Genesis Chapter 6: “Noah Found Grace in the Eyes of the Lord”
1. The Descent of Sin
“When men began to multiply on the face of the ground, and daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were fair; and they took to wife such of them as they chose.” (Genesis 6:1–2)
The population of the world increases — but so does sin.
What began as disobedience in Eden and envy in Cain now becomes corruption spreading across humanity.
The phrase “sons of God” has been interpreted in several ways.
The Fathers generally offered two principal readings, both theologically sound:
The Line of Seth and the Line of Cain:
Most Fathers — St. Augustine, St. John Chrysostom, and St. Ephrem — saw “the sons of God” as the faithful descendants of Seth, and “the daughters of men” as the worldly descendants of Cain.
“When the sons of Seth, who had preserved the knowledge of God, were led astray by the beauty of the daughters of Cain, impiety spread upon the earth.” (St. Augustine, City of God XV.23)
The Angelic Interpretation:
A few early Fathers, influenced by Jewish tradition (e.g., Justin Martyr, Tertullian), considered that fallen angels took on human form to seduce mankind.
But Augustine, Ambrose, and Chrysostom rejected this as inconsistent with angelic nature and God’s providence.
In both views, the meaning is moral: those who belonged to God compromised with the world.
The result was not union but corruption — the collapse of holiness through pride and lust.
2. The Grief of God
“The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth… and the Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and it grieved Him to His heart.” (Genesis 6:5–6)
This is one of the most moving and misunderstood passages in Scripture.
It does not mean that God literally regrets His work as man would, for divine wisdom is unchanging.
Rather, as St. Augustine explains:
“Scripture speaks of God as repenting, not because His will changes, but because He changes the things He has made in response to their deeds.” (City of God XV.25)
In other words, God’s sorrow is anthropopathic — human language expressing divine compassion.
It reveals not divine uncertainty, but divine pain over human sin.
St. John Chrysostom adds:
“He is said to grieve, that you may understand His love; He is said to be angry, that you may flee from sin.” (Homilies on Genesis XXII.4)
The Creator who declared “it is very good” now beholds the ruin of that goodness in man’s rebellion.
Sin wounds the heart of God — not because He is diminished, but because He loves.
3. The Corruption of All Flesh
“Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight, and the earth was filled with violence.” (Genesis 6:11)
This verse summarizes the universal reach of sin: corruption and violence.
The word “corrupt” (shachath) in Hebrew suggests decay, disintegration — the opposite of creation’s order.
Man’s sin spreads like infection; what was once “very good” becomes diseased.
St. Basil remarks:
“When the image of God in man grows dim, the harmony of creation is disturbed. The earth itself mourns when man rebels.” (Homilies on the Hexaemeron IX.2)
Sin is never private. It disfigures creation, society, and the soul.
Violence — born of pride, envy, and lust — becomes the mark of fallen civilization.
This is why divine judgment is not mere punishment but necessary purification — not the cruelty of God, but the surgery of a physician.
4. The Divine Decision: Judgment and Grace
“The Lord said, ‘I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the ground… for I am sorry that I have made them.’ But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.” (Genesis 6:7–8)
The key word here is “but.”
In the midst of wrath, mercy shines: “But Noah found favor.”
Noah’s name already meant “rest” and “comfort.” Now it becomes a sign of grace amid judgment.
As St. Ambrose writes:
“In Noah, God begins again His work of creation; through one just man, He saves the seed of the world.” (Noah and the Ark 1.4)
This passage reveals two truths held together throughout Scripture:
God’s holiness cannot tolerate evil;
God’s mercy always provides a way of salvation.
The Flood will cleanse the earth, but grace will preserve the righteous.
5. The Just Man in a Corrupt World
“Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation; Noah walked with God.” (Genesis 6:9)
Noah is introduced as a second Enoch — “walking with God” amid universal corruption.
His holiness is not perfection but fidelity — living in friendship with God while surrounded by sin.
St. John Chrysostom says:
“When Scripture calls Noah righteous, it means he remained faithful among the unfaithful, pure among the impure.” (Homilies on Genesis XXIII.1)
Holiness is never isolation but communion: walking with God in daily obedience, not standing above others in pride.
Noah becomes the prototype of the faithful remnant — the small, hidden number through whom God renews the world.
6. The Covenant of Salvation
“Make yourself an ark of gopher wood; make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and out with pitch.” (Genesis 6:14)
Here begins the Ark of Salvation, which the Fathers saw as one of the richest symbols of Christ and His Church.
The wood of the ark prefigures the wood of the Cross.
The pitch that seals it signifies baptismal grace that keeps out the waters of death.
The one door through which all enter symbolizes Christ, the only way of salvation (John 10:9).
The ark’s single family foreshadows the one Church, outside which there is no safety.
St. Peter himself confirms this reading:
“In the days of Noah… eight persons were saved through water. Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you.” (1 Peter 3:20–21)
St. Augustine beautifully writes:
“The ark is the figure of the Church, built of squared timbers — the faithful, sealed within by faith, riding safely through the flood of this world.” (City of God XV.26)
Thus, what appears as judgment becomes the womb of rebirth.
