Revised Literal Translation
Genesis 8:20
20And Noah builded an altar unto Yhwh; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar.
Genesis 8:20 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And Noah builded an altar unto the Lord; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar.
- New International Version (NIV)Then Noah built an altar to the Lord and, taking some of all the clean animals and clean birds, he sacrificed burnt offerings on it.
- English Standard Version (ESV)Then Noah built an altar to the Lord and took some of every clean animal and some of every clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar.
- New King James Version (NKJV)Then Noah built an altar to the Lord, and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird, and offered burnt offerings on the altar.
Context of Genesis 8:20
18And Noah went forth, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons’ wives with him: 19Every beast, every creeping thing, and every fowl, and whatsoever creepeth upon the earth, after their kinds, went forth out of the ark. And Noah builded an altar unto Yhwh; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar. 21And Yhwh smelled a sweet savour; And Yhwh 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. 22While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.
Read all of Genesis 8Genesis 8:20 word by word
וַיִּ֥בֶן נֹ֛חַ מִזְבֵּ֖חַ לַֽיהוָ֑ה וַיִּקַּ֞ח מִכֹּ֣ל׀ הַבְּהֵמָ֣ה הַטְּהוֹרָ֗ה וּמִכֹּל֙ הָע֣וֹף הַטָּהֹ֔ר וַיַּ֥עַל עֹלֹ֖ת בַּמִּזְבֵּֽחַ׃Read the interlinear
- And Noahנֹחַnôach · NoahH5146
- buildedבָּנָהbânâh · to buildH1129
- an altarמִזְבֵּחַmizbêach · altarH4196
- unto Yhwhיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
- and tookלָקַחlâqach · to take: takeH3947
- of every cleanטָהוֹרţâhôr ţâhôr · pureH2889
- beastבְּהֵמָהbehêmâh · animalH929
- fowlעוֹף‛ôph · birdH5775
- and offeredעָלָה‛âlâh · to ascend: offer upH5927
- burnt offeringsעֹלָה‛ôlâh ‛ôlâh · burnt offeringH5930
Cross-references for Genesis 8:20
- Genesis 4:4And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And Yhwh had respect unto Abel and to his offering:
- Genesis 12:7And Yhwh appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto Yhwh, who appeared unto him.
- Genesis 13:4Unto the place of the altar, which he had made there at the first: and there Abram called on the name of Yhwh.
- Genesis 22:9And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood.
- Genesis 26:25And he builded an altar there, and called upon the name of Yhwh, and pitched his tent there: and there Isaac’s servants digged a well.
- Genesis 33:20And he erected there an altar, and called it El–elohe–Israel.
- Genesis 35:1And God said unto Jacob, Arise, go up to Beth–el, and dwell there: and make there an altar unto God, that appeared unto thee when thou fleddest from the face of Esau thy brother.
- Exodus 20:24An altar of earth thou shalt make unto me, and shalt sacrifice thereon thy burnt offerings, and thy peace offerings, thy sheep, and thine oxen: in all places where I record my name I will come unto thee, and I will bless thee.
- Exodus 24:4And Moses wrote all the words of Yhwh, and rose up early in the morning, and builded an altar under the hill, and twelve pillars, according to the twelve tribes of Israel.
- Romans 12:1I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
- Hebrews 13:10We have an altar, whereof they have no right to eat which serve the tabernacle.
- 1 Peter 2:5Ye also, as living stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.
- Genesis 7:2Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens, the male and his female: and of beasts that are not clean by two, the male and his female.
- Leviticus 11:1And Yhwh spake unto Moses and to Aaron, saying unto them,
- Leviticus 1:1And Yhwh called unto Moses, and spake unto him out of the tabernacle of the congregation, saying,
Commentaries on Genesis 8:20
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 20Noah builded an altar - As we have already seen that Adam, Cain, and Abel, offered sacrifices, there can be no doubt that they had altars on which they offered them; but this, builded by Noah, is certainly the first on record. It is worthy of remark that, as the old world began with sacrifice, so also did the new. Religion or the proper mode of worshipping the Divine Being, is the invention or institution of God himself; and sacrifice, in the act and…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. 20This first mention of an altar in the Bible shows how thankful Noah was for surviving the judgment. offered burnt offerings: The same wording is used for the whole burnt offering in Leviticus (Leviticus 1:3–9), but it can refer to any offering that is burned. Noah gave this offering to thank and worship God, who saved him and his family from the great flood.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2020. Noah builded an altar--literally, "a high place"--probably a mound of earth, on which a sacrifice was offered. There is something exceedingly beautiful and interesting to know that the first care of this devout patriarch was to return thanks for the signal instance of mercy and goodness which he and his family had experienced. took of every clean beast ... fowl--For so unparalleled a deliverance, a special acknowledgment was due.Read the comment
Topics related to Genesis 8:20
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
Revised Literal Translation — © 2018 Michael W. Jones, Sr. — GPL
Commentaries