Genesis 6:17Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

"I will bring a flood of water to destroy all flesh in which is the spirit of life under heaven." He mentions that livestock, birds, wild animals, and all creatures dwelling on the earth will perish. To emphasize that nothing will remain, He asserts, "all that is on the earth will lose its life." The world stands in need of cleansing, yet do not let this dismay you or frighten your heart. I, recognizing the incurability of their afflictions, seek to halt the tide of evil, preventing them from enduring even harsher judgments. Consequently, while aligning My actions with humanity and moderating My wrath with compassion, I impose a punishment that will be devoid of suffering and imperceptible to them. Not evaluating them solely by the depth of their sins or what they rightfully deserve, but rather anticipating the future, I intend to deliver a fitting judgment upon these people and safeguard the Afterlife from their corruption.

Unlike humans, who may misjudge a situation and later feel sorrow, the Lord perceives the end from the beginning, and thus exercises sovereign rule over all as one who is all-knowing and all-seeing. Why then would He need to repent when He governs everything according to His divine foresight? In God, repentance signifies an alteration in approach rather than regret. When He states, "I repent because I anointed Saul to the kingdom" (1 Sam. 15:11), it indicates His decision to remove Saul and establish a new leader. Similarly, when it is expressed that the Lord thought, “I regret that I made man” (Genesis 6:6-7), it signifies His plan to annihilate humanity. Yet, in His infinite love, He preserved Noah, the seed of the righteous. As the earth was meant for human purpose, the Lord also eradicated the non-speaking creatures alongside humanity, save for those saved with Noah within the ark. The Almighty decreed that a pair from each unclean species be spared and seven from the clean. He intended for humanity to consume meat, recognizing that the righteous were to offer sacrificial worship to Him. Thus, the clean animals were to be preserved in greater numbers: three pairs for procreation and an additional pair for sacrifice. Therefore, once the flood's judgement had ceased, Noah gratefully offered sacrifices to God "of all clean animals and of all clean birds" (Genesis 8:20). This clearly shows that the Lord commanded seven of every clean animal to enter the ark so that Noah could properly carry out the sacrificial offerings without sacrificing one of each pair.

The disaster of the first age is symbolized by the union of the sons of God with the daughters of men and the emergence of giants; likewise, the spirit of immorality and dominance in both natural and spiritual realms, depicted in Revelation by the woman and the beast (Rev. 13:17), will lead to the tribulations of the final age. The judgment of the first age is prefigured by the two prophets, Enoch (Jude 1:14, 15) and Noah (2 Pet. 2:5); similarly, in the last age, there are two witnesses of Jesus proclaiming (Rev. 11:3). Yet, as the prophecy of Noah found no belief among those who heard it, and the long-foretold deluge arrived without warning, so too will the Son of Man, upon His return, struggle to find faith on the earth (Luke 18:8), and the day of the fiery flood will seize the unsuspecting like a thief (2 Pet. 3:3-10). Ultimately, just as the initial end of the world marked only a renewal, so too will the coming conclusion of this age usher in a new heaven and a new earth (Rev. 21:1). However, the interval between judgment (Rev. 17:1) and judgment (Rev. 20:12), as well as between His coming (Rev. 19:11) and His coming (Rev. 20:11), is not specified here. This setting may not be appropriate, and perhaps the time is not yet right (Acts 1:6-7).