Genesis 6
Murky Beginnings of the Flood

Genesis 6

The Corruption of Mankind

1 Now it came about, when men began to multiply on the face of the land, and daughters were born to them, 2 that the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves, whomever they chose. 3 Then the LORD said, “My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, because he also is flesh; nevertheless his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.” 4 The Nephilim were 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.

5 Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 6 The LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. 7 The LORD said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, from man to animals to creeping things and to birds of the sky; for I am sorry that I have made them.” 8 But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD.

9 These are the records of the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his time; Noah walked with God. 10 Noah became the father of three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

11 Now the earth was corrupt in the sight of God, and the earth was filled with violence. 12 God looked on the earth, and behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way upon the earth.

13 Then God said to Noah, “The end of all flesh has come before Me; for the earth is filled with violence because of them; and behold, I am about to destroy them with the earth. 14 “Make for yourself an ark of gopher wood; you shall make the ark with rooms, and shall cover it inside and out with pitch. 15 “This is how you shall make it: the length of the ark three hundred cubits, its breadth fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits. 16 “You shall make a window for the ark, and finish it to a cubit from the top; and set the door of the ark in the side of it; you shall make it with lower, second, and third decks. 17 “Behold, I, even I am bringing the flood of water upon the earth, to destroy all flesh in which is the breath of life, from under heaven; everything that is on the earth shall perish. 18 “But I will establish My covenant with you; and you shall enter the ark—you and your sons and your wife, and your sons’ wives with you. 19 “And of every living thing of all flesh, you shall bring two of every kind into the ark, to keep them alive with you; they shall be male and female. 20 “Of the birds after their kind, and of the animals after their kind, of every creeping thing of the ground after its kind, two of every kind will come to you to keep them alive. 21 “As for you, take for yourself some of all food which is edible, and gather it to yourself; and it shall be for food for you and for them.” 22 Thus Noah did; according to all that God had commanded him, so he did.

Unpacking Genesis 6

Most people are familiar with the story of Noah and the flood. Still, many people only know it from the perspective of a children's story where Noah is on the ark, happily bobbing on the open seas with pet giraffes sticking their heads out of the rooftop. Although cute, it has little correspondence to the events recorded in Genesis 6-9.

The account of Noah and the flood is not a cute story. It’s about man’s sin and God’s wrath. It’s not a happy story. Countless people died. Countless animals died. The world was physically changed permanently. This is the most painful and horrifying event (other than the cross) in all of human history! We need to read Genesis 6-9 through this lens. These chapters also teach us critical lessons about God’s judgment and grace. These lessons will undergird everything else we study in God’s Word.

As we turn to Genesis 6, the opening verses set up the social milieu that warranted the flood. Verses 1 to 4 mention that people called the “sons of God” took wives for themselves from among the “daughters of men.” We don’t exactly know who these “sons of God” were nor who the Nephilim were in verse 4, but the point is that humanity had reached a level of corruption the Lord would no longer tolerate.

We saw the forerunners of this society in our last study in Genesis 4 with the account of Cain and Abel. Cain not only killed Abel, but he also went on to establish an entire miserable and murderous society. Here in Genesis 6, verse 12 tells us the earth was “corrupt.” Verse 13 says it was “filled with violence.”

In verse 6, the Lord was “sorry” He created mankind and was “grieved in His heart.” The word “grieved” in verse 6 means “to be pained.” Just as a loving parent is grieved at the sins of their children, the Lord was grieved (or pained) at the sins of mankind.

Thus, verse 7 says the Lord decides to “blot out” mankind. We are going to see this “blotting out” will destroy all people except Noah and his family.

Why was Noah preserved? Verse 8 states Noah “found favor in the eyes of the Lord.” Verse 9 describes Him as a “righteous man, blameless in his time” and a man who “walked with God.” He is recorded in Hebrews 11:7 as being a man of faith. And so, God saves Noah and, thereby mankind through him.

In verse 13, the Lord tells Noah what will happen to the world.

He tells Noah to make an ark and to cover it with “pitch” (verse 14). The pitch was some kind of tar-like waterproofing seal. The word “cover” is the critical word in this verse. The word “cover” introduces us to an important concept. The word “cover” has the same Hebrew root word as “atone.”

The word “atone” means covering our sins so that we are at one with God. Notice the word “atone” is the words “at one” smooshed together. That is not accidental. When the framers of theology came up with terms to describe how we relate to God, they chose to show that we can only be in fellowship with God when our sins are covered or atoned.

