 2Kgs 4:1-7 where a certain widow's husband died and left her
deeply in debt. God extended her last pot of oil sufficiently to sell off enough to
retire her debts, thereby saving her two sons from slavery.

At 1Kgs 19:5-9, when Elijah was running away from that horrible Jezebel, he was
fatigued and napping under a bush when a messenger of God woke him up to eat a
single biscuit and drink some water. Elijah survived on the nourishment of that
measly little snack for the next forty days.

I'm not insisting that God sustained everyone aboard the ark via hibernation and/or
like He did Elijah and the widows. But in the light of nature's examples, and the
Bible's examples, it isn't unreasonable to believe that's exactly what happened.
Many details remain a mystery and apparently God didn't feel it was important for
everybody to know how He and Noah did it. Well; that's His decision and I respect
it; but I still wish Genesis told us more.

Another logistics problem was feeding everybody when the Flood was over. What
would they eat then? Well, that was no problem. The olive leaf that a dove had in
her beak at Gen 8:10-11 indicates that earth's flora was spared mass extinction by
the Flood. The Hebrew word for "plucked-off" is from taraph (taw-rawf') which
means: recently torn off; in other words: the dove didn't pick up an old dead leaf
lying around on the ground; no, it was fresh cut and green right off the tree.

note: It's not unreasonable to believe vegetation survived the Flood. The prairie
grasses that once flourished in America's corn belt was some really hardy stuff.
Prior to the White Man, prairie grass roots grew as deep as four feet, and
sometimes eleven, so that no matter how much or how often the grass was burned
off, it bounced right back.
_

 

[Beetow]

• Gen 7:1 . .The Lord then said to Noah: Go into the ark, you and your whole
family, because I have found you righteous in this generation.

Noah is sometimes criticized for not utilizing more of the ark's cargo space to take
human life aboard instead of animals. But it wasn't for Noah to say. Passage aboard
the ark was by invitation only; and to qualify for an invitation, the passengers had
to be righteous. Well; only Noah was righteous, so he alone was invited to go
aboard with his family.

The antediluvians weren't left on their own to figure out what's righteous and
what's not righteous. According to 2Pet 2:5, Noah was a preacher; and he wasn't
the only one at it. Prior to him, Enoch pounded a pulpit. (Jude 1:1)

So then, the people who died in the Flood had no one to blame for missing the boat
but themselves. Had they listened to the available preaching and changed their
ways; the Flood wouldn't have been necessary to begin with.

• Gen 7:2-3 . . Of every clean animal you shall take seven pairs, males and their
mates, and of every animal that is not clean, two, a male and its mate; of the birds
of the sky also, seven pairs, male and female, to keep seed alive upon all the earth.

Official specifications for identifying clean, and unclean animals, are located at Lev
11:1-46, and Deut 14:3-20. Those specs were written many, many centuries after
Noah; so precisely which animals he regarded as clean in his day, and which not
clean is impossible to tell. But I think we can safely assume that "clean" animals
were those suitable for ceremonies and/or for human consumption, because up
ahead Noah will be given the green light to begin eating meat.

The specific species that Noah took aboard were limited to the ones that God said in
6:20 "shall come to you". Any, and all, species that failed to come to Noah, went
extinct in the Flood. He didn't go out and hunt them down, nor take them by force
against their will. No; they had to show up on their own, or be left behind; and I
have a sneaking suspicion that many were.

• Gen 7:4 . . For in seven days' time I will make it rain upon the earth, forty days
and forty nights, and I will blot out from the earth all existence that I created.

The expression "all existence" is from yequwm (yek-oom') which means: standing
(extant) i.e. a living thing. Yequwm appears in only three verses of the entire Old
Testament. Two of them are here in chapter 7, and the other one is in Deut 11:6.

God's prediction didn't include vegetation; because when the Flood ended, at least
one olive tree was still standing. So "all existence" only meant creatures; in
particular those that live on land and need air to survive; like birds, bugs, and
beasts; whether subterranean or on the surface. (Gen 7:21-23)

The seven-day deadline hung over the world's head like a sword of Damocles; and
the Flood was now imminent. But a final warning was issued probably just in case
somebody might change their mind about going along with Noah. Compare this
moment of silence to the one at Rev 8:1 just prior to sounding the seven trumpets.

• Gen 7:5 . . And Noah did just as the Lord commanded him.

Not many people can say, with all honesty and a good conscience, that they do
"just as" the Lord commands. It is a very unusual person who is careful to comply
with God's will to the letter. (cf. John 8:29)

• Gen 7:6a . . Noah was six hundred years old

Years of life in Noah's age were expressed in what's known as prophetic years;
which consist of twelve equal months of thirty days each. So in Gregorian time; 600
years of Noah's age was but 591.4 Gregorian years.

Noah died at 950 prophetic years. According to the US Department of Health, an
average American born in 2013 could expect to live to about 78 Gregorian years.
Using that as a point of reference: one year of America's average age was about
equivalent to 12.004 years of Noah's age. So in American years; Noah would have
been as youthful as a 50 year-old when the Flood began.

• Gen 7:6b . . when the Flood came, waters upon the earth.

