God makes Adam and Eve and

everything
An EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary (2800 word vocabulary) on Genesis
chaters !"!!
www.easyenglish.info
Marie Wetherill and Keith Simons
This commentary has been through Advanced Checking.
Words in boxes are from the Bible.
A word list at the end explains words with a *star by them.
About the Book of Genesis
We do not know who wrote the Book of enesis. And we do not know when that person wrote the
book. There is an ancient tradition that !oses was the author. !odern Bible students have many
other ideas. But we can see that enesis is a very old book. "ven the oldest books in the Bible
refer to it #for example$ "xodus %&'() *ob +,&+(-+./.
The author was not merely collecting ancient stories. And he was not merely recording ancient
history. 0n fact$ enesis is a very careful account$ which teaches the main principles in the Bible.
The author describes the nature of od. The author explains od1s plan for a perfect world. The
author describes *sin and *sacrifice. 2e speaks about od1s promise to forgive. And$ he speaks
about od1s promise to send *esus. The Bible teaches that the author was not merely setting out
his own ideas. 0nstead$ the author wrote by the 2oly 3pirit of od.
Chapter 1
v1 0n the beginning$ od created the skies and the earth. v2 The earth had no shape and it
was empty. "verything was dark$ and od1s 3pirit moved gently over the waters.
v3 And od said$ 45et there be light.1 And then there was light. v4 And od saw that the light
was good. od separated light from darkness. v5 2e named the light 4day1 and he named the
darkness 4night1. There was evening and there was morning. That was the first day.
v6 And od said$ 45et there be a *dome to divide the waters into two parts.1 v7 3o then there
was water above the *dome and there was water underneath it. 0t was exactly as od said. v8
od called the *dome 4the sky1. And there was evening and there was morning. That was the
second day.
v9 And od said$ 45et the waters underneath the sky come together into one place. 5et dry
land appear.1 And it was so. v10 od called the dry land 4earth1. And he called the waters that
came together 4seas1. And od saw that all those things were good. v11 And od said$ 45et
grass grow on the earth. 5et plants grow there that have grain and seeds. And let trees grow
there. They will be trees with fruits that have seeds. 3o then more grass and plants and trees
will grow. "ach one will be the same kind as the first one that it came from.1 And it was so. v12
rass grew on the earth. 6lants grew there that had grain and seeds. And trees grew there.
They had fruits with seeds in them. Then more grass$ plants and trees would grow like the first
ones. And od saw that all those things were good. v13 And there was evening and there was
morning. That was the third day.
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v14 And od said$ 45et there be lights in the sky in order to separate day from night. They will
show clearly the seasons in the year. And they will show clearly when there must be special
meetings. v15 And let them be lights in the *dome that is called the sky. They will be there to
give light to earth.1 And it was so. v16 And od made two great lights. The larger light ruled
the day$ and the smaller light ruled the night. od made the stars too. v17 od put them in the
sky in order to give light to the earth. v18 2e put them there to rule over the day and night. 2e
put them there to separate light from darkness. od saw that all those things were good. v19
And there was evening and there was morning. That was the fourth day.
v20 And od said$ 45et very big groups of *creatures live everywhere in the waters. And let
birds fly in the sky above the earth.1 v21 3o od created large *creatures that live in the sea.
And he created all the different *creatures that move everywhere in the seas. 2e also created
all the birds that fly in the sky. od saw that all those things were good. v22 od *blessed
them. And he said$ 42ave big families and grow in number. 3o then you will live everywhere in
the seas. And you will fly everywhere in the skies.1 v23 There was evening and there was
morning. That was the fifth day.
v24 And od said$ 45et every kind of *creature grow upon the earth. That is$ every kind that
lives. That includes *cattle. 0t includes *creatures that crawl. And it includes all kinds of wild
animals.1 And it was so. v25 od made all kinds of wild animals on the earth. 2e made all
kinds of *cattle. And he made all kinds of *creatures that crawl. And od saw that all those
things were good.
v26 Then od said$ 45et us make people as an image that is like ourselves. 5et people rule
over the fish that are in the sea. 5et them rule over the birds that fly in the air. 5et them rule
over the *cattle and wild animals on the earth. And let them rule over the *creatures that
crawl.1
v27 3o od created people so that they were like himself. 2e created people as his image.
2e created them as man and woman.
v28 od *blessed the people. And he said$ 42ave a large family and produce many
*descendants. 5ive everywhere on the earth and rule over it. 7ule over the fish that are in the
sea. 7ule over the birds that fly in the air. And rule over all *creatures that live on the earth.1
v29 od said$ 45ook8 0 have given to you every plant that has seeds. And 0 have given to you
every tree that has seeds in its fruit. They are your food. v30 0 have given all the green plants
as food for the earth1s animals. They are also for the birds that fly in the air. And they are for
every *creature that lives on the earth.1 And it was so.
v31 od saw everything that he had made. And it was really very good. There was evening
and there was morning. That was the sixth day.
Chapter ' describes how od created a perfect world. "verything that od made was perfect. od
examined his own work. And he saw that it was good.
od made things that are both beautiful and complex. The body of an animal or man has a very
complex structure. "ven today$ people cannot make machines that are so complex as an animal1s
body.
But od did not merely make these things from nothing. 2e caused them to live. This is very
wonderful.
od did not work by accident or chance. 2e had complete control over everything. We can see this
because of his control over time. od created the sun so that it would appear at the right time each
day. 2e created the seasons of the year. 2e arranged the movements of the moon and stars in the
sky at night. These things do not happen by chance. They all happen at the right time because this
is od1s plan.
od still has a perfect time for things to happen. *esus was born at the right time #!atthew '&'9)
alatians :&:/. And *esus will return at the right time #!atthew +:&%;/. od$ our <ather$ has
decided these things. And he still has a perfect plan #"phesians '&.-'+/.
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od is perfect. od did not create the world so that there would be wars$ cruelty or evil behaviour.
2e wanted men and women to be his friends. 3o$ he gave them a perfect world. And he provided
plants as their food. od was generous and kind. And od1s attitudes have never changed
#2ebrews '%&,/. But$ as we shall see in chapter %$ men and women were not loyal to od. This is
the reason for the troubles in this world. od never wanted people to suffer.
Notes on the verses
=erse ' 40n the beginning1. The *2ebrew word for 4beginning1 here is also the *2ebrew title of this
book. The usual "nglish title$ enesis$ is from a reek word for 4beginning1. #reek is the language
that the people in reece speak. And the >ew Testament writers wrote in reek./
4od1. od has always existed. And he will exist always. There has never been a time before od.
And there will never be a time after od. The *2ebrew word here for od is 4"lohim1$ which is
plural. But the *2ebrew word for 4created1 means that only one person did it. This is because there
is one od. The Bible says that he is od the <ather$ od the 3on #*esus/$ and the 2oly 3pirit. 3o
Christians sometimes call him 4the Trinity1 ? in other words$ 4three in one1. od plans things and he
speaks. But he is not an ordinary person like us. 2e is the only real od. This entire book called
enesis is about od. #5ook at *ohn '&'-'@./
od 4created1. The *2ebrew word here for 4create1 means to make something from nothing. Anly
od makes something from nothing. The writer uses that word in verse '$ and he uses it in verses
+' and +9 also.
4The skies and the earth1. That means everything. The writer reminds us about it in enesis +&'$ :.
=erse + The earth had 4no shape1 and it was 4empty1. Bntil od works$ there is only confusion.
There is no plan and so there is no system.
4"verything was dark1. This is like a description or picture for us. 0t shows what it is like to live
without od.
od1s 3pirit 4moved gently1 over the waters. 3ome birds can hover. 0t means that they are staying
in the same place in the air. But still they are moving their wings. od1s 3pirit also did this$ like a
bird that is looking after its young birds. That was because od cares about his *creation. And so
he wants to protect it.
4The waters1. We are not sure what that means. 0t might also mean dark gases. 0t might mean a
4cloud that consists of darkness1. Ar it might mean darkness and waters. The older "nglish texts
say 4the face of the deep1$ which means the surface of the sea.
=erse % 4od said1. The words that od speaks are powerful. 3o when od ordered something to
happen$ that thing happened immediately.
5et there be 4light1. We need light in order to live. And when we have light$ we can see. We can see
what od creates. 5ight is also like a description or picture for us. 0t shows what real life with od
is like. And it shows what od1s *blessing is like. Also$ what it is like when someone is good and
holy. od made the light in order to show us his character. Carkness is also like a description or
picture. 0t shows what *sin and death are like.
=erse : 4ood1. "verything that od does is good. That includes every part of his work. 0t does not
only mean the complete work.
=erse ( 4The first day1. We do not know how long a day was. The **ews1 day started at sunset. And
the first day consisted of evening and morning. 3o probably it was like our day. But in the Bible$ the
word 4day1 can also mean something special that happens. 0t means that in the phrase& 4the day of
the *5ord1. 0t also means that in the phrase& 4the day of Dudgement1. #*udgement means when od
will punish people for their *sin./
2e 4named1 the light. When a person gave a name to something$ that action often had this special
meaning. 0t meant that the person ruled over that thing.
=erse , 43ky1. !any Bibles say 4*heaven1 here. But it does not mean the place where od and the
*angels are.
=erse '' 46lants1. These are the first things in *creation that are alive. They are the first things that
grow.
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=erse ': 45ights1. od was forming the calendar. 0t included night and day. 0t included the moon1s
movements. #That is$ where it was at different times./ And it included the seasons in the year. 0n
the *Ald Testament$ *religious festivals had to be at the right time each year. #<estivals are happy
events that people organise because of some special reason./ Those special times in the year
included the time when people harvested their crops.
The sun and moon are Dust parts of od1s *creation. They are not gods. The one real od rules
over them. But some people used the names 4sun1 and 4moon1 as the names of false gods. 3o the
writer does not use those names here$ otherwise people might have been confused. 6eople might
have thought that he meant those false gods.
43pecial meetings1. The **ews watched the sun1s and moon1s movements. <rom those$ the **ews
worked out each year1s calendar. And from the calendar$ they could see when special *religious
meetings would be.
=erse +@ =ery many 4*creatures1. When od gives something$ he often gives plenty of it. 2e is
generous.
=erse +' od 4created1. This was a special phase in *creation. 3o here the writer uses the special
word for 4created1$ as he did in verse '.
=erse ++ 42ave big families and grow in number.1 0n many "nglish Bibles$ this is 4be *fruitful and
multiply1. od gives that command many times to people. 0t means much more than 4have large
families1. 0t also means 4live at peace1. 3o then the families do not kill each other. They are able to
farm and they can produce good harvests. 0t also means 4live in a way that pleases od1. We read
about that in the *>ew Testament too. 0n alatians (&++$ the writer describes it as the 4fruit that the
3pirit produces1. That 4fruit1 means good things that please od in our lives. od wanted his people
to obey him. 2e promised that they would be peaceful then. They would not be ill$ and they would
get rich. That was very important when od1s people were very few. Today$ od does not always
make his people rich. When they can serve him$ that is a reward in itself. And they will have a
reward in *heaven too. 5ook at verse +, below.
=erse +: 4*Creatures that crawl1. 3ome *creatures live both on land and in the sea. The writer may
include those here. 2e may include insects too. And he may also include reptiles. #A reptile is an
animal with hard skin and cold blood. Ane example is a snake./
=erse +; od created people to live in nature. Also$ he created them to rule over nature. 6eople
are like animals in many ways. 2owever$ people are also different from animals. od made them
special. od created people to be like himself. od said$ 45et every kind of animal grow on the
earth.1 But he specially 4created1 people. 6eople can love and they can think. They can know
whether their behaviour is right or wrong. 6eople wanted to know od and they wanted to obey
him. od made people rulers over everything else that od had made. od said$ 45et us make
people1 because od consists of three persons. Those are the <ather$ 3on and 2oly 3pirit. od is
three persons in one od.
6eople as a 4true image like ourselves1. 6eople #the man and the woman/ were the only parts of
od1s *creation that were like od himself. od did not create anything else that was like himself.
5et people 4rule1. od gave work to man. Also$ od gave responsibility to him.