Remember, the Lord covered Adam and Eve with animal skins in Genesis 3:31. Here, the Lord saves Noah and His family through the covering of the ark. This covering sealed it from the waters of God’s judgment. All this points us to the ultimate atoning work of our Lord Jesus, who, through the cross, covers us with His righteousness, so we are sealed from the fires of God’s judgment.

Going on to the ark, in verse 14, the Lord instructs Noah to build the ark 450 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet high.[1] It would have been massive, able to hold about 1. 4 million square feet of storage.[2]Its bulky size and shape made it extremely stable and nearly impossible to capsize.

In verse 17, the Lord tells Noah why he should build the ark. The Lord says, “I am bringing the flood of water upon the earth.” Clearly, the Lord intends to save Noah and his family, so in verse 18, the Lord says, “I will establish my covenant with you.” This is the first time the word “covenant” appears in the Bible. It’s important too.

The Hebrew word for “covenant” refers to the solemn, binding promises between two people (or two parties). It’s not a “contract” because a contract is meant to hold the other person to their word. A covenant is rooted in goodwill between people. It is rooted in a relationship. It is rooted in promises, often to treat the other person as family.[3]

So, here we learn that God is a covenant-making God. He desires to bless mankind, and in several places in Scripture, He makes solemn promises between Himself and mankind. We’ll discuss this concept of “covenant” more when we look at Genesis 15.

Finally, this passage also shows us the heart of God. God knows about everything we do. God cares about what we do. Our sin grieves him. He wants us to live according to His design for us. That is for our best. And yet, mankind fights against God’s design. They don’t want it. They don’t want His holiness. They don’t want to walk according to His ways. Thus, verse 5 says, “every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually,” not a very optimistic evaluation of mankind.

Now, with this dark backdrop of sin, we might be tempted to focus on Noah’s righteousness as though he was somehow different than the rest of the world. Yes, Noah was a righteous man, but he was also a sinner. The point is God showed grace to Noah. Every time God does not destroy us for our sins, we see His grace.

All of us need His grace, which is freely available to anyone who turns to Him for reconciliation.

So, as we wrap up our study in Genesis 6, keep in mind that these are the opening pages of the record of the outpouring of God’s judgment on sin. Genesis 7 will show us what judgment looks like. Here in Genesis 6, we see what grace looks like. All of us need God’s grace. All of us need our sins atoned for. All of us need to walk in God’s ways. God’s grace will enable us to do so.

Before you work through the following study questions, how about first thanking God for the unconditional grace He has poured out in your life and that He does not condemn you every time you stray into sin?

Study and Discussion Questions:

Listening to the Key Chapters Podcast on this chapter provides further insights into the following questions.

1. Read through Genesis in this guidebook and put a box around every reference to man’s sinfulness. How does this show us the moral condition of the world before the flood?

2. Why is the account of the flood not a cute children’s story? What was the real point of the flood?

3. What do verses 1 to 4 show us about the kind of civilization mankind created? Why did this civilization need to be destroyed?

4. What does it mean, in verse 5, that every intent of the thoughts of man’s heart was evil continually? Is this still true today? How does this refute the belief that man is basically good?

5. How should we understand the statement in verse 6 that the Lord was grieved He made mankind? How does this statement sit with you? Why?

6. Why do you think the Lord concluded it was necessary to “blot out” or “wipe” away mankind (in verse 7)?

7. How does the word “cover” in verse 14 help us understand the concept of “atonement” that is discussed throughout the Bible?

8. What is the importance of God establishing His covenant with Noah in verse 18? The study said this covenant inherently included “mercy”? How and why was this a demonstration of God’s mercy?

9. Think about your own life. If the Lord was looking for someone who would immediately and fully obey His Word, would He choose you? Why or why not? If you don’t think so, how about seeking the Lord right now, that you might have a heart that would obey Him in the same way that Noah does in Genesis 6?

10. As you reflect on this opening chapter of the flood, is there any place in your life that grieves God? If so, how can you seek His grace to turn from that sin?

[1] While the NAS says the ark was 300 cubits long, by 50 cubits wide, by 30 cubits high, these are the converted measurements given in the NIV translation.

[2] MacArthur, J., Jr. (ed.), The MacArthur Study Bible (Nashville, TN 1997) 25.

[3] Gentry, P. J., Wellum, S. J., Kingdom through Covenant: A Biblical-Theological Understanding of the Covenants (Wheaton, IL 2012) 129.