The word for Flood is from mabbuwl (mab-bool') which means: a deluge. There's
another word for "flood" in the Old Testament, but the Hebrew is different. Mabbuwl
appears twelve times in Genesis regarding Noah's worldwide cataclysm. The only
other place in the entire Old Testament where that word is shows up again is Ps
29:10; and even there it relates to Noah.

• Gen 7:7-9 . . Noah, with his sons, his wife, and his sons' wives, went into the ark
because of the waters of the Flood. Of the clean animals, of the animals that are
not clean, of the birds, and of everything that creeps on the ground, two of each,
male and female, came to Noah into the ark, as God had commanded Noah.

Here again it's mentioned that the animals came to Noah rather than he and his
sons going on safari to round them up.

It was right about there that I would have become very nervous had I lived next
door to the Noahs. Up till then, he probably seemed like an ordinary crack pot-- a
nice enough guy, but kind of kooky. I mean: who builds a great big barge on dry
land? But when all those birds and animals showed up out at his place, and started
boarding Noah's Folly all by themselves, in neither chaos nor confusion, and without
Noah and his boys having to herd them in-- that was definitely cause for alarm.

It's true that wildlife at that time was not yet afraid of humans; and it was probably
a very common sight to see them mingling with people all over the place-- maybe
even assisting Noah to construct the ark --but not on such a scale as this. People
had to wonder why all those bugs, and beasties, and birdies were migrating out
there to Noah's spread. What's that all about? Did they maybe think to themselves
that old fool might know something after all?

Well; maybe they did; but according to Jesus they didn't really take Noah seriously
but went about the business of their daily lives as usual. (Matt 24:38-39)
_

 

[Beetow]

• Gen 7:10 . . And on the seventh day the waters of the Flood came upon the
earth.

Thus far Genesis has defined days on Earth as periods of time when the Sun is up
rather than down, so we may safely assume this particular seventh day began with
sunrise, viz: the rain began in daylight rather than when it was dark outside.

Back in verse 4, God gave Noah seven days to get moved into the ark. The water
came right on time, just exactly when God said it would. God's word carries
different force in different circumstances. Sometimes He makes predictions,
sometimes He makes promises, and sometimes He even makes threats.

Threats are often negotiable; sort of like an "or else". Like when Jonah went to
Ninevah and walked around town heralding in the streets that within forty days
they would be overthrown. When the people changed their ways, God backed off.

But a prediction isn't negotiable; nor is it open to discussion. When God makes a
prediction, you can make bank on it because He's seen the future. The Flood was
predicted. He said it was coming in seven days; and sure enough it showed up.

note: The apostle John saw the great white throne event depicted at Rev 20:10
15. That event is now inevitable because John's vision is a revelation; viz: a
glimpse into not just one possible future, rather, it is what it is, i.e. it is the future.

• Gen 7:11a . . In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, on
the seventeenth day of the month,

The Flood isn't dated according to a calendar; but rather, relative to Noah's life. In
other words: let's say that Noah was born in the month of July. Had that been the
case; then the second month of his life would have been August. More about this
later.

• Gen 7:11b . . the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up,
and the windows of heaven were opened.

The Hebrew word translated "deep" is tehowm (teh-home') which indicates an
abyss (as a surging mass of water) especially the deep (the main sea or the
subterranean water-supply). Tehowm occurred very early on in the Bible's texts at
Gen 1:1-2.

The difference is that this deep is the great deep. The word for "great" is from rab
(rab) which means abundant (in quantity, size, age, number, rank, quality), so that
this particular deep could be thought of as bottomless; viz: an abysmal source of
water beyond human imagination whereas the Earth's indigenous sources are
limited. The precise location of the great deep is currently unknown.

The "windows" of heaven are translated from 'arubbah (ar-oob-baw') which refers
to a sluice; viz: a trough and/or a channel for moving water from one place to
another; in this case for transferring water from the great deep to the Earth.

Seeing as how Gen 7:11 speaks of heaven and sluices, then I think it's safe to
assume that the water used to flood the Earth came from somewhere out in the
cosmos; which is actually a reasonable assumption.

In an article I found on the internet dated July 22, 2011; astronomers have
discovered the largest and oldest mass of water ever detected in the universe-- a
gigantic cloud harboring 140 trillion times more water than all of Earth's oceans
combined. Well; I'm pretty sure that's a sufficient quantity of water to inundate the
Earth to a depth required by the Flood.

• Gen 7:12 . . (The rain fell on the earth forty days and forty nights.)

In the modern world, civil time reckons forty days and forty nights as forty calendar
days without consideration of the Sun's location because we work with 24-hour
days instead of days of 12 hours apiece like they did back in Jesus' era. (John 11:9
10)

• Gen 7:13-16a . .That same day Noah and Noah's sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth,
went into the ark, with Noah's wife and the three wives of his sons-- they and all
beasts of every kind, all cattle of every kind, all creatures of every kind that creep
on the earth, and all birds of every kind, every bird, every winged thing.

. . .They came to Noah into the ark, two each of all flesh in which there was breath
of life. Thus they that entered comprised male and female of all flesh, as God had
commanded him.

Again it's reiterated that the critters "came" to Noah; he didn't have to go on safari
to round them up; and then they entered the ark on their own without Noah and his
boys having to herd them in. That is really remarkable. It's like those critters
somehow knew that there was something terrible brewing and Noah's ark was the
only safe haven.