=erse +9 od 4created1 people. 2ere the writer uses that special word again. od was kind to
people. 6eople are special to od.
=erse +. 0n the beginning$ it seems that people and animals did not eat meat. But later Abel
#Adam1s son/ looked after animals #enesis :&+/. od did not tell people to kill animals for food
until enesis .&+-%.
od gave the command that people should have families. 2e made plants and trees that have
seeds. That was so that more plants and trees would grow for food. They would produce food for
people and animals.
=erse %' 0t was really 4very good1. od is perfect. And everything that od made was perfect. 0t
was exactly as he had planned.
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Chapter 2
v1 3o od had created the skies and the earth. And he had created the many *creatures in
them. 2e had completed his *creation.
v2 By the seventh day$ od had finished his *creation. 2e had finished that work that he had
done. 2e rested on the seventh day. 2e rested from all the work that he had done. v3 3o od
*blessed the seventh day. 2e considered it different from the other days. 2e rested then from
his work that he had done. 2e rested from his *creation. That was why he considered it
different.
v4 This is the true story about how od created the earth and skies. v5 The *5ord od made
the earth and the skies. There were no green plants on the earth$ because the *5ord od had
not yet sent rain to the earth. There were not yet any people$ so nobody could work with the
soil. v6 Then a mist came up from the earth$ and the mist watered all the soil. v7 Then the
*5ord od formed a man from dust that was on the earth. od breathed into the man1s nostrils
#the holes in the nose/. The breath that od breathed into him made the man live. 3o the man
became a person$ who was alive.
v8 The *5ord od planted a garden in "den$ in the east. od put the man that he had formed
into that garden. v9 od made all the trees grow there that are pleasant to look at. And their
fruit is good to eat. Also$ in the middle of the garden$ there were these two trees. There was
the tree that makes people live. And there was the tree that makes people know right things
and wrong things.
v10 A river flowed out of "den and it watered the garden. The river divided there into four
rivers. v11 The first river is called 6ishon. 0t flows all through the region called 2avilah. v12
There is good gold in 2avilah. There is also bdellium #a kind of sticky stuff that smells good/.
And there is onyx #a valuable kind of stone/. v13 The second river is called ihon. 0t flows all
through the region called Cush. v14 The third river is called the Tigris. 0t flows along the east
side of Assyria. The fourth river is the "uphrates.
v15 The *5ord od took the man. And he put the man in the garden that was in "den. od
told the man to work with the soil in the garden. od told him to take care of the garden. v16
The *5ord od gave these orders to Adam. 4Eou can eat from all the other trees in the garden.
Eou can eat from them as much fruit as you want. v17 But you must not eat fruit from the tree
that makes you know right things and wrong things. Eou will die on the day when you eat that
fruit. That is why you must not eat it.1
v18 Then the *5ord od said$ 40t is not good for man to be alone. 0 will make a helper as a
partner for him.1
v19 3o the *5ord od had formed from dust all the animals on land. And he had formed all the
birds that fly in the air. od brought the animals and birds to Adam. od wanted to see what
names Adam would give to them. That was why he brought them to him. Whatever name
Adam gave$ that was the name for each *creature. v20 Adam gave names to all *cattle. 2e
gave names to all the birds that fly in the air. And he gave names to all the wild animals on the
earth. But none among them was a good helper that could be Adam1s partner. v21 3o the
*5ord od made Adam sleep deeply. While Adam slept$ od took one rib out of Adam. #A rib
is a bone in the top part of someone1s body./ Then od closed up the place where that bone
had been. v22 The *5ord od made a woman from the rib #bone/ that he had taken out of the
man. Then od brought her to the man.
v23 Then the man said$ 4This$ at last$ is my bone and *flesh. 0 shall call her FwomanG$ because
she came out of man.1 v24 Therefore a man leaves his father and mother and he Doins his
wife. Then the two people become one person.
v25 And the man and his wife were both naked. And they did not think that it was wrong.
"verything that od created was perfect. And everything was wonderful. But men and women had
a special place in od1s plan. <irstly$ od created a perfect world for the first man to live in. Then
od prepared a special home for the man. This home was in a beautiful garden #or farm/ that od
had planted. od made the man #called Adam/ from dust that was on the earth. Then od
breathed his 3pirit into the man$ so that the man was alive #verse 9/. Afterwards$ od provided a
wife #called "ve/ for the man.
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Notes on the verses
=erse ' od completed his *creation. 2owever$ he is still working. 2e has not stopped. But it is
different work. 2e now looks after all that he created.
=erse + od repeated that he finished his work. This means the work that he did in *creation. 0t
must be very important for us to know this.
=erse % od made the seventh #9
th
/ day special. od made us like himself. After we work for six
#;/ days$ we need one different day. **ews keep 3aturday #the seventh day in the week/ special$
because of this verse. And it is also because of od1s command in "xodus +@&'@. Christians keep
3unday #the first day in the week/ special$ because *esus rose from death on the first day. 0t does
not matter whether our special day is the first or seventh day in our week. 0t is important that we
keep one day in a week different. We *worship od together on that day$ if we can. We need to
have a rest for one day each week to keep our bodies healthy. When we have od1s *blessings$
we have duties as well. 2e has provided a day when we should rest. But we must make it special
for od. This is like a description or picture for us. 0t shows to us something about *esus. 2e was
dying for us on the cross. That was his work. Then he said$ 40t is finished.1 2e had finished that
work. But now he lives in heaven to pray for us. od has promised a 4rest1 for Christians in heaven.
That rest will last always. But it does not mean that we shall do nothing there. We shall praise od
and we shall serve him.
he !ar"en in #"en$ 2%4&25
=erse : This story seems similar to the one in chapter '. This story in chapter +$ however$ is the
story about man. 0t is about how od made everything ready for man. The *2ebrew word for 4true
story1 means family or children. 0t refers back to the many *creatures in verse '. 0t can mean past
history. Ar it can mean future history. Writers use that same word in other places in the Bible. And
in those places it means future history.
=erse 9 od made the first man from dust. But od made him special. od breathed into him.
od1s breath made the man alive. The same *2ebrew word for 4breath1 means 4spirit1 also. 3o od
gave his 3pirit to the man$ so that his 3pirit would live in the man. od also made the man able to
breathe air. That was so that the man could live on the earth. !an1s spirit lives as well as his body.
But that is not true for animals. od did not breathe his 3pirit into animals. The writer says that
od formed man. 3o$ od made man as a potter forms a pot. #A potter makes pots skilfully from
*clay./ That shows to us how clever od is. 0t shows to us that we must serve him. And we must
obey him as our master. We must obey him because he created us.
=erse , "den seems to be the name of a region.
=erse '+ Bdellium may be a particular kind of tree. The tree produces a sticky stuff #also called
bdellium/. 6eople use that sticky stuff to make perfume. #6erfume is a liHuid that smells nice./ Ar
the word might mean pearls. #6earls are shiny white little balls of hard material. They are valuable.
6eople use them to make things beautiful./ Anyx is a kind of valuable stone. We are not certain
exactly what these two things are.
=erses ''-':. We do not know the 6ishon 7iver today. >or do we know the ihon 7iver. 2owever$
it is important to know this. "den was an actual place. This is all true. The rivers flowed out of the
garden. They came to places outside it. And so they helped things to live there too. Water is very
important in a hot area. 5ook at "Iekiel chapter :9.
=erse '( od took care of Adam. And od took Adam to the garden that od had prepared for
him. od gave work for Adam to do. Adam1s work was to look after the garden. A better word than
4garden1 here might be 4farm1 #like an African farm called a 4shamba1/. The garden was not Dust a
pretty place with flowers and trees. But it was important for food also.
=erse '9 od gave Adam an important command. 3o Adam was responsible to od. As we shall
see in chapter %$ Adam did not obey od1s command. 0n the garden$ Adam had the freedom to be
a friend of od. But Adam did not want this freedom. 0nstead$ he wanted the freedom to do
whatever things he wanted to do. 2e wanted to live his own life$ without od1s friendship. 3o Adam
chose to do evil things$ although od had warned him about the results of such a decision.
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4Eou will die.1 Ceath was not part of od1s original plan for men and women. od wanted them to
live always and to be his friends. But when men and women began to do evil things$ the result was
death. Their bodies did not die immediately. But their spirits were dead$ because they were not still
friends of od. And so they could not go to be with od in heaven when their bodies died.
Adam1s decision to do evil things causes death for everyone. But Christ brings life to everyone who
trusts him #' Corinthians '(&+'/. Aur spirits become alive immediately when we trust Christ. We
must confess our *sins to od and we must invite him into our lives. Then we become friends of
od. And we shall have a place in heaven. Christ has defeated death$ but our bodies still die #'
Corinthians '(&+;/. But when Christ returns$ od will change us #' Corinthians '(&('/. Then
Christians who have died will become alive again. And we shall always live with od.
=erse +@ od gave Adam control over everything in the garden. 3o$ Adam chose the name for
each animal and bird that was there.
od was very careful that Adam should have a good partner to be his wife.
=erse +' od made Adam from the dust. But od made "ve from Adam1s own body. This is also
like a description or picture of Christ and the church #all the real Christians everywhere/. 3ee
"phesians (&%'-%+. The Bible also describes the church as 4the bride of Christ1 and 4the body of
Christ1 #"phesians (&+%-+9/. 3o the church is united with Christ. And the church serves Christ. But
the church is also separate from Christ. Christ does not control Christians. Christians have the
freedom to make their own decisions.
=erse +% Adam was very pleased with the woman that od gave him.
=erse +: !arriage is od1s plan for a man and a woman. !arriage should last for life. A man and
his wife become a new family. They live together and they work together$ under od1s rules.
Chapter 3
A"a' an" #ve "o not obe( Go"$ 3%1&7
v1 >ow the snake was the most clever among all the wild animals that the *5ord od had
made. The snake said this to the woman& 4Cid od say that you can eat the fruit from all the
trees in the gardenJ1
v2 This is how the woman answered the snake. 4We can eat the fruit from the trees in the
garden. v3 But od said$ FEou must not eat the fruit from a certain tree. That tree is in the
middle of the garden. Co not even touch it$ otherwise you will die.G 1
v4 But the snake replied to the woman$ 4Eou will not die. v5 But when you eat the fruit$ your
eyes will open. od knows that. Eou will be like od and you will know right things and wrong
things.1
v6 3o the woman saw that the fruit was good to eat. And she saw that it was lovely to look at.
3he also thought that it would make her wise. 3he then took some fruit and she ate it. 3he
also gave some fruit to her husband and he ate it. v7 Then their eyes opened. They realised
that they were naked. They sewed together leaves from a fig tree to cover themselves. #<igs
are sweet fruit with many seeds./
v8 The man and woman heard od walk in the garden in the cool evening. They hid away
from od. They hid among the trees in the garden. v9 But the *5ord od called aloud to the
man. od said$ 4Where are youJ1
v10 The man said$ 40 heard you in the garden. And 0 was afraid$ because 0 was naked. 3o 0
hid.1
v11 od said$ 4Who told you that you were nakedJ 2ave you eaten the fruit that 0 told you not
to eatJ1
v12 The man replied$ 4Eou gave the woman to me so that she would be my partner. 3he gave
the fruit to me and 0 ate.1
v13 Then the *5ord od said to the woman$ 4What have you doneJ1 The woman replied$ 4The
snake tempted me and 0 ate.1
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v14 The *5ord od said this to the snake& 4Aut of all the *cattle and wild animals$ you are the
animal that 0 *curse. Eou shall move on your stomach and you shall eat dust all your life. v15 0
will make you and the woman enemies. Eour *descendants and her *descendants will be
enemies. The woman1s *descendant will badly hurt you$ and you will hurt him a little.1
v16 od told the woman that she would have a lot of pain when she was *pregnant. And she
would have a lot of pain when she had a baby. 3he would want her husband1s love$ but he
would rule over her.
v17 od told Adam$ 4Eou listened to what your wife said. Eou ate the fruit from the tree that 0
told you not to eat from. >ow$ because you have not obeyed me$ the ground has a *curse. Eou
will work hard all your life in order to get food from it.
v18 Eou will find thorns and thistles there. #Both are wild plants with sharp points along them./
Eou will eat wild plants.
v19 Eou will *sweat in order to grow food. That will happen until you die. And then people will
bury you. 0 made you from the dust$ and you will again be dust.1
v20 The man called his wife "ve. 3he would be the mother of all those that would live. That is
why he gave her that name.
v21 And the *5ord od made clothes out of skin for Adam and "ve. They wore the clothes.
v22 Then the *5ord od said$ 4>ow$ the man has become like us. 2e knows good things and
evil things. >ow$ he might reach forward with his hand. Then he might pick fruit from the tree
that makes people live. And then he might eat that fruit$ and so he would live for always.1 v23
And so the *5ord od sent the man out of the garden that was in "den. od sent him out for
always. od had made the man out of the soil. And now od told him to work with the soil.
v24 od forced the man to go out. Then od put *cherubim to guard the garden in "den.
