Christian Standard Bible
Genesis 8:21
21When the Lord smelled the pleasing aroma, he said to himself, “I will never again curse the ground because of human beings, even though the inclination of the human heart is evil from youth onward. And I will never again strike down every living thing as I have done.
Genesis 8:21 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And the Lord smelled a sweet savour; and the Lord said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man’s sake; for the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done.
- New International Version (NIV)The Lord smelled the pleasing aroma and said in his heart: “Never again will I curse the ground because of humans, even though every inclination of the human heart is evil from childhood. And never again will I destroy all living creatures, as I have done.
- English Standard Version (ESV)And when the Lord smelled the pleasing aroma, the Lord said in his heart, "I will never again curse the ground because of man, for the intention of man's heart is evil from his youth. Neither will I ever again strike down every living creature as I have done.
- New King James Version (NKJV)And the Lord smelled a soothing aroma. Then the Lord said in His heart, “I will never again curse the ground for man’s sake, although the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; nor will I again destroy every living thing as I have done.
Context of Genesis 8:21
19All the animals, all the creatures that crawl, and all the flying creatures — everything that moves on the earth — came out of the ark by their families. 20Then Noah built an altar to the Lord. He took some of every kind of clean animal and every kind of clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar. When the Lord smelled the pleasing aroma, he said to himself, “I will never again curse the ground because of human beings, even though the inclination of the human heart is evil from youth onward. And I will never again strike down every living thing as I have done. 22As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, and day and night will not cease.”
Read all of Genesis 8Genesis 8:21 word by word
וַיָּ֣רַח יְהוָה֮ אֶת־רֵ֣יחַ הַנִּיחֹחַ֒ וַיֹּ֨אמֶר יְהוָ֜ה אֶל־לִבּ֗וֹ לֹֽא־אֹ֠סִף לְקַלֵּ֨ל ע֤וֹד אֶת־הָֽאֲדָמָה֙ בַּעֲב֣וּר הָֽאָדָ֔ם כִּ֠י יֵ֣צֶר לֵ֧ב הָאָדָ֛ם רַ֖ע מִנְּעֻרָ֑יו וְלֹֽא־אֹסִ֥ף ע֛וֹד לְהַכּ֥וֹת אֶת־כָּל־חַ֖י כַּֽאֲשֶׁ֥ר עָשִֽׂיתִי׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
- smelledרִיחַrûach · to smellH7306
- a sweetנִיחֹחַnîychôach nîychôach · soothingH5207
- savourרֵיחַrêyach · aromaH7381
- saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
- inאֶל'êl 'el · to(wards)H413
- his heartלֵבlêb · heartH3820
- I will not againיָסַףyâsaph · to add: againH3254
- curseקָלַלqâlal · to lightenH7043
- the groundאֲדָמָה'ădâmâh · land: soilH127
- any more for man’sאָדָם'âdâm · manH120
- sakeעָבוּר‛âbûr ‛âbûr · for the sake ofH5668
- for the imaginationיֵ֫צֶרyêtser · intentionH3336
- evilרַעra‛ râ‛âh · bad: evilH7451
- from his youthנְעוּרִיםnâ‛ûr nâ‛ûr ne‛ûrâh · youthH5271
- smiteנָכָהnâkâh · to smiteH5221
- any more every thing livingחַיchay · aliveH2416
- as I have doneעָשָׂה‛âώâh · to make: doH6213
Cross-references for Genesis 8:21
- Leviticus 1:9The offerer is to wash its entrails and legs with water. Then the priest will burn all of it on the altar as a burnt offering, a food offering, a pleasing aroma to the Lord.
- Leviticus 26:31I will reduce your cities to ruins and devastate your sanctuaries. I will not smell the pleasing aroma of your sacrifices.
- Isaiah 65:6Look, it is written in front of me: I will not keep silent, but I will repay; I will repay them fully
- Ezekiel 20:41When I bring you from the peoples and gather you from the countries where you have been scattered, I will accept you as a pleasing aroma. And I will demonstrate my holiness through you in the sight of the nations.
- Amos 5:21I hate, I despise, your feasts! I can’t stand the stench of your solemn assemblies.
- 2 Corinthians 2:15For to God we are the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing.
- Ephesians 5:2and walk in love, as Christ also loved us and gave himself for us, a sacrificial and fragrant offering to God.
- Philippians 4:18But I have received everything in full, and I have an abundance. I am fully supplied, having received from Epaphroditus what you provided — a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God.
- Genesis 3:17And he said to the man, “Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘Do not eat from it’: The ground is cursed because of you. You will eat from it by means of painful labor all the days of your life.
- Genesis 4:12If you work the ground, it will never again give you its yield. You will be a restless wanderer on the earth.”
- Genesis 5:29And he named him Noah, saying, “This one will bring us relief from the agonizing labor of our hands, caused by the ground the Lord has cursed.”
- Genesis 6:17“Understand that I am bringing a flood — floodwaters on the earth to destroy every creature under heaven with the breath of life in it. Everything on earth will perish.
- Genesis 6:5When the Lord saw that human wickedness was widespread on the earth and that every inclination of the human mind was nothing but evil all the time,
- Job 14:4Who can produce something pure from what is impure? No one!
- Job 15:14What is a mere human, that he should be pure, or one born of a woman, that he should be righteous?
- Psalms 51:5Indeed, I was guilty when I was born; I was sinful when my mother conceived me.
Commentaries on Genesis 8:21
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 21The Lord smelled a sweet savor - That is, he was well pleased with this religious act, performed in obedience to his own appointment, and in faith of the promised Savior. That this sacrifice prefigured that which was offered by our blessed Redeemer in behalf of the world, is sufficiently evident from the words of St. Paul, Ephesians 5:2; : Christ hath loved us, and given himself for its an offering and a sacrifice to God for a Sweet-Smelling Savor; where…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 15-22Verses 15-22 - XXVII. The Ark Was Evacuated 19. משׁפחה mı̂shpāchah “kind, clan, family.” שׁפחה shı̂pchâh “maid-servant; related: spread.” 20. מזבח mı̂zbēach “altar; related: slay animals, sacrifice.” 21. עלה 'olâh “whole burnt-offering.” That which goes up. “Step; related: go up.” Genesis 8:15-19 The command to leave the ark is given and obeyed. As Noah did not enter, so neither does he leave the ark, without divine direction. “The fowl, the cattle…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 20-22Verses 20-22 Noah was now gone out into a desolate world, where, one might have thought, his first care would have been to build a house for himself, but he begins with an alter for God. He begins well, that begins with God. Though Noah's stock of cattle was small, and that saved at great care and pains, yet he did not grudge to serve God out of it. Serving God with our little is the way to make it more; we must never think that is wasted with which God…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 21smelled the pleasing aroma: The narrator uses anthropomorphic language (he describes God’s activity in human terms) to show God’s acceptance of Noah’s offering (see also Exodus 29:18; Leviticus 1:9; Numbers 15:3). In the ancient Near East, people often believed that their gods ate the sacrifices offered to them. This idea is not found in the Bible. in his heart: This is the same phrase as in 6:6. In the same way, here every inclination of his heart echoes…Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2121. And the Lord smelled a sweet savour--The sacrifice offered by a righteous man like Noah in faith was acceptable as the most fragrant incense. Lord said in his heart--same as "I have sworn that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth" (Is 54:9). for--that is, "though the imagination is evil"; instead of inflicting another destructive flood, I shall spare them--to enjoy the blessings of grace, through a Saviour.Read the comment
Topics related to Genesis 8:21
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Genesis 8
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Luther’s Commentary on Selected Bible Passages
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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