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Genesis 8:1

KJV

And God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the cattle that was with him in the ark: and God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters asswaged;

Read it in context The Ark Rests on Ararat
Start reading at Genesis 8:1 (Genesis 8:1 to Genesis 8:5). An editorial reading unit, not a claim that the surrounding context stops here. Book background below applies to the shared passage; individual verses may need more specific explanation.

This opening unit introduces the chapter’s movement. The opening establishes God as Creator, describes human rebellion and its consequences, and traces the nations before narrowing the account to Abram's family.

  1. 8:1 And God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the cattle that was with him in the ark: and God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters asswaged;
  2. 8:2 The fountains also of the deep and the windows of heaven were stopped, and the rain from heaven was restrained;
  3. 8:3 And the waters returned from off the earth continually: and after the end of the hundred and fifty days the waters were abated.
  4. 8:4 And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat.
  5. 8:5 And the waters decreased continually until the tenth month: in the tenth month, on the first day of the month, were the tops of the mountains seen.

Who

What

When

Where

How

Cited: Genesis 8:1, Genesis 8:5, Matthew 1:1, Galatians 3:16

Who wrote it, and how we know

Moses (traditional) From early tradition
What Scripture saysThe book does not name its author. Elsewhere Scripture attributes the Law to Moses, and Jesus calls it the book of Moses. Exodus 17:14Joshua 8:31Mark 12:26John 5:46
Early traditionJewish tradition (Talmud, Baba Bathra 14b) and the early church assign the first five books to Moses.
What is debatedSome scholars propose several later sources behind the Pentateuch. A few notes appear to be written after Moses, such as the list of kings in Genesis 36:31.

Other accounts of this event

Noah and the flood recalled by Jesus

Later retelling or reflection included

Jesus briefly recalls the flood when teaching watchfulness. This is a later comparison using the event, not a new narrative of the flood.

Related passages

Cross references from CrossReferences-org (CC BY 4.0).

Macro-Structure

See how this passage fits the chapter and the book.

Macro-Structure of Genesis

Genesis introduces creation, the nations, and the ancestral family of Israel. It does not name a recipient or give a composition date. Read the promises to named people in their narrated settings before applying them to later readers.

Genesis 1:1 Genesis 12:1 Genesis 50:24

Creation and the nations
Genesis 1:1–11:26 You are here · 8:1

FocusBeginnings, rebellion, and judgment

Connection to the wholeThe opening establishes God as Creator, describes human rebellion and its consequences, and traces the nations before narrowing the account to Abram's family.
interpretation
Abraham and the promise
Genesis 11:27–25:18

FocusCalling, covenant, and descendants

Connection to the wholeThe narrative concentrates on God's promises to Abraham, the birth of Isaac, and the continuation of the family through whom the earlier promise is carried forward.
interpretation
Isaac, Jacob, and Esau
Genesis 25:19–36:43

FocusThe promise through a divided family

Connection to the wholeFamily rivalry, journeys, marriages, and reconciliation develop the promised line while also recording the related family of Esau.
interpretation
Joseph and the descent into Egypt
Genesis 37:1–50:26

FocusPreservation through suffering

Connection to the wholeJoseph's experiences lead to the preservation of Jacob's family in Egypt. The book closes with confidence about a future return, preparing the setting of Exodus.
interpretation

Suggested literary divisions. Headings summarize the passage; they are not part of the biblical text.

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