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Genesis 6:7

EOB (Eastern / Greek Orthodox Bible):

God said, “I will wipe out all people and animals from the earth, including creatures that crawl, and birds in the sky. I regret creating them.”

EOB Footnote:

The MT includes “from the face of the ground” (Hebrew: from upon the face of the ground), whereas the LXX reads simply “from the face of the earth.” The MT also specifies “from man to beast to creeping thing to birds of the heavens,” while the LXX has “from man to beast and from creeping things to birds of the sky” — a slight variation in the connective structure. The MT’s phrase “for I am sorry that I have made them” uses a Hebrew verb indicating grief or regret; the LXX renders this with a term meaning “I have reflected” or “I have considered,” softening the anthropopathic language. No DSS manuscript preserves this verse.

Other Translations:

KJV (King James Version):

And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.

WEB (World English Bible):

“I will destroy man whom I have created from the surface of the ground—man, along with animals, creeping things, and birds of the sky—for I am sorry that I have made them.”

Benton LXX (Vaticanus):

“And the Lord God said, I will blot out man whom I have made from the face of the earth, even man with cattle, and reptiles, and birds of the air; for I am grieved that I have made them.”

Douai-Rheims (Vulgate):

And the Lord said: I will destroy man, whom I have created, from the face of the earth; from man even to beasts, from the creeping thing even to the fowls of the air, for it repenteth me that I have made them.

Apostoliki Diakonia (LXX):

The LORD said, “I will wipe out mankind whom I created from the face of the earth—both man and beast, and the creatures that crawl and the birds of the sky—for I regret that I made them.”

YLT (Young Literal Translation )(MT):

“And the Lord said, ‘I will wipe off man whom I have created from the face of the ground, from man unto beast, unto creeping thing, and unto the fowl of the heavens; for I have repented that I made them.'”

BBE (Bible in Basic English):

And the Lord said, I will take away man, whom I have made, from the face of the earth; man and beast and the things moving on the earth and the birds of the air; for I am sorrowful that I have made them.

EOB COMMENTARY:

EOB Commentary:

Genesis 6:7 Commentary

The Divine Grief and the Mystery of Repentance

This verse presents one of the most profound anthropomorphic expressions in Scripture, speaking of God’s grief and apparent change of intention. The Hebrew term “nacham” (here rendered as “repented” or “was grieved”) requires careful theological interpretation, for the Orthodox tradition firmly maintains divine immutability. The Fathers understood such language as divine condescension—God speaking in human terms to communicate the gravity of human sin and its cosmic consequences.

Patristic Interpretation: Saint John Chrysostom, in his Homilies on Genesis, explains that God does not literally repent as humans do, for He knows all things from eternity. Rather, Scripture employs this language to demonstrate the intensity of divine response to human wickedness. The expression reveals not a change in God but a change in humanity’s relationship to God. Saint Ephrem the Syrian similarly notes that such anthropomorphic language serves pedagogical purposes, helping finite minds grasp infinite realities.

Christological Significance: This verse foreshadows the ultimate divine response to human corruption—not final destruction but redemptive transformation through the Incarnation. Where the Flood brought death to cleanse creation, Christ brings death to death itself. The grief of God expressed here finds its fullest revelation at Golgotha, where divine sorrow over sin meets divine love in the crucified Lord. The waters of the Flood typologically anticipate baptismal waters, which do not destroy but regenerate.

Liturgical Connections: The Orthodox Church reads from the Flood narrative during the Vesperal Liturgy of Theophany, drawing explicit connections between the Flood waters and baptism. The Flood represents both judgment and mercy—judgment upon sin, mercy through the ark. In the baptismal rite, the priest prays over the water, invoking its power both to destroy the old Adam and to birth the new creation in Christ.

Spiritual Application: For Orthodox spirituality, this verse speaks to the reality of divine-human relationship. God is not distant or indifferent; He responds to human choices with what can only be described as passionate concern. This understanding grounds the Orthodox emphasis on synergy—the cooperation between divine grace and human freedom. Our actions matter to God; our sins genuinely grieve Him, not because they affect His essence, but because they damage His beloved creation.

The mention of beasts, creeping things, and birds alongside humanity reminds us of the cosmic scope of sin’s consequences. Human corruption does not remain isolated but affects all creation, a theme Saint Paul develops in Romans 8. Orthodox theology thus emphasizes humanity’s priestly vocation—we are called to offer creation back to God, and when we fail, all creation suffers.

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