We think we are breathing clean air.
However, unseen pollution drifts in the air of the city and enters our lungs without us knowing it.
Similarly, the “air of sin” of this world is also invisible to the eye.
Desire, violence, lies, indifference – when these fill up, the “spiritual air” inside the heart becomes polluted.
The Bible says that in the time of Genesis Chapter 6, people’s hearts were polluted in that way.
God decided to “reset” with a flood in order to sweep away that pollution and breathe a new breath.
The Degenerate Age (Verses 1–7)
The “cause” that necessitated the Great Flood is written.
The Expansion of Sin
As people increased on the earth, sin also expanded.
Verse 1 וַֽיְהִי֙ כִּֽי־הֵחֵ֣ל הָֽאָדָ֔ם לָרֹ֖ב עַל־פְּנֵ֣י הָֽאֲדָמָ֑ה וּבָנֹ֖ות יֻלְּד֥וּ לָהֶֽם׃
ﾊﾞｲﾋｰ ｷｰ ﾍｯﾍﾙ ﾊｱﾀﾞﾑ ﾗﾛｰﾌﾞ ｱﾙﾍﾟﾈ ﾊｱﾀﾞﾏｰ ﾕﾊﾞﾉｰﾄ ﾕﾗﾄﾞｩｰ ﾗﾍﾑ
・Confirmation of Japanese mistranslation
At the time of creation, God repeated “キー・トーブ” (kiy-tov), which means He saw it as good.
The antonym of this is “キー・ヘッヘル” (kiy-khel), which means “totally immoral.”
| Hebrew Reading | kiy khel | vaihi |
| Hebrew | כִּֽי־הֵחֵ֣ל | וַֽיְהִי֙ |
| Interpretation of Hebrew | Immoral, indeed (totally, very) | And it came to pass |
| Shin-Kaiyaku | Hajime—shita toki | Sate |
| English Translation | When~began to | And it came to pass |
Hebrew Fixed Expression:
| on the Earth (’eṯ-hā’āreṣ) | Fill (Ūmil’ū) | Increase (Urḇu) | Be Fruitful (Pərū) |
| אֶת-הָאָ֖רֶץ | וּמִלְא֥וּ | וּרְב֛וּ | פְּר֥וּ |
| “エレツ” (’ereṣ) meaning “Earth” | Plural imperative form of the verb “マレー” (mālē’) | Plural imperative form of the verb “ラーヴ” (rāv) | Plural imperative form of the verb “パール” (pār) |
The Lord blesses population increase (Genesis 9:1)
Confirmation in the language of verses 1 and 2
| (ʿal-pənê hā’ăḏāmāh) | (rabūm) | (hā’āḏām) | |
| עַל־פְּנֵ֣י הָֽאֲדָמָ֑ה | לָרֹ֖ב | הָֽאָדָ֔ם | |
| on the surface of the ground | To bear many (children) | Boy |
| Parallel expression in verse 2 | (lāhem) | (yulləḏū) | (ūḇānōṯ) |
| （couplet method) | לָהֶֽם | יֻלְּד֥וּ | וּבָנֹ֖ות |
| Similarly | Many were born | Girl |
In verse 1, “増える” (Urḇu – increase) is present, but “産めよ” (Pərū – be fruitful) and “満たせ” (Mālē’ – fill) are not used.
Also, “アダマー” (‘ăḏāmāh – ground) is used instead of “地” (‘ereṣ – earth).
Because it is not the fixed expression that God blesses , the population increase in Genesis 6:1 is understood to be not blessed by God.
