Genesis 9:8–17
After the flood, God makes a covenant with Noah and every living creature
Study it word by word8And Elohim spoke to Noah and to his sons with him, saying,
9“And I, look, I am establishing my covenant with you and with your offspring after you,
10and with every living being that is with you, the birds, the livestock, and every animal of the earth with you, of all that came out of the ark, to every animal of the earth.
11And I will establish my covenant with you: and never again will all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood, and never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth.”
12And Elohim said, “This is the sign of the covenant that I am giving between me and you and every living being that is with you, for generations forever:
13my bow I have put in the cloud, and it will be for a sign of the covenant between me and the earth.
14And it will happen, when I bring clouds over the earth and the bow appears in the cloud,
15that I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living being of all flesh; and the waters will never again become a flood to destroy all flesh.
16And the bow will be in the cloud, and I will see it to remember the eternal covenant between Elohim and every living being of all flesh that is on the earth.”
17And Elohim said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant that I have established between me and all flesh that is on the earth.”
In its context
6Whoever sheds the blood of the human being, by the human being his blood will be shed; for in the image of Elohim he made the human being.
7And you, be fruitful and multiply, swarm on the earth and multiply on it.”
…
18And the sons of Noah who went out of the ark were Shem, Ham, and Japheth; and Ham was the father of Canaan.
19These three were the sons of Noah, and from these the whole earth was spread out.
Its words in the original
- יֹּאמֶרyomer· say
Say, speak. The most common verb for bringing in what someone says; sometimes "think" (say to oneself) or "command".
- אֱלֹהִיםelohim· Elohim, God, gods
The Hebrew word usually translated "God". This translation keeps "Elohim" when it speaks of the one true God, the Creator, the God of Israel. The word ends like a plural, but it does not mean several: for him the verb is singular ("Elohim created"); the plural form expresses greatness. The same word as a common noun names the "gods" of other peoples, and there it is a true plural, translated "gods". It is also used of mighty ones or judges.
- נֹחַnoach· 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).
- בָּנָיbanay· son
Son. In the plural it can include sons and daughters, and also grandsons and descendants. "Son of..." also says what group someone belongs to ("sons of Israel" = Israelites).
- מֵקִיםmekim· rise, stand, establish
Rise, stand up; also stand firm, establish or fulfill something. "Rise against" is to attack.
- בְּרִיתִberiti· covenant
Covenant: a solemn commitment between two parties, with promises and obligations. When God makes it, he is the one who offers it and guarantees it.
- זַרְעֲzara· offspring, seed
Seed. From there "offspring": the children and generations that come from someone. Also sowing and semen.
- נֶפֶשׁnefesh· soul, living being, life
A breathing being, a living being. It is translated "living being" (people and animals), "life" (when living or dying is at stake), "person" (in counts and laws), "soul" (the person at the innermost: desires, joy, anguish) or "myself". In the Old Testament it names the whole living being, not only a part of it.
- חַיָּהchaya· living, animal, life
Living, alive; also fresh (of water). As a noun, "living thing" or "animal" (above all wild animals); in the plural, "life".
- עוֹףof· bird
Bird; any creature that flies. It is usually singular with a collective sense: "the birds".
- בְּהֵמָהbehema· livestock, beast
Four-footed animal, above all livestock and domestic animals; sometimes all animals in contrast with human beings.
- אָרֶץarets· earth, land
The earth, in two senses: the whole world in contrast with the heavens, or a particular country or region ("the land of Egypt").
- יֹצְאֵיyotse· go out, bring out
Go out, come out. In the causative form, "make go out", "bring out", "lead out", "produce".
- תֵּבָהteva· ark
Ark: a large box or chest. It is Noah's vessel; the same word is used only again for the basket where the baby Moses was put (Exodus 2:3).
- יִכָּרֵתyikaret· cut, cut off
Cut, cut down. Said of a living being, cut off, destroy. "Cut a covenant" is the Hebrew expression for making a covenant, because it was sealed by cutting animals in two (Genesis 15).
- בָּשָׂרbasar· flesh
Flesh: the body, and the person as weak and mortal. "One flesh" is the union of husband and wife; "my flesh" can mean "my family". "All flesh" is every living being. In the Old Testament it does not mean something bad in itself.
- מֵּיme· water
Water. In Hebrew it is always plural ("waters").
- מַּבּוּלmabul· flood
Flood: the great flood in the days of Noah. The word is almost only used for that event.
- יִהְיֶהyihye· be, become, happen
Be, exist; also "become" or "happen". It is the verb of "there was", "it was" and "it came to pass".
- שַׁחֵתshachet· corrupt, destroy
Spoil, corrupt; destroy, ruin. The same verb can say what people do to the earth (corrupt it) and what God does in judgment (destroy).
- אוֹתot· sign
Sign: something visible that serves to show or recall something else (a mark, a warning, a proof). The heavenly bodies are signs that mark days, seasons and years; in other passages it is an extraordinary deed by which God shows something.
- נֹתֵןnoten· give, put, set
Give, in a very wide sense: hand over, put, place, grant, allow, make something be.
- דֹרֹתdorot· generation
Generation: the people who live in the same period; also an age, "all generations".
- עוֹלָםolam· forever, eternal
A very long time whose end cannot be seen: looking forward, "forever"; looking back, "of old", "ancient".
- קַשְׁתִּkashti· bow
Bow: the weapon for shooting arrows; also the rainbow, which God sets in the clouds as a sign of his covenant.
- עָנָןanan· cloud
Cloud.
- עַנְנִanni· bring clouds; practice soothsaying
Bring clouds, cover with clouds. In another form the same verb names a forbidden practice of divination.
- נִרְאֲתָהnirata· see
See. Also look, observe, notice, consider; in some forms, "appear" or "show".
- זָכַרְתִּיzacharti· remember
Remember, call to mind; also mention. When God "remembers" someone, it is not that he had forgotten: it means he acts in his favor.