Genesis 7

Genesis 7:1–12

1. Genesis 7:1 (KJV) – “And the LORD said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation.”
   • God’s invitation to Noah and his household foreshadows Christ’s call to enter into Him for salvation. Only those in Christ escape judgment.
   • Cross-references: Matthew 11:28–30; John 6:37; Acts 16:31.
2. Genesis 7:2–3 (KJV) – “Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens, the male and his female: and of beasts that are not clean by two, the male and his female. Of fowls also of the air by sevens, the male and the female; to keep seed alive upon the face of all the earth.”
   • (possible) The emphasis on clean animals anticipates the sacrificial system fulfilled in Christ, the ultimate clean and spotless offering.
   • Cross-references: Leviticus 1:2–3; John 1:29; 1 Peter 1:19.
3. Genesis 7:4 (KJV) – “For yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights; and every living substance that I have made will I destroy from off the face of the earth.”
   • (possible) The seven-day period of waiting before judgment echoes Christ’s long-suffering patience before final judgment. The forty days foreshadow Christ’s forty days in the wilderness, enduring the trial of God’s Word before bringing redemption.
   • Cross-references: 2 Peter 3:9; Matthew 4:1–2.
4. Genesis 7:6–7 (KJV) – “And Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters was upon the earth. And Noah went in, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons’ wives with him, into the ark, because of the waters of the flood.”
   • Noah and his family entering the ark prefigures salvation by household faith in Christ. The ark remains the picture of Christ as the safe refuge.
   • Cross-references: Acts 16:31–34; Hebrews 11:7.
5. Genesis 7:9 (KJV) – “There went in two and two unto Noah into the ark, the male and the female, as God had commanded Noah.”
   • (possible) The pairing of male and female shows God’s preservation of life through judgment, pointing ahead to the redeemed creation in Christ.
   • Cross-references: Romans 8:20–21; Revelation 21:5.
6. Genesis 7:11 (KJV) – “In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.”
   • The great flood judgment portrays the wrath of God poured out, which Christ took upon Himself at the cross.
   • Cross-references: Psalm 69:1–2; Matthew 27:45; 1 Peter 3:18–20.

Genesis 7:13–24

1. Genesis 7:13–15 (KJV) – “In the selfsame day entered Noah, and Shem, and Ham, and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and Noah’s wife, and the three wives of his sons with them, into the ark; They, and every beast after his kind, and all the cattle after their kind, and every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind, and every fowl after his kind, every bird of every sort. And they went in unto Noah into the ark, two and two of all flesh, wherein is the breath of life.”
   • Noah and his household entering the ark together with all living things prefigures Christ as Savior not just of individual souls but of a redeemed creation. In Him, household salvation and renewal of creation converge.
   • Cross-references: Acts 2:39; Romans 8:21; Colossians 1:20.
2. Genesis 7:16 (KJV) – “And they that went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God had commanded him: and the LORD shut him in.”
   • The LORD Himself shutting Noah and his family into the ark points clearly to Christ’s secure salvation: those in Him are sealed and no one can open what God has shut.
   • Cross-references: John 10:28–29; Ephesians 1:13; Revelation 3:7.
3. Genesis 7:17–18 (KJV) – “And the flood was forty days upon the earth; and the waters increased, and bare up the ark, and it was lift up above the earth. And the waters prevailed, and were increased greatly upon the earth; and the ark went upon the face of the waters.”
   • The ark being lifted up above the waters of judgment parallels Christ being lifted up on the cross, carrying His people through wrath.
   • Cross-references: John 3:14–15; Isaiah 53:11.
4. Genesis 7:19–20 (KJV) – “And the waters prevailed exceedingly upon the earth; and all the high hills, that were under the whole heaven, were covered. Fifteen cubits upward did the waters prevail; and the mountains were covered.”