They were at the east side of the garden. There was a sword with them and flames were
coming from it. The sword moved in all directions to guard every way to the tree. That is$ the
tree that makes people live.
This chapter is a very important chapter because it helps us to understand the Bible1s message.
Before the events in this chapter$ the world was perfect. 6eople had not *sinned. They obeyed
od. And they were friends of od. "verything changed after the events in this chapter.
3atan #the devil/ used a snake to test the first people #called Adam and "ve/. 3atan told them that
they should not trust od1s words. And 3atan encouraged them not to obey od.
The results of their action were terrible. They were afraid and they tried to hide from od. They
could not continue their friendship with od.
But$ even afterwards$ od was kind to them. 2e killed an animal so that they could cover their
bodies. And he made a promise to "ve that seems to refer to *esus. *3in has been a real problem
for every person who has ever lived. Because of *sin$ our world is not perfect. Because of *sin$ we
have many troubles. But *esus came to free us from our *sins. When he died$ he suffered the
punishment for our *sins. We need to confess our *sins to od. And we need to invite od into our
lives. Then we shall be friends of od.
Notes on the verses
=erse ' od had made the snake. But *3atan was using it to do something against od1s
command. The snake was able to talk to the woman. That shows that it was not an ordinary snake.
There was only one tree whose fruit od had forbidden the woman to eat. But the snake made her
want that fruit. The snake made her think that od was not speaking the truth. 0t made her think
that od did not care about her and Adam.
=erse % The woman spoke as if od had given a very strict command. 3he said that od had
ordered her and Adam$ 4Co not even tou)h it #the fruit/.1 But od had not said that.
=erse : The snake then denied what od had said. The snake said$ 4Eou will not die.1
=erse ( 4Eour eyes will open1. Writers in the Bible often say that. 0t does not mean that we cannot
see things round us now. 0t means that we do not understand about od. The woman was greedy.
3he wanted the fruit and she wanted to be like od. 2owever$ od had made the woman like
himself already. od had given power to her and her husband$ so that they had power over
everything else. The woman could have sent the snake away.
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=erse 9 4Their eyes opened1. *3in affects all parts of us. Adam and "ve were not actually blind
before. But now they saw that they had done something wrong. 0n other words$ they understood it
with their mind. They ate the fruit with their bodies$ because they were not obeying od with their
mind. Then they felt ashamed because they were naked.
A"a' an" #ve suffer be)ause the( *sinne"$ 3%8&24
=erse , The writer described the garden very well. Before Adam and "ve ate that fruit$ they had
liked to meet od. But we can imagine how Adam and "ve then hid from od. 2owever$ people
cannot really hide from od$ although they may try8
=erse '+ Adam blamed his wife "ve. And Adam even blamed od$ because od had given "ve to
him8
=erse '% "ve blamed the snake. 6eople are afraid to say$ 40 did it. 0 *sinned.1
=erse ': od punished the snake first.
=erse '( >ext$ od punished *3atan$ who had seemed to be like the snake. 0n the original
*2ebrew text$ od said that the woman1s 4seed1 #*descendant/ would 4bruise *3atan1s head1. That
means that *esus would hurt *3atan badly. But *3atan1s 4seed1 #*descendant/ would only 4hurt
*esus1 *heel1. 0n other words$ he would annoy *esus. But he would not hurt *esus seriously. 2ere$
the writer uses a different word. 0t means only 4hurt in some way1. 0t does not have the special
meaning 4bruise1.
=erse '; >ext$ od explained to the woman the results of her *sin. 3he would suffer pain. "ven
the happy time when she had a baby would cause pain. But a woman would still desire a husband
and children. And$ of course$ in verse '($ od had promised that the woman would receive
something good by her *descendant or child. 2er *descendant would oppose the devil. 2er
*descendant would free people from the devil1s power$ like someone who uses his foot to break a
snake1s head. *esus was the woman1s *descendant. And he did these things when he died for us
#alatians :&:-(/.
There is a special promise to women in ' Timothy +&'(. This verse says$ 4od will save women
during the birth of a child if they continue to trust him. 2e will do that if they continue to love him.
2e will do it if they are holy and modest.1
=erse '9 od explained to Adam the results of his *sin. Adam would have to work hard for his
food.
=erse ', The garden in "den was a nice one$ which od designed for Adam. But Adam would not
continue to live in that kind of garden.
=erse '. Adam would have to prepare his own garden.
=erse +@ "ve means 4someone that gives life1.
=erse +' 0n this verse$ we see how od showed Adam to *sacrifice animals because of *sin. That
was like a picture #or a special description/. 0t showed what *esus would suffer. 6eople would kill
*esus too$ like the animals. 2e$ too$ had to suffer because of people1s *sin.
3kin from an animal would protect people better than leaves protected them. #5ook at verse 9./
Also$ an animal1s skin was warmer than leaves.
=erse ++ *esus suffered because of people1s *sin. 3o he knew what *sin was like. 6eople had
started to *sin. And *sin causes people to suffer. *3in is very bad for people. 3o od did not want
people to eat fruit from the tree that makes people live. That was because they would then always
live in that bad state. 3o they would always continue to suffer terribly.
=erse +% The *cherubim were od1s special servants that guarded *holy things and *holy places.
5ater$ someone sewed a design onto the curtain that people put in the *Temple. 0n that design$
there were pictures that showed *cherubim. When *esus died$ od tore that curtain into two pieces
#!atthew +9&('/. That action has a special meaning for us. 0t means that we can now come to od
because of *esus.
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Chapter 4
v1 Then Adam lay with his wife "ve. "ve became *pregnant and she had a baby. 3he called
him Cain. 3he said$ 4With the *5ord1s help$ 0 have gained a man.1 v2 5ater she had another
baby$ Cain1s brother Abel.
>ow Abel looked after sheep and Cain worked with the soil. v3 After some time$ Cain brought
some fruit from his land. 2e brought it because he intended to offer the fruit to the *5ord. v4
But Abel brought some pieces of meat with fat. They were from some sheep in his *flock.
Those sheep were born first$ before the other sheep were born. The *5ord was pleased with
Abel. And he was pleased with Abel1s *offering. v5 But he was not pleased with Cain. And he
was not pleased with Cain1s *offering. 3o Cain was very angry. And his face showed that he
had a lot of hate.
v6 Then the *5ord said to Cain$ 4Why are you so angryJ Why does your face show a lot of
hateJ 0f you do the right thing$ 0 will certainly accept you. v7 But if you do not do the right
thing$ *sin can come in. *3in is like an animal that is waiting at your door. 0t has bent down low
on the ground$ so that it is ready to catch you. *3in wants to overcome you$ but you must rule
over it.1
v8 >ow Cain said to his brother Abel$ 45et us go out to the field.1 While they were in the field$
Cain attacked his brother Abel. 2e killed Abel.
v9 Then the *5ord said to Cain$ 4Where is your brother AbelJ1 Cain replied$ 40 do not know.
3hould 0 be looking after himJ1
v10 The *5ord said$ 4What have you doneJ 5isten. Eour brother1s blood cries out to me from
the ground. v11 >ow you have a *curse. And 0 am forcing you to go away from the land. Eou
killed your brother and you made his blood fall to the ground. And the earth received his blood.
v12 3o when you work with the soil$ it will not produce crops for you any longer. Eou will
wander about on the earth and you will have no rest.1
v13 Cain said to the *5ord$ 4Eou are punishing me too severely. v14 Today you are forcing me
to go away from the land. Eou are sending me away from you for always. 0 will wander about
on the earth and 0 will have no rest. Anyone that finds me will kill me.1
v15 But the *5ord said to Cain$ 4<or that reason$ if anyone kills Cain$ 0 will punish the killer 9
times.1 Then the *5ord put a mark on Cain. Therefore$ if anyone found him$ they would not kill
him. v16 3o Cain went away from od. And he lived in the region called >od$ which was east
from "den.
v17 Cain lay with his wife. 3he became *pregnant. And she had a baby$ whom she called
"noch. Cain built a city. 2e called the city "noch because of his son1s name. v18 "noch was
0rad1s father. 0rad was !ehuDael1s father. !ehuDael was !ethushael1s father. !ethushael was
5amech1s father.
v19 5amech had two wives. Ane wife was called Adah$ and the other wife was called Killah.
v20 Killah had a baby called *abal. *abal was the father of those that live in tents. They also
look after *cattle. v21 *abal1s brother was called *ubal. *ubal was the father of all those that
play the *harp and *flute. v22 Killah also had a son$ Tubal-Cain. Tubal-Cain taught all those
that worked with the metals called bronIe and iron. Tubal-Cain1s sister was >aamah.
v23 5amech said to his wives Adah and Killah$ 45isten to me. !y wives$ listen carefully. 0 have
killed a man because 0 received an inDury from him. 2e was a young man that hurt me. v24 0f
any person hurts Cain$ od will punish that person 9 times. 3o if any person hurts me
#5amech/$ od will punish that person 99 times.1
v25 Adam lay with his wife again and she had a baby son. 3o she called him 3eth. 3he said$
4Cain killed Abel. But od has given to me another child instead of Abel.1 v26 3eth also had a
son. 2e called his son "nosh. Then people began to call the *5ord1s name.
Adam and "ve had two sons$ called Cain and Abel. od had promised in enesis %&'( that "ve1s
*descendant would free people from the power of *sin. 3o perhaps "ve hoped that these
*descendants would achieve this. 0f so$ their lives would disappoint her. Cain$ who was the first
child ever to be born$ became a murderer. And Abel$ who tried to serve od$ died at a very young
age. Their lives show the effects of *sin.
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The most important event in Cain1s and Abel1s lives happened when they decided to give a gift to
od. After Adam and "ve *sinned$ od killed an animal. Then$ od used its skin as clothes$ in
order to cover Adam and "ve #enesis %&+'/. *3in reHuired a *sacrifice. Abel seemed to
understand this principle. 2e realised that his own efforts could not please od. 3omething had to
die. That is also why *esus had to die for our *sins. *esus is like the perfect *lamb of od #' 6eter
'&',-'./. >obody can please od by his or her own efforts. 0nstead$ we must humbly confess our
*sin to od. od forgives us because of *esus.
But Cain did not realise that he needed to bring a *sacrifice. 2e chose some fruit as a gift to od.
And Cain1s attitude was not humble. When od refused Cain1s gift$ Cain was very angry. Cain did
not try to find out his error. And he did not offer a *sacrifice. 0nstead$ he felt very Dealous. And that is
why he killed Abel.
Cain1s *descendants were wicked people. They had many skills$ but they refused to serve od.
But "ve had another son. And his *descendants began to think about od again.
Notes on the verses
Cain an" Abe+$ 4%1&16
=erse ' Adam 4lay with his wife1. 0n the *2ebrew$ it is 4Adam knew his wife.1 The *2ebrew name
4Adam1 is the same as the *2ebrew word for 4the man1. The *2ebrew name for 4"ve1 means 4alive1.
0n *2ebrew$ people1s names had meanings. 3o did places1 names. The writers often 4played1 with
words. 0n the same sentence$ they often used two words that sounded nearly the same.
The name 4Cain1 means 4produced1.
