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cChart from recommended resource Jensen's Survey of the OT - used by permission
| Summary Chart of The Book of Genesis |
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| Focus | Foundation Events (Four Events) (Events Predominant) |
Foundation People (Four People) (People Predominant) |
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| Divisions | Creation (Ge 1-2) |
Fall (Ge 3-5) |
Flood (Ge 6-9) |
Nations (Ge 10-12) |
Abraham's Faith (Ge 12-24) |
Isaac's Family (Ge 25-26) |
Jacob's Conflicts (Ge 27-36) |
Joseph's Calamity (Ge 37-50) |
| Topics | Beginning of the Human Race (Race As A Whole) |
Beginning of the Hebrew Race (Family of Abraham) |
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| Faithfulness of Mankind (Noah) |
Faithfulness of One Man's Family (Abraham) |
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| Historical | Biographical | |||||||
| Place | Eastward From Eden to Ur |
Westward From Canaan to Egypt |
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| Time | ~2000+ Years (20% of Genesis) (~4004-2090BC) |
About 300 Years 193 Yr in Canaan, 93 Yr in Egypt (80% of Genesis) (2090-1804BC) |
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| Primeval History of Humanity |
Patriarchal History of Israel |
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| Author | Moses | |||||||
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BEGINNINGS
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Genesis 6:1 Now it came about, when men began to multiply on the face of the land, and daughters were born to them,
- to multiply - Ge 1:28
Now it came about, when men began to multiply on the face of the land, and daughters were born to them,
Genesis 6:2 that the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves, whomever they chose.
- the sons - Ge 4:26 Ex 4:22,23 De 14:1 Ps 82:6,7 Isa 63:16 Mal 2:11 Joh 8:41 Joh 8:42 Ro 9:7,8 2Co 6:18
- saw - 2Pe 2:14
- that they - Ge 3:6 39:6,7 2Sa 11:2 Job 31:1 1Jn 2:16
- and they - Ge 24:3 27:46 Ex 34:16 De 7:3,4 Jos 23:12,13 Ezr 9:1,2,12 Ne 13:24-27 Mal 2:15 1Co 7:39 2Co 6:14-16
that the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves, whomever they chose
Genesis 6:3 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."
- My - Nu 11:17 Ne 9:30 Isa 5:4 63:10 Jer 11:7,11 Ac 7:51 Ga 5:16,17 1Th 5:19 1Pe 3:18-20 Jude 1:14,15
- is - Ps 78:39 Joh 3:6 Ro 8:1-13 Ga 5:16-24 1Pe 3:20
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."
Genesis 6:4 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.
- giants - Nu 13:33 De 2:20,21 3:11 1Sa 17:4 2Sa 21:15-22
- after - Ge 6:3
- men of - Ge 11:4 Nu 16:2
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
Genesis 6:5 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.
- God - Ge 13:13 18:20,21 Ps 14:1-4 53:2 Ro 1:28-31 3:9-19
- every imagination - or, the whole imagination, The Hebrew word signifies not only the imagination, but also the purposes and desires. Ge 8:21 De 29:19 Job 15:16 Pr 6:18 Ec 7:29 9:3 Jer 17:9 Eze 8:9,12 Mt 15:19 Mk 7:21-23 Eph 2:1-3 Tit 3:3
- thoughts - Jer 4:14
- continually - Heb. every day
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.
QUESTION - What was it like in the days of Noah?
ANSWER - The biblical account of Noah begins in Genesis 6. Approximately 1,600 years had passed since the creation of Adam and Eve (Genesis 1:26–27). As the earth’s population exploded in number, it also exploded with evil. Long forgotten was the righteous sacrifice of Abel (Genesis 4:4) as “the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Genesis 6:5). Verses 11 and 12 say, “Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight, and the earth was filled with violence. And God saw the earth, and behold, it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth.” However, “Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord” (verse 8).
When Jesus described the events that will surround His second coming, He said, “Just as it was in the days of Noah, so will it be in the days of the Son of Man. They were eating and drinking and marrying and being given in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all” (Luke 17:26–27). Jesus was pointing out that, although the people of Noah’s day were totally depraved, they were not the least bit concerned about it. They were carrying on the events of their lives without a single thought of the judgment of God. Noah is described as a “preacher of righteousness” (2 Peter 2:5), meaning he had spent years warning his friends and neighbors what the Holy God was about to do. No one listened.
The depravity and ungodly lifestyles of the entire world at that time were enough to cause the Lord to “regret that He had made man” (Genesis 6:6). Many scholars believe that part of the need to destroy every human being except Noah and his family was the sin mentioned in Genesis 6:1–4, when “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.” As evil reproduced and overtook the world, the most merciful act God could perform was to start over.
