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Noah

the one with the ark

Who was Noah?

The name
In Hebrew, “Noah” sounds like “he will bring us relief.” His father, Lamech, said that this son would comfort them in their work on the land. Genesis 5:29; NABRE note on Gn 5, 29
Occupation
A farmer: he worked the soil, and he planted a vineyard Genesis 9:20
Noah, an artistic recreation

What the Bible says

Genesis 6:9

These are the generations of Noe: Noe was a just and perfect man in his generations, he walked with God.

Genesis 6:14, 22; Genesis 7:23

14Make thee an ark of timber planks: thou shalt make little rooms in the ark, and thou shalt pitch it within and without. 22And Noe did all things which God commanded him.

Genesis 9:9, 13

9Behold I will establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after you: 13I will set my bow in the clouds, and it shall be the sign of a covenant between me, and between the earth.

Douay-Rheims Bible (Challoner revision), public domain.

The path of Noah

  1. Before Jesus. He was the son of Lamech. He had three sons: Shem, Ham and Japheth. Genesis 5:28-29; Genesis 6:10
  2. Before Jesus. Human wickedness was growing on the earth. But Noah found favor with the Lord. Genesis 6:5, 8
  3. Before Jesus. God told him to build an ark of wood, with three decks, a door, and pitch inside and out. Genesis 6:14-16
  4. Before Jesus. Noah did everything God had commanded him. Genesis 6:22
  5. Before Jesus. He went into the ark with his wife, his sons and his sons’ wives, and with the animals. It rained for forty days and forty nights. Genesis 7:7-9, 12
  6. Before Jesus. When the waters went down, he let a dove go. The dove came back with an olive branch in its beak. Genesis 8:8-11
  7. Before Jesus. He came out of the ark and built an altar to the Lord. God made a covenant with him, and its sign was the bow in the clouds. Genesis 8:18-20; Genesis 9:9-13
  8. Afterward. Jesus recalled the days of Noah. People went on with their lives, without noticing, until the flood came. Matthew 24:37-39; Luke 17:26-27

Words of Noah

In the whole story of the ark, Noah does not say a single word: he does what God commands him (Gn 6, 22). His only words in the Bible are a curse and a blessing on his family (Gn 9, 25-27). He curses his grandson Canaan, the son of Ham. He blesses the Lord, the God of Shem, and asks God to make Japheth great. That is why they are not included here.

What they were like

The greatest thing they did

Not to be confused with

In the Church today

In art, recognized by: The ark, and the dove with an olive branch in its beak From Gn 6, 14 and Gn 8, 11; this is how Christian art shows him

What people ask

How many people were saved in the ark?

Eight: Noah, his wife, his three sons and their wives. Genesis 7:13; 1 Peter 3:20

How long did it rain?

Forty days and forty nights. But the waters covered the earth for one hundred and fifty days. Genesis 7:12, 24

How many animals of each kind went into the ark?

The Bible tells it in two ways. In one place, two of each kind, male and female. In another, the clean animals go in seven by seven. Genesis 6:19-20; Genesis 7:2-3

Is Noah’s ark the same as the Ark of the Covenant?

No. Noah’s ark was a great wooden boat. The Ark of the Covenant was a chest covered with gold, made in the time of Moses. It held God’s commandments. Genesis 6:14-16; Exodus 25:10-11, 16

How long did Noah live?

The Bible says nine hundred and fifty years. He was six hundred when the flood came. Genesis 7:6; Genesis 9:29

Daily life He was a farmer. After the flood, he planted a vineyard. Genesis 9:20 Before the flood, he gathered food for his family and for the animals, as God…

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Who Noah is connected to

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All the people of the Bible · The Twelve Apostles · Women of the Bible

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