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

19Every animal, every crawling thing, and every bird, everything that moves on the earth, went out by their families from the ark. 20Then Noah built an altar to the Lord, and took some of every kind of clean animal and some of every clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar. The Lord smelled the soothing aroma, and the Lord said to Himself, “I will never again curse the ground on account of man, for the intent of man’s heart is evil from his youth; and I will never again destroy every living thing, as I have done. 22While the earth remains, Seedtime and harvest, Cold and heat, Summer and winter, And day and night Shall not cease.”

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

• The Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
• the soothingנִיחֹחַnîychôach nîychôach · soothingH5207
• saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• to Himselfלֵבlêb · heartH3820
• I will neverלֹאlô' lô' lôh · notH3808
• I will neverעוֹד‛ôd ‛ôd · stillH5750
• againיָסַףyâsaph · to add: againH3254
• curseקָלַלqâlal · to lightenH7043
• the groundאֲדָמָה'ădâmâh · land: soilH127
• on accountעָבוּר‛âbûr ‛âbûr · for the sake ofH5668
• of manאָדָם'âdâm · manH120
• intentיֵ֫צֶרyêtser · intentionH3336
• is evilרַעra‛ râ‛âh · bad: evilH7451
• from his youthנְעוּרִיםnâ‛ûr nâ‛ûr ne‛ûrâh · youthH5271
• destroyנָכָהnâkâh · to smiteH5221
• everyכֹּלkôl kôl · allH3605
• livingחַיchay · aliveH2416
• thingחַיchay · aliveH2416
• as I have doneעָשָׂה‛âώâh · to make: doH6213

Cross-references for Genesis 8:21

• Leviticus 1:9Its entrails, however, and its legs he shall wash with water. And the priest shall offer all of it up in smoke on the altar as a burnt offering, an offering by fire as a soothing aroma to the Lord.
• Leviticus 26:31I will turn your cities into ruins as well and make your sanctuaries desolate, and I will not smell your soothing aromas.
• Isaiah 65:6Behold, it is written before Me: I will not keep silent, but I will repay; I will even repay into their laps,
• Ezekiel 20:41As a soothing aroma I will accept you when I bring you out from the peoples and gather you from the lands where you are scattered; and I will show Myself to be holy among you in the sight of the nations.
• Amos 5:21“I hate, I reject your festivals, Nor do I delight in your festive assemblies.
• 2 Corinthians 2:15For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing:
• Ephesians 5:2and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.
• Philippians 4:18But I have received everything in full and have an abundance; I am amply supplied, having received from Epaphroditus what you have sent, a fragrant aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God.
• Genesis 3:17Then to Adam He said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree about which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat from it’; Cursed is the ground because of you; With hard labor you shall eat from it All the days of your life.
• Genesis 4:12When you cultivate the ground, it will no longer yield its strength to you; you will be a wanderer and a drifter on the earth.”
• Genesis 5:29And he named him Noah, saying, “This one will give us comfort from our work and from the hard labor of our hands caused by the ground which the Lord has cursed.”
• Genesis 6:17Now behold, I Myself am bringing the flood of water upon the earth, to destroy all flesh in which there is the breath of life, from under heaven; everything that is on the earth shall perish.
• Genesis 6:5Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of mankind was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of their hearts was only evil continually.
• Job 14:4Who can make the clean out of the unclean? No one!
• Job 15:14What is man, that he would be pure, Or he who is born of a woman, that he would be righteous?
• Psalms 51:5Behold, I was brought forth in guilt, And in sin 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

• 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