EOB: Official Site of the Eastern / Greek Orthodox Bible (Old and New Testament)

Genesis 6:19

EOB (Eastern / Greek Orthodox Bible):

Bring two of every kind of living creature into the ark to keep them alive with you. Make sure there’s a male and a female of each.

EOB Footnote:

The MT includes “two of every kind” (literally “two of all”) where the LXX reads simply “two by two” (Greek: duo duo), though both convey the same essential meaning of pairs entering the ark. The MT also specifies “male and female” at the end of the verse, which the LXX likewise includes, so no bracket is needed for this phrase. The phrase “to keep alive” in the MT (Hebrew: to preserve alive) corresponds to the LXX’s “that you may nourish them with yourself,” which is a slightly different nuance — the MT emphasizes preservation of life, while the LXX emphasizes sustaining or feeding. A meaning-based rendering of the LXX phrase was chosen to convey the sense of keeping the animals alive rather than a literal “nourish with yourself.”

Other Translations:

KJV (King James Version):

And of every living thing of all flesh, two of every sort shalt thou bring into the ark, to keep them alive with thee; they shall be male and female.

WEB (World English Bible):

You shall bring two of every sort into the ship, to keep them alive with you. They shall be male and female.

Benton LXX (Vaticanus):

And of every living thing of all flesh, two of every sort shalt thou bring into the ark, that thou mayest feed them with thyself: male and female they shall be.

Douai-Rheims (Vulgate):

“And of every living creature of all flesh, thou shalt bring two of a sort into the ark, that they may live with thee: of the male sex, and the female.”

Apostoliki Diakonia (LXX):

And of all the living creatures, of all flesh, you shall bring two of every kind into the ark to keep them alive with you; they shall be male and female.

YLT (Young Literal Translation )(MT):

“And of every living thing of all flesh, you shall bring two of every sort into the ark, to keep them alive with you; they shall be male and female.”

BBE (Bible in Basic English):

“And you will take with you into the ark two of every sort of living thing, and keep them safe with you; they will be male and female.”

EOB COMMENTARY:

EOB Commentary:

Genesis 6:19 Commentary

The Divine Command to Preserve Creation

This verse stands at the heart of the Flood narrative, revealing God’s merciful intention to preserve life even amid judgment. The command to bring two of every living creature into the ark demonstrates that divine wrath against human wickedness does not extend to the annihilation of creation itself. God remains faithful to His creatures and provides a means of salvation through Noah’s obedience.

Typological Significance for Christ and the Church

The Fathers consistently interpreted the ark as a type of the Church and of Christ Himself. Saint Justin Martyr and Saint Irenaeus both recognized that just as the ark preserved all flesh from the waters of destruction, so the Church preserves humanity from spiritual death through the waters of baptism. The gathering of all creatures into one vessel prefigures the universal scope of salvation in Christ, who draws all nations into the one Body.

Saint John Chrysostom emphasizes that Noah’s ark contained both clean and unclean animals, signifying that the Church receives sinners and righteous alike, transforming all through grace. The pairs entering the ark also point toward the mystery of marriage and the union of Christ with His Bride, the Church.

Patristic Interpretation

Saint Ephrem the Syrian notes that God’s command reveals His providential care extending to all creatures, not merely to humanity. This reflects the cosmic dimension of salvation that the Orthodox Church confesses. Creation groans awaiting redemption, as Saint Paul teaches, and God’s preservation of the animals through Noah anticipates the renewal of all things in Christ.

Saint Ambrose of Milan sees in the preservation of animal pairs a lesson about the goodness inherent in creation. Despite the Fall, the created order retains its essential goodness and remains worthy of divine care and ultimate restoration.

Liturgical and Spiritual Connections

The Orthodox Church reads the Flood narrative during Great Lent, particularly in the Paroemias of the Lenten weekdays. This placement invites the faithful to see their Lenten journey as entering the ark of repentance, being preserved through the flood of passions, and emerging into new life at Pascha.

The theme of gathering into unity resonates with the Eucharistic assembly, where the scattered faithful are gathered into one Body. The Liturgy of Saint Basil prays for the unity of all, echoing the gathering of all flesh into the ark for preservation and blessing.

This verse thus reveals the pattern of divine economy: judgment and mercy intertwined, destruction of corruption and preservation of life, all pointing toward the ultimate gathering of all creation into the Kingdom of God through Jesus Christ.

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