• (possible) The overwhelming judgment waters covering even the mountains emphasize the totality of God’s wrath against sin, pointing to the total sufficiency of Christ’s atoning work to cover all sin.
• Cross-references: Psalm 103:12; Hebrews 7:25.

1. Genesis 7:21–23 (KJV) – “And all flesh died that moved upon the earth, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of beast, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth, and every man: All in whose nostrils was the breath of life, of all that was in the dry land, died. And every living substance was destroyed which was upon the face of the ground, both man, and cattle, and the creeping things, and the fowl of the heaven; and they were destroyed from the earth: and Noah only remained alive, and they that were with him in the ark.”

• All outside the ark perished, but those inside lived. This points unmistakably to Christ: outside Him is death, in Him is life.
• Cross-references: John 3:36; John 14:6; Colossians 3:3.

1. Genesis 7:24 (KJV) – “And the waters prevailed upon the earth an hundred and fifty days.”

• (possible) The lengthy duration of judgment stresses the completeness of God’s wrath, showing the great deliverance Christ provides from eternal judgment.
• Cross-references: Romans 5:9; 1 Thessalonians 1:10.

Genesis 7 Christ-Pointers (KJV)

1. Genesis 7:1 KJV: And the LORD said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation. Explanation: The LORD, likely Christ, God the Word, invites Noah into the ark, symbolizing Christ’s call to salvation through Himself as the only way. Noah’s righteousness prefigures the righteousness imputed through faith in Christ. Cross-references: John 6:46, John 10:9, Hebrews 11:7, Romans 5:1, 2 Peter 2:5.
2. Genesis 7:4-5 KJV: For yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights; and every living substance that I have made will I destroy from off the face of the earth. And Noah did according unto all that the LORD commanded him. Explanation: The LORD, as Christ, God the Word, announces the flood judgment, reflecting His role as Creator and Judge. Noah’s obedience foreshadows believers’ obedience to Christ’s commands, who provides refuge from judgment. Cross-references: John 1:3, John 5:22, Hebrews 11:7, Matthew 24:37-39, John 14:15.
3. Genesis 7:9 KJV: There went in two and two unto Noah into the ark, the male and the female, as God had commanded Noah. Explanation: (possible) God, likely Christ, God the Word, commands the animals into the ark, symbolizing His authority over creation and His provision for salvation through the ark, which typifies Christ as the refuge for all who enter. Cross-references: John 6:46, Colossians 1:16, 1 Peter 3:20-21, John 10:16, Psalm 36:7.
4. Genesis 7:16 KJV: And they that went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God had commanded him: and the LORD shut him in. Explanation: The LORD, as Christ, God the Word, shuts Noah in the ark, symbolizing His sovereign act of sealing believers in salvation. The ark’s single door, secured by Christ, prefigures Him as the only way to safety. Cross-references: John 10:9, Ephesians 1:13, John 6:46, Revelation 3:7, 2 Timothy 2:19.
5. Genesis 7:17-23 KJV: And the flood was forty days upon the earth; and the waters increased, and bare up the ark, and it was lift up above the earth. And the waters prevailed, and were increased greatly upon the earth; and the ark went upon the face of the waters. And the waters prevailed exceedingly upon the earth; and all the high hills, that were under the whole heaven, were covered. Fifteen cubits upward did the waters prevail; and the mountains were covered. And all flesh died that moved upon the earth, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of beast, and every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth, and every man: All in whose nostrils was the breath of life, of all that was in the dry land, died. And every living substance was destroyed which was upon the face of the ground, both man, and cattle, and the creeping things, and the fowl of the heaven; and they were destroyed from the earth: and Noah only remained alive, and they that were with him in the ark. Explanation: The ark, lifted above the floodwaters, typifies Christ, who saves believers from judgment, lifting them above the destruction of sin. Christ, as God the Word, executes the flood judgment, yet preserves Noah, prefiguring His redemptive work. Cross-references: 1 Peter 3:20-21, Hebrews 11:7, John 5:24, Colossians 3:3, Psalm 32:7.