This is another example where a "day" can be longer than twenty-four hours; in
fact, the day here in Gen 7:13-16 is a whole week plus forty more days and nights.
Thus from the time of God's invitation to come into the ark, and up until it stopped
raining, was a day period consisting of 47 calendar days.
_

 

[Beetow]

• Gen 7:16b . . And the Lord shut him in.

The Lord not only shut him in, but sealed him in too. The hatch to hull mating
surfaces had to be waterproofed with bitumen the same as all the rest of the ark.

The Hebrew word for "shut" actually means to shut up; like as when a corral gate is
closed to pen livestock and/or the door of a jail cell is locked to confine a convict. In
other words, Noah was locked inside the ark by a door that could be opened only
from the outside. That's interesting. It means that once the ark's door was sealed,
Noah became a prisoner; and were he, or anybody else inside, to change their mind
about going, it was too late.

From that point on, Noah had no more control over his safety. From thence, it was
up to the ark, and up to God, to protect him from the Flood.

• Gen 7:17-18 . .The Flood continued forty days on the earth, and the waters
increased and lifted the ark so that it rose above the earth. The waters swelled and
increased greatly upon the earth, and the ark drifted upon the waters.

That was no week-end sailing trip. The ark drifted; viz: it was completely at the
mercy and the whims of the elements. It had no means for steering, no
navigational equipment, and no means of propulsion; it floated about like flotsam.

• Gen 7:19-20 . .When the waters had swelled much more upon the earth, all the
highest mountains everywhere under the sky were covered. Fifteen cubits higher
did the waters swell, as the mountains were covered.

faq: Is it possible that the Flood was local rather than global?

a: Well; the problem with that theory is: the waters breached the highest
mountains by fifteen cubits (22½ feet). So then, if perchance Noah lived in a
geographic basin, the waters would have overflowed the mountains surrounding
him and kept on going before they ever got up to that 22½ feet of extra elevation.

But the water would start spilling past Noah's area long before it breached the tops
of the highest mountains surrounding him because mountain ranges aren't shaped
smooth, level, and planed like the rim of a domestic bath tub. No; they're very
irregular and consist of high points and low points; viz: peaks, valleys, canyons,
saddles, and passes.

Thus mountain ranges make poor bath tubs because you would lose water through
the low points before it even had a chance to fill to the peaks. In point of fact, were
the sides of your bathtub shaped like a mountain range; you could never fill it. And
in trying to; just end up with water all over the floor.

22½ feet may not seem like a lot of water but when you consider the diameter of
the Earth, that is an enormous amount when it's above the highest mountains. How
high were the highest mountains in Noah's day? Nobody really knows. But just
supposing the tallest at that time was about equal to California's Mount Laguna east
of San Diego; viz: 5,738 feet above sea level-- about 1.1 miles. Adding 22½ feet to
that comes out to approximately 5,761 feet.

The amount of rain it would take to accumulate that much water in only forty days
would be something like six global feet of depth per hour (not taking into
consideration that the diameter of the water's surface would increase as the water
got deeper)

To put that in perspective: the lobby of the Empire State Building in New York city
is approximately 47 feet above sea level. At 6 feet per hour, the lobby would be
under water in less than eight hours. The whole building, lightening rod and all;
would be under water in just a little over ten days. The new One World Trade
Center would be gone in about thirteen days, and Denver in less than thirty-seven.

fyi: It's sometimes objected that there is no geological evidence to support the
Flood. Well it only lasted a year so what do the skeptics expect? And besides, it was
essentially standing water rather than flowing water so it would've produced
relatively little erosion, if any.

And the water was removed all at the same time from all over the globe rather than
drained off from a single location, viz: God didn't pull the plug, so to speak. And
then we should also take into consideration that though the Flood's arrival was swift
and violent, it's removal was relatively gradual and gentle.

• Gen 7:21-23a . . And all flesh that stirred on earth perished-- birds, cattle,
beasts, and all the things that swarmed upon the earth, and all mankind. All in
whose nostrils was the merest breath of life, all that was on dry land, died.

. . . All existence on earth was blotted out-- man, cattle, creeping things, and birds
of the sky; they were blotted out from the earth. Only Noah was left, and those
with him in the ark.

All "existence on earth" was limited to fauna life on land. Apparently flora life and
aqua life were spared.

• Gen 7:24 . . And the waters prevailed on the earth one hundred and fifty days.

One of Webster's definitions of "prevail" is: to triumph. In other words; the Flood
won and humanity lost. Man can dam rivers; he can divert streams, he can build
sea walls, dikes, and channels, he can drain swamps and wetlands; but every one
of those kinds of hydraulic engineering feats would've failed to control the Flood.
_

 

[Beetow]

• Gen 8:1a . . God remembered Noah and all the beasts and all the cattle that were
with him in the ark,

Does that mean God forgot all about the ark's passengers until He realized why
there was a string tied around His finger? (chuckle) No; it reaffirms that they were
always on God's mind. He isn't forgetful. God doesn't need reminding.

But what about Noah's sisters and brothers, and/or his aunts and uncles? Did God
think of them too? No. Noah's kin, except those aboard the ark; were all wiped out
in the Flood. He and Mrs. Noah may have had other children too; and grand
children. If so, then those also perished: and their family pets too right along with
them.

