Genesis 9:1-17

God’s Covenant With Noah

1 Then God blessed Noah and his sons, saying to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth.

2 The fear and dread of you will fall on all the beasts of the earth, and on all the birds in the sky, on every creature that moves along the ground, and on all the fish in the sea; they are given into your hands.

3 Everything that lives and moves about will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything.

4 “But you must not eat meat that has its lifeblood still in it.

5 And for your lifeblood I will surely demand an accounting. I will demand an accounting from every animal. And from each human being, too, I will demand an accounting for the life of another human being.

6 “Whoever sheds human blood, by humans shall their blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made mankind.

7 As for you, be fruitful and increase in number; multiply on the earth and increase upon it.”

8 Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him:

9 “I now establish my covenant with you and with your descendants after you

10 and with every living creature that was with you—the birds, the livestock and all the wild animals, all those that came out of the ark with you—every living creature on earth.

11 I establish my covenant with you: Never again will all life be destroyed by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth.”

12 And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come:

13 I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth.

14 Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds,

15 I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life.

16 Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.”

17 So God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant I have established between me and all life on the earth.”

Genesis 9:1-17 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO GENESIS 9

In this chapter we have an account of God's blessing Noah and his sons, being just come out of the ark, with a renewal of the blessing of propagating their species, and replenishing the earth, the dominion over the creatures, and a freedom from the fear of them; with liberty to eat flesh, only it must not be eaten with blood; with a providential care and preservation of their lives from men and beasts, by making a law that that man or beast should die that shed man's blood, Ge 9:1-6 and after repeating the blessing of procreation, Ge 9:7 mention is made of a covenant God made with Noah, his sons, and all the creatures, that he would drown the world no more, the token of which should be the rainbow in the cloud, Ge 9:8-17 the names of the sons of Noah are observed, by whom the earth was repeopled, Ge 9:18,19 and seem to be observed for the sake of an event after recorded; Noah having planted a vineyard, and drank too freely of the wine of it, lay down uncovered in his tent, which Ham seeing, told his two brothers of it, who in a very modest manner covered him, Ge 9:20-23 of all which Noah being sensible when he awoke, cursed Canaan the son of Ham, and blessed Shem and Japheth, Ge 9:24-27 and the chapter is concluded with the age and death of Noah, Ge 9:28,29.

Cross References

• 1. S Genesis 1:22
• 2. S Genesis 1:26
• 3. S Genesis 1:29
• 4. S Acts 10:15; Colossians 2:16
• 5. Leviticus 3:17; Leviticus 7:26; Leviticus 17:10-14; Leviticus 19:26; Dt 12:16,23-25; Deuteronomy 15:23; 1 Samuel 14:33; Ezekiel 33:25; Acts 15:20,29
• 6. Genesis 42:22; Genesis 50:15; 1 Kings 2:32; 2 Chronicles 24:22; Psalms 9:12
• 7. Exodus 21:28-32
• 8. Genesis 4:10
• 9. S Genesis 4:14; Exodus 21:12,14; Leviticus 24:17; S Judges 9:24; S Matthew 26:52
• 10. S Genesis 1:26
• 11. S Genesis 1:22
• 12. ver 11; S Genesis 6:18
• 13. ver 16; Isaiah 24:5; Isaiah 33:8; Hosea 6:7
• 14. S ver 9
• 15. S Genesis 8:21; Isaiah 54:9
• 16. ver 17; Genesis 17:11
• 17. Genesis 17:12; Exodus 12:14; Leviticus 3:17; Leviticus 6:18; Leviticus 17:7; Numbers 10:8
• 18. ver 14; Ezekiel 1:28; Revelation 4:3; Revelation 10:1
• 19. S ver 13
• 20. S Genesis 8:1; Exodus 2:24; Exodus 6:5; Exodus 34:10; Leviticus 26:42,45; Deuteronomy 7:9; Psalms 89:34; Psalms 103:18; Psalms 105:8; Psalms 106:45; Ezekiel 16:60
• 21. S Genesis 8:21
• 22. ver 13
• 23. S ver 11; Ge 17:7,13,19; 2 Samuel 7:13; 2 Samuel 23:5; Psalms 105:9-10; Isaiah 9:7; Isaiah 54:10; Isaiah 55:3; Isaiah 59:21; Isaiah 61:8; Jeremiah 31:31-34; Jeremiah 32:40; Jeremiah 33:21; Ezekiel 16:60; Ezekiel 37:26; S Hebrews 13:20
• 24. S ver 12; Genesis 17:11