=erse + The name 4Abel1 means 4breath1$ 4with a short life1$ or 4without meaning1. !aybe this refers
to Abel1s short life.
=erses %-( od wanted people to offer to him animals rather than fruit. 5ater$ people *sacrificed
animals to od. The animals1 death was like a description or picture for us. 0t shows us how *esus
would die. 0n that way$ he would suffer the punishment for our *sins. Abel took trouble to give od
the best gift that he could give. The first *lambs were usually the healthiest ones and they were
usually the fattest ones.
But Cain1s gift was not the *sacrifice of an animal. 2e brought some fruit that he had produced on
his farm. 2e thought that his own efforts were enough to please od.
od knew what Cain and Abel were thinking. od showed Cain that he did not accept Cain1s
*offering. od showed Abel that he accepted Abel1s *lamb. But we do not know how od showed
those facts to them.
=erse 9 The writer describes *sin as if it is a wild animal. That 4animal1 was bending down low on
the ground and it was waiting. 0t was ready to Dump suddenly onto Cain. And then it would catch
Cain and it would overcome him. 0n ' 6eter (&,$ 6eter writes this& 4The devil is your enemy. 2e is
like a lion. A lion walks about and he makes a loud noise. 2e walks about because he is looking for
someone to eat.1 od wanted Cain to do the right thing. Cain too could kill an animal as a *sacrifice
to od. Then od would be pleased with Cain. But Cain refused to live in the way that od wanted
him to live. Cain1s attitudes were still wrong.
=erse , An important *2ebrew text does not include the words$ 45et us go out to the field.1 But
many other *2ebrew texts have it. The story about Abel1s death is very brief. We realise how bad it
was. Cain killed his own brother$ Abel$ because Abel was a good man. And$ Cain killed him
because Cain1s deeds were evil #' *ohn %&'+/.
=erse . od had known where Adam and "ve were hiding. But od had asked where they were.
Then they would be able to say that they were sorry. They should have been sorry because they
had not obeyed od. 3imilarly$ od asked Cain what he #Cain/ had done. Then he could say that
he was sorry. But Cain was not sorry and he lied. But od knows what we are really like. 3o we
cannot lie to od.
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=erses '@-': od has made people in his image. 0t is very evil to kill another person. We must
allow od to be the Dudge over people. 5ater$ od told the *0sraelites how to punish murderers. 2e
gave exact rules to the *0sraelites about that. The word 4cries1 here is a very strong word in
*2ebrew. 0t is like a man1s cry for food when he is starving. Ar it is like a woman1s cry when
someone is *raping her. Abel himself could not still cry aloud$ because Cain had killed him. But now
it was as if Abel1s blood was crying aloud instead of Abel. Blood means murder$ which od hates.
od hears his people1s desperate cries. Abel1s body had died. 3o od had not saved Abel from
that. But od punished Cain because Cain had killed Abel.
=erses '(-'; 4!ore than seven times1. We do not know what 4seven times1 means here. 6erhaps it
Dust means 4very much1. 0n the Bible$ numbers often have special meanings. The number 9 means
that something is complete.
We do not know what Cain1s mark was. The name 4Cain1 is like the *2ebrew word for 4shall receive
punishment1. All Cain1s life$ the mark reminded him about his *sin. And it reminded him also that
od was still protecting him. By means of that mark$ od warned other people not to hurt Cain.
We do not know how many people there were on earth. The family grew Huickly.
4>od1 means that someone is 4wandering1.
Cain,s fa'i+($ 4%17&24
=erses '9-'. We do not know who Cain1s wife was. Adam and "ve may have had other children.
0t is not clear whether Cain built a city. 0t is possible that his son "noch built it. The word for 4city1
might in fact mean a very small place.
=erses +@-++ Cain1s *descendants had great skills. But they opposed od. And 5amech himself
was a very evil man.
=erse +% 5amech was proud about his *sin. 2e had killed a young man #perhaps even a boy/
because the boy had hurt him8 0n the *>ew Testament$ *esus told 6eter how many times he #6eter/
should forgive people. 0t was a very large number$ 49@ times 91. !aybe *esus was thinking about
5amech then.
A"a',s fa'i+( fro' A"a' to Noah$ 4%25&5%32
=erse +( 43eth1 means that someone had 4given1 something. od had given 3eth to "ve. 0n other
words$ 3eth was born. od had not forgotten his promise. od had promised that someone from
among Adam1s *descendants would save the earth1s people #enesis %&'(/.
=erse +; 6eople began to 4call the *5ord1s name1. 6eople began to think about od. That may
mean that they prayed to him. 0t may mean that they talked about him. And they talked also about
everything that he did. 0t may mean that they possibly called themselves 4the *5ord1s people1.
This chapter is very important. 0ts writer tells us about people that really lived. That is why it is
important. 2e tells us what some people were like at that time. These events really happened.
Chapter 5
v1 This is the account about Adam and his family. An the day when od created Adam$ he
made Adam like od. v2 od created man and woman. od *blessed them. 2e called them
Adam on the day when he created them.
v3 When Adam had lived for '%@ years$ he became the father of a son. The son was like
Adam himself. The son was like Adam1s own image. Adam called his son 3eth. v4 After 3eth
was born$ Adam lived for ,@@ more years. Adam had other sons and daughters. v5 2is whole
life lasted .%@ years$ and then he died.
v6 When 3eth had lived for '@( years$ he became "nosh1s father. v7 After "nosh was born$
3eth lived for ,@9 more years. 3eth had other sons and daughters. v8 2is whole life lasted
.'+ years. Then he died.
v9 When "nosh had lived for .@ years$ he became Lenan1s father. v10 After Lenan was born$
"nosh lived for ,'( more years. "nosh had other sons and daughters. v11 2is whole life
lasted .@( years. Then he died.
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v12 When Lenan had lived for 9@ years$ he became !ahalalel1s father. v13 After !ahalalel
was born$ Lenan lived for ,:@ more years. Lenan had other sons and daughters. v14 2is
whole life lasted .'@ years. Then he died.
v15 When !ahalalel had lived for ;( years$ he became *ared1s father. v16 After *ared was
born$ !ahalalel lived for ,%@ more years. !ahalalel had other sons and daughters. v17 2is
whole life lasted ,.( years. Then he died.
v18 When *ared had lived for ';+ years$ he became "noch1s father. v19 After "noch was
born$ *ared lived for ,@@ more years. *ared had other sons and daughters. v20 2is whole life
lasted .;+ years$ and then he died.
v21 When "noch had lived for ;( years$ he became !ethuselah1s father. v22 After
!ethuselah was born$ "noch lived for %@@ more years. "noch was walking with od. 2e had
other sons and daughters. v23 2is whole life lasted %;( years. v24 Then "noch walked with
od and "noch disappeared. od took him away.
v25 When !ethuselah had lived for ',9 years$ he became 5amech1s father. v26 After 5amech
was born$ !ethuselah lived for 9,+ more years. !ethuselah had other sons and daughters.
v27 2is whole life lasted for .;. years$ and then he died.
v28 When 5amech had lived for ',+ years$ he became the father of a son. v29 5amech called
his son >oah. 2e said$ 4We pray that this son will bring rest to us from this hard work. 0t is hard
work to farm the ground because od has *cursed the ground.1 v30 After >oah was born$
5amech lived for (.( more years. 5amech had other sons and daughters. v31 2is whole life
lasted for 999 years$ and then he died. v32 After >oah was (@@ years old$ he became the
father of 3hem$ 2am and *apheth.
This chapter contrasts with enesis :&'9-+:. Chapter : contains a list of Cain1s *descendants.
Cain1s *descendants had many skills$ but they were very wicked. They became a very large family
but they all died in the flood.
But Chapter ( gives us a list of Adam1s *descendants by 3eth. Among this large family were
several people who really served od.
"specially$ "noch1s life interests us #verses +'-+:/. "noch 4walked with od1. This means that
"noch had a special relationship or friendship with od. 0n fact$ his friendship was so special that
od did not allow "noch to die. Compare "liDah in + Lings +&''-'+.
Notes on the verses
=erse ' The words in this verse show that it starts a new section in enesis. #5ook at enesis +&:)
;&.) '@&'./ 0t starts the account about Adam1s *descendants that came from his son 3eth.
4This is the account about Adam and his family.1 The *2ebrew text here actually means 4the book
about Adam1s family1.
=erses %-%+ 0t is possible that there are gaps in this account. A man in the list may have been the
next person1s grandfather or *ancestor. 2e may not have been the actual father. 2owever$ it is
likely that there are no gaps. That is because the writer gives exact ages. The earth might be a lot
older than enesis seems to show. !any people have that belief. 2owever$ scientists are not at all
certain how old the earth is. 0t does not matter if days and years were a different length then. We
know that od made the earth. And he made everything in it. 0f time was different then$ it does not
make od less wonderful. And it does not make man less wicked. We trust od.
At that time$ people lived longer. 5ife was healthier. There were not so many illnesses.
"noch #verse ',/ and 5amech #verse +(/ were also names of Cain1s *descendants.
0n verse ++$ "noch 4walked1 with od. The writer uses the same word here as when od was
walking in "den. Eou can read more about "noch in *ude ':-'(.
0n verse +($ we read about 4!ethuselah1. We do not know what that name meant. 3omeone has
said that it meant this& 4When he dies$ it will happen.1 #40t1 here means the flood./ 0f so$ !ethuselah
lived a long time because od gave extra time to wicked men. od gave them extra time so that
they could change their behaviour. Also$ the name may mean Dust 4he dies1. That reminds us that
we all die$ even if we may live for a very long time.
0n verse +.$ >oah sounds like 4rest1 in *2ebrew.
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0n verse %+$ >oah1s sons were in fact born at different times.
Chapter 6
od allowed the people who lived before the flood to have long lives. 2e wanted them to have
sufficient time to change their attitudes. 2e wanted them to pray to him and to trust him again. But
most people did not use their long lives to turn to od. And they did not become better people as
they became older. 0n fact$ people were becoming even more evil.
3o od decided that he would not allow people to live so long. And he decided to punish wicked
people wherever they lived. 0n verse 9$ od1s plan was to destroy everything that he had made.
But od saw that there were a few good people among the vast numbers of evil people.
"specially$ od saw >oah. >oah was unlike other people. >oah 4walked with od1 #verse ./$ like
"noch #enesis (&+:/ and like Adam before he *sinned. 3o od could not destroy the entire world.
2e always does the right things #enesis ',&+(/. And he will always save the people who trust him
#+ 6eter %&''-'%/.
3o od made a plan. 2e would still punish and kill the wicked people. But he would save the earth
and he would allow some animals to live. od would separate the people who obeyed him from
evil people. And od would save the people who trusted him. >oah would build a large boat$ called
the *ark. And >oah would protect his family$ and each type of animal$ in the boat.
#ver(bo"( -as ver( evi+$ 6%1&8
v1 !en had large families on earth and they had many sons and daughters. v2 Then the sons
of od saw that the daughters of men were pretty. The sons of od chose some daughters
and they married those daughters. v3 Then the *5ord said$ 4!y 3pirit shall not struggle with
people for always because they are human. They shall live for '+@ years.1
v4 The >ephilim #giant people/ were on the earth at that time. They were also there
afterwards. The sons of od lay with the daughters of men. And so the sons of od had
children. Those children became the famous men that lived a long time ago. They were
famous because they were very strong and brave.
v5 The *5ord saw that the people on the earth were very wicked. !an1s every thought was
always evil. And so was every wish in his heart. v6 And the *5ord was sorry that 2e had made
man on the earth. 2e was bitterly angry. v7 3o the *5ord said$ 40 will completely take away
man$ whom 0 have created$ from the earth. 0 will completely take away from the earth all
people and animals. 0 will take away all birds that fly in the air. And 0 will take away all
*creatures that crawl. 0 am sorry that 0 made them.1 v8 But the *5ord was pleased with >oah.
=erse + We do not know who the 4sons of od1 were. 3ome people think that the 4sons of od1
were *angels or spirits. But another explanation is that they were *descendants of 3eth. 0f that is
the meaning$ then the 4daughters of men1 would be *descendants of Cain.
