Genesis 6

Genesis 6:9, The character of Noah. This passage lists the character attributes of Noah. The character sketch of this man of Elohim who preached righteousness to a generation of unmitigated evil people commences this way: “These are the generations [Heb. toledaw] of Noah: Noah was a just [Heb. tzaddiyq] man and perfect [Heb. tamiym] in his generations [Heb. dowr], and Noah walked with Elohim.”

• Generations is the Hebrew word toledaw meaning “descendants, genealogies, or results.”
• Just is the Hebrew word tzaddiyq meaning “a lawful, righteous man.”
• Perfect is the Hebrew word tamiym meaning “entire, integrity, truth, without blemish, complete, full, undefiled, or upright”.

The word generations at the end of the verse is the Hebrew word dowr meaning “a man’s lifetime beginning with the womb of earth and returning thereto…likewise from conception and birth of a man to the conception and birth of his offspring” (The TWOT).

Is it possible to be just and perfect and have a faith in and a love for YHVH without walking in a Torah-obedient lifestyle? No. After all, it is YHVH’s Torah that defines the biblical standard of righteousness (Ps 119:172). Noah kept himself separate and unspotted spiritually from the world around him; although he was in the world, he was not of the world. He and his family lived set-apart, kadosh lives separate from the evil and the filth of the immorality around them. Some Bible scholars find an additional understanding in this verse, as well, in that Noah and his sons did not intermarry with the fallen ones (or nephilim) who were the offspring of the daughters of men and the sons of Elohim (i.e., the fallen angels; Gen 6:4). 

The “sons of Elohim” in Genesis 6:4 are fallen angles who had relations with daughters of men thus producing the giants (Heb. nephilim) on the earth. This unlawful sexual activity corrupted the human gene pool. At the same time, Noah’s ancestors and descendents refused to intermarry with the nephilim and were thus from an undiluted genetic strain going back to Adam. What is the lesson here for us? Are you living a life totally set-apart from the corrupting influences (both physical and spiritual) of the fallen world around you? Are you encouraging your children to marry inside the faith, and not to intermarry with the ungodly heathens, who will likely exercise a negative influence on them, thus dragging your children downward morally and spiritually?
After all, who can deny the fact that the Bible is the tragic story from cover to cover of the ungodly corrupting the godly, for “evil companionship corrupts good morals” (1 Cor 15:33). Seldom does the opposite occur. This is why Scripture admonishes the saints to “‘[c]ome out from among them and be separate,’ says YHVH. ‘Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you,’” (2 Cor 6:17).On many occasions, YHVH rebuked and punished the Israelites for falling into the trap of compromise and acquiescence to the wicked influences around them, which inevitably led to spiritual degradation, immorality, idolatry and divine judgement. This is exactly what occurred to Noah’s generation.

Genesis 6:9, Perfect [Heb. tamiym] in his generation [Heb. dor]. The Hebrew word tamiym means “entire, complete, whole (literally, figuratively or morally); also (as a noun) “integrity, truth.” Dor means “a revolution of time, that is, an age or generation; also a dwelling.”  Tamiym is translated in the KJV as “without blemish, complete, full, perfect, sincerely (-ity), sound, without spot, undefiled, upright (-ly), whole.” Thus the idea that this verse suggests that Noah’s genome was pure and untainted by nephilim DNA may hold merit, but it is primarily an indication of his moral and spiritual status before YHVH.

Noah walked with Elohim.What does it mean to walk with Elohim? The word walk is the Hebrew word halak/lKV. This word can mean walking physically or figuratively in a spiritual sense. In numerous places in the Scriptures, halak is used in reference to one who lives a Torah-obedient lifestyle; that is, one who walks in the righteous instructions, precepts and teachings of YHVH as outlined in his Word (Ps 119:1, 3). Conversely, there is a walk of darkness for those who walk contrary to the Torah-law of YHVH (Isa 59:9). In Amos 3:3, YHVH asks of his people, “Can two walk together, except they be agreed?” In Hebrew thought, one’s walk in this context is referring to one’s spiritual walk. Numerous times YHVH commands his people to walk in all his ways (i.e., in the instructions and teachings of YHVH’s Torah). Because Noah walked in YHVH’s ways, he found grace (kindness, favor, preciousness) in the eyes of YHVH and was spared from judgment (Gen 6:8).

