Genesis 6

1 When men began to multiply on the surface of the ground, and daughters were born to them,

2 God’s sons saw that men’s daughters were beautiful, and they took any that they wanted for themselves as wives.

3 The LORD said, “My Spirit will not strive with man forever, because he also is flesh; so his days will be one hundred twenty years.”

4 The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also after that, when God’s sons came in to men’s daughters and had children with them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown.

5 The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of man’s heart was continually only evil.

6 The LORD was sorry that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him in his heart.

7 The LORD said, “I will destroy man whom I have created from the surface of the ground—man, along with animals, creeping things, and birds of the sky—for I am sorry that I have made them.”

8 But Noah found favor in the LORD’s eyes.

9 This is the history of the generations of Noah: Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time. Noah walked with God.

10 Noah became the father of three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

11 The earth was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.

12 God saw the earth, and saw that it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth.

13 God said to Noah, “I will bring an end to all flesh, for the earth is filled with violence through them. Behold, I will destroy them and the earth.

14 Make a ship of gopher wood. You shall make rooms in the ship, and shall seal it inside and outside with pitch.

15 This is how you shall make it. The length of the ship shall be three hundred cubits, its width fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits.

16 You shall make a roof in the ship, and you shall finish it to a cubit upward. You shall set the door of the ship in its side. You shall make it with lower, second, and third levels.

17 I, even I, will bring the flood of waters on this earth, to destroy all flesh having the breath of life from under the sky. Everything that is on the earth will die.

18 But I will establish my covenant with you. You shall come into the ship, you, your sons, your wife, and your sons’ wives with you.

19 Of every living thing of all flesh, you shall bring two of every sort into the ship, to keep them alive with you. They shall be male and female.

20 Of the birds after their kind, of the livestock after their kind, of every creeping thing of the ground after its kind, two of every sort will come to you, to keep them alive.

21 Take with you some of all food that is eaten, and gather it to yourself; and it will be for food for you, and for them.”

22 Thus Noah did. He did all that God commanded him.

Around Genesis 6

Context

Context for this book is being written. A note appears here only once it names its sources.

AI explanation

Genesis 6 · Written by an AI model · Not reviewed by a theological reader

This explanation was written by an AI model to help you get started. It names no sources and can contain mistakes. Scripture comes first, and context with sources is shown separately on this page.

What this chapter says

Something has gone wrong with the world. When people multiplied, the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful and took wives for themselves, and the Nephilim were on the earth. The LORD limited human days to one hundred twenty years. He saw that the wickedness of man was great and that every thought of the heart was only evil, and “it grieved him in his heart.” He resolved to blot out man and the animals.

“But Noah found favor in the LORD’s eyes.” He was a righteous man, blameless in his time, and he “walked with God.” The earth was corrupt and full of violence, so God told Noah to build a ship, giving him its length, width and height, with a roof and a door in its side. God would bring a flood, but he would also keep a covenant with Noah, his wife, his sons and their wives. Noah would bring two of every kind of living thing into the ship. Noah did all that God commanded him.

Background

The meaning of the sons of God in verses 1 to 4 is old and disputed. Some Jewish and Christian readers take them to be heavenly beings, others the descendants of Seth, others powerful rulers. The point the text itself makes is that violence had spread. The chapter shows both God’s grief and his choice of one family to carry a future. The New Testament holds up Noah’s faith (see Hebrews 11:7).

About this explanation

Written by Claude Sonnet 5.5, an AI model, on 20 October 2026. It draws on the WEB text and general knowledge and was not checked against sources by a person. Every quotation from Scripture is checked automatically against the WEB text.

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World English Bible. Public-domain source and edition notes