23 Andevery living ſubſtance was deſtroyed, which
was upon the face of the ground, both man and catte],
and thecreeping things, and the fowl of the heaven,
WE We and they were deſtroyed from the earth r:and * Noah
'** only remained live, and rhey that were with him 1n the ark. | :
» This is ſo often repeated, that it may be more deeply ingrafted into the dull Minds and hard Hearts of Men, ro reach Men that they ought again and again to conſider this dreadful inſtance- of God's juſtice againft in, and incorrigible tinners.
24 Aud the waters prevailed 5 upon the earth an hundred and fifty days 7,
5 (5.e. ) Either grew higher and higher, or rather continued to prevail, and did not decreaſe. # In all, whereof one part was the tourty days mentioned, wer. 17. as appears from chap. 8. 4.
: CHAP. | VIII.
The waters abgte, Jo-==- 3. The ark reſts on mount Ararat, 4. The day on which the tops of the mountains were ſeen, noted, 5- Noah opens the " window of the ark, 6. Sends forth araven, 7@ Afrer that a aove, 8. Which returned, 9. He ſ-nas the dove out a ſecond tim, 10. Which re- rurnes with an olive leaf, 11. He ſends her out again, and ſhe returns net, 12, Tie earth dry, 13, 14. God commands Noah and his family to come out, 15--=--17. Which they do, 18,19. Noah builas analtar, and ſacrifices, 20. God accepts it, and promiſes nat to drown the world again,
21. But to continue the ſeaſons of the year, 22. wie N D God remembred Noah a, and every Þ living ting b, and all the cattel that was with him 1n the ark : and God made a wind c to pals over the
earth, and the waters aſlwaged. | a (i. e.) He ſhewed by his aftions that he minded and cared for him ; or pitied and ſuccoured him. Godis faid to remember his People when after ſome delays or ſuſpenſions of his favour, he re- turns and ſhews kindneſs to them, as Gen: 19: 29: and 3o 22: Exod: 32: 13: Job 14: 13: Pal: 132: 1. bAs God puniſhed the Beaſts for Man's fin, ſo no+ he favours themfor Man's fake. cA drying or buining Wind, !ike that of Exod. 14. 21.which had a natural power to dry up the Waters; but that was heightned by the atliſtance of an higher and miraculous operation of God. : 2 The fountains alſo ef the deep, and the windows
of heaven were ſtopped, and the rain from heaven was
reſtrained. t Heb." 3 And the waters returned from off the earth + con- going end tinually : and afterche end of che hundred and fifty days
TWP the waters were abated. 4 And the ark reſted inthe feventh month 4,on the ' fſeventeenthday of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat e.
d From the beginning, not of the Flood, bur of the Year, as ap- pears by comparing chap. 7. 11. and chap. 8. 13, 14. (7.e.) U- pon one of the Mountains of Ararat ; by a frequent Enallage of the Number, as 7ud. 12. 7. Matth. 21. 5. And by Ararat 1s here commonly and rightly underſtood Armenia, as appearsboth by com- paring /a. 37. 38: Jer. 51. 27 and by the Teſtimony of ancient Writers, produced by Joſephus and others to this purpoſe ; and by the great height of t:oſe Mountains,and by its nearneſs ro the place where the firſt Mcn lived ; this g:eat Veſſel nor being fitted for fail- ing to remote plices, bur only for the receit and preſervation of Meff and other Creatures in 1t. fileb.were 5 And the waters F decreaſed continually un- zn geing til the tenth month : in the tenth wnth, on the
and decrea- 6 oy day of the month, were the tops of the mountains
hes ſeen. | 6 And it came to paſs at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the window of the ark which he had
made. es» Y} Andhe ſent forth a ravenf, which went forth oor toand fro g, untill the waters were dried up from off
and returie the earth þ.
ing. f A fit Meſſenger for that purpoſe, becauſe it ſmells dead Carca- | ſes ata great diſtance, and flies far, and then returneth to its for- mer Habiration with ſomething in its Bill. g He>. Going and return- img. (5. e.) went forth hither and thither, now forward,then back-
ward, ſometimes going from the Ark, and ſometimes returning to |
the Ark,though nevercntring into it again. þ Not as if the returned afterwards ; but the phraſe implies, that the never returned. And ſo the word uni! 1: often uſed, as 2 Sam. 6. laft. Michal had no Child until the day of her death, i. e- never had a Child. See alſo Pſal. 110. 1. Matth. 1. 25.
$8 Alſo he ſent forth a dove ; from him to ſee if the waters were abated from off the face of the
ground. hs
7 Which flies lower and !onger than the Raven, and is more ſo- ciable and fimiliar with Man, and more conſtant to its accuſtomed dwelling, and more loving and faithful to its Mate, and therefore more likely to return with ſome diſcovery.
9 Bur the doye found ao reſt for the ſols of her foot
oh
|
k, and fhe returned unto him into the ark * for the wa- ters ere onthe face of the whole earth. Then he pur
forth his hand, and took her 7, and + pulled her in un- +Heb.cou. to him into the ark. ſed her to
k Becauſe the tops of the Hills which then appeared, were either ©: muddy, and'dirty ; or unobſerved by the Dove, as not ſoaring fo high : Whence the Doves are emphatically called rhe Doves of the Valleys, Ezek. 7. 16. 1 Her former acquaintance with Noah, and her preſent neceſſity making her more traQable. ©
lo And he frayed yet other ſeven days, andagain ke ſent forth the dove out of the ark. ;
I: And the dove came in to him in the eyening , and lo, in hermouth asan olive-leaf » pluckt oft: So Noah knew that the: waters were abated from 'off the earth.
2 As the manner of Doves is, partly for a better accommodation both for food and lodging, than yer he could meer with abroad ; and partly from his love to his Mate. » Queft. Whence was this leaf, when Trees had bcen ſo generally overthrown and rooted up by the deluge ? 4w. 1. Many Trees might be preſerved by an ad- vantogeous ſcituation, between the Rocks or Hills which broke the force of the Waters. 2. Ir is probable that God, by his powerful Providence, preſerved the Plants and Trees for future ages; and therefore thcre is no mention of any of their Roots or Sees preſer= ved in the Ark. 3. The Olive-rree eſpecially will not only ſtand, bur live and flouriſh under the Waters, as Pliny l: r5:c: 25: and 16:
20: and Theophraſtus 4: 8: obſerve. Add, that the word here rendred leaf, ſignifies alſo a tender branch.
12 And he ſtayed yet other ſeven days, and ſent forth the dove, which returned notagain unto him any NiOre 8.