Genesis 6:2
וַיִּרְא֤וּ בְנֵי־הָֽאֱלֹהִים֙ אֶת־בְּנֹ֣ות הָֽאָדָ֔ם כִּ֥י טֹבֹ֖ת הֵ֑נָּה וַיִּקְח֤וּ לָהֶם֙ נָשִׁ֔ים מִכֹּ֖ל אֲשֶׁ֥ר בָּחָֽרוּ׃
ﾊﾞｲｲﾙｳｰ ﾍﾞﾈｰ ﾊｴﾛﾋﾑ ｴﾄ ﾍﾞﾉｰﾄ ﾊｱﾀﾞﾑ ｷｰ ﾄﾎﾞｰﾄ ﾍﾝﾅｰ ﾊﾞｲｲｸﾌｰ ﾗﾍﾑ ﾅｼｰﾑ ﾐｺｰﾙ ｱｼｪｰﾙ ﾊﾞﾊｰﾙｰ
| (bənê hā’ĕlōhîm) | (vayyir’ū) | ||
| בְנֵי־הָֽאֱלֹהִים֙ | וַיִּרְא֤וּ | ||
| Men (created by God) | To see (symbolizing the temptation of sin) | ||
| (kî ṭōḇōṯ) | (hā’āḏām) | (’eṯ-bənōṯ) | |
| כִּ֥י טֹבֹ֖ת | הָֽאָדָ֔ם | אֶת־בְּנֹ֣ות | |
| Indeed, attractive appearance | Created from Adam | Daughters | |
| (lāhem nāšîm) | (vayyiqḥū) | (hennāh) | |
| Sexual Immorality | לָהֶם֙ נָשִׁ֔ים | וַיִּקְח֤וּ | הֵ֑נָּה |
| Wives for them | Took (forcibly) a relationship with | they | |
| (bāḥārū) | (mikkōl ’ăšer) | ||
| Sexual Immorality | בָּחָֽרוּ׃ | מִכֹּ֖ל אֲשֶׁ֥ר | |
| Made them their own | Whoever |
Description Format: Verse 1 of Chapter 6 is the result, and verse 2 is the reason.
God’s Sorrow
- “The Lord grieved” – God is not without emotion, but one who grieves because of love.
- The state where the “thoughts of the human heart were only evil all the time.
- ” God does not overlook evil and declares judgment based on justice.
The meaning of 120 years in 6:3 is the time of grace before the flood.
ベネ エロヒム (bənê hā’ĕlōhîm) in 6:4 is a substitute word for ネフィリム (nəp̄ilîm).
ネフィリム (nəp̄ilîm) are “infamous violent men.”
ベネ エロヒム (bənê hā’ĕlōhîm) “Men created by God → ネフィリム (nəp̄ilîm) ラヘム (lāhem) means the same as the parent (children with bad nature).
ハ・ギボリーム (haggibbōrîm) are violent men. It also means mighty men, but the context indicates the former.
ハ・シェム (haššēm) means “infamous.”
reference:聖書と翻訳 ア・レ・コレト
The Appearance of the Righteous Man Noah (Verses 8–12)
Noah’s Qualities
- “Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.”
- “Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation.”
- “Noah walked faithfully with God.”
These inherit the faith of Enoch (5:24).
God does not overlook people who choose to walk with God in any era.
The Violence of the World
- “The earth was full of violence (ḥāmās).”
- A symbol of social and moral collapse.
- Human self-destruction by turning their backs on God’s order.
Faith is not determined by environment.
Even in a corrupt society, those who revere God become a light by their way of life.
The Ark and the Plan of Salvation (Verses 13-22)
Declaration of God’s Judgment God resolved to destroy all people and living things because of the violence that filled the earth, and told Noah that He would bring the Great Flood (hammaḇbûl).
It was a special Great Flood that covered the whole world.
The source of this water is from the work of the second day of creation.
Regarding the Great Flood, Psalm 29:10 is recorded in the footnote of verse 17.
Command to Build the Ark
God gave Noah detailed instructions to build an ark (tēḇāh) to save himself and his family, and one pair, male and female, of all living creatures.
- God “specifically” shows the means of salvation (details including dimensions and material).
- The Ark is a “symbol of salvation,” a type of Christ (1 Peter 3:20–21).