We do know this. The 4sons of od1 were choosing wives for the wrong reason. They chose
women that were pretty. But they needed to choose women that were good.
od1s people often have to behave in a different way from other people. This is because od1s
people belong to od. 3eth1s *descendants knew how to please od. They understood *sacrifice.
They knew how to be friends of od. 3o they should not have associated with evil people.
=erse % !y 3pirit shall not 4struggle with man1. The *2ebrew words here may have two different
meanings. They can also mean 4continue to stay in man1. 2owever$ we learn the same thing from
both meanings. When od1s 3pirit is in us$ he stru!!+es with our natural character. Aur natural
character is *sinful. We have it because we are human. 4Co not upset od1s 2oly 3pirit1 #"phesians
:&%@/.
4'+@ years1. That may mean&
#'/ that man would live only about '+@ years instead of many hundred years) or
#+/ that od would send the flood after '+@ years.
233887186 - 28/05/06 - Page 14
But we learn the same thing from it anyway. od1s patience with man will end and od will bring
Dudgement to all people. #4*udgement1 means that he will bring punishment to those that have done
wrong things. But od has provided ways to escape. od provided a way so that those people in
the *ark could escape. 5ater$ he gave *esus to us. Because of *esus$ we can escape from od1s
punishment.
=erse : 4>ephilim1. They were giant people$ who probably lived in an evil way.
=erse ( The *5ord saw that there was nothing good in people. "ven in their hearts$ or minds$ he
could not find anything good.
=erse ; od 4was sorry1. But od did not wish that he had not made the earth. od loves people
very much. But he is also *holy and he is completely fair. 2e was very sad to see how evil people
had become. Their behaviour upset him deeply.
=erse 9 *3in does not hurt only the person who *sins. At that time$ it hurt the whole earth.
=erse , 6eople were very evil. But >oah pleased od. And so$ od made a special plan to save
>oah.
Go" -arns Noah$ 6%9&22
v9 These are >oah1s *descendants. >oah was a good man. Among the people that were alive
then$ he was without blame. >oah walked with od. v10 >oah had three sons called 3hem$
2am and *apheth.
v11 >ow od considered the earth as bad. All the people on the earth attacked each other
often. v12 od looked at the earth. And he saw that it was very bad. All people lived in an evil
way on the earth. v13 And od said to >oah$ 40 have decided to kill all people. The people
who are on the earth attack each other often. 5ook8 0 will kill man. And 0 will destroy the earth
too. v14 !ake an *ark for yourself. !ake it out of gopher wood #a certain kind of wood./ !ake
rooms in the *ark. Cover it with pitch #sticky black stuff/ inside and outside. v15 This is how
you must make it. 0t must be %@@ *cubits long$ (@ *cubits wide and %@ *cubits high. v16 !ake
a roof for the *ark. <inish the *ark so that it ends ' *cubit from the top. 3o then there will be a
window for light. 6ut a door in the side of the *ark. !ake three decks. There must be lower$
middle and upper decks. v17 0 will flood the earth with water. 0 will kill all *creatures that live
under the skies. "very *creature that lives will die. "verything on the earth will die. v18 0 will
make a *covenant with you. And 0 will do what 0 have promised you. Eou will enter the *ark
with your sons. Eour wife and your sons1 wives will also be with you. v19 Take each kind of
*creature that lives. Take two from among each kind. Take them into the *ark with you and
keep them alive. Take one male and one female from among each kind. v20 Take two from
among every sort and keep them alive. Take two from among every kind of bird. Take two
from among every kind of animal. And take every kind of *creature that crawls. Take two from
among every kind. v21 Take every sort of food to eat. Take it with you and store it. That will be
food for you. And it will be food for the birds$ animals and *creatures.1
v22 >oah did that. 2e did everything exactly as od ordered him.
=erse . >oah was not perfect. 2e was 4*righteous1. That means that he really tried to obey od. A
*righteous person is someone who loves od. 3uch a person cares about other people too. A
*righteous person lives in this way even if he would suffer as a result. Because of these attitudes$
>oah was different from everyone else who lived at that time.
=erse '' od saw that people had done many wrong things. 0n that way$ they spoilt their own lives.
They refused to do the things that please od. And they chose to live wicked lives. 3o od would
kill them.
=erse ': 4*Ark1. The *2ebrew word for 4*ark1 here is the same one that the writer uses for !oses1
basket. #5ook at "xodus +&%$ (./ But that word does not appear anywhere else in the Bible. The
*ark1s shape was more like a building than a boat. >oah did not make the *ark to sail regularly on
the seas. 0t had a special purpose$ and its shape was ideal for that purpose.
4opher wood1. We are not sure what the word 4gopher1 means. 3o we do not know exactly what
that wood was.
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46itch1 is a sticky black stuff. 0t would help to protect the wood from water. The *2ebrew words for
4pitch1 and 4cover1 are similar to each other. 5ater$ when *esus died for us$ he 4covered1 our *sins by
means of his death.
40nside and outside1. That may mean 4completely1.
!ake 4rooms1 in the *ark. 2ere$ where we have the word 4rooms1$ the original *2ebrew text has
4nests1. 3ome people have said that its meaning might be this. There are tall grasses called reeds$
which grow in shallow water. !any birds use these to make their nests. 3o it might mean that also
>oah should use these plants$ to make the *ark.
>oah lived many miles from the sea. 2e did not know how to build boats. >obody had ever built a
boat like this. 6eople probably laughed at him. But od told him what to do.
=erse '( A *cubit is a measurement that people used then. 0t is eHual to ', inches #about :(
centimetres/.
=erse ', 0 will make a 4*covenant1 with you. 0n *2ebrew$ that is the same word as for 4testament1. #A
testament is a text that a person writes. 0t shows who must receive that person1s property after the
person1s death./ *Covenants were serious agreements between two people #or two nations/. "ach
person #or nation/ had to promise to do certain things. od promised to save >oah. But od would
only do that if >oah went into the *ark.
=erse ++ >oah had to do a lot of difficult things. 2e did them all because od told him to.
Chapter 7
Go" saves Noah fro' the f+oo"$ 7%1&24
v1 Then the *5ord said to >oah$ 4o into the *ark and take all your family with you. 0 have
seen that you alone are good among those that are living now. v2 Take 9 pairs of all *clean
animals with you. 3o there will be seven males and their mates. Take one male and one
female from each kind of *unclean animal. v3 Take seven pairs #male and female/ of every
bird that flies in the air. 3o then you will keep each kind of bird alive on the earth. v4 After 9
days$ 0 will send rain upon the earth. 0t will rain for :@ days and :@ nights. 0 will completely take
away from the earth every *creature that is alive. 0 will take away from the earth1s surface all
those that 0 have made.1
v5 And >oah did everything that the *5ord had ordered him to do.
v6 >oah was ;@@ years old when the flood came. That was when the waters came upon the
earth. v7 >oah went into the *ark. 2e took with him his sons$ his wife and his sons1 wives.
They entered the *ark in order to escape the waters of the flood. v8 Also$ there were pairs of
*clean animals and there were pairs of *unclean animals. There were pairs of birds. And there
were pairs of everything that crawls on the ground. v9 They all went into the *ark with >oah.
They went in order as pairs$ male and female. 0t was exactly as od had given the command
to >oah. v10 After 9 days$ the waters of the flood came upon the earth.
v11 0t was the ;@@
th
year in >oah1s life. 0t was the +
nd
month in that year. And it was the '9
th
day in that month. Then all the water rushed up from the seas$ which were great and deep.
And rain poured down from the skies. v12 0t rained for :@ days and :@ nights.
v13 An that same day$ >oah entered the *ark. 2e took with him his three sons$ called 3hem$
2am and *apheth. 2e took also his wife and his sons1 three wives. v14 There was every kind
of wild animal and there was every kind of *cattle. There was every kind of thing that crawls on
the earth. And there was every sort of bird. They all entered the *ark too. v15 They went into
the *ark with >oah. There were pairs of all *creatures that have life in them. v16 All those were
male and female *creatures from all the kinds that were living. And they went into the *ark$ as
od had given the command to >oah. And then the *5ord shut >oah in.
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v17 The flood continued for :@ days on the earth. The waters got higher. They rose high
above the earth and the *ark floated upon them. v18 The waters rose and they increased
greatly on the earth. But the *ark floated on top of the waters. v19 A very huge amount of
water came upon the earth. 3o then all the high mountains under the whole sky were under
the water. v20 A very huge amount of water came over the mountains. 3o then the mountains
were under '( *cubits of water. v21 All *creatures that were living before died. All that had
moved upon the earth died. That included birds$ *cattle and wild animals. 0t included all
*creatures that moved in large groups on the earth. And it included every person. v22
"verything on dry land died. They had all had breath in their nostrils #holes in the nose/. That
is$ breath that had made them live. But they died. v23 od completely took away from the
earth every *creature that was alive. That means everything that was on the surface of the
ground. 0t included people and animals. 0t included *creatures that crawl. And it included birds.
od took them away completely from the earth. Anly a few people remained. >oah remained.
And those with him in the *ark remained.
v24 And the waters flooded the earth for '(@ days.
od saved >oah and his family because >oah was *righteous. But the flood killed all the wicked
people. This reminds us that od will be the Dudge of everyone. But od is not like a human Dudge.
We cannot impress od by our efforts. And it does not matter whether we are rich or poor. But he
will save us if$ like >oah$ we please him. We shall please him if we are *righteous. We do not
become *righteous by our own efforts. We can only become *righteous because of what *esus did
for us. *esus died to save us from the punishment for our *sins. 3o we must confess our *sins to
od. And we must invite him into our lives.
od also rescued animals of all types. 2e arranged that they would come to >oah. The flood did
not begin until they were all safely in the *ark.
This chapter does not mention the reaction of the people before they died in the flood. + 6eter +&(
shows that >oah warned them. But *esus said that they were Dust carrying on their usual behaviour
#!atthew +:&%9-%./. Ane day$ they were eating and drinking. And they were merry. But then the
flood came and od punished them. *esus added that people will act in the same way before his
return. They will continue their evil lives. But then *esus will return. When he returns$ he will be
their Dudge. *esus1 return gives hope to everyone who trusts him. But it will be a terrible event for
everyone who opposes him.
Notes on the verses
=erse ' The writer often reminds us that od gave commands to >oah. Also$ the writer tells us that
>oah obeyed od. >oah was good. #0n other words$ he was *righteous./ That does not mean that
he was perfect. 0t means that he believed od. And it means that >oah obeyed od.
=erse + 4Clean animals1. od gave strict rules about which animals people could *sacrifice. And he
was strict about which animals they could eat. Those animals were called 4clean animals1. But
there were other animals that people must not *sacrifice. And they should not eat these animals.
These animals were called 4*unclean animals1.
=erse : 4:@ days and :@ nights1. That sometimes means Dust a long time. 2ere$ however$ it may
mean the exact time. The writer gives many other exact details.
=erse . 4!ale and female1. >oah kept the animals as pairs. "verything was in order.
=erse '' Water came from both the seas and the sky. 0n *2ebrew$ the writer says that the windows
in the sky opened. 0t was something more than normal rain.
=erse '; The *5ord shut >oah in. The *5ord sometimes punishes$ but he can also save people.
=erse +@ The waters of the flood were so very deep that they covered everything on the earth.
>othing stayed above the water except the *ark. And only those who were inside the *ark stayed
alive after the flood.
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Chapter 8
.eop+e be!in to +ive on the earth a!ain$ 8%1&22
v1 But od remembered >oah. And od remembered all the wild animals and *cattle that
were with >oah. They were with >oah in the *ark. And od made a wind blow over the earth.
And the waters went down. v2 od stopped the waters that were rushing up from the seas.
2e stopped the waters that were pouring down from the sky. 2e stopped the rain. v3 All the
time$ the waters were going down. After '(@ days$ the waters had gone down. v4 An the '9
th
day in the 9
th
month$ the *ark rested. 0t rested on the mountains called Ararat. v5 The waters
were still going down until the '@
th
month. Then >oah could see the tops of the mountains.
