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Noah

maleAntediluvian

Meaning: “Rest; comfort

A righteous man who walked with God and, by building the ark, preserved his family and the animals through the worldwide flood. God established His covenant with him.

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Biography

Noah stands at the hinge of primeval history. In a generation when "every imagination of the thoughts of [man's] heart was only evil continually" (Genesis 6:5), "Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD" (Genesis 6:8). Through him God preserved humanity and creation and renewed His commitment to the world.

A righteous man in a corrupt age

Noah was "a just man and perfect in his generations," who "walked with God" (Genesis 6:9). Peter calls him "a preacher of righteousness" (2 Peter 2:5), one who warned his contemporaries even as he built. Hebrews commends his faith: "moved with fear, [he] prepared an ark to the saving of his house" (Hebrews 11:7).

The ark and the flood

God instructed Noah to build an ark of gopher wood to exact dimensions (Genesis 6:14–16) and to bring his family and pairs of every kind of animal aboard. "Noah did according unto all that the LORD commanded him" (Genesis 7:5). The flood destroyed all flesh outside the ark, but Noah, his wife, his three sons and their wives — eight souls in all — were saved (1 Peter 3:20).

The covenant and the rainbow

When the waters receded, Noah built an altar and worshiped (Genesis 8:20). God blessed him, renewed the commission to "be fruitful, and multiply," and made a covenant never again to destroy the earth by flood, giving the rainbow as its sign (Genesis 9:1–17).

A flawed new beginning

Yet the new world still carried old sin. Noah planted a vineyard, became drunk, and was shamed; his son Ham's disrespect led to the cursing of Canaan and the blessing of Shem and Japheth (Genesis 9:20–27). Noah lived 950 years (Genesis 9:29). His life teaches that salvation rests on grace, and that even the rescued still await a greater deliverance.

Life Timeline

2948 BC

Born to Lamech, who hoped he would bring "comfort"

Genesis 5:29
2468 BC

Commanded by God to build the ark

Genesis 6:14
2348 BC

Enters the ark; the flood begins

Genesis 7:7
2348 BC

The ark rests on the mountains of Ararat

Genesis 8:4
2347 BC

Builds an altar; God establishes His covenant and the rainbow

Genesis 9:13
1998 BC

Dies at the age of 950

Genesis 9:29

On the Bible timeline

Noah belongs to the Creation & the Early World era (Beginning – c. 2100 BC).

  1. c. 2400 BC (traditional)The Flood
  2. c. 2200 BCThe Tower of Babel

Family Tree

NNoahAntediluvian
Selah · myselahh.com

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Themes & lessons from Noah

Biblical themes that run through the passages where Noah appears.

Shem7×Animals4×Rain4×Antediluvians3×Deluge, the3×Agriculture or Husbandry2×Bow2×Time2×Types of Christ2×Water2×Works2×Years2×Anger of God, the1×Depravity of Man1×Month1×Months1×Obedience to God1×Ploughing1×

People they appear with

Shem6×
Ham6×
Japheth6×
Daniel2×
Job2×
Lamech1×

Things in their story

Noah’s Ark12×

Scripture Appearances

42 verses in 7 books
Genesis35 verses

Genesis 5:29

And he called his name Noah, saying, This same shall comfort us concerning our work and toil of our hands, because of the ground which the LORD hath cursed. Noah: Gr. Noe: that is Rest, or, Comfort

Genesis 5:30

And Lamech lived after he begat Noah five hundred ninety and five years, and begat sons and daughters:

Genesis 5:32

And Noah was five hundred years old: and Noah begat Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

Genesis 6:8

But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.

Genesis 6:9

These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God. perfect: or, upright

Genesis 6:10

And Noah begat three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

Genesis 6:13

And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth. with the earth: or, from the earth

Genesis 6:22

Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he.

Genesis 7:1

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.

Genesis 7:5

And Noah did according unto all that the LORD commanded him.

Genesis 7:6

And Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters was upon the earth.

Genesis 7:7

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.

Genesis 7:9

There went in two and two unto Noah into the ark, the male and the female, as God had commanded Noah.

Genesis 7:11

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. windows: or, floodgates

Genesis 7:13

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;

Genesis 7:15

And they went in unto Noah into the ark, two and two of all flesh, wherein is the breath of life.

Genesis 7:23

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.

Genesis 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;

Genesis 8:6

And it came to pass at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made:

Genesis 8:11

And the dove came in to him in the evening; and, lo, in her mouth was an olive leaf pluckt off: so Noah knew that the waters were abated from off the earth.

Genesis 8:13

And it came to pass in the six hundredth and first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, the waters were dried up from off the earth: and Noah removed the covering of the ark, and looked, and, behold, the face of the ground was dry.

Genesis 8:15

And God spake unto Noah, saying,

Genesis 8:18

And Noah went forth, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons' wives with him:

Genesis 8:20

And Noah builded an altar unto the LORD; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar.

Genesis 9:1

And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.

Genesis 9:8

And God spake unto Noah, and to his sons with him, saying,

Genesis 9:17

And God said unto Noah, This is the token of the covenant, which I have established between me and all flesh that is upon the earth.

Genesis 9:18

And the sons of Noah, that went forth of the ark, were Shem, and Ham, and Japheth: and Ham is the father of Canaan. Canaan: Heb. Chenaan

Genesis 9:19

These are the three sons of Noah: and of them was the whole earth overspread.

Genesis 9:20

And Noah began to be an husbandman, and he planted a vineyard:

Genesis 9:24

And Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger son had done unto him.

Genesis 9:28

And Noah lived after the flood three hundred and fifty years.

Genesis 9:29

And all the days of Noah were nine hundred and fifty years: and he died.

Genesis 10:1

Now these are the generations of the sons of Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth: and unto them were sons born after the flood.

Genesis 10:32

These are the families of the sons of Noah, after their generations, in their nations: and by these were the nations divided in the earth after the flood.

1 Chronicles1 verse

1 Chronicles 1:4

Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

Isaiah1 verse

Isaiah 54:9

For this is as the waters of Noah unto me: for as I have sworn that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth; so have I sworn that I would not be wroth with thee, nor rebuke thee.

Ezekiel2 verses

Ezekiel 14:14

Though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they should deliver but their own souls by their righteousness, saith the Lord GOD.

Ezekiel 14:20

Though Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, as I live, saith the Lord GOD, they shall deliver neither son nor daughter; they shall but deliver their own souls by their righteousness.

Hebrews1 verse

Hebrews 11:7

By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith. moved: or, being wary

1 Peter1 verse

1 Peter 3:20

Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.

2 Peter1 verse

2 Peter 2:5

And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly;

Frequently asked about Noah

Who was Noah in the Bible?

A righteous man who walked with God and, by building the ark, preserved his family and the animals through the worldwide flood. God established His covenant with him.

What does the name Noah mean?

The name Noah means “Rest; comfort”.

What did Noah do in the Bible?

Noah served as farmer, ark-builder, preacher of righteousness, of the tribe of None (pre-Israel).

Who were Noah's children?

Noah's children include Shem, Ham, Japheth.

Who were Noah's parents?

Noah was the child of Lamech.

Where does Noah appear in the Bible?

Noah is mentioned 42 times across 7 books: Genesis, 1 Chronicles, Isaiah, Ezekiel, Hebrews, 1 Peter, 2 Peter.

What can we learn from Noah?

The story of Noah touches on themes of shem, animals, rain, antediluvians — explore each to study the lessons drawn from Noah's life.

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