Out ahead, at the final judgment, many of us are going to have to watch as our
own kin are condemned to eternal suffering; and thrown alive, wild eyed, shrieking,
yelping, bellowing, and bawling like little children into the impoundment of flaming
sulfur depicted at Rev 20:11-15 and Rev 21:8. We might even be called up as
witnesses to testify in the prosecution's case against them. That will be an awful
ordeal.

• Gen 8:1b-3a . . and God caused a wind to blow across the earth, and the waters
subsided. The fountains of the deep and the floodgates of the sky were stopped up,
and the rain from the sky was held back; the waters then receded steadily from the
earth.

The Old Testament Hebrew word that the editors of the NIV translated "receded" is
shuwb (shoob) an ambiguous word that can mean draw back, return to the
beginning, or simply diminish. The very same word is used in the NIV's translation
of Gen 3:19 thusly:

"By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground,
since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return."

In that example; shuwb indicates that Adam went right back where he came from;
viz: the dust.

According to Gen 7:11 the waters of the Flood came from the springs of the great
deep and from heaven. So then, I take shuwb to mean that the waters went right
back to heaven and the great deep as the Flood dried up so that the waters didn't
drain off, they were dried off; which is a good thing because had the waters drained
off, they would have caused quite a bit of erosion; but actually, there was nowhere
for them to drain; they had to be removed.

Gen 8:1-3 strongly suggests that the Flood's waters were were dried off by the
process of evaporation like the way women use blow dryers to remove dampness
from their hair after washing. But there's just no way that much water got absorbed
by the earth's atmosphere or it would still be here. No, I'm convinced those waters
were taken back out into space from whence they came in the first place.

How were they pulled back out in space? Well; if I could explain how God got the
Flood's waters off the planet with wind power; then I would be able to explain how
Jesus levitated off the ground in Acts 1:9. People think walking on water is
amazing? Try walking on air.

• Gen 8:3b-4 . . At the end of one hundred and fifty days the waters diminished, so
that in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, the ark came to
rest on the mountains of Ararat.

The Hebrew word for "Ararat" is from 'Ararat (ar-aw-rat') which appears three more
times in the Bible: one at 2Kgs 19:36-37, one at Isa 37:36-38, and one at Jer
51:27. Ararat in the Bible always refers to a political area-- a country --never a
specific geological feature by the same name.

The Hebrew word for "mountains" in Gen 8:4 is haareey which is the plural of har
(har). It doesn't always mean a prominent land mass like Kilimanjaro; especially
when it's plural. Har can also mean a range of hills or highlands; like the region of
Israel where Miriam's cousin Elizabeth lived.

"At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea,
where she entered Zechariah's home and greeted Elizabeth." (Luke 1:39-40)

In California, where I lived as a kid, the local elevation 35 miles east of San Diego,
in the town of Alpine, was about 2,000 feet above sea level. There were plenty of
meadows with pasture and good soil. In fact much of it was very good ranchland
and quite a few people in that area raised horses and cows. We ourselves kept
about five hundred chickens, and a few goats and calves. We lived in the mountains
of San Diego; but we didn't live up on top of one of its peaks like Viejas, Lyon's, or
Cuyamaca.

It makes better sense to beach the ark on the soil of one of Armenia's elevated
plains rather than up on one of Turkey's ancient volcanoes seeing as how Noah took
up agriculture after the Flood. Plus, had he been forced to abandoned the ark atop
a mountain, Noah would've lost ready access to an abundant supply of hewn wood
that he could appropriate for other purposes. Noah's sons reproduced so we can be
fairly certain that Noah's posterity-- which eventually numbered quite a few people
--would want lumber from the ark for their needs too.
_

 

[Beetow]

• Gen 8:5 . .The waters went on diminishing until the tenth month; in the tenth
month, on the first of the month, the tops of the mountains became visible.

Gravity assists rain to fall. But to get the Flood's waters off the planet required
overcoming gravity enough to get it up off the planet. The mechanical nature of
that wind would be an interesting study. Was it a global hurricane, or was it more
like a global tornado, or a combination of both: one for evaporation, and one for
sucking it all out into the void? Well, whatever; it must have howled and roared like
the sound of a thousand World Trade Center collapsing at once.

• Gen 8:6-7a . . At the end of forty days, Noah opened the window of the ark that
he had made and sent out the raven;

Although the Raven is listed in Israel's covenanted law as an unclean bird,
sometimes it's an excellent choice for assisting in a divine task; for example 1Kgs
17:1-6.

The word for "Raven" is 'oreb (o-rabe') which is not a specific species of bird, but a
whole family of birds now classified as Corvids; which includes Crows, Jackdaws,
Jays, Magpies, Nutcrackers, and Rooks.

Ravens are classified in ornithology as song birds; although Crows don't seem to
carry much of a tune. They're intelligent, sociable, and highly adaptable. Although
they don't usually trust Man, they have been known to associate with him in
remarkable ways.

One morning I was out in front weeding the yard when some crows down the street
were raising a serious ruckus and dive-bombing back and forth across the street.
One of them flew to where I was weeding and landed on a streetlight above me and
cawed its fool head off; the meanwhile fluttering its wings and leaning forward and
rocking as it cawed. Then it flew back and rejoined the others. Then another one, a
really big barrel-chested crow, came and landed on our roof. It too cawed like mad
(only louder).