Genesis 6–7

Genesis 6–8, Noah’s flood provides allegorical insights relating to end-times prophecy. In Matthew 24:37, Yeshua compares the end times to the days of Noah. This teaches us that in the eyes of Yeshua, the story of Noah has allegorical implications that give hints about end-times prophecy.

In 1 Peter 3:18–22, we learn that the story of Noah is also a picture of salvation and water baptism. Thus Noah is a prophetic antetype of Yeshua.

To start with, Noah building the ark is a prophetic picture of the redeemed believer working out his own salvation (Phil 2:12), yet while doing so according to YHVH’s exact plans or specifications (e.g., repentance from sin, faith in Yeshua, baptism for the remission of sins, and faithful obedience to YHVH’s commandments).

Noah builds an ark of safety from Elohim’s wrath or judgments against sinful man. The ark is a metaphorical picture of the believer’s salvation, and Noah is a spiritual picture of Yeshua. The flood is also a picture of water baptism for the remission of sins, which ceremonially pictures the death of the old sinful man, and the birth of the new spiritual man (Rom 6:3–6). Water can both clean one of dirt and kill. The same water cleanses the repentant sinner but kills the unrepentant sinner. Unregenerated sinful or carnal men perished in the floodwaters in Noah’s day, while the new, redeemed man (as pictured by Noah and his family) who had found grace in the sight of Elohim (Gen 6:8) found refuge on the ark. While the flood is a judgment against sinful man who has violated the Torah-laws or divine instructions of YHVH, the ark is a picture of the grace that YHVH offers to those who will repent of their sins (i.e., Torahlessness, see 1 John 3:4) and will turn to him through Yeshua. Since Noah found grace in the eyes of YHVH because he was “perfect in his generations” (Gen 6:8, 9), he was spared from YHVH’s judgments against sin (or the wages of sin which is death, Rom 6:23). YHVH offers the same gift of grace to all men today (2 Pet 3:9).

The ark had three levels indicating the three levels of salvation rewards that YHVH offers to his saints, which is analogous to the three sections in the Tabernacle of Moses. The highest level where Noah lived is the section of the ark that was the closest to heaven, where YHVH abides, and is a picture of the kadosh hakadoshim (the holy of holies, also known as the d’veer meaning “oracle”), which was the place in the tabernacle from which Elohim spoke to the Moses and the Israelites. It is in that highest place that one hears Elohim’s instructions directly from him.

The unclean animals are a clear biblical metaphor for the lost and scattered Israelites returning to YHVH in the end times from the beast or heathen nations to where they have been scattered and where they have become like Gentiles or beasts of the field (Hos 2:16–19 cp. Acts 10:12, 28). This is illustrated in Peter’s vision of the sheet (Acts 10:12, 28), where the Gentiles are likened to unclean animals that YHVH has redeemed (Acts 10:12, 28 cp. with the great and innumerable multitude of Rev 7:9, the lukewarm believers of Laodicea in Rev 3:14–21, the thief on the cross, and the foolish virgins in Yeshua’s parable in Matt 25:1–13). The clean animals may represent the 144,000 of Revelation 7 and 14, and who are those saints, who have remained faithful in keeping YHVH’s Torah commandments, while at the same time maintaining faith in Yeshua the Messiah (Rev 12:17; 14:12).

Noah escaping the wrath of Elohim may be a antetype of the second exodus of end-times Israelites from the nations of the world. As a mixed multitude joined Israel in the exodus from Egypt, so even within Noah’s family there was a mixed multitude containing a spiritual tare; namely, Ham who later fell into sin (Gen 9:22–27) and become the father of the evil Nimrod (Gen 10). Even Yeshua had Judas, a tare, among his select group of disciples, and Yeshua teaches that the tares would coexist with the wheat up until the end times (Matt 13:24–30).

