New International Version
Genesis 8:21
21The 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.
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.
- 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.
- New Living Translation (NLT)And the Lord was pleased with the aroma of the sacrifice and said to himself, “I will never again curse the ground because of the human race, even though everything they think or imagine is bent toward evil from childhood. I will never again destroy all living things.
Context of Genesis 8:21
19All the animals and all the creatures that move along the ground and all the birds—everything that moves on land—came out of the ark, one kind after another. 20Then Noah built an altar to the Lord and, taking some of all the clean animals and clean birds, he sacrificed burnt offerings on it. 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. 22“As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never 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 1:9You are to wash the internal organs and the legs with water, and the priest is to burn all of it on the altar. It is a burnt offering, a food offering, an aroma pleasing to the Lord.
- Leviticus 26:31I will turn your cities into ruins and lay waste your sanctuaries, and I will take no delight in the pleasing aroma of your offerings.
- Isaiah 65:6“See, it stands written before me: I will not keep silent but will pay back in full; I will pay it back into their laps—
- Ezekiel 20:41I will accept you as fragrant incense when I bring you out from the nations and gather you from the countries where you have been scattered, and I will be proved holy through you in the sight of the nations.
- Amos 5:21“I hate, I despise your religious festivals; your assemblies are a stench to me.
- 2 Corinthians 2:15For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing.
- Ephesians 5:2and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
- Philippians 4:18I have received full payment and have more than enough. I am amply supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent. They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God.
- Genesis 3:17To Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat from it,’ “Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life.
- Genesis 4:12When you work the ground, it will no longer yield its crops for you. You will be a restless wanderer on the earth.”
- Genesis 5:29He named him Noah and said, “He will comfort us in the labor and painful toil of our hands caused by the ground the Lord has cursed.”
- Genesis 6:17I am going to bring floodwaters on the earth to destroy all life under the heavens, every creature that has the breath of life in it. Everything on earth will perish.
- Genesis 6:5The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time.
- Job 14:4Who can bring what is pure from the impure? No one!
- Job 15:14“What are mortals, that they could be pure, or those born of woman, that they could be righteous?
- Psalms 51:5Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time 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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