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Genesis 8 Bible study: God remembered Noah
The flood turns on three words: "God remembered Noah." The ship rests on the mountains of a land, not one named peak; Noah goes out only when God says so; and the first altar in the Bible is followed by a promise that seed time and harvest will not cease.
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“While the earth remains, seed time and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night will not cease.”
Try it · Did you catch it?
“Noah's ship came to rest on Mount Ararat.”
Is that in Genesis 8, or not? Make your call.
What's really going on
The turn: "God remembered Noah"
The waters have flooded the earth for 150 days (7:24). Then the story turns: "God remembered Noah, all the animals, and all the livestock that were with him in the ship; and God made a wind to pass over the earth." From here the waters go down. The word for wind is ruach, the same word as God's Spirit over the waters in 1:2.
Where it leads to Jesus
A pleasant aroma
Genesis 8:21leads toEphesians 5:2
Noah's offering is the first "pleasant aroma" to the LORD; the law uses the same words for its offerings (Leviticus 1:9). Paul says Christ "gave himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling fragrance" (Ephesians 5:2). Paul doesn't mention Noah, so this is a reading, not something Ephesians states. Some see Noah's offering as the start of the line of offerings Paul draws on; others read Paul as drawing on the law's offerings in general, with no particular link to Noah.
Honest questions
Questions people ask about Genesis 8
That was a taste
The rest of Genesis 8 is waiting in Favor
- A new start, in the words of the first one
- The same heart, a different answer
- A year in the ship
- The first altar, and a pleasant aroma
- What happened to the raven?
- 10 questions as you read
- 7 more Hebrew words
- A short check at the end
- Your notes, saved as you go
Favor reads the Bible in order, so you'll reach Genesis 8 with everything before it in view. First week free, then $10 a month per person.
The Hebrew word behind it
זָכַרzakharsay za-KHAR
To remember, recall, call to mind (Brown-Driver-Briggs). This is the first time the verb appears in the Bible, and its subject is God. (The same letters spell a different word, "male", Strong's H2145, which appears earlier.) Each time Genesis says God remembered someone, action follows: here the wind blows and the waters go down; he "remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out" of Sodom (19:29); he "remembered Rachel" and opened her womb (30:22). In Exodus he "remembered his covenant" (2:24), and then sends Moses to bring Israel out of Egypt (3:7-10).
For your group
Genesis 8 Bible study questions
- 1"God remembered Noah." Have you ever felt forgotten by God? What helped, or what would help?
- 2Noah saw the ground was dry, but waited until God said "Go out." Where do you find it hard to wait for God's timing?
- 3The first thing Noah did on dry ground was build an altar. What would putting worship first look like in your week?
Leading a group? In Favor, everyone reads Genesis 8 during the week and answers these questions privately. Answers stay sealed until you meet, then appear together, and you can print the week's sheet.
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Questions
What is Favor?
Favor is a Bible study app that explains every chapter as you read: the Hebrew and Greek behind the words, the details most readers miss, and how each part of the Bible leads to Jesus. Read on your own, or start a Bible study with friends, family or your church.
How much does it cost?
Your first week is free. After that it's $10 a month per person, the same for everyone, including groups and churches. There are no tiers and nothing extra to unlock.
Can I read Genesis 8 straight away?
Favor takes the Bible as one story, in order, so you'll reach Genesis 8 with everything that leads up to it in view. Start from Genesis, or meet Jesus first in the Gospels. You can read the text of any chapter in Favor's Look up whenever you like.
Do I need a group?
No. Many people read on their own. If you'd like to read with others, start a Bible study and share one link. Everyone's answers stay private until you meet.
I've never really read the Bible. Is this for me?
Yes. Favor starts where you are and explains as it goes. The questions along the way aren't marked right or wrong: you answer, then see what the text shows.
Which Bible does Favor use?
The World English Bible, a modern, readable translation in the public domain. God's name appears as "the LORD", as in most English Bibles.
Is Favor tied to a church?
No. Favor is non-denominational. Where Christians read a passage differently, it shows the main views side by side and doesn't pick one.
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Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible, which is in the public domain. Hebrew and Greek words are checked against the original-language texts and public-domain lexicons. What we believe · Favor home