AND THE ETERNAL SAID TO NOAH. G-d informed Noah that with the attribute of mercy [as indicated by the use of the Tetragrammaton, “the Eternal,”] He will save him and his family and that He will give life to their seed for all generations. This is the meaning of the phrase, to keep seed alive upon the face of all the earth.⁷¹ At first He said, *to keep them alive with thee;*⁷² but now with the attribute of mercy He hinted to him concerning the sacrifice to inform him that he will have regard for his offering and that by the merit of his offering, the world will exist, never again to be cut off by the waters of the flood.⁷³ This is why the Tetragrammaton is mentioned here for in all matters concerning the sacrifices, Scripture does not mention Elokim (G-d), as I will elucidate when I reach there⁷⁴ with the help of G-d.

footnotes: ⁷¹ Verse 3. ⁷² Above, 6:19. ⁷³ See further, 9:11. ⁷⁴ See Ramban, Leviticus 1:9.

COME THOU AND ALL THY HOUSE INTO THE ARK. Noah constructed the ark many days before the flood, and when the time of the flood arrived on the tenth day of the second month, He again commanded him that he and all his household come into the ark. This is why He said to him at first: thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons’ wives with thee.⁷⁵ He thereby informed him that on account of his merit alone they will be saved since He did not say, “Ye [in the plural] I have seen righteous before Me.” And He commanded that he take and bring of the clean beasts and clean fowl seven and seven, and then He informed him of the day of the flood, at which time he was to come into the ark. And Noah did so for in the selfsame day came Noah… into the ark.⁷⁶ This is the meaning of [the verse: And Noah came in… into the ark] because of the waters of the flood.⁷⁷ But Rashi wrote: “Noah also was one of those who have little faith, and he did not enter the ark until the waters forced him to do so.” In the words of Bereshith Rabbah:⁷⁸ “Noah was lacking in faith. Had the waters not reached his ankles he would not have entered the ark.” But if so, let him say that Noah did not enter there until the waters greatly increased and covered the whole face of the earth and he saw that he was drowning!

footnotes: ⁷⁵ Above, 6:18. ⁷⁶ Verse 13. This refers to the day when the rains began, namely, the seventeenth day of the second month. ⁷⁷ Verse 7. ⁷⁸ 32:9.

OF CLEAN BEASTS, AND OF BEASTS THAT ARE NOT CLEAN. TWO AND TWO THERE CAME IN UNTO NOAH. Rashi explained: “They were all equal with respect to this number for the least number of any species was two.” Others⁷⁹ said that the meaning of “two” is pairs, meaning that they came couplewise, male and female together. In my opinion, the matter was thus: two — a male and a female — came of their own accord from each species, and Noah added by bringing six additional pairs from the clean ones since those that came to be saved arrived of their own accord while he busied himself for the sake of the commandment with those that were destined for sacrifice, for so it was told to him.⁸⁰ And the meaning of the verse, And Noah did according unto all that the Eternal commanded him,⁸¹ is, as the Rabbis have said in Bereshith Rabbah,⁷⁸ that he was to prepare to bring in the cattle, beast, and fowl, meaning the clean ones, those which he himself went after and brought to his house. The verse which states a third time, as G-d hath commanded Noah,⁸² means that he did as He had commanded him concerning entering the ark, for this verse is connected with the above verse: And Noah came in.⁷⁷ The verse thus states that Noah and his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives came into the ark along with two and two of the cattle and fowl and creeping things that came to him in order to enter into the ark. All of them came with him, entering the ark because of the waters of the flood,⁷⁷ as G-d commanded him. Scripture then returns and sets forth the month and the day in which the flood came⁸³ and how he entered the ark, stating that on that selfsame day when the rains began — and not before — Noah entered the ark, and with him were all living things.

footnotes: ⁷⁹ R’dak. ⁸⁰ See Ramban above, 6:20. ⁸¹ Verse 5. ⁷⁸ 32:9. ⁸² Verse 9. ⁷⁷ Verse 7. ⁷⁷ Verse 7. ⁸³ Verse 11.