Dimensions of the Ark: The only purpose
| Dimensions | Cubits | Conversion (If 45 cm/cubit) |
| Length | 300 cubits | 300×0.45 m=135 m |
| Width | 50 cubits | 50×0.45 m=22.5 m |
| Height | 30 cubits | 30×0.45 m=13.5 m |
Comparison with Actual Buildings/Structures
Length 135m: About 30m longer than a soccer field: 105m (International standard)
Width 22.5m: 6-lane road: 1 lane: 3.5m
Height 13.5m: 4-5 story building: General building (1 floor = about 3m)
The Ark was a giant rectangular structure longer than a soccer field and as tall as a 4-5 story apartment building. Its volume was about 40,950 cubic meters, a capacity comparable to a modern large cargo ship.
If a wooden ship of this scale was built before Christ, it would be an astonishing feat of engineering technology.
Summary
Genesis Chapter 6 presents two themes: God’s righteous judgment and salvation through mercy.
Judgment: Against the increased human evil and sin, God decided to pass judgment. It is shown that God is a holy being who cannot coexist with sin and evil.
Grace and Salvation: While destroying all people, God chose Noah and graciously prepared a way to save him, his family, and living creatures. Noah’s salvation was by faith in obedience to God’s command.
This salvation by the Ark is sometimes regarded as a type (foreshadowing) of the salvation by Jesus Christ that came later. Just as Noah was saved by the Ark commanded by God, we are saved by the way of salvation given by Christ (also associated with the church, baptism, etc.).
【Invitation】
Beloved brothers and sisters, and those who joined the church’s YouTube for the first time today.
Through Genesis Chapter 6, we have learned how deeply God grieved when He saw the “evil of men” in the former world, and learned of God’s sorrow and justice that He had no choice but to judge that sin.
God is still deeply lamenting as He sees the desires and the arrogance of trying to live apart from Him that swirl within each of our hearts. Just as the evil of the world reached its peak at that time, we too are living with the danger of one day facing God’s judgment.
However, in this dark narrative, there was a ray of light. That is the word that “Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.” (Genesis 6:8)
Noah was not saved because he was a perfect person. He was saved because of his faith, by believing God’s word when nothing was visible, when there was no sign of rain, and by continuing to build the Ark according to His instructions. Noah’s faith was the only response to God’s grace.
In this age we live in, God is similarly preparing a “Ark of Salvation” for us.
That is Jesus Christ.
Just as Noah’s Ark floated on the water (judgment) and carried them to a safe place, Jesus Christ, through His death on the cross and resurrection, became the only way, the only Ark, to protect us from our sin and God’s judgment and lead us to eternal life.
Right now, in this place, God is inviting you.
Those who acknowledge the sin within you, repent, and desire to restore your relationship with God. Those who, like Noah, believe God’s word and wish to take refuge in Jesus Christ, the “Ark of Salvation.”
Now is the time to respond to God’s grace. Please feel free to turn your heart to this invitation and stand up. Let us confess your sin to God and offer the prayer of salvation together.
“Lord, I am a sinner. Please put me into your Ark, the salvation of Jesus Christ.”
Let us pray.
“Heavenly Father God.
Today, through your word, we have been able to know your love and your plan of salvation.
May each person here respond to your invitation, and Enter into the Ark of Salvation, which is Christ.
May they choose a life of walking with you.
We pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.”
If you wish to confess today, “I believe in Jesus Christ as my Savior,”
Please write to the HP of Kurobe Caris Agape Church or call them.
Age does not matter.
For young people and those in the later half of life, there is no age limit to God’s invitation.
To those who think, “But I am too sinful,”
Christ came precisely for you.
To those who think, “But I am not ready yet,”
You do not need to come after becoming perfect.
Please come just as you are.
Today may be the turning point of your life.
God is inviting you now.
Please make your confession.
Kurobe Caris Agape Church Church HP https://king-lord.org/contact/
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