That was on the '
st
day in the '@
th
month.
v6 After :@ days$ >oah opened the window. That is$ the window of the *ark that he had made.
v7 2e sent out a raven #a fairly large black bird/. The raven continued to fly about until later$
when the waters had gone. 0t flew about until the earth was dry. v8 Then >oah sent out a
*dove. >oah needed to know whether the waters had gone down. 2e needed to know whether
the earth was dry. v9 2owever$ the *dove did not find any dry place to settle on. 0t came back
to the *ark because the waters still covered all the earth. >oah put out his hand and he
brought the *dove back into the *ark. v10 >oah waited for 9 more days and then again he sent
out the *dove from the *ark. v11 The *dove came back to >oah in the evening. 0t had a fresh
leaf in its mouth. 0t had picked the leaf from an *olive tree. Then >oah knew that the waters
had gone down from the earth. v12 Then he waited for 9 more days and he sent the *dove out
again. The *dove did not come back again.
v13 0n >oah1s ;@'
st
year$ the waters had dried off the earth. That was on the '
st
day in the '
st
month. >oah took the cover off the *ark and he looked. 5ook8 The ground1s surface was dry.
v14 An the +9
th
day in the +
nd
month$ the earth was completely dry.
v15 Then od said to >oah$ v16 1o out of the *ark. 0 say that to you and your wife. And 0 say
it to your sons and your sons1 wives. v17 Take with you all the *creatures that live. Take all the
kinds of *creatures that are with you. Take the birds and animals. And take every *creature
that crawls on the earth. Then they will have large families and those will give birth to very
many young *creatures. 3o then they will live everywhere on the earth.1
v18 3o >oah went out$ with his sons$ his wife and his sons1 wives. v19 "very animal went out.
"very *creature that crawls went out. And every bird went out. "verything that moves on the
earth went out. They all went out as families from the *ark.
v20 Then >oah built an *altar for the *5ord1s honour. >oah took some animals out of every
kind of *clean animal. 2e took some birds out of every kind of *clean bird. And he offered
*sacrifices that he burned on the *altar. v21 When the *5ord smelled the smell$ the *5ord was
pleased. And the *5ord said in himself$ 40 will never again *curse the ground because of
people. 6eople are evil even when they are young. 6eople want bad things and they think bad
things. 0 punished every *creature that lived. But 0 will never again do that$ as 0 did then.
v22 While the earth exists$ these things will not stop. 6eople will sow and they will harvest. 0t
will be cold and hot. There will be summer and winter. There will be day and night. 0t will
always be so.1
This is a beautiful chapter. The terrible flood had destroyed the world that >oah knew. And >oah1s
*ark #boat/ was floating on the water. >oah might have been afraid. But this is not a story of
despair. 0t is a story of hope. od had not forgotten the *ark and its inhabitants. od remembered
>oah. And >oah trusted od.
At last$ the rain stopped. And slowly$ the level of the water went down. <irst$ >oah felt that the
*ark1s movement stopped. After some time$ >oah could see the tops of the mountains. The
mountains seemed bare$ without any plants. But then plants started to grow again. 0t was as if od
was creating a new world.
"ach week$ >oah carefully recorded the progress of the waters. 2e sent out birds so that he would
know the situation. At last$ od told >oah to leave the *ark. od would be kind to >oah and his
family. And od would be kind to the animals and birds that left the *ark. They were few in number.
But their numbers would increase.
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>oah was grateful to od. Although there were only a few animals$ >oah gave some animals as
*sacrifices to od.
>oah wanted to please od$ like Abel in enesis :&:. And od was pleased with >oah. od knew
that people were still *sinful #enesis ,&+'/. od1s plan was that *esus would die in order to forgive
their *sins. But od made a promise to >oah. od promised to protect the earth. 2e will make sure
that seasons and days continue. And this promise lasts until the end of the world.
Notes on the verses
=erse ' 47emembered >oah1 means 4took care of >oah1. !any things in this story remind us about
od1s *creation. Before od created the earth$ od1s 3pirit moved gently over the water. And here
od made a wind blow over the water. 0n *2ebrew$ the same word means both 4spirit1 and 4wind1. 0n
*creation$ od had gathered waters together above the earth. 2e had gathered waters together in
the seas. And here$ after the flood$ od collected water together again.
=erse % The writer of this story tells us the days when things happened. 2e tells us how long things
took. 2e often tells us that the water was going down. That reminds us that there was a lot of
water. 0t was a very big flood.
=erse ( The waters were going down all the time. But at first$ >oah could not see this. >oah was
only able to see this after several weeks passed. od does things to help us. But he is often doing
them for a long time before we know it.
=erse 9 A raven is a fairly large black bird. 0t can fly for a long time before it gets tired. Ane raven
went out and it did not come back. We believe that the first raven lived outside until its companion
came out later.
7avens eat meat from dead animals. !any animals died in the flood. 3o$ there was plenty of food
for the raven.
=erse , >oah probably waited seven days before he sent out the *dove. 2e did wait 9 more days
before he sent it out again. The writer says that in verse '@.
Bnlike ravens$ *doves do not eat meat from dead animals. *Coves need plants. 3o we can see that
the plants had not yet grown.
=erse . 0n the original *2ebrew story$ some words sound like the name 4>oah1. Those are the
words for 4*dove1 and 4place to rest1. >oah had so many *creatures to look after. But even so$ he
still cared about the *dove.
=erse '@ >oah may have considered the 9
th
day in a week as special. There is some evidence for
that. 2e sent the birds out at certain times. The interval between those times was 9 days. An *olive
tree has a special meaning. 0f something is 4like an *olive tree1$ that thing is beautiful and *fruitful.
We can read in the Bible that 0srael will be 4like an *olive tree1 #2osea ':&;/.
0t seems that this *olive tree did not die during the flood. And now it was growing again.
=erse ': The earth had to be dry enough for all the *creatures to live there. >oah had to make
sure that it was dry enough.
=erse '9 When od created everything$ he also gave this command. 2e said that *creatures
should have large families. And they should grow in number. 0t was very necessary at that time$
when only a few *creatures were living on the earth. And when od created people$ he said the
same thing to them. But today the situation is different. od allows some people to have large
families. But this is not od1s plan for everyone. Today$ very many people live on the earth.
=erse +@ The writer does not tell us that >oah built *altars before the flood. And he does not tell us
that >oah *sacrificed animals then. But >oah had probably done those things already. 2e did them
immediately after he came out from the *ark. 2e knew which animals he should *sacrifice to please
the *5ord. 0n other religions$ too$ there are stories about a flood. 3ome things in those stories are
the same as they are in enesis. But the important things are very different. We can read these
things in enesis only. There is one od$ who has power over everything. 2e is good and he is a
fair Dudge. And he loves people. >oah$ the man that stayed alive after the flood$ was a good man.
2e obeyed od. Anly the writer of the Book of enesis tells us about those things.
=erse +' 0t seemed like a new world. But people were still evil. "verybody does evil things. Anly
od can forgive us$ because of *esus. 3ee 7omans %&+%-+:.
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=erse ++ od gave a wonderful promise. Because >oah obeyed od$ od changed the world.
Chapter 9
v1 And od *blessed >oah and his sons. And od said this to them. 42ave very many
children and *descendants. And live everywhere on the earth. v2 "very *creature that lives will
be afraid of you. That includes every animal on the earth. 0t includes every bird that flies in the
air. 0t includes all *creatures that crawl on the ground. And it includes the fish in the sea. 0 have
given everything to you. v3 "very thing that lives shall be food for you. That is$ every thing that
also moves. 0 gave the green plants to you for food. >ow 0 give everything to you.1
v4 2owever$ you must not eat meat that still has its life in it. That is$ it still has its blood in it. v5
When somebody kills someone$ there must be punishment. 3omeone will kill any animal that
kills a person. 3omeone will kill any person that kills another person. "very person that kills
his brother will die.
v6 0f someone kills a person$ then people should kill the killer. That is because od made man
like himself.
v7 And 0 say this to you. 2ave large families and have many *descendants. 3pread over the
earth and live everywhere on it.
v8 Then od said this to >oah. And od said it to >oah1s sons$ who were with >oah. v9
15ook8 0 am *confirming my *covenant with you. And it is also a *covenant with your
*descendants$ who will live after you. v10 And it is a *covenant with every *creature that is
with you. That is$ every *creature that lives on the earth. That includes birds$ *cattle and wild
animals. 0t includes everything that came out of the *ark. v11 0 am *confirming my *covenant
with you. >ever again will 0 send the waters of a flood to completely destroy everything. 0 will
never again kill all that is alive. >ever again will 0 send a flood to destroy the earth.1
v12 And od said$ 4This is the thing that will especially remind you about the *covenant. 0 have
made that *covenant between me and you. And it is also between me and every *creature with
you. That is$ every *creature that lives. The *covenant will be for always. v13 0 put my rainbow
in the cloud. The rainbow shall be something that especially reminds you about the *covenant.
That is$ the *covenant between me and the earth. v14 0 will bring clouds over the earth and
the rainbow will appear in the clouds. v15 Then 0 will remember my *covenant$ which is
between me and you. And it is between me and every *creature from all kinds. That is$ every
*creature that lives. >ever again will 0 send enough water to kill all *creatures. v16 When the
rainbow is in the clouds$ 0 will look at it. 0 will remember the *covenant that 0$ od$ have made
with every *creature. That means every *creature that lives upon earth$ from all kinds. That
*covenant will last for always.1
v17 od said to >oah$ 4This thing will especially remind you about the *covenant. 0 have made
that *covenant between me and all *creatures. That is$ all *creatures that live on the earth.1
v18 >oah1s sons$ who went out from the *ark$ were 3hem$ 2am and *apheth. 2am was
Canaan1s father. v19 Those three were >oah1s sons. Those sons1 *descendants spread all
over the earth.
v20 >oah was a man that worked on the land. 2e was the first person that made a vineyard #a
garden where *grapes grow/. v21 >oah drank some *wine and he became *drunk. 2e lay in
his tent and he was naked. v22 2am saw his naked father >oah. #2am was Canaan1s father./
2am went outside and he told his two brothers about it. v23 Then 3hem and *apheth took a
*cloak. And they laid it upon the shoulders of them both. They walked *backward and they
covered their naked father with the *cloak. They turned their faces away so that they did not
see their naked father.
v24 5ater >oah woke and he was not *drunk any longer. Then he discovered what his
youngest son had done. v25 3o he said$ 4Canaan has a *curse. 2e will be his brother1s slave.
2e will have a lower position than any other slave.1 v26 >oah also said$ 45et people *bless the
*5ord$ who is 3hem1s od. 5et Canaan be 3hem1s slave. v27 5et od make *apheth
increase. 5et *apheth live in 3hem1s tents. 5et Canaan be *apheth1s slave.1
v28 >oah lived %(@ more years after the flood. v29 2is whole life lasted for .(@ years. Then
he died.
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od is perfect. But people often do wrong things.
od1s *covenant #agreement/ with >oah reminds us about the wrong things that we do. 0t is not like
od1s words to the first people in enesis '&+,-%@. od spoke those words before people *sinned.
And he only promised good things then.
But od made the *covenant with >oah after people had *sinned. This *covenant promised many
good things to people. But od also warned people in the *covenant. 2e spoke about murder. 2e
warned people that they would be responsible for their evil behaviour. And he warned them that
od would punish them for their evil deeds.
6eople would be evil. But od is kind. 2e promised never again to flood the whole world. And he
used the rainbow to remind people about this promise.
>oah was a great servant of od. And >oah was a *righteous man. But >oah was not perfect. 2e
did something that was very wrong. 2e drank too much wine. 2is son$ called 2am$ saw him. And
2am gossiped. This was terrible behaviour. 2e did not respect his father$ although his father was a
great servant of od. When >oah awoke$ he spoke words about the future of his three sons. >oah
spoke these words by the 2oly 3pirit$ because >oah was a servant of od. 2am1s family would
suffer because of 2am1s *sin. But >oah *blessed his other sons.
