NewBibleCommentary.com

Quick Summary:

God blesses Noah and his sons, and the command is given to be fruitful, multiply and fill the earth.  The fear of humans is put into all animals, and they disperse to do their own filling of the earth.  Then God confirms his covenant with Noah and all his descendants (us) that he will never again destroy all the things on Earth with another flood.  The rainbow is the sign of this promise.

Commentary:

It is interesting that God blesses Noah & his sons, but once again there is no mention of the wives.  We have to remember that this was all written by Moses, in a time when everything was a very patriarchal society.  Numbers were tracked by how many “men” there were… not by total population, etc.  It sounds harsh to us now, but it was simply the culture.  I’m sure the wives of Noah & sons also received the blessing by default as well, although not specifically mentioned.  After all, a husband and a wife are considered to be united as “one flesh” before God.

1  …”Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.”

I think we’ve all well accomplished that task.  I wonder what “fill” the earth means?  Supposedly it would be full once the Earth goes beyond what might be a naturally sustainable amount.  I’ll admit that I’m nervous about an ever accelerating world population.  Makes me wonder what happens when the commission of “fill” the Earth is actually reached.  Will God decide to return, or will natural causes (floods, earthquakes, diseases, etc.) simply become the balancing factors that limit population growth?  Perhaps fertility rates, as suggested in some science fiction movies, will drop to where having children will be increasingly rare?

2  The fear and terror of you will be in every creature…

I find this intriguing.  It means that before the flood, animals might not have been so scared of humans… perhaps even tame to some extent.  Now animals are going to flee from mankind, instinctually knowing that humans will kill them.  Of course, this is what we observe today in nature with wild animals… although we’ve managed to domesticate some (meaning they’ve lost the fear of humans).

3  Every living creature will be food for you…

This is a very tricky verse.  Does it mean that we can eat anything we want too?  Why then the distinction just previously in the Bible about clean & unclean animals entering the ark.  Also, the question is “WHEN?”  For example, if there is only one male & female wolf and you kill one and eat it…. there goes the wolf population forever!  So obviously even though it is said that every living creature will be food for you, how long would you have to wait to be assured that the “unclean” animals would still survive should you eat one of them?

This verse is followed by the comparison… just like I gave you the plants, I now give you everything.   But can we eat any plant we want today?  Heavens no!  There are many plants which are poisonous to humans.  I honestly believe the Lord is simply saying that He is allowing the eating of every living creature, but it is implied that some animals are clearly not fit for consumption (whether because there is only 1 pair of them, or that they might be poisonous like some plants).   It is also possible that mutations and evolution over time have changed some animals and plants enough that they are now poisonous today (although the original plants in Noah’s time might have been just fine.)

Bottom line:  I believe the Bible is truth, and that the Holy Spirit blesses us in understanding when we choose to study it.  My own interpretation might not fit for everyone, but I think it is relatively clear that it’s not a sin to eat any particular type of animal.  Obviously in this day & age, the foods we eat are not the last of their kind (that idea is naturally offensive to many — even endangered animals should be left clean alone).  The Lord gives us all flesh to eat, like the plants… which means there is definitely some kinds that are probably better for you than others.  This implies that we should apply principles of health & wellness to what we eat.  Later, at the time of Moses in the wilderness, specific rules were given on clean & unclean meats — probably because of the underlying potential health issues in this desert community.  So, if we try to eat with a health principle in mind… we should really not be eating meat AT ALL, or at the very least keep it to a minimum.  And the way meat is raised, slaughtered & prepared, it is all pretty much “unclean” unless you raise it yourself or get it direct from a very trusted source.

The command is clear, however, that you should not eat meat with it’s lifeblood in it (meaning while still alive!)  I think that is fair enough.  I don’t know anywhere in the Bible this is retracted.

So… enough on that subject.

11 I confirm my covenant with you that never again will all flesh be wiped out by the waters of a deluge

If you believe the flood was a localized event, how would you interpret this passage?  That never again would a local flood wipe out all flesh?  Kind of silly, since no localized event could wipe out “ALL flesh” right?  This promise, like all of God’s promises, has been kept –  even in the end times the destruction will not come by flood.  God does not break his promises.

13 I have placed My bow in the clouds, and it will be a sign of the covenant between Me and the earth.

Ever seen a rainbow?  We know the scientific explanation of a rainbow, and now it has additional significance.  What I wonder is if the rainbow was something that God created after the flood, or if conditions before the flood were such that there was never a rainbow.  It sounds like either God created a new set of circumstances that would generate a rainbow in the sky, or that he shifted physics so that rainbows would now appear.  Since I believe in the consistency of the natural laws God established at creation, I believe that the antediluvian world was simply different.  Perhaps it didn’t rain — maybe with more moisture in the air it wasn’t needed.  I’m not sure… but however it came about God used nature and its rules to make something very significant of the rainbow.  What an awesome God!