AND THEY CAME IN UNTO NOAH INTO THE ARK. The intent of this is to make known that the beasts, fowl, etc., did not gather to him at all, nor did they come until that selfsame day when the rains came. And he came into the ark for it was G-d that hath commanded and His breath which hath gathered them⁸⁴ in one moment.

footnotes: ⁸⁴ Isaiah 34:16.

AND THEY THAT CAME IN, CAME IN MALE AND FEMALE OF ALL FLESH. The intent of this is that those who came into the ark were male and female for so Noah brought them in. This is why Scripture says, as G-d hath commanded him, since it was He who commanded him to bring them into the ark. But the opinion of Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra is that the verse, And Noah came in, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons’ wives with him, into the ark,⁷⁷ does not mean that they entered it but that they all came to Noah on the tenth day of the second month for his house was near the ark. [He thus interprets the verse as meaning “to the ark,” rather than “into the ark.”] Ibn Ezra explains the phrase, because of the waters of the flood,⁷⁷ to mean “on account of the fear of the waters of the flood.” At the end of the seven days came the waters of the flood, and then they all gathered in the ark, and Noah closed the door and the window.⁸⁵ But Ibn Ezra’s words are not correct.⁸⁶ It is possible that the verses, And Noah did according to all that the Eternal hath commanded him, And Noah was six hundred years old,⁸⁷ and the succeeding verses until, In the six hundredth year,⁸⁸ do not recount a narrative. Rather, And Noah did according to all that the Eternal commanded him generalizes the entire matter. It states that he did everything as he was commanded, not omitting a thing: he constructed the ark and assembled the food and took of the clean beasts and fowl seven and seven on the day He commanded him. When he was six hundred years old and the flood came down upon the earth, he came with his household and with the clean beasts and all living things into the ark, as G-d had commanded him. After that, Scripture narrates the event, And it came to pass after the seven days … in the six hundredth year,⁸⁹ and completes the subject.

footnotes: ⁷⁷ Verse 7. ⁷⁷ Verse 7. ⁸⁵ See above, 6:16. ⁸⁶ As explained above in Verses 1 and 8, when the time of the flood arrived G-d again commanded Noah that he and all his household come into the ark, and He further informed him of the day of the flood. ⁸⁷ Verses 5-6. ⁸⁸ Verse 11. ⁸⁹ Verses 10-11.

AND THE WATERS PREVAILED (‘Vayigb’ru’). AND THE WATERS ‘GAVRU’ (PREVAILED). This means that they increased exceedingly, for the Hebrew language calls great abundance gvurah (strength, power). So too, And their transgressions which ‘yithgavru’ (have prevailed),⁹⁰ meaning increased exceedingly; His mercy ‘gavar’ (has prevailed) toward them that fear Him,⁹¹ meaning increased. And so also: If ‘bigvuroth’ four-score years,⁹², 90:10. meaning with great abundance. It is conceivable that the meaning of vayigb’ru is that the rains came in a rushing downpour, uprooting trees and toppling buildings, since power is called in Hebrew gvurah (strength) because strength lies in power. In a similar sense are the verses: *They also ‘gavru’ (wax mighty) in power;*⁹³ ‘Vehigbir brith’ (And he shall make a strong covenant) with many for one week,⁹⁴ meaning he will establish the covenant with firmness. And in the words of the Sages, [we find the expression], gvuroth geshamim (the powers of the rains),⁹⁵ because they come down with strength. It is possible that the verse, If ‘bigvuroth’ four-score years,⁹², 90:10. is of the same sense, i.e., if his bones and body be strong, and he is a man of power, he will live four-score years. And if so, ‘gavru’ upon the earth⁹⁶ will mean that the waters were in their complete strength, overcoming even the high mountains and inundating them.

footnotes: ⁹⁰ Job 36:9. ⁹¹ Psalms 103:11. ⁹² Ibid. ⁹³ Job 21:7. ⁹⁴ Daniel 9:27. ⁹⁵ Taanith 2a. ⁹² Ibid. ⁹⁶ Verse 19.

