Genesis 6:16-18
New English Translation
16 Make a roof for the ark and finish it, leaving 18 inches[a] from the top.[b] Put a door in the side of the ark, and make lower, middle, and upper decks. 17 I am about to bring[c] floodwaters[d] on the earth to destroy[e] from under the sky all the living creatures that have the breath of life in them.[f] Everything that is on the earth will die, 18 but I will confirm[g] my covenant with you. You will enter[h] the ark—you, your sons, your wife, and your sons’ wives with you.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Genesis 6:16 tn Heb “a cubit.”
- Genesis 6:16 tn Heb “to a cubit you shall finish it from above.” The idea is that Noah was to leave an 18-inch opening from the top for a window for light.
- Genesis 6:17 tn The Hebrew construction uses the independent personal pronoun, followed by a suffixed form of הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”) and the participle used with an imminent future nuance: “As for me, look, I am going to bring.”
- Genesis 6:17 tn Heb “the flood, water.”
- Genesis 6:17 tn The verb שָׁחָת (shakhat, “to destroy”) is repeated yet again, only now in an infinitival form expressing the purpose of the flood.
- Genesis 6:17 tn The Hebrew construction here is different from the previous two; here it is רוּחַ חַיִּים (ruakh khayyim) rather than נֶפֶשׁ חַיָּה (nefesh khayyah) or נִשְׁמַת חַיִּים (nishmat khayyim). It refers to everything that breathes.
- Genesis 6:18 tn The Hebrew verb וַהֲקִמֹתִי (vahaqimoti) is the Hiphil perfect with a vav (ו) consecutive (picking up the future sense from the participles) from קוּם (qum, “to rise up”). This may refer to the confirmation or fulfillment of an earlier promise, but it is more likely that it anticipates the unconditional promise made to humankind following the flood (see Gen 9:9, 11, 17).
- Genesis 6:18 tn The perfect verb form with vav (ו) consecutive is best understood as specific future, continuing God’s description of what will happen (see vv. 17-18a).
Genesis 6:16-18
New International Version
16 Make a roof for it, leaving below the roof an opening one cubit[a] high all around.[b] Put a door in the side of the ark and make lower, middle and upper decks. 17 I am going to bring floodwaters(A) on the earth to destroy all life under the heavens, every creature that has the breath of life in it. Everything on earth will perish.(B) 18 But I will establish my covenant with you,(C) and you will enter the ark(D)—you and your sons and your wife and your sons’ wives with you.
Footnotes
- Genesis 6:16 That is, about 18 inches or about 45 centimeters
- Genesis 6:16 The meaning of the Hebrew for this clause is uncertain.
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