Notes on the verses
Go" 'akes a *)ovenant -ith Noah$ 9%1&17
=erse ' 42ave very many children and *descendants.1 od said that also when he made people in
the beginning. And he said the same words in *2ebrew when he made *creatures. Those words
mean 4have large families1. But they also mean 4be useful1 and 4be helpful1. They mean$ 4Be other
people1s servant. Co not expect other people to serve you.1
=erse + 2ere$ od seems to give to people more power over the *creatures. That is$ more power
than he gave earlier to Adam and "ve.
=erse % 2ere$ od permits people to eat meat as well as vegetables and fruit.
=erse : od did not allow people to kill other people. 0f they did kill other people$ they would be
punished. 2e did not allow people to eat meat with blood in it. 0n that way$ he reminded them that
life is important. 5ife is 4*holy1. od has made us like an image of himself. 3o we must not kill other
people.
=erses (-9 od1s punishment was fair. 0f there was a murder$ people should kill the murderer only.
0n many places$ families might fight each other because somebody had murdered someone from
the other family. And they might kill each other because of that. 3uch a situation might continue for
a very long time. But od did not say that that should happen.
=erses ,-'' od had made an agreement #*covenant/ with >oah before the flood. 2e told >oah
about it again here$ because it was very important. od included all *creatures in the agreement.
6eople must take care of od1s earth and od1s *creatures.
=erses '+-'9 This does not mean that there were no rainbows before. But rainbows now have a
new meaning. od1s agreement was with all the people and animals in the entire world. And the
rainbow was a sign of that agreement.
Noah an" his son "o so'ethin! -ron!$ 9%18&29
=erse +@ 4A man that worked on the land1. >oah was the master of the earth. After the flood$ he
became a farmer. 2e grew grapes #small$ sweet fruit/ that he made into *wine.
=erse +' The writer does not hide from us the fact that >oah was not perfect. When he was naked
like that$ he was not giving honour to od. We can read in the Bible that *wine can be pleasant
#6salm '@:&'(/. But we can see here that too much *wine is not good.
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=erse ++ 6eople should respect their parents. 2am should have covered his father. Then 2am
should have said nothing. But he gossiped to his brothers. 0t is not certain whether 2am1s son
Canaan *sinned too. 0t was Canaan that suffered as a result. od would later promise to bring his
people #3hem1s *descendants/ to a new country that was also called Canaan. The *Canaanites$
the people that would live there first$ would be Canaan1s *descendants. And they would be very
wicked. 3ome people think that 2am did not Dust look at his father. They think that 2am did
something worse than that. 3ome people think that he had some sort of sex with his father. But it is
not necessary to think that. 2am did not respect his father$ and in that way 2am *sinned.
=erse +% 3hem and *apheth respected their father. They were careful to look away from him as
they covered him. A 4cloak1 was a large piece of warm cloth. 6eople wore it on top of other clothes
during the day. And they used it as a blanket at night.
=erses +:-+( >oah spoke about the future of his sons by the power of the 2oly 3pirit. 3o$ this was
not Dust >oah1s idea. This was a message from od. We do not know when 2am1s *descendants
became his two brothers1 slaves. But we do know that Canaan1s *descendants became very evil. 0n
fact$ they were so evil that od gave their land to Abraham1s *descendants. And od helped
Abraham1s *descendants to overcome Canaan1s *descendants. #3ee the Book of *oshua./
=erse +; Ane would expect >oah to say 40 *bless 3hem$ the *5ord1s man.1 0t is not usual to 4*bless
the *5ord of a person1. But it might mean that 3hem was the son that od *blessed in particular.
And >oah was *blessing od especially because he #od/ was 3hem1s od. 3hem1s
*descendants were the people that od chose specially for himself. Abraham and his
*descendants #0srael/ were among 3hem1s *descendants.
=erse +9 5et od 4make *apheth increase1. The *2ebrew word for 45et him make bigger1 sounds
like the name *apheth. 0t does not mean that *apheth would get fat8 0t means 45et *apheth1s
*descendants increase in number and let them be more powerful.1 0t is not clear what >oah was
praying. !aybe he prayed that od would 4live in 3hem1s tents1. Ar maybe he prayed that *apheth
would live in them. od did actually 4live in the tents1 of 3hem1s *descendants #0srael/. That was
because od chose that nation for himself. But this seems to be a peculiar *blessing for *apheth.
6robably >oah was saying that *apheth would live in 3hem1s tents. But we cannot discover when
this happened. !any people have suggested different times. This is one possible meaning. 6eople
that were not **ews would live together with **ews. That would happen by means of what *esus
did. #3ee "phesians +&''-'../ >oah repeated his words about Canaan again. That showed how
important they were.
=erses +,-+. >oah lived a long life. od would not allow people in the future to live such long
lives.
Chapter 10
v1 >oah1s sons were 3hem$ 2am and *apheth. This is their families1 history. They had sons
after the flood.
v2 *apheth1s sons were omer$ !agog$ !adai$ *avan$ Tubal$ !eshech and Tiras. v3 omer1s
sons were AshkenaI$ 7iphath and Togarmah. v4 *avan1s sons were "lishah$ Tarshish$ the
people called Littim and the people called Codanim. v5 The nations spread along the coasts
from those families. "ach nation got its own language.
v6 2am1s sons were Cush$ "gypt$ 6ut and Canaan. v7 Cush1s sons were 3eba$ 2avilah$
3abtah$ 7aamah and 3abteca. 7aamah1s sons were 3heba and Cedan.
v8 Cush was also >imrod1s father. >imrod began to be a powerful man on the earth. v9 2e
was a powerful hunter. The *5ord could see what >imrod was doing. Therefore people often
say$ 4like >imrod$ who is a powerful hunter. The *5ord can see what >imrod is doing.1 v10 The
beginning of >imrod1s *kingdom consisted of Babel$ "rech and Accad. Those are all in the
country called 3hinar. v11 <rom 3hinar$ >imrod went into Assyria. 2e built >ineveh$
7ehoboth-0r$ Calah and 7esen. v12 7esen is between >ineveh and Calah. That is the great
city.
v13 "gypt was the father of 5udim$ Anamim$ 5ehabim$ >aphtuhim$ v14 6athrusim$ Casluhim$
and Caphtorim. The *6hilistines came from Casluhim1s family.
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v15 Canaan was the father of 3idon$ his oldest son. Canaan was also the father of 2eth. v16
2e was also the father of the people called *ebusites$ *Amorites$ irgashites$ v17 2ivites$
Arkites$ 3inites$ v18 Arvadites$ Kemarites and 2amathites.
5ater the families that came from Canaan scattered. v19 And the country of those people
spread from 3idon up to erar. 0t spread as far as aIa. And it spread towards 3odom$
omorrah$ Admah and Keboiim$ as far as 5asha.
v20 Those are 2am1s sons in their families$ languages$ countries and nations.
v21 3hem also had children. 3hem was *apheth1s older brother. 3hem was the *ancestor of
all "ber1s children.
v22 3hem1s sons were "lam$ Asshur$ Arpachshad$ 5ud and Aram. v23 Aram1s sons were BI$
2ul$ ether and !ash. v24 Arpachshad was the father of 3helah$ and 3helah was the father
of "ber. v25 "ber had two sons. Ane son was called 6eleg because the earth became divided
during his life. 6eleg1s brother was called *oktan. v26 *oktan was the father of Almodad$
3heleph$ 2aIarmaveth$ *erah$ v27 2adoram$ BIal$ Ciklah$ v28 Abal$ Abimael$ 3heba$ v29
Aphir$ 2avilah and *obab. All those were *oktan1s sons.
v30 They lived in a country that spread from !esha toward 3ephar. 0t spread to the hilly
country in the east. v31 Those are 3hem1s sons in their families$ languages$ countries and
nations.
v32 Those are the *descendants of >oah1s sons. The *descendants are in their families and
they are in their nations. <rom those people$ the nations scattered over the earth. That
happened after the flood.
A new part of enesis starts here. 6eople1s life on the earth was starting again after the flood.
The actual names are not very important to us. But they do show that this account is true. These
people were real. They actually lived. The account shows how Huickly new families were born. And
it shows how Huickly they grew up. 3ome names here are probably places1 names rather than
people1s names. 6eople did not stay close together. They moved to new places and they became
many nations.
0n this list here$ we read that *apheth had 9 sons and 9 grandsons. Cush1s sons and grandsons
together were 9 in total. #That does not include Cush1s other son >imrod$ whom the writer talks
about separately./ The writer mentions 9@ nations as *descendants of >oah1s sons. 6eople often
used the number 9@ to mean a large number. And 9 was a 4special1 number too.
/apheth,s fa'i+($ 10%2&5
The writer begins with *apheth1s sons and grandsons. Their names show us that their families
moved north$ towards "urope. And they moved round the sea called the !editerranean.
0a',s fa'i+($ 10%6&20
2am1s family moved towards the south and into >orth Africa. Canaan was the original name of the
country that became 0srael. 3o Canaan1s *descendants are important to the history in the Bible.
But 2am1s *descendants lived across a much larger area.
>imrod1s *descendants were especially powerful. Babylon would become the greatest city in the
world for a short time. And >ineveh was also a very powerful city.
=erse '+ mentions 4the great city1. 0t is not clear whether that means >ineveh or Calah. 0t seems as
if it is Calah. But in the Book of *onah$ >ineveh is called a 4great city1.
1he',s fa'i+($ 10%21&32
3hem1s family comes last in this chapter$ although his name comes first in verse '. We do not
know why that is so. 6erhaps it is because the Book of enesis continues with the story of 3hem1s
*descendants.
!any of 3hem1s *descendants moved east. But this list also contains the names of places that are
elsewhere.
233887186 - 28/05/06 - Page 23
Chapter 11
he *to-er in Babe+ sho-s that peop+e are prou"$ 11%1&4
v1 All the people on the earth had one language and they had one set of words. v2 When
people moved to the east$ they found a plain in the country called 3hinar. And they stayed
there.
v3 These people said to each other$ 4Come8 5et us make bricks. And let us bake them hard.1
3o they used bricks as stones to build with. And they used bitumen #black stuff from the
ground/ in order to stick the bricks together. v4 Then they said$ 4Come8 5et us build a city for
ourselves. 5et us build a tower #tall$ narrow building/ with its top in the sky. We will make
ourselves great. Then we shall not scatter over all the earth.1
v5 Then the *5ord came down to see the city. And he came to see the *tower that the people
were building. v6 The *5ord said$ 45ook8 They are all one group of people. They all have the
same language. This is only the beginning of what the people will do. They will be able to do
everything that they plan to do. >othing is impossible. v7 Come8 5et us go down. We will mix
up the people1s language. Then they will not be able to understand each other.1
v8 Then the *5ord scattered them from there over all the earth. And they stopped building the
city. v9 3o the city was called Babel because there$ od mixed up the language of all the
people on the earth. <rom there$ od scattered them over all the earth.
v10 This is the history of 3hem1s family. When 3hem was '@@ years old$ he became
Arpachshad1s father. That was two years after the flood. v11 After Arpachshad was born$
3hem lived for (@@ more years. 3hem had other sons and daughters. v12 When Arpachshad
had lived for %( years$ he became 3helah1s father. v13 After 3helah was born$ Arpachshad
lived for :%@ more years. Arpachshad had other sons and daughters. v14 When 3helah had
lived for %@ years$ he became "ber1s father. v15 After "ber was born$ 3helah lived for :%@
more years. 3helah had other sons and daughters.
v16 When "ber had lived for %: years$ he became 6eleg1s father. v17 Then "ber lived for :%@
more years and he had other sons and daughters.
v18 When 6eleg had lived for %@ years$ he became 7eu1s father. v19 Then 6eleg lived for +@.
more years and he had other sons and daughters.
v20 When 7eu had lived for %+ years$ he became 3erug1s father. v21 Then 7eu lived for +@9
more years and he had other sons and daughters.
v22 When 3erug had lived for %@ years$ he became >ahor1s father. v23 Then 3erug lived for
+@@ more years and he had other sons and daughters.
v24 When >ahor had lived for +. years$ he became Terah1s father. v25 Then >ahor lived for
''. more years and he had other sons and daughters.
v26 After Terah had lived for 9@ years$ he became Abram1s$ >ahor1s and 2aran1s father.
v27 This is the history of Terah1s family. Terah was the father of Abram$ >ahor and 2aran.