Then it occurred to me they might be trying to get my attention. So I walked down
to where the others were, and there in a driveway was a fledgling Crow who
couldn't fly well enough to get back up in the trees from whence it fell; and a big
cat was harassing it. So I brought the young Crow home and put it up on a limb in
our backyard and pretty soon the others heard its cries and came to take care of it.
We had to assist the fledgling back up to his limb a few more times after it soared
down to the food and water we put out for its friends; but eventually its wings
became strong enough to do it alone.

btw: That event took place quite a few years ago and as time went by, young
crows began little by little making our backyard their playground and today, it isn't
unusual to see twenty or so of all ages walking around out there like chickens in a
barnyard helping themselves to the peanuts we put out for squirrels, and pecking
cracked corn and sunflower chips out of the bird feeders.

• Gen 8:7b . . it went to and fro until the waters had dried up from the earth.

Ravens will eat just about anything, including carrion; and there was probably
plenty of that floating around out there. With all the dead stuff to feast on, the
raven could spend the whole day out on its own. However, no tree tops were above
the water yet and crows need to get off the ground at night so it probably returned
to the ark in the evening to roost. The very fact of its return was evidence to Noah
that the waters were still pretty deep out there.

• Gen 8:8-9 . .Then he sent out the dove to see whether the waters had decreased
from the surface of the ground. But the dove could not find a resting place for its
foot, and returned to him to the ark, for there was water over all the earth. So
putting out his hand, he took it into the ark with him.

The word for "Dove" is from yownah (yo-naw') which is a general term for either a
Dove or a Pigeon. Pigeons are well known for their homing instincts. So why didn't
the Pigeon roost up on the roof of the ark instead of letting Noah take it inside?
Well . . a Pigeon's nature is different than a Raven's. The big guys are somewhat
independent, but Pigeons readily take to human care. That's probably why they are
so much more common in cities than Crows; where people can feed them popcorn
and bread crumbs.

Pigeons and Doves don't eat carrion; but prefer to forage on the ground for seeds.
But bare ground was inaccessible at this point in time. The yownah no doubt
became very hungry; and certainly knew Mr. Noah had plenty of grain on board
with him back at the ark. Pigeons also prefer a roof over their heads; like docks and
wharfs, and bridges and roadway overpasses. It almost seems they were actually
made to live in coops; and what better coop than the ark?
_

 

[Beetow]

• Gen 8:10-11 . . He waited another seven days, and again sent out the dove from
the ark. The dove came back to him toward evening, and there in its bill was a
plucked-off olive leaf. Then Noah knew that the waters had decreased on the earth.

The word for "plucked-off" is from taraph (taw-rawf') which means: recently torn
off; viz: fresh. A taraph leaf is alive; which of course the skeptics are only too
happy to point out is impossible seeing as how olive trees cannot survive under
water very long before they die. But wasn't the Flood itself impossible? (sigh) Some
people are just naturally miracle-challenged; what can I say?

Old-world olives prefer a Mediterranean climate, which is pretty good empirical
evidence that the ark did not come to rest on the top of Turkey's Mt. Ararat; a
snow-capped dormant volcano consisting of two peaks: Lesser Ararat @ 12,782
feet, and Greater Ararat @ 16,854 feet.

Tall mountains like Ararat have what's called a timberline; which is an elevation
beyond which no trees grow. The elevation of Mt. Hood's timberline here in Oregon
is right around 6,000 feet. So it's a pretty safe bet that the olive tree, from which
the dove plucked a leaf, wasn't growing up on Mt. Ararat prior to the Flood. It
would've preferred neither the elevation nor the climate.

• Gen 8:12 . . He waited still another seven days and sent the dove forth; and it did
not return to him any more.

Apparently the dove finally found some dry, bare ground to forage for seeds, and
minute gravel for its craw.

Why didn't Noah just look out the window and see for himself? Well; the structural
location of the ark's window is a bit of a mystery. For one thing, it wasn't cut into
the sides like the windows in an airplane, rather, it was located up on top. The
design of the ark's top is itself a bit of a mystery. Apparently the position of the
window was such that structural portions of the top obscured Noah' view; allowing
him to see the sky but not the ground.
_

 

[Beetow]

• Gen 8:13-14 . . In the six hundred and first year, in the first month, on the first
of the month, the waters began to dry from the earth; and when Noah removed the
covering of the ark, he saw that the surface of the ground was drying. And in the
second month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, the earth was dry.

Calculating the duration of the Flood is not only an interesting exercise but also an
opportunity to get the hang of prophetic time keeping.

It began to rain on the 17th day of the second month of the 600th year of Noah's
life. The Earth was dry on the 27th day of the second month of his 601st year. So,
reckoning time according to prophetic months of 30 days each, and not counting
the final day, Noah's passengers and crew were aboard the ark for a total of 370
days; which is roughly 5 days over a solar year, and 10 days over a prophetic year.

faq: Whence came the so-called prophetic year?

a: The Flood began on the seventeenth day of the second month of Noah's life, and
it rained for forty days. Then the rain stopped so the water could begin draining off
and leave the ark aground. A period of exactly five months went by. Those five
months are recorded as exactly 150 days. If we were to try and use the months of
the Jewish calendar, the number of days would not add up to 150. Here's why.

