Gen. 7 God commands Noah to enter into the ark; the reason of it, Gen. 7:1. Directs him as to the manner and time, Gen. 7:2–4. Noah’s obedience in all things, Gen. 7:5. His age, Gen. 7:6. His entrance with his family, &c. into the ark, Gen. 7:7–9. The day in which the flood began, Gen. 7:10–11.

When the ark was finished and furnished, and the time of God’s patience expired, Gen. 6:3, he said unto Noah, Come, i.e. prepare to enter, thou and all thy family; which consisted only of eight persons, 1 Pet. 3:20, to wit, Noah and his three sons, and their four wives, Gen. 6:18.

Obj. The distinction of clean and unclean beasts was not before the law. Answ. Some legal things were prescribed and used before the law, as abstinence from the eating of blood, Gen.

Of clean fowls, which he leaves to be understood out of the foregoing verse, by sevens; and of the unclean, by two; as before of the beasts, to keep seed alive, i.e. the issue or breed of them.

Yet seven days, or, after seven days, the Hebrew Lamed being put for after, as it is Ex. 16:1, Ps. 19:3, Jer. 41:4. Or, within seven days, which time God allowed to the world as a further space of repentance, whereof therefore it is probable Noah gave them notice; and it is not unlikely that many…

Which was said Gen. 6:22, and is here repeated, because this was an eminent instance of his faith and obedience.

Or, for fear of; for fear is ascribed to and commended in Noah, Heb. 11:7. Or, from the face of.

They went by the secret impulse of their great Creator and Governor, (see Gen. 2:19, Gen. 6:20) two and two; of which see above, Gen. 4:20.

In the six hundredth year; either complete, or rather current or begun; otherwise he had lived three hundred and fifty one years after the flood, not three hundred and fifty only, as it is written, Gen. 9:29. In the second month; either, 1. Of that year of Noah’s life; or, 2. Of the year.

God by this gradual proceeding both awakened to repentance, and gave them space for it.

In the selfsame day on which the flood began by that terrible shower. Heb. In the body, or essence, or strength of the day, as Gen. 17:26, Lev. 23:14, Josh. 10:27; q. d.

Every bird. The first word signifies the greater, the second the less sort of birds, as appears from Gen. 15:9–10, Lev. 14:4, Ps. 104:17. Of every sort; Heb. Of every kind of wing, whether feathered, as it is in most birds, or skinny and gristly, as in bats.

See Poole on “Gen. 7:9”. i.e. All living creatures forementioned, Gen. 7:14.

Or, shut the door after him, or upon him, or for him, i.e. his good and safety, against the fury either of the waters or of the people. This God did in some extraordinary manner.

The flood; or, that flood of waters which was poured down in that shower mentioned Gen. 7:12; otherwise the flood was one hundred and fifty days upon the earth, Gen. 7:24. The waters increased, by the accession of more waters from above and beneath.

The waters were increased greatly upon the earth; overthrowing men, and houses, and trees, where possibly they did or thought to secure themselves.

Profane wits pretend this to be impossible, because of the vast height of divers mountains. But, 1. This cannot be thought impossible by any man that believeth a God; to whom it was as easy to bring forth a sufficiency of water, for this end, as to speak a word.

Fifteen cubits were sufficient for the destruction of the highest men, or other creatures, though placed upon the highest mountains.

All flesh that moved, i.e. lived; for motion is a sign of life.

Whether men or beasts, &c., all that breathed the same air with man, all that lived in the same element which man by his sins had infected; whereby the fishes are excepted, as living in another element. See Poole on “Gen. 2:7”.

This is so often repeated, that it may be more deeply ingrafted into the dull minds and hard hearts of men, to teach men that they ought again and again to consider this dreadful instance of God’s justice against sin and incorrigible sinners.

The waters prevailed, i.e. either grew higher and higher, or rather continued to prevail, and did not decrease. An hundred and fifty days in all, whereof one part was the forty days mentioned Gen. 7:17, as appears from Gen. 8:4.