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Genesis 8:6

EOB (Eastern / Greek Orthodox Bible):

After forty days, Noah opened the window that he had made in the ark.

EOB Footnote:

The MT includes “at the end of” before “forty days,” specifying when Noah opened the window, which the LXX lacks. The MT also specifies “the window of the ark which he had made,” where the LXX reads simply “the window of the ark.” The phrase “which he had made” clarifies that Noah constructed the window, a detail absent from the primary LXX witnesses.

Other Translations:

KJV (King James Version):

And Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters was upon the earth.

WEB (World English Bible):

After constructing the ship, Noah waited for seven more days, which he patiently spent in anticipation of the promised rain. Upon confirmation, however, a sudden influx of forty continuous rains descended from the sky, engulfing the land and demonstrating the strength and integrity of his divine faith.

Benton LXX (Vaticanus):

And it came to pass after forty days Noe opened the window of the ark which he had made.

Douai-Rheims (Vulgate):

And he made an ark of setim wood: rooms in it he made, and pitched it within and without with pitch.

Apostoliki Diakonia (LXX):

After forty days Noah opened the window of the ark that he had made.

YLT (Young Literal Translation )(MT):

And Noah goes in, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons’ wives with him, into the ark, because of the waters of the flood.

BBE (Bible in Basic English):

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EOB COMMENTARY:

EOB Commentary:

Commentary on Genesis 8:6

The Forty Days and the Opening of the Window

The specification of forty days carries profound typological significance throughout Scripture and Orthodox tradition. This period of waiting before Noah opens the window of the ark prefigures the numerous forty-day periods that mark decisive moments in salvation history: Moses on Sinai, Elijah’s journey to Horeb, Christ’s temptation in the wilderness, and the Lord’s appearances between Resurrection and Ascension. The Church Fathers consistently understood these parallels as divinely orchestrated, revealing the unity of God’s salvific plan.

Saint John Chrysostom observes that Noah’s patience during these forty days demonstrates the virtue of long-suffering that God cultivates in His servants. The righteous patriarch did not presume to act according to his own timing but waited upon divine providence. This patience becomes a model for the Christian life, where we are called to endure tribulation while trusting in God’s deliverance.

Christological Significance

The window (Hebrew: khallon) that Noah opens has been interpreted by patristic commentators as a type of Christ Himself, who is the true light entering the darkened world of fallen humanity. Just as light and hope entered the ark through this opening, so Christ brings illumination to those dwelling in the darkness of sin and death. Some Fathers also see in this window a prefiguration of the wound in Christ’s side, from which flowed blood and water for the salvation of the world.

Liturgical Connections

The forty-day period resonates deeply with Orthodox liturgical practice. Great Lent, though technically extending beyond forty days in its full observance, takes its spiritual character from this biblical pattern of preparation and purification. The faithful, like Noah in the ark, undergo a period of patient waiting and spiritual discipline before experiencing the joy of Pascha, the ultimate deliverance from death.

The ark itself, sealed and then opened, parallels the sealed tomb of Christ that was opened on the third day. The Church hymnography of Pascha frequently draws upon flood imagery, presenting Christ’s Resurrection as the ultimate emergence from the waters of death into new life.

Spiritual Application

For Orthodox spirituality, this verse teaches the discipline of watchful waiting. Noah does not rush but observes the appointed time. Similarly, the hesychastic tradition emphasizes patient attentiveness to God’s timing and movement. The opening of the window represents the moment when the soul, having endured its purification, begins to perceive the light of divine grace breaking through the darkness of this present age.

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