The months of the Jewish calendar supposedly equivalent to the months of the
Flood are:

lyar . . . . . . . . 29 days
Sivan . . . . . . . 30 days
Tammuz . . . . 29 days
Av . . . . . . . . . 30 days
Elul . . . . . . . . 29 days
Tishri . . . . . . . 30 days

Using the Jewish calendar, it would begin raining on the 17th of lyar, thus flooding
a total of 13 days during that month. Following would be 30 in Sivan, 29 in
Tammuz, 30 in Av, 29 in Elul, and lastly 16 in Tishri if we don't count the day that
the ark ran aground. The total number of days from the beginning of the Flood until
the day the ark went aground, would have been, according to the Jewish calendar,
147; which is three days short of 150.

However, we can safely ignore the Jewish calendar, and just reckon the elapsed
time relative to Noah's birthday. The 150 days then average out to five months of
30 days apiece. That doesn't really cause any problems because a dating method of
that nature is not intended to mark off the actual passage of astronomical time in a
calendar year; only the days of time elapsed during an important event such as the
Flood.

So; here in Genesis, very early in the Bible, a precedent is set for specifying the
length of a special kind of year: the prophetic year. Since the months in a year of
this type are of thirty days apiece, then twelve such months add up to 360 days;
which is 5¼ days less than a calendar year.

The prophetic year is sort of like a baker's dozen. Though a baker's dozen is not a
dozen of twelve; it is nonetheless a dozen in its own right. As long as students of
the Bible are aware of the existence of such a thing as a prophetic year, they won't
be tripped up when they run across it in prophecy; for example the one below:

"And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God,
that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days." (Rev
12:6)

"And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into
the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and
half a time, from the face of the serpent." (Rev 12:14)

Those two passages speak of a 3½ year period of exactly 1,260 days. Well, 3½
solar years is 1,274+ days; which is almost fifteen days too many. But if we reckon
those 3½ years as prophetic years of 360 days each, then it comes out perfectly to
1,260 days.
_

 

[Beetow]

• Gen 8:15-19 . . God spoke to Noah, saying: Come out of the ark, together with
your wife, your sons, and your sons' wives. Bring out with you every living thing of
all flesh that is with you: birds, animals, and everything that creeps on earth; and
let them swarm on the earth and be fertile and increase on earth.

. . . So Noah came out, together with his sons, his wife, and his sons' wives. Every
animal, every creeping thing, and every bird, everything that stirs on earth came
out of the ark by families.

The word for "families" is from mishpachah (mish-paw-khaw') and roughly speaks
of taxonomy; viz: classifications.

Verse 19 strongly suggests that already in Noah's day living things were ranked by
type because they came out of the ark according to their species. How they were
ranked is uncertain. It may have been according to intelligence, and then again,
maybe by usefulness to Man. Some might put the primates first because they are
so smart; but I would put a higher value on beasts of burden, and any other
creature that best serves Man's domestic needs; I mean, chimps are cute but what
were they really good for in Noah's day?

It must have been a stirring sight. Everyone soaking up the sun, stretching their
legs, and feeling brisk and cheerful. Like astronauts back from a long, tedious space
mission; they were all so happy to be home at last.

No doubt the rats and mice probably were content to remain in the ark where it
was nice and cozy, and I bet they eventually moved in with the Noahs after their
new home was built.

Many of the smaller creatures, like non winged insects and moles and centipedes,
can't really travel very fast so it must have taken them a pretty long time to
multiply and spread out; unless they found a way to hitch a ride aboard the larger
animals.

The big guys would take a considerable amount of time to get back up to numbers.
The gestation period of a meadow mouse is about 21 days and they can have
anywhere from four to six babies at a time. At the extreme are the African
elephants. Their gestation is about 660 days. So they don't multiply very fast.
White rhinoceros take 480 days, cows 284, giraffes 457, zebras 365, moose 240,
hippos 238, gorillas 258, and camels 406. Most of the domestic birds-- turkeys,
pigeons, geese, ducks, and chickens --all incubate within a month or less.

Critters with the longest gestations usually have the fewest number of babies in a
litter-- typically only one; and two at the most. Since many of the clean type
animals are of the larger species, and therefore would take longer to multiply, it
was wise to take along seven pairs of those.

note: It's sometimes argued that Noah couldn't possibly have carried every kind of
insect aboard his ark; but then, he didn't have to. Noah took aboard only the
species that came to him (Gen 6:20). Those that didn't come, died out (Gen 7:21
23). However, Insect eggs are pretty tough, and capable of surviving extremes of
weather. In point of fact, quite a few birds depend upon insect eggs for food to
carry them through the winter. The parents of many of those insect eggs no doubt
perished in the Flood, but I have a hunch their species survived by means of the
eggs they left behind.

So; how did all the various species end up in their respective environs-- e.g. arctic,
rain forests, deserts, and tropical islands? Nobody really knows, but we can take an
educated guess.

According to an article in the October 2011 issue of National Geographic, around 56
million years ago, the Atlantic Ocean had not fully opened up and it was possible for
animals to migrate from Asia through Europe and across Greenland to North
America. They wouldn't have encountered a speck of ice because the earth was
quite a bit warmer than today.