2aran was 5ot1s father. v28 2aran died in the city called Br. That was in the country where the
people called Chaldeans lived. 0t was the country where 2aran was born. 2aran1s father Terah
was still alive. v29 Abram and >ahor both married. Abram1s wife was called 3arai and >ahor1s
wife was called !ilcah. !ilcah was 2aran1s daughter. 2aran was both !ilcah1s and 0scah1s
father. v30 3arai was *barren. That means that she had no children.
v31 Terah took his son Abram$ his grandson 5ot #2aran1s son/$ and his son1s #Abram1s/ wife
3arai. Together they went out from Br$ where the people called Chaldeans lived. They planned
to go to the country called Canaan. But when they came to the city called 2aran$ they settled
there.
v32 Terah1s whole life lasted +@( years. 2e died in 2aran.
All the people spoke the same language because they were all >oah1s *descendants. And they
wanted to live together. They were proud. They wanted to be more powerful. 3o they built a great
city.
233887186 - 28/05/06 - Page 24
But od had not told people to live together. 2e told them to move across the world #enesis .&'/
so that the whole world would have inhabitants. 3o the people were not obeying od1s commands.
0n fact$ they were trying to oppose od.
od did not allow them to continue the construction of that city. 2e confused their languages and
he ended their unity. They could not talk with each other. 3o they had to move to different places.
The chapter continues with the story of 3hem1s family. 6eople1s lives began to be shorter now. At
last$ the writer mentions Abram. Abram was different from other people because Abram believed
od. This fact may not seem important when we have discussed the history of the whole world.
But$ for the writer of the Book of enesis$ this fact was vital. The Book of enesis always
concentrates on the lives of people who please od. Already$ we have read about Abel$ "noch and
>oah. And Abram would Doin the list of men who pleased od. Their lives had a vast effect on the
relationship between people and od. od said that all the people in the world would receive a
*blessing by means of Abram #enesis '+&%/.
Notes on the verses
=erse + 6eople moved 4to the east1. Ar that may mean 4in the east1. "arlier$ the *5ord sent Cain
away. And then Cain too went towards the east.
=erse % 4Bitumen1 is a black stuff that people get from the ground. At that time$ people started to
use it like cement. They stuck bricks together with it. Today$ people use it as a surface for roads.
=erse : The people did not ask what the *5ord wanted. They wanted to build for themselves. They
were not building this city in order to bring honour to od. They wanted to be famous themselves.
Go" 'akes ne- +an!ua!es an" he s)atters peop+e$ 11%5&9
=erse ( The *5ord showed how great he is. 6eople thought that they could reach up to the sky.
They thought that od was in the sky. But od came down to the earth to see their *tower. When
we compare the *tower with od$ it was very small. And it was not very important$ because od is
so great. 0t is od who makes people great. We cannot make ourselves great in od1s opinion.
6eople think that they are great and powerful. But od is in control. 2e confused their language
and he scattered them. 3o$ he stopped the people before they could become more evil. 2e
stopped them before they could make more trouble.
The writer has told the story about the *tower in Babel in very easy language. 2e uses many words
that sound like other words. 3ome parts of od1s reply sound very like the people1s speech. But
od1s reply means something very different. After Adam and "ve had *sinned$ they could not talk
-ith Go" as easily as before. >ow$ people could not talk to ea)h other easily.
=erse . 4Babel1 means 4confused1.
1he',s fa'i+( 2Abra',s *an)estors3$ 11%10&32
=erses '@-+; 4The history of 3hem1s family1. 6eople1s exact ages here are not clear$ but that is not
very important. This history of 3hem1s family may not be complete. 3ome people may be
grandsons rather than sons. Again$ it is important to see that this is a story about real people. We
can compare it with the account about Adam1s family. #5ook at enesis chapter (./ We can see
that the people in 3hem1s family were younger when they had children. And they did not live as
long. 0n enesis ;&%$ od said that he would place a limit on the length of people1s lives.
0n verse +;$ Abram$ >ahor and 2aran were born at different times.
2ere$ the story about Abram begins. Abram was the father of the family that od chose specially.
Abram1s brother was called 2aran. And also the place where Terah stayed to live was called
2aran.
enesis ''&+9 to '+&. These verses are very important. They show how od was making his plan
happen for people. 2e chose Abram1s family as his special family. Then he chose the nation of the
**ews. Then he did something special for all nations. od was a friend to Abram. And od made
special promises to Abram and his family. 2ere we also read about the country that the *5ord
promised to Abram.
=erse +9 2aran was probably Terah1s oldest son. 0t seems that Abram was looking after 5ot.
233887186 - 28/05/06 - Page 25
=erse +. 3arai was Abram1s half-sister #enesis +@&'+/. 0n other words$ 3arai and Abram had the
same father #Terah/$ but 3arai1s mother was not Abram1s mother. 5ater$ od forbade men to marry
a half-sister. >ahor married his brother1s daughter. od never forbade that.
=erse %@ At that time$ if a woman had no children$ she was very sad. And sometimes people
thought that the woman should be ashamed because of that. od sometimes made women be
without children because they had *sinned #enesis +@&',/. 2owever$ there are also several
women like 3arai$ 2annah and "liIabeth in the Bible. They did not have any children for a long
time$ but od *blessed them.
=erse %+ Abram probably left 2aran many years before Terah died. Terah was not a part of od1s
plan for Abram and his *descendants. <or that reason$ the writer tells us that Terah died in 2aran.
4or" 5ist
a+tar M a table that people made out of stone or metal. 6eople burned gifts to od #*sacrifices/ on
it.
A'orites M a group of people that lived in the country called Canaan.
an)estor M a relative that lived a long time ago. A person1s parents are *descendants of such a
relative.
an!e+s M od1s servants from *heaven$ who sometimes bring od1s messages to people.
ark M the big boat that >oah built) or a box that someone has made out of wood.
ba)k-ar" M when people go in the direction where their back is) the opposite direction to forward.
barren M a description of a married woman who has no children.
b+ess M to give someone a *blessing) or to be kind to someone) or to do good things for someone)
or to promise good things to someone.
b+essin! M a good thing that od does for us) or when we ask od to help a person) or when we
ask od to do something good in that person. 0n the Book of enesis$ blessings were often a type
of *prophecy.
Canaanites M people that were living in Canaan$ the country that od had promised to the
*0sraelites. The Canaanites were already living in that country before the *0sraelites went there.
)att+e M animals that people look after in order to get milk or meat from them. They include cows.
)herubi' M special *angels that live with od in *heaven.
)+a( M a kind of earth. When it is dry$ it is heavy and firm. When it is wet$ it is stiff but also fairly
soft.
)+ean M a clean animal was an animal that od allowed the **ews to eat.
)+oak M a large piece of warm cloth. 6eople wore it on top of other clothes. And they used it as a
blanket at night.
)onfir' M say something again so that people will certainly believe it.
)ovenant M an agreement between two or more people$ in which they all have responsibilities)
such an agreement between od and a person #or people/.
)reation M when od made the world) and when he made everything that exists) everything that
od has made.
)reatures M many things that live are creatures. They include all animals$ insects and things that
crawl. They do not include people$ trees$ plants or things similar to plants. od made all creatures.
)ubit M a measurement that people used to measure length. 0t is eHual to ', inches #about :(
centimetres/.
)urse M say that something bad will happen to a person or thing by od1s #or a false god1s/ power)
when someone curses a person or thing) what someone says when they curse a person or thing.
0n the Book of enesis$ the word 4curse1 often means a *prophecy about future troubles.
"es)en"ant M a child$ grandchild$ and so on) a person in your family who lives after you are dead.
"o'e M a roof with a round top. 2ere$ it means a very big roof over the whole earth.
"ove M a kind of bird. 6eople consider it a gentle bird.
233887186 - 28/05/06 - Page 26
"runk M a description of a person who has had too much alcohol. 3uch a person cannot think
clearly. And that person does not behave in a sensible manner.
f+esh M the soft material that covers a person1s bones.
f+o)k M a large group of such animals as sheep.
f+ute M something like a tube that has holes in it. 6eople blow into it in order to make music.
fruitfu+ M fruitful land produces a lot of good crops. When a thing is fruitful$ it produces many good
results. When people are fruitful$ they have many children.
!rape M a small$ sweet fruit that people make a drink #*wine/ from.
harp M something very large with very many strings. 6eople pull the strings gently in order to make
music.
heaven M the place that is od1s home.
0ebre- M the language that the **ews spoke) someone from the nation that spoke the 2ebrew
language. The writer wrote enesis in the 2ebrew language.
hee+ M the back part of the foot.
ho+( M what od is like) completely good$ with nothing bad in it) separate from *sin) perfect and
clean) when something belongs to od.
6srae+ite M a person from the nation called 0srael) a *descendant of *acob$ who was also called
0srael.
/e- M a person that was born from Abraham$ 0saac and *acob and their children. 6eople also use
it to mean a person from the nation called 0srael.
kin!"o' M a place or country that a king rules over. #od is the greatest king. 2e is over all other
kings. We are expecting his kingdom to come./
+a'b M a very young sheep.
+or" M a man that has complete authority over someone or something.
5or" M a special name for od. 3ometimes it is the *2ebrew word E2W2. E2W2 means that od
is always od. "lsewhere$ it is the *2ebrew word ACA>A0$ which means 4my master1. 6eople used
these words to give honour to od.
Ne- esta'ent M the second part of the Bible$ which the writers wrote after *esus went back to
*heaven.
offerin! M a gift to please od.
7+" esta'ent M the first part of the Bible$ which the writers wrote before *esus came) the *holy
things that the writers wrote before Christ1s birth.
o+ive M a small fruit from which people make oil in order to cook food) the tree that this fruit comes
from.
.hi+istines M a nation of people that lived in Canaan or near Canaan.
praise M to say how great somebody is) words to express how great someone is.
pre!nant M when a lady is expecting to have a baby.
prophe)( M messages that od wants to tell or teach to people$ often about future events.
rape M when a man forces a woman to have sex with him although she does not want to.
re+i!ious M when people do something in order to *worship od.
ri!hteous M very good #only od is really righteous/. od says that the people that love him are
righteous. And those people obey him. 3uch people do whatever od wants them to do.
sa)rifi)e M when someone puts an animal on an *altar in order to offer the animal to od) to give
something valuable for someone or for od) to die for someone or for od.
1atan M the devil. 2e is od1s enemy.
sin M to do bad things against od or other people) a bad thing that a person does against od or
other people) when a person does a bad thing.
sinfu+ M evil and wrong.
s-eat M to have water that comes out of the skin. That can happen when someone is working hard
with his or her body. Ar it can happen when the weather is hot.
233887186 - 28/05/06 - Page 27
te'p+e M a building where people *worship od or a false god and they *praise him there.
to-er M a tall$ narrow building.
un)+ean M an unclean animal was an animal that od did not allow the **ews to eat.
-ine M a drink that contains alcohol. 6eople make it from small$ sweet fruit called grapes. 6eople
can use it as medicine.
-orship M to show very great honour to od) to show that we respect him very much) to *praise
od and to serve him) to tell od that we love him very much.
Book 5ist
*ohn Calvin M Commentary on enesis M "erdmans
7ev. 3tephen Cray M enesis ? 5ecture notes #unpublished/
=ictor 6. 2amilton M The Book of enesis #+ volumes/ M >ew 0nternational Commentary on the Ald
Testament M "erdmans
!atthew 2enry M Commentary on the Whole Bible M !arshall !organ and 3cott
7ev. Cerek Lidner M enesis M Tyndale
C. 2. 3purgeon M Treasury of the Ald Testament M !arshall !organ and 3cott
ordon *. Wenham M enesis #+ volumes/ M Word Biblical Commentary M Word
Bibles M 73=$ >0=$ 0nternational Children1s Bible$ Bible for the Ceaf
2006, Wycliffe Associates (UK)
This publication is written in EasyEnlish !e"el # (2$00 wor%s)&
Auust 2006
'isit our website( www&easyenlish&info
233887186 - 28/05/06 - Page 28