Genesis 8:21

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 living animals also went out of the ship. The birds and the living things that move across the ground all went out. Every different kind of animal came out of the ship, each of them in its own group. 20Then Noah built an altar to make sacrifices to the Lord. He took one from each kind of clean animal and clean bird. He offered them to the Lord as sacrifices which he burned on the altar. The Lord smelled the sacrifice and it made him happy. The Lord said to himself, ‘I will never curse the ground again because of the bad things that people do. From the time that they are children, they want to do bad things. But I will never again destroy everything that breathes, as I have done this time. 22As long as the earth continues to be here, the time for people to plant seeds will come each year. The time for harvest will come each year. Times of cold and heat will always come. Summer and winter will always come. Day and night will never stop.’

Genesis 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 person must wash the legs and the inside parts with water. Then the priest will burn the whole animal on the altar. The smell of it while it is burning will give the Lord pleasure.
• Leviticus 26:31He will destroy the cities. He will destroy the places for wrong worship. Nobody will burn incense to give the Lord pleasure.
• Isaiah 65:6The Lord says, ‘Look! I have decided what I will do, and I have written it down: I will not keep quiet. I will punish them completely. I will give them everything that they deserve,
• Ezekiel 20:41I will bring you home from the nations and all the places where you have been living. Then I will welcome you, like sweet incense that pleases me. When I am among you, I will show all the other nations that I am holy.
• Amos 5:21The Lord says, ‘When you have your festivals, I hate them! When you meet to worship me, it does not make me happy!
• 2 Corinthians 2:15When we tell people about Christ, we are like a lovely smell that rises up to God. We are like that among the people that God is saving. We are also like that among the people who are dying because they are far from God.
• Ephesians 5:2Show that you love other people. Remember how much Christ loved us. He gave himself as a sacrifice on our behalf. He offered himself in a way that pleased God, like a sacrifice with a lovely smell.
• Philippians 4:18Epaphroditus has brought the gifts that you sent to me. I have received those gifts, so that I no longer need anything. You have sent me more than enough. Your gifts are like a sacrifice with a nice smell that you have offered to God. God accepts that kind of sacrifice. It makes him very happy.
• Genesis 3:17Then God said to Adam, ‘You listened to your wife and you did what she said. You ate fruit from the tree after I told you, “You must not eat fruit from this tree.” Because you did that, I will curse the ground. You will have to work very hard to make plants grow in it for your food. It will be like this for your whole life.
• Genesis 4:12When you work hard to dig the ground, no plants will grow in it for your food. You will travel from place to place. You will not have your own home.’
• Genesis 5:29He called his son Noah. Lamech said, ‘He will help us in our difficult work on the land. We have pain when we work on the land to get food. That is because the Lord God cursed the ground.’
• Genesis 6:17I will cover the earth with deep water. I will destroy all living things, wherever they live. Everything that breathes will die.
• Genesis 6:5The Lord saw that men and women on the earth had become very bad. They thought only of evil things all the time.
• Job 14:4People are not clean and pure. Nobody can change them to become pure.
• Job 15:14No one who is human can be truly pure and righteous.
• Psalms 51:5Yes, even from the day I was born I have done bad things. I have always been guilty of sin.

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

• Children
• Covenant
• Depravity of Man
• Flood
• God Continued...
• Heart
• Imagination
• Noah
• Worship

In the dictionaries

• Clean
• Covering
• Deluge
• Earth
• Flood
• Heart
• Man
• Noah
• Pull
• Remember

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