Genesis – Chapter 6

Old Testament22 Verses

Chapter Summary

Genesis 6 opens with the words: "And after that men began to be multiplied upon the earth, and daughters were born to them," Noah stands at the center of this chapter. Across its 22 verses, two threads run through the text: family and covenant relationships and repentance and conversion. Read slowly, this chapter rewards the kind of prayerful attention the Church calls lectio divina.

1And after that men began to be multiplied upon the earth, and daughters were born to them,

2The sons of God seeing the daughters of men, that they were fair, took to themselves wives of all which they chose.

3And God said: My spirit shall not remain in man for ever, because he is flesh, and his days shall be a hundred and twenty years.

4Now giants were upon the earth in those days. For after the sons of God went in to the daughters of men, and they brought forth children, these are the mighty men of old, men of renown.

5And God seeing that the wickedness of men was great on the earth, and that all the thought of their heart was bent upon evil at all times,

6It repented him that he had made man on the earth. And being touched inwardly with sorrow of heart,

7He said: I will destroy man, whom I have created, from the face of the earth, from man even to beasts, from the creeping thing even to the fowls of the air, for it repenteth me that I have made them.

8But Noe found grace before the Lord.

9These are the generations of Noe: Noe was a just and perfect man in his generations, he walked with God.

10And he begot three sons, Sem, Cham, and Japheth.

11And the earth was corrupted before God, and was filled with iniquity.

12And when God had seen that the earth was corrupted (for all flesh had corrupted its way upon the earth),

13He said to Noe: The end of all flesh is come before me, the earth is filled with iniquity through them, and I will destroy them with the earth.

14Make thee an ark of timber planks: thou shalt make little rooms in the ark, and thou shalt pitch it within and without.

15And thus shalt thou make it. The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits: the breadth of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits.

16Thou shalt make a window in the ark, and in a cubit shalt thou finish the top of it: and the door of the ark thou shalt set in the side: with lower, middle chambers, and third stories shalt thou make it.

17Behold, I will bring the waters of a great flood upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life under heaven. All things that are in the earth shall be consumed.

18And I will establish my covenant with thee, and thou shalt enter into the ark, thou and thy sons, and thy wife, and the wives of thy sons with thee.

19And of every living creature of all flesh, thou shalt bring two of a sort into the ark, that they may live with thee: of the male sex, and the female.

20Of fowls according to their kind, and of beasts in their kind, and of every thing that creepeth on the earth according to its kind: two of every sort shall go in with thee, that they may live.

21Thou shalt take unto thee of all food that may be eaten, and thou shalt lay it up with thee: and it shall be food for thee and them.

22And Noe did all things which God commanded him.

Important Verses in Genesis 6

And God said: My spirit shall not remain in man for ever, because he is flesh, and his days shall be a hundred and twenty years.

Genesis 6:3

But Noe found grace before the Lord.

Genesis 6:8

Behold, I will bring the waters of a great flood upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life under heaven. All things that are in the earth shall be consumed.

Genesis 6:17

And Noe did all things which God commanded him.

Genesis 6:22

Historical Context

Genesis belongs to the Old Testament and was composed for the people of Israel, to root their identity in God's creation and the covenant with the patriarchs. Chapter 6 of 50 belongs to the early movement of the book, where the narrative or argument is still unfolding. It is a legal and cultic instruction given to Israel regarding worship, holiness, and daily life with 22 verses in the Douay-Rheims translation. Noah appear at the center of the events recorded here. It opens with the line: "And after that men began to be multiplied upon the earth, and daughters were born to them," It concludes: "And Noe did all things which God commanded him. " Read against its original backdrop, Genesis was composed to give Israel its foundational identity: one God created all things good, sin entered through human choice, and God responded with a plan of salvation beginning with Abraham. Catholic tradition dates the book to the period described in its introduction: Traditions reaching back to the 2nd millennium BC, compiled in final form between the 10th and 5th centuries BC.

Who Wrote It

Traditionally attributed to Moses; Catholic scholarship recognizes the work of inspired editors drawing on ancient oral and written traditions

When It Was Written

Traditions reaching back to the 2nd millennium BC, compiled in final form between the 10th and 5th centuries BC

Catholic Commentary

This chapter presents divine statutes and cultic norms that shaped Israel's worship and moral life. A pivotal line is verse 3: "And God said: My spirit shall not remain in man for ever, because he is flesh, and his days shall be a hundred and twenty years." The passage repeatedly touches on family and covenant relationships.

The Church teaches that every passage of Scripture must be read in light of Christ and the Magisterium (CIC 265). Here, the Catechism teaches that Genesis reveals God's plan of salvation from the beginning (CIC 54-64). The spiritual sense invites believers to recognize family and covenant relationships as part of God's pedagogy of salvation.

The moral and spiritual import remains timely: The family is the first school of faith, where love, obedience, and forgiveness are learned.. St. Jerome insisted that ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ; this chapter offers material for meditation, examination of conscience, and