We suggested previously that with the knowledge today of the science of plate
tectonics, it isn't unreasonable to assume that God simply crunched all the dry land
together in order to facilitate migrations to the ark, and left the land that way until
the Flood was over and it was time for the animals to go back where they came
from.

Sometimes when I contemplate the earth's crust consisting of solid stone like
granite, schist, and gneiss; its seems impossible to me that any force could crunch
it; but in the hands of the earth's creator, what's solid to me is little more than
modeling clay to its maker.

As the planet's topography underwent continual alteration by enormous geological
forces, resulting in a variety of global climatic conditions, many species became
isolated and underwent some interesting adaptations and mutations in order to
become the highly specialized creatures that we find living around the world today.

Classical evolution per se, is, I believe, a spurious fantasy because it discounts
intelligent design and an outside source of all life. But Bible students have to allow
for a least a degree of genetic and somatic adaptations and mutations or Genesis
won't make any sense at all. It is just too unreasonable to assume that the
incredible variety of life existing in our world today all existed during Noah's too.

After all, every known variety of Man existing today came from just eight people. If
those eight are responsible for producing all the different kinds of human beings in
our world today, then why couldn't the creatures aboard the ark have been the
foundation for all the varieties of non human life?

So; what happened to the ark? Well; according to the dimensions given at Gen
6:15, the ark was shaped like what the beautiful minds call a right rectangular
prism; which is nothing in the world but the shape of a common shoe box. So most
of the lumber and logs used in its construction would've been nice and straight;
which is perfect for putting together houses, fences, barns, corrals, stables, gates,
hog troughs, mangers, and outhouses.

I think it's safe to assume that Noah and his kin gradually dismantled the ark over
time and used the wood for many other purposes, including fires. Nobody cooked or
heated their homes or their bath and laundry water using refined fossil fuels and/or
electricity and steam in those days, so everybody needed to keep on hand a pretty
fair-sized wood pile for their daily needs.

There was probably plenty of driftwood left behind by the Flood, but most of that
would be water-soaked at first. But according to Gen 6:14 the ark's lumber was
treated. So underneath the pitch it was still in pretty good shape and should have
been preserved for many years to come.
_

 

[Beetow]

• Gen 8:20a . .Then Noah built an altar to the Lord

This is the very first mention of an altar in the Bible. I don't really know if anyone
else constructed one before this. Abel and some of the others may have, but it's
very difficult to be certain. At any rate, Noah's altar was dedicated to Yhvh rather
than to one of the heathen deities people worshipped prior to the Flood— and
according to Rom 1:22-23 there were many.

• Gen 8:20b . . and, taking of every clean animal and of every clean bird, he
offered burnt offerings on the altar.

This is the very first mention of the burnt offering. The Hebrew word is 'olah (o
law') which means: a step (or collectively, stairs, as ascending); or a holocaust (as
going up in smoke).

The burnt offering was the very first sacrifice of any kind involving worship in the
new world; and it set the tone for Yhvh's future association with mankind in the
years to come. How Noah knew about the 'olah can only be attributed to revelation.
But what's odd about the 'olah is that the word itself doesn't show up in Scripture
again until the Akedah scene in the 22nd chapter. (the Akedah is the traditional
title of Abraham's offering of his son Isaac)

Although 'olah can indicate a step (or collectively, stairs, as ascending); it's
improper to construct an altar with stairs (Ex 20:24-26) so that the ziggurats that
man eventually constructed were of course offensive to God not just because ritual
murders were conducted on them but also because they were essentially stairways
to heaven.

Killing and burning on such a scale as Noah's can be taken as a ritual intended to
dedicate the post Flood world to God; sort of like the quantity of Solomon's
sacrifices that he offered to dedicate the new Temple. (1Kgs 8:62-64)

• Gen 8:21a . .The Lord smelled a pleasant odor,

Anyone who has ever been in the kitchen when something is burning on the stove
knows that overcooked meat does not give off a pleasant odor. A scented candle
smells a whole lot better.

But the chemical odor of the burnt offering really has little to do with it. The
expression "a pleasant odor" is a biblical colloquialism that means just the opposite
of something that's objectionable; for example: "I hate that woman's opinions
about men. They stink." (cf. Ex 5:21)

• Gen 8:21b . .Then the Lord said in His heart: I will never again curse the ground
for man's sake,

True, Yhvh never again cursed the ground; but neither did He lift the original curse
that was pronounced in the third chapter. The first curse remains, but at least God
hasn't put additional burdens on the soil. According to Rev 22:3, the first curse is
slated to be removed once and for all.

• Gen 8:21c . . although the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth;

Albert Einstein once remarked that insanity is doing the same thing over and over
again and expecting different results.

Had God encumbered the ground with additional curses He would have been
entirely justified in doing so because the Flood did nothing to rectify the intrinsically
evil condition of the post-Eden human heart. However, God is a sensible person not
easily given to futility.

• Gen 8:21d . . nor will I ever again destroy every living being, as I have done.

All the living things in this case refers to that which survives by means of the
breath of life. (Gen 6:17, Gen 7:22)

The promise is qualified by the phrase "as I have done"

So Gen 8:21 doesn't mean God will never again destroy all the living, nor that He
will never again destroy the Earth— only that He won't repeat the method He
employed the first time. (Gen 9:11)

In point of fact, next time, it's by fire rather than water.