The waters that flooded the world both gushed up from out of the bowels of the earth and rained down from heaven (Gen 7:11). Water is often a biblical metaphor for the spoken word (e.g., Deut 32:2; Isa 55:10–11; John 9:6; Eph 5:26); namely, it represents both the Word of Elohim from above, and the word (philosophies, thoughts, ideas, religions) of man that are counter to the Word of Elohim and that have their source from below. In the last days, knowledge shall be increased, the devil shall spew out of his mouth deceptive words or philosophies like a flood in an effort to spiritually drown the world and even the saints through deception (Rev 12:15; Matt 24:14). Water can also be a judgment against men. YHVH will judge men for their words, philosophies and religions. Those who followed YHVH’s Word from heaven will be spared his wrath, while those who have subscribed to the words or philosophies of men from below will perish or be judged in a sea of men’s words that are often founded on doctrines of demons. Those who feed spiritually from the tree of knowledge (i.e., secular humanism and all the false religions and ideologies that have spawned from it) will die, while those who feed spiritually from the tree of life or the word of Noah (i.e., a prophetic picture Yeshua), the preacher of righteousness (i.e., the Torah, see Ps 119:172 and 2 Pet 2:5) will live. In the last days, the Word of YHVH will judge men, for when Yeshua returns to the earth on his white war stallion, the sword of the word of Elohim will be coming out of his mouth with which he will judge the nations (Rev 19:11–15). 

It rained 40 days. This is another picture of judgment, since biblically, forty is the number of trials, testing or spiritual refinement.

The ark came to “rest” (Heb. nuach meaning “repose, settle down, be quiet”) on the mountains Ararat (Gen 8:4). From there, Noah built an altar and begin to rule the earth. This is a prophetic picture of Yeshua, at his second advent, coming to Zion or the Temple Mount where he will have his temple and will establish his kingdom on earth. It will be a time of peace on earth.

The word Ararat means “the curse is reversed.” The ark came to rest on Ararat during the Feast of Tabernacles or Sukkot. This is a prophetic picture of the saints coming to a place of spiritual rest at the beginning of the Millennium after the judgments of Elohim have been poured out on the wickedness of this earth and the wicked rebels have been destroyed.

The dove is a prophetic metaphor for the bride of Yeshua who follows the Spirit of Elohim. The dove coming from the top window of the ark symbolizes the resurrected and glorified bride of Yeshua coming back to earth from heaven to rule with Yeshua on earth (Rev 19:1ff). The dove left and came back on the seventh day—the Shabbat. This is a picture of the Millennium or the seventh millennia of man’s existence on earth. Several times in the story of Noah, it is mentioned about the dove finding rest or not finding rest. This is another picture of the Millennium—a time of rest for the saints or the bride of Yeshua (Heb 4:1–10).

The raven who feeds on carrion is a metaphor for the devil who feeds off of dead meat of lost and wicked men, and who is actively trying to kill, steal and destroy (John 10:10) like a ravenous lion (1 Pet 5:8). Satan will be active at the end of the Millennium, as well, when he will be loosed from the pit for a short season from which he will go to the wicked rebels in Gog and Magog where he will incite them come against Yeshua and the saints in Jerusalem (Rev 20:7–10).

Noah’s altar may well be a picture of the third temple that will be built in Jerusalem during the Millennium (or Ezekiel’s temple, Ezek 40–48).

According to Christian commentator Matthew Henry, Noah’s ark was an early Christian metaphor for salvation and YHVH’s delivering his people form evil and judgment against wickedness. We see this allusion in 1 Peter 3:20–22 where the flood is a picture of salvation, deliverance by baptism and the resurrection of Yeshua.

The ark was covered with pitch, which is a picture of the redeemed believer being covered by the blood of Yeshua to keep the spiritual ark of his life from sinking under the judgment of Elohim against men’s sin. This truth of this imagery is revealed in the Hebrew words for pitch and atonement, which share the same root word in Hebrew.

The name Noah means “rest.” Yeshua bids all who are heavy laden and need rest to come to him (Matt 11:28–30).

Noah was 600 years old when he went into the ark and the flood came. YHVH’s final judgment against wicked men will be at the end of the 6000 years of men’s rebellious tenure on this earth.

Noah did not leave the ark and set foot on the earth until YHVH bade him to do so (Gen 8:15). Likewise, Yeshua will not return to the earth from heaven until the Father permits it.

The Noachic Covenant that Elohim made with all humanity (Gen 9:1) is a picture of the New Covenant (also referred to as the “Everlasting” or “Perpetual Covenant”; Isa 55:3; Jer 32:40; 50:20; Ezek 16:60; 37:26; Heb 13:20;) being ratified in the Millennium with “all Israel.” No non-Israelites (i.e., no sinners) will be permitted to live, but will be burned up in the lake of fire at the end of the Millennium (Rev 20:11–15).

Genesis 7

Genesis 7:2, Of every clean animal.