The waters that destroy the wicked purify the just — as the waters of Baptism destroy sin and give new life.
7. The Dimensions and Design of the Ark
“This is how you shall make it: the length of the ark three hundred cubits, its breadth fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits.” (Genesis 6:15)
The Fathers read even the measurements symbolically:
Three hundred signifies the Cross, for in Greek numerals the letter T (tau) equals 300.
Fifty represents Pentecost and the outpouring of the Spirit.
Thirty recalls Christ’s age when He began His public ministry.
St. Ambrose saw these as divine hints that the ark is Christ’s own body and Church, built according to heavenly wisdom. (Noah and the Ark 4.25)
8. The Flood Announced
“For behold, I will bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh in which is the breath of life.” (Genesis 6:17)
The Flood is not vengeance but purification — the washing away of a world diseased by sin.
It prefigures both Baptism and the Final Judgment.
St. John Chrysostom says:
“As the Flood cleansed the earth from wickedness, so Baptism cleanses the soul from sin; but the Flood drowned the guilty, while Baptism saves the penitent.” (Homilies on Genesis XXIII.3)
Yet even this act of cleansing is surrounded by mercy: before the waters rise, God provides the ark, and before judgment comes, He sends His grace.
9. The Promise of Covenant
“But I will establish my covenant with you; and you shall come into the ark, you, your sons, your wife, and your sons’ wives with you.” (Genesis 6:18)
Here we encounter the first explicit mention of covenant in Scripture.
Though mankind has broken communion, God freely binds Himself again to His people.
This covenant will later unfold through Abraham, Moses, and David, and be perfected in Christ.
St. Irenaeus writes:
“In every covenant, God shows the same mercy — one and the same plan, gradually revealed, fulfilled in the Incarnation.” (Against Heresies IV.9.1)
The ark thus becomes a sacrament of divine faithfulness: the visible sign of God’s invisible mercy.
10. The Gathering of Creation
“Of every living thing of all flesh you shall bring two of every sort into the ark.” (Genesis 6:19)
The Fathers loved to contemplate this image: all creatures gathered in peace under Noah’s care — a new creation waiting to begin.
St. Ephrem comments:
“In the ark, the beasts lay down without fear; it was a sign of the peace that Christ would bring between creation and man.” (Commentary on Genesis VI.12)
Even the animals become symbols of the diversity of the Church — the meek and the strong, the clean and the unclean — all preserved by one Lord.
The ark is a prophecy of the Catholic universality of salvation.
11. The Obedience of Faith
“Noah did this; he did all that God commanded him.” (Genesis 6:22)
The chapter ends with quiet obedience.
Noah does not argue, speculate, or delay.
He trusts God’s word and acts upon it.
St. Ambrose concludes:
“The virtue of Noah was obedience — a faith that built in hope what the world mocked.” (Noah and the Ark 1.9)
In this single sentence — “he did all that God commanded him” — lies the secret of every saint.
Faith is not curiosity but trust; not discussion but surrender.
12. Theological Summary
Genesis 6 reveals both the depth of sin and the height of mercy.
| Theme | Revelation |
| Corruption of mankind | Sin spreads when the godly mix unguardedly with the worldly. |
| Divine sorrow | God’s “grief” expresses His love wounded by sin. |
| Judgment and mercy | The Flood purifies but does not annihilate; grace is offered through Noah. |
| The Ark | Prefigures Christ, the Church, Baptism, and the Cross. |
| Covenant | God renews His promise to save through obedience and faith. |
| Noah’s obedience | A model of trust amid the world’s disbelief. |
13. Christ the True Ark
Every line of Genesis 6 points forward to Christ:
As the world perished through sin, so salvation comes through one righteous man.
As the ark bore the chosen through the waters, so the Church bears the faithful through the storms of the world.
As the flood cleansed the earth, so baptism cleanses the soul.
As Noah obeyed God’s command, so Christ obeyed unto death.
St. Augustine writes:
“The ark was made of wood that would not sink; so too was our Lord made of flesh that would not see corruption.” (Sermon 11 on the New Testament)
Christ is the Ark. The Church is His body. The Flood is the world. The waters are baptism.
Our task, like Noah’s, is to enter, remain, and persevere.
14. Moral and Spiritual Application
Guard the purity of faith. Do not mingle holiness with corruption.
Let the grief of God move you to repentance. Sin wounds love.
Build the ark of your soul. Through obedience and prayer, prepare a dwelling for grace.
See the Church as refuge. Outside her, the waters rage; within her, Christ saves.
Persevere in righteousness. Even if few remain faithful, one Noah is enough for God to begin again.
Closing Prayer
O God of justice and mercy,
You beheld the corruption of the world and yet remembered Noah in Your love.
Teach us to grieve for sin as You do,
to obey as Noah obeyed,
and to find in Christ our refuge and our ark.
Seal us within the covenant of Your grace,
that we may ride safely through the storms of this world
and reach the rest You have prepared.
Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.
St. Mary's, St. John Bosco and St. Edward's 