"The day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens
shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat,
the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.

. . . Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons
ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness; looking for and hasting unto
the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved,
and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?" (2Pet 3:10-12)

note: The blackball temperature produced by a thermo-nuclear device is
something like 180,000,000 degrees Fahrenheit. Just imagine if God were to turn
the atomic structure of the entire universe into one great big self-destructing
thermo-nuclear device. The noise, and the heat, generated by such a detonation
would be beyond one's comprehension.

• Gen 8:22 . . So long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat,
summer and winter, day and night shall not cease.

The promise of Gen 8:22 was prefaced by "so long as the earth endures." Well; the
Earth is definitely not permanent. It is in fact running out of time. But until the Day
Of The Lord, everything will proceed as normal; which can be dangerous because
people are easily lulled by the routine of status quo and fail to look far enough
ahead and get ready for the future. (cf. Luke 21:33-36)
_

 

[Beetow]

• Gen 9:1 . . God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them: Be fertile and
increase, and fill the earth.

Divine blessings should never be construed as laws, rules and/or commands.
They're typically expressions of good will and/or empowerment. God included Noah
in the blessing so that he and his wife could have more children if they wanted; but
there's no record of any additional progeny.

The blessing God bestowed upon Noah's family is the very same blessing bestowed
upon the Adams in the very beginning. Here in chapter nine is the beginning of a
new generation. This new generation-- springing from Shem, Ham, and Japheth
has continued for a good many years and won't end until everything Christ
predicted in Matt 24:1-44 comes to pass.

The word for "fill" is from male' (maw-lay') and as-used in Gen 1:22, Gen 1:26-28,
and Gen 6:11-13 doesn't strictly mean refill or replenish. It just means to fill or to
be full of; and can apply to a bucket that's never been used as well as to a bucket
that's just been emptied; or to a bucket that's half empty (or half full, depending
upon one's outlook).

Here in chapter nine, male' is indicative of a pioneering family that would start
afresh under different circumstances than those of the antediluvian world. The
Noahs were essentially a transition team, bringing human life from the old world to
the current one. The new conditions effecting Shem, Ham, and Japheth's generation
include a change in Man's diet, his alienation from the animal world, and the
introduction of criminal justice.

• Gen 9:2a . .The fear and the dread of you shall be upon all the beasts of the
earth and upon all the birds of the sky-- everything with which the earth is astir
and upon all the fish of the sea;

From the start, the animal kingdom lived with Man in peaceful co-existence-- the
birds, beasts, fish, and even the tiniest of creatures; the microbes, as they would
be included in the statement "everything with which the earth is astir". That
situation ended with the Flood.

It was God's wish that the critters, great and small, would be subordinate to Man's
sovereignty (Gen 1:26-28). But no longer. I don't know how He did it, but God
instigated anarchy in the animal world so that now all is in chaos; and most, if not
all, species have stopped accepting Man as their superior; no, they view Man as
both predator and prey. Quite a few species use Man-- dead and/or alive --for food.

I think we can safely assume that it was right about here in human history when
diseases became the norm as microbes, which at one time were harmless, became
pathogens.

Also about this time, it became necessary for Man to tame animals before they
would do his bidding. In the beginning, they were willing, but now they're wary,
wild, hostile, stubborn, and rebellious.

• Gen 9:2b-3 . . they are given into your hand. Every creature that lives shall be
yours to eat; as with the green grasses, I give you all these.

Man doesn't have to eat every living thing if he doesn't want to-- it's optional; since
Gen 9:1-3 is clearly a blessing rather than a commandment.

Apparently the inclusion of meat in Man's diet after the Flood was intended
primarily as a source of natural supplements to make up for the human body's
gradually lessening ability to manufacture all its own essential vitamins; much the
same reason that modern vegans resort to synthetic supplements in order to avoid
contracting deficiency diseases.

According to an article in the Dec 10, 2013 Science section of the New York Times,
scientists believe that the early human body was able to manufacture all of its own
essential vitamins; but over time gradually lost the ability to manufacture all but K
and D.

That seems plausible to me seeing as how Noah lived to be 950 years old, but by
the time of Abraham, the human life span had decreased considerably to 175;
which the Bible describes as a ripe old age (Gen 25:7-8) so the human body was
obviously a whole lot stronger back in Noah's day than it was in Abraham's.

Incidentally, the Hebrew words for "green grasses" includes tender young shoots
rather than only the adult plants. An excellent example of a shoot is asparagus. We
typically only harvest the spears because the adult plant is not only a hideous bush,
but it's not even tasty.

note: Bible students are often curious about the disparity between what was right
and wrong for Noah and what was right and wrong for Moses since the laws of God
are supposedly absolutes in any era. But God-given diets are what's known as
"dispensational" which means they're in effect for only a specific era, and
oftentimes only for a specific people. For example: it's wrong for Moses' people to
eat vultures, pigs, and/or lobsters, octopus, and clams; while for Christ's people, it
makes no difference.

Dispensations are an important aspect of Man's association with God; and failure to
discern them can sometimes lead to unnecessary confusion in peoples' minds.
_