1 And God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the cattle that were with him in the ark; and God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters assuaged; 2 the fountains also of the deep and the windows of heaven were stopped, and the rain from heaven was restrained. 3 And the waters returned from off the earth continually; and after the end of a hundred and fifty days the waters decreased. 4 And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat. 5 And the waters decreased continually until the tenth month; in the tenth month, on the first day of the month, were the tops of the mountains seen. 6 And it came to pass at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made. 7 And he sent forth a raven, and it went forth to and fro, until the waters were dried up from off the earth. 8 And he sent forth a dove from him, to see if the waters were abated from off the face of the ground. 9 But the dove found no rest for the sole of her foot, and she returned unto him to the ark, for the waters were on the face of the whole earth; and he put forth his hand, and took her, and brought her in unto him into the ark. 10 And he stayed yet other seven days; and again he sent forth the dove out of the ark. 11 And the dove came in to him at eventide; and lo in her mouth an olive-leaf freshly plucked; so Noah knew that the waters were abated from off the earth. 12 And he stayed yet other seven days; and sent forth the dove; and she returned not again unto him any more. 13 And it came to pass in the six hundred and first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, the waters were dried up from off the earth; and Noah removed the covering of the ark, and looked, and behold, the face of the ground was dried. 14 And in the second month, on the seven and twentieth day of the month, was the earth dry. 15 And God spoke unto Noah, saying: 16 'Go forth from the ark, thou, and thy wife, and thy sons, and thy sons' wives with thee. 17 Bring forth with thee every living thing that is with thee of all flesh, both fowl, and cattle, and every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth; that they may swarm in the earth, and be fruitful, and multiply upon the earth.' 18 And Noah went forth, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons' wives with him; 19 every beast, every creeping thing, and every fowl, whatsoever moveth upon the earth, after their families; went forth out of the ark. 20 And Noah builded an altar unto the LORD; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt-offerings on the altar. 21 And the LORD smelled the sweet savour; and the LORD said in His heart: 'I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake; for the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done. 22 While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.'
Genesis 8 JPS Tanakh (1917)
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
Notes on this text (1)
- Numbers like (22-2) in the text give the Hebrew verse numbering where it differs.
People & places in this chapter
From this site's family tree and Bible maps, only where those guides cite this chapter.
People
Noah
A righteous man who found favor with God and rode out the flood in an ark.
Cited in the guide: Genesis 5:28–9:29
Cross references (19)
Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.
- 1 Genesis 30:22; Genesis 19:29; Psalm 136:23; Exodus 2:24; 1 Samuel 1:19
- 2 Genesis 7:11; Matthew 8:26–27; Proverbs 8:28; Job 37:11–13; Matthew 8:9
- 3 Genesis 7:24; Genesis 7:11
- 4 2 Kings 19:37; Isaiah 37:38; Jeremiah 51:27; Genesis 7:17–19
- 6 Genesis 6:16; Daniel 6:10
- 7 1 Kings 17:4; Job 38:41; Psalm 147:9; 1 Kings 17:6; Leviticus 11:15
- 8 Song of Songs 2:14; Song of Songs 1:15; Genesis 8:10–12; Matthew 10:16; Song of Songs 2:11–12
- 9 Psalm 116:7; Matthew 11:28; Deuteronomy 28:65; John 16:33; Isaiah 60:8
- 10 Genesis 7:4; Genesis 7:10; Psalm 40:1; Romans 8:25; Genesis 8:12
- 11 Nehemiah 8:15; Romans 10:15; Zechariah 4:12–14
- 12 Isaiah 25:9; Isaiah 26:8; Isaiah 30:18; Genesis 8:10; Psalm 130:5–6
- 13 Genesis 7:11
- 14 Genesis 7:13–14; Genesis 7:11
- 16 Genesis 7:13; Psalm 121:8; Zechariah 9:11; Daniel 9:25–26; Psalm 91:11
- 17 Genesis 1:22; Genesis 9:1; Psalm 107:38; Jeremiah 31:27–28; Genesis 1:28
- 18 Psalm 121:8
- 20 Hebrews 13:15–16; Romans 12:1; Genesis 22:9; Genesis 12:7–8; Leviticus 11:1–47
- 21 2 Corinthians 2:15; Ephesians 5:2; Genesis 6:5; Jeremiah 17:9; Isaiah 54:9–10
- 22 James 5:7; Jeremiah 5:24; Psalm 74:16–17; Jeremiah 31:35; Song of Songs 2:11–12
Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences
What the Fathers said
Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).
How these were chosen
“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).
And the waters decreased continually until the eleventh month: on the first day of the month were the tops of the mountains seen." But if the months were such as we have, then so were the years.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 2 (1887)
For so with respect to the ark likewise, it is said, "The raven returned not till the earth was dried up." And yet it did not return even after that time.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 10 (1888)
And the sacrifice of the Greeks was rejected and condemned, but the sacrifice of the just was very acceptable to God. For Noah sacrificed, and God smelled a sweet savour, receiving the fragrance of the right choice and good-will towards Him.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 9 (1899)
When, then, it was sent forth, it brought an olive branch; but it had not leaves alone, it had also fruit. This, then, we ought to wish for our brethren who are baptized outside, that they may have fruit; the dove will not permit them to remain outside, but bring them back to the ark.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 7 (1888)
After the cessation of the flood, however, He said, Go forth of the ark, thou and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons' wives.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 9 (1899)