It is interesting that God allowed Noah nearly one hundred years to complete the building of the ark. Through all that time, God patiently waited (1 Peter 3:20). Scripture seems to imply that Noah preached to the people of that time about what was coming (Hebrews 11:7). They did not believe Noah and were content with their wickedness and idolatry. Their hearts were hard and their ears dull. No one repented, and no one cared to seek God.
Jesus said that the world will be much the same before He returns to set up His earthly kingdom (Matthew 25:31–33). He warned us to “be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.” Second Timothy 3:1–4 gives us a clear picture of the state of the world before Jesus comes and most likely also describes the world in the days of Noah. That verse says, “But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God.” It is becoming increasingly obvious that, to understand what the world was like in the days of Noah, we only need to watch the evening news.GotQuestions.org
Genesis 6:6 The LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.
- repented - Ex 32:14 Nu 23:19 De 32:36 1Sa 15:11,29 2Sa 24:16 1Ch 21:15 Ps 106:45 110:4 Jer 18:8-10 26:19 Ho 11:8 Jon 3:10 Mal 3:6 Ro 11:29 Heb 6:17,18 Jas 1:17
- grieved - De 5:29 32:29 Ps 78:40 81:13 95:10 119:158 Isa 48:18 63:10 Eze 33:11 Lu 19:41,42 Eph 4:30 Heb 3:10,17
The LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.
Genesis 6:7 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."
- I will - Ps 24:1,2 37:20 Pr 10:27 16:4
- both man, and beast - Heb. from man unto beast, Jer 4:22-27 12:3,4 Ho 4:3 Zep 1:3 Ro 3:20-22
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
Genesis 6:8 But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD.
- Ge 19:19 Ex 33:12-17 Ps 84:11 145:20 Pr 3:4 8:35 12:2 Jer 31:2 Lu 1:30 Ac 7:46 Ro 4:4 11:6 1Co 15:10 Ga 1:15 2Ti 1:18 Tit 2:11 3:7 Heb 4:16 2Pe 2:5
But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD.
Genesis 6:9 These are the records of the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his time; Noah walked with God.
- These - Ge 2:4 5:1 10:1
- just - Ge 7:1 Job 12:4 Pr 4:18 Ec 7:20 Eze 14:14,20 Hab 2:4 Lu 2:25 Lu 23:50 Ac 10:22 Ro 1:17 Ga 3:11 Heb 11:7 2Pe 2:5
- perfect - or, upright, 2Ch 15:17 25:2 Job 1:1,8 Ps 37:37 Lu 1:6 Php 3:9-15
- and Noah - Ge 5:22,24 17:1 48:15 1Ki 3:6 Lu 1:6 1Pe 2:5
These are the records of the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his time; Noah walked with God.
Genesis 6:10 Noah became the father of three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
- Shem - Ge 5:32
Noah became the father of three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
Genesis 6:11 Now the earth was corrupt in the sight of God, and the earth was filled with violence.
- before - Ge 7:1 10:9 13:13 2Ch 34:27 Lu 1:6 Ro 2:13 3:19
- filled - Ps 11:5 55:9 140:11 Isa 60:18 Jer 6:7 Eze 8:17 28:16 Ho 4:1,2 Hab 1:2 2:8,17
Now the earth was corrupt in the sight of God, and the earth was filled with violence
Genesis 6:12 God looked on the earth, and behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way upon the earth.
- God - Ge 6:8 18:21 Job 33:27 Ps 14:2 33:13,14 53:2,3 Pr 15:3
- for all - Ge 6:4,5 7:1,21 9:12,16,17 Job 22:15-17 Lu 3:6 1Pe 3:19,20 2Pe 2:5
God looked on the earth, and behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way upon the earth
Genesis 6:13 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.
- The end - Jer 51:13 Eze 7:2-6 Am 8:2 1Pe 4:7
- filled - Ge 6:4,11,12 49:5 Ho 4:1,2
- and behold - Ge 6:17
- with - or, from, Ge 7:23
- the earth - Jer 4:23-28 Heb 11:7 2Pe 3:6,7,10-12
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
Genesis 6:14 "Make for yourself an ark of gopher wood; you shall make the ark with rooms, and shall cover it inside and out with pitch.