AND HE BLOTTED OUT EVERY LIVING SUBSTANCE WHICH WAS UPON THE FACE OF THE EARTH. After having said, And all flesh perished,⁹⁷ and having said, whatever was in the dry land, died,⁹⁸ Scripture continues to say, And He blotted out, meaning that the bodies dissolved and became water, just as is in the verse, And he shall blot them out in the water of bitterness⁹⁹ — for the waters of the flood were hot, as our Rabbis have said.¹⁰⁰ But if so, the fish also would have died. Perhaps it was as the Rabbis have said in Bereshith Rabbah:¹⁰¹ “Whatever was in the dry land died,⁹⁸ but not the fish in the sea. And some authorities say that they too were destined to be destroyed, but they fled to the Mediterranean.”¹⁰² (ocean), but usually meaning the Mediterranean Sea. (See Jastrow.) Either way the fish were saved. Both of these opinions are plausible. For it is conceivable that the hot waters of the flood mingled with the seas, heating only their upper waters, while the fish descended to the depths of the ponds and lived there. Or, in accordance with the opinion of some authorities,¹⁰³ it is possible that the fish in the waters of the countries near the Mediterranean¹⁰² (ocean), but usually meaning the Mediterranean Sea. (See Jastrow.) fled there when they felt the heat of the water, and were thus saved. And even if all those outside the Mediterranean died, since the majority of fish are in the Mediterranean¹⁰² (ocean), but usually meaning the Mediterranean Sea. (See Jastrow.) where the waters of the flood did not come down — as it is said, And the rain was upon the earth¹⁰⁴ — the fish were thus saved. For none of the fish were brought into the ark to keep their seed alive, and at the time of the covenant it is said, I establish My covenant with you… and with every living creature that is with you, the fowl, and cattle, and every beast of the earth with you; of all that go out of the ark,¹⁰⁵ but it does not mention the fish of the sea.

footnotes: ⁹⁷ Verse 21. ⁹⁸ Verse 22. ⁹⁹ Numbers 5:23. ¹⁰⁰ Sanhedrin 108b. ¹⁰¹ 32:19. ⁹⁸ Verse 22. ¹⁰² Literally, Okeanus ¹⁰³ Mentioned in the Midrash quoted above, that the fish too were destined to be destroyed, but they fled to the Mediterranean. ¹⁰² Literally, Okeanus ¹⁰² Literally, Okeanus ¹⁰⁴ Verse 12. ¹⁰⁵ Genesis 9:9-10.

AND THEY WERE BLOTTED OUT FROM THE EARTH. The commentators¹⁰⁶ have explained that the reason for the double [expression, And He blotted out … and they were blotted out], is that their remembrance was forgotten since they had no seed. But what need is there to say that after we are told that they all died? Perhaps on account of the fowl and some creeping things, Scripture tells that none of their eggs were left on any tree or under the earth for everything was blotted out. It is probable that the sense of the verse is as follows: “And He blotted out every living substance which was upon the face of the earth, for from man to beast to creeping things and to fowl of the heaven, they were blotted out from the earth, only Noah remaining alive.” Now our Rabbis have expounded:¹⁰⁰ “And He blotted out, meaning from this world. And they were blotted out from the earth, meaning from the World to Come.” The Rabbis thus explained “the earth” mentioned here as meaning “the land of eternal life.” I have already alluded to its secret.¹⁰⁷

footnotes: ¹⁰⁶ Ibn Ezra and R’dak. ¹⁰⁰ Sanhedrin 108b. ¹⁰⁷ Above, 6:13.