20
AndוַNoahנֹחַbuiltיִּבֶןan altarמִזְבֵּחַto YHWH,לַיהוָהand tookוַיִּקַּחof everyמִכֹּלcleanהַטְּהוֹרָהanimalהַבְּהֵמָהand of everyוּמִכֹּלcleanהַטָּהֹרbird,הָעוֹףand offeredוַיַּעַלburnt offeringsעֹלֹתon the altar.בַּמִּזְבֵּחַ
Genesis 8:20
Study it in the app“And Noah built an altar to YHWH, and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird, and offered burnt offerings on the altar.”
With the Hebrew beneath
Genesis 8:20, word by word
- Noahנֹחַnoach
Noah
Noah, son of Lamech, the man who found favor with YHWH and was saved with his family in the ark from the flood. In Hebrew "Noach" sounds like "rest" and "comfort" (Genesis 5:29).
Where else “noach” appears- builtיִּבֶןyiven
build
To raise a house, a city or an altar, setting stone on stone.
Where else “yiven” appears- an altarמִזְבֵּחַmizbeach
altar
Altar: a structure of stone or earth on which sacrifices are offered to God.
Where else “mizbeach” appears- to YHWHיהוָהyhva
YHWH
The personal name of the God of Israel, written in Hebrew with four letters, Y-H-W-H, without vowels. Out of reverence Jews stopped pronouncing it and read "Adonai" (Lord), so many Bibles put "the LORD" or "Jehovah". This translation keeps the four letters. The name is related to the verb "to be" (Exodus 3:14-15). He is not a god other than Elohim: "YHWH Elohim" is the same Creator God, called by his name.
Where else “yhva” appears- and tookיִּקַּחyikach
take
To grasp something in the hand to carry or use it.
Where else “yikach” appears- cleanטְּהוֹרָהtehora
clean
Fit under the law for worship, without stain.
Where else “tehora” appears- animalבְּהֵמָהbehema
beast
Animals in general.
Where else “behema” appears- birdעוֹףof
bird
The animals with wings and feathers that fly through the sky: doves, eagles, ravens.
Where else “of” appears- and offeredיַּעַלyaal
offer up
To burn a sacrifice on the altar; literally "make go up".
Where else “yaal” appears- burnt offeringsעֹלֹתolot
burnt offering
A sacrifice burned whole on the altar.
Where else “olot” appears
The context
19Every animal, every creeping thing, and every bird, everything that moves on the earth, by their families went out of the ark.
20 · This verse (above)
21And YHWH smelled the pleasing aroma, and YHWH said in his heart, “I will never again curse the ground because of the human being, for the inclination of the heart of the human being is evil from his youth; and I will never again strike every living thing, as I have done.
To study Genesis 8 in a group
1. What it says
What happened when Elohim remembered Noah, and what did Noah do when he came out of the ark (vv. 1, 20)?
2. What it means
What does YHWH’s promise never again to curse the ground because of humans mean (v. 21)?
3. How I live it
For what good thing can you give thanks today, as Noah did when he came out of the ark?