Catholic Commentary on Genesis 6

"Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked faithfully with God." (Genesis 6:9)

Corruption and Covenant

The spread of humanity across the earth has brought a corresponding spread of corruption. God sees that the wickedness of humankind has become great, that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart is only evil all the time. He is grieved in his heart. The emotional language attributed to God here is not anthropomorphism to be explained away but a genuine revelation: the Creator is not indifferent to the state of his creation. The rebellion of his image-bearers causes him grief. The Catechism teaches that God does not cause evil but permits it within the freedom he has given, and that he responds to it with the full weight of his justice and mercy (CCC 311).

The decision is to uncreate: to return the earth to the watery chaos of Genesis 1. But in the midst of the judgment, a single man stands out: Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked faithfully with God. The same phrase used of Enoch, walking with God, is used of Noah. Righteousness here is not moral perfection but the faithful orientation of a life toward the God who calls. God speaks to Noah with a plan: build an ark, bring your family and pairs of every creature, for I am going to bring floodwaters on the earth. Noah does everything just as God commanded him.

Living the Word

Brothers and sisters, Noah found favour in the eyes of the LORD while everyone around him did not. He built an ark in a world that had never seen rain. The building of the ark is the sustained act of obedience that followed a single word from God, carried out over years, in the face of a world that had no category for what he was doing. Faith that will survive the flood must be built before the rain comes. What has God told you to build? Is it under construction?

Prayer

Lord God, the earth was corrupt and filled with violence, and you grieved. Give us the righteousness of Noah: blameless in our generation, walking faithfully with you regardless of what surrounds us. And when you give us instructions that make no sense to the world, let us do everything just as you have commanded. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

6
Corruption on the Earth
(Matthew 24:36–51)
1 Now when men began to multiply on the face of the earth and daughters were born to them, 2 the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful, and they took as wives whomever they chose.
 
3 So the LORD said, “My Spirit will not contend with man forever,* 6:3 LXX and Syriac My Spirit will not remain in man forever for he is mortal; his days shall be 120 years.”
 
4 The Nephilim were on the earth in those days—and afterward as well—when the sons of God had relations with the daughters of men. And they bore them children who became the mighty men of old, men of renown.
 
5 Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great upon the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was altogether evil all the time. 6 And the LORD regretted that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. 7 So the LORD said, “I will blot out man, whom I have created, from the face of the earth—every man and beast and crawling creature and bird of the air—for I am grieved that I have made them.”
Noah’s Favor with God
 
8 Noah, however, found favor in the eyes of the LORD.
 
9 This is the account of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation; Noah walked with God. 10 And Noah had three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
 
11 Now the earth was corrupt in the sight of God, and full of violence. 12 And God looked upon the earth and saw that it was corrupt; for all living creatures † 6:12 Literally all flesh; similarly in verses 13, 17, and 19 on the earth had corrupted their ways.
Preparing the Ark
(Hebrews 11:7)
 
13 Then God said to Noah, “The end of all living creatures has come before Me, because through them the earth is full of violence. Now behold, I will destroy both them and the earth.
 
14 Make for yourself an ark of gopher wood;‡ 6:14 Gopher is an unknown kind of tree; possibly cypress or cedar. make rooms in the ark and coat it with pitch inside and out. 15 And this is how you are to build it: The ark is to be 300 cubits long, 50 cubits wide, and 30 cubits high.§ 6:15 The ark was approximately 450 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet high (137.2 meters long, 22.9 meters wide, and 13.7 meters high). 16 You are to make a roof * 6:16 Or skylight or window for the ark, finish its walls a cubit from the top,† 6:16 A cubit is approximately 18 inches or 45.7 centimeters. place a door in the side of the ark, and build lower, middle, and upper decks.
 
17 And behold, I will bring floodwaters upon the earth to destroy every creature under the heavens that has the breath of life. Everything on the earth will perish. 18 But I will establish My covenant with you, and you will enter the ark—you and your sons and your wife and your sons’ wives with you.
 
19 And you are to bring two of every living creature into the ark—male and female—to keep them alive with you. 20 Two of every kind of bird and animal and crawling creature will come to you to be kept alive. 21 You are also to take for yourself every kind of food that is eaten and gather it as food for yourselves and for the animals.”
 
22 So Noah did everything precisely as God had commanded him.

*6:3 6:3 LXX and Syriac My Spirit will not remain in man forever

†6:12 6:12 Literally all flesh; similarly in verses 13, 17, and 19

‡6:14 6:14 Gopher is an unknown kind of tree; possibly cypress or cedar.

§6:15 6:15 The ark was approximately 450 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet high (137.2 meters long, 22.9 meters wide, and 13.7 meters high).

*6:16 6:16 Or skylight or window

†6:16 6:16 A cubit is approximately 18 inches or 45.7 centimeters.

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