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

Genesis 7:23

EOB (Eastern / Greek Orthodox Bible):

Every living thing on the ground was wiped out—people, animals, creatures that move along the ground, and birds of the sky. Everything on earth perished. Only Noah and those with him in the ark survived.

EOB Footnote:

The MT includes an additional phrase at the beginning: “And he blotted out every living thing that was on the face of the ground,” which the LXX renders more briefly. The MT also specifies “from man to beast to creeping thing to bird of the heavens” in the list of what was destroyed, while the LXX has a slightly different ordering and terminology. The MT concludes with “only Noah remained, and those who were with him in the ark,” where “remained” translates a Hebrew word suggesting survival or being left over, whereas the LXX uses a term meaning “was preserved” or “was kept safe.”

Other Translations:

KJV (King James Version):

And every living substance was destroyed which was upon the face of the ground, both man, and cattle, and the creeping things, and the fowl of the heaven; and they were destroyed from the earth: and Noah only remained alive, and they that were with him in the ark.

WEB (World English Bible):

He blotted out every living thing which was on the surface of the ground, including man, livestock, creeping things, and birds of the sky. They were blotted out from the earth. Only Noah was left, and those who were with him in the ship.

Benton LXX (Vaticanus):

And he blotted out every offspring which was upon the face of the earth, both man and beast, and reptiles, and birds of the sky; and they were blotted out from the earth, and Noah was left alone, and those with him in the ark.

Douai-Rheims (Vulgate):

And he destroyed all the substance that was upon the earth, from man even to beast, and the creeping things, and the fowls of the air, and they were destroyed from the earth: and Noe only remained, and they that were with him in the ark.

Apostoliki Diakonia (LXX):

Every living thing on the face of the earth was wiped out; people and animals and the creatures that move along the ground and the birds were wiped from the earth. Only Noah was left, and those with him in the ark.

YLT (Young Literal Translation )(MT):

So He destroyed all the living substance that was on the face of the ground, from man to cattle, to creeping things, and to the birds of the heavens; they were destroyed from the earth. Only Noah, and those with him in the ark, remained alive.

BBE (Bible in Basic English):

And every living thing was blotted out from the face of the earth; man and cattle and every moving thing and birds of the air; they were blotted out from the earth, and only Noah and those who were with him in the ark, were kept from death.

EOB COMMENTARY:

EOB Commentary:

Commentary on Genesis 7:23

The Divine Judgment and Salvation of the Remnant

This verse presents the stark reality of divine judgment while simultaneously revealing God’s mercy toward the righteous. The destruction of all living things upon the face of the earth stands as a sobering testimony to the consequences of humanity’s complete corruption, yet the preservation of Noah and those with him in the ark points forward to the greater salvation accomplished in Christ.

Typological Significance for Christ and Baptism

The Fathers of the Church consistently interpreted the Flood and Noah’s ark as prefigurations of baptism and the Church. Saint Peter himself establishes this connection, declaring that baptism corresponds to the waters through which Noah was saved (1 Peter 3:20-21). Just as only those within the ark were preserved from destruction, so too salvation is found within the Church, the ark of the New Covenant. Saint Cyprian of Carthage emphatically taught that outside the Church there is no salvation, drawing directly upon this typology.

The waters that brought death to the sinful world simultaneously bore up the ark of salvation. In like manner, the baptismal waters signify both death to the old man of sin and resurrection to new life in Christ. Saint John Chrysostom observes that Noah emerged from the ark as from a baptismal font, entering into a renewed creation.

Liturgical Connections

The Orthodox Church commemorates these events in the readings appointed for Holy Saturday, when the faithful await the Resurrection of Christ. The Flood narrative is read as one of the fifteen Old Testament readings, emphasizing how God brings life out of death and salvation through water. The paschal character of Noah’s deliverance illuminates our understanding of Christ’s descent into Hades and His raising of the faithful dead.

The prayer at the blessing of baptismal waters recalls how God sanctified the nature of water, using it as an instrument of both judgment and salvation throughout sacred history.

Spiritual Application

For the Orthodox Christian, this verse serves as a perpetual reminder of the necessity of remaining within the saving ark of the Church, united to Christ through the sacramental life. The eight souls preserved in the ark correspond to the eighth day, the day of Resurrection and the age to come. Saint Justin Martyr notes that the number eight symbolizes the new creation inaugurated by Christ’s rising from the dead.

The complete destruction described here also prefigures the final judgment, urging the faithful toward repentance and vigilance. Yet the emphasis falls not upon destruction but upon divine mercy, for God remembered Noah, preserving a righteous remnant through whom His purposes of salvation would continue until their fulfillment in the Incarnate Word.

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