- Make - Mt 24:38 Lu 17:27 1Pe 3:20
- rooms - Heb. nests
- shalt pitch - Ex 2:3
Make for yourself an ark of gopher wood; you shall make the ark with rooms, and shall cover it inside and out with pitch
How long did it take Noah to build the ark? The Bible does not specifically say how long it took Noah to build the ark. When Noah is first mentioned in Genesis 5:32, he is 500 years old. When Noah enters the ark, he is 600 years old. The time it took to build the ark would depend on how much time passed between Genesis 6:14, when God commanded Noah to build the ark; and Genesis 7:1, when God commanded Noah to enter the ark. Some scholars teach that it took Noah 120 years to build the ark, based on Genesis 6:3. Others say that it took 100 years, based on Noah’s age in Genesis 5:32 and his age in Genesis 7:6. (Gotquestions.org)
Genesis 6:15 "This is how you shall make it: the length of the ark three hundred cubits, its breadth fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits.
- cubits - Ge 7:20 De 3:11
This is how you shall make it: the length of the ark three hundred cubits, its breadth fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits
Genesis 6:16 "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.
- window - Ge 8:6 2Sa 6:16 2Ki 9:30
- the door - Ge 7:16 Lu 13:25
- with - Eze 41:16 42:3
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
Genesis 6:17 "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.
- behold - Ge 6:13 7:4,21-23 9:9 Ex 14:17 Lev 26:28 De 32:39 Ps 29:10 Isa 51:12 Eze 5:8 6:3 34:11,20 Ho 5:14 2Pe 2:5
- bring - Ge 7:4,17,21-23 Job 22:16 Ps 29:10 93:3,4 107:34 Isa 54:9 Am 9:6 Mt 24:39 Lu 17:27 Heb 11:7 1Pe 3:20
- is the - Ge 2:7 7:15
- shall die - Ge 6:7 Ps 107:34 Ro 5:12-14,21 6:23 8:20-22
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
QUESTION - What does the Bible say about uniformitarianism vs. catastrophism?
ANSWER - Geologically speaking, uniformitarianism is the idea that geological processes (rates of erosion and uplift, etc.) are essentially the same today as they were in the unobservable past. According to this principle, we should be able to make accurate determinations about processes in the past simply by observing processes in the present. This principle is often summed up aphoristically in the phrase “the present is the key to the past.” A strict uniformitarian would look at a canyon with a river running through the bottom and see millions of years of slow, gradual erosion caused by that river.
Catastrophism is the idea that natural disasters (floods, earthquakes, etc.) can dramatically alter the surface of the earth very quickly and that we can be certain that at least some of the geological features we see today were formed rapidly during past catastrophes rather than by the slow, gradual processes of uniformitarianism. We must, therefore, take the possible effects of unknown catastrophes into consideration when studying the history of the earth’s surface. A catastrophist would look at the same canyon with the river running through the bottom and wonder if it was the result of gradual uniformitarian or rapid catastrophic erosion (like the canyon rapidly formed by the Toutle River washing out a mudslide following the Mt. St. Helens eruption in Washington State).
The uniformitarianism-versus-catastrophism debate is essentially this: how much can geologists rely on extrapolations of present-day geological processes when postulating the history and age of geological phenomena?
Of course, you won’t find the words uniformitarianism or catastrophism anywhere in the Bible. The Bible does say that Earth was inundated in a global deluge (Noah’s flood). Thus, any geological phenomena caused by gradual uniformitarian processes prior to that catastrophe were either eroded by the flood’s waters or else lost under the massive amounts of sedimentation deposited during the flood. We cannot necessarily rely upon uniformitarian reasoning when examining anything affected by this flood.GotQuestions.org
Genesis 6:18 "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.
- establish - Ge 9:9,11 17:4,7,21
- come - Ge 7:1,7,13 Isa 26:20 Heb 11:7 1Pe 3:20 2Pe 2:5
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
Genesis 6:19 "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.
- two - Ge 7:2,3,8,9,15,16 8:17 Ps 36:6
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.
Gotquestions.org - How many of each type of animal did Noah take on the ark? Seven pairs of each kind of clean animal and one pair of each kind of other animals were taken on the ark (Genesis 6:19-20; 7:2-3). By “clean” the Bible means animals that were "acceptable for sacrifice." That is why seven pairs of the clean animals were taken – so some of them could be sacrificed after the Flood was over without endangering the species.
Genesis 6:20 "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.
- fowls - Ge 1:20-24 Ac 10:11,12
- two - Ge 1:28 2:19 7:8-16 Joh 5:40
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
Genesis 6:21 "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."
- Ge 1:29,30 Job 38:41 40:20 Ps 35:6 104:27,28 136:25 145:16 147:9 Mt 6:26
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
Genesis 6:22 Thus Noah did; according to all that God had commanded him, so he did.
- Ge 7:5,9,16 17:23 Ex 40:16,19,21,23,25,27,32 De 12:32 Mt 7:24-27 Joh 2:5 15:14 Heb 11:7,8 1Jn 5:3,4
Thus Noah did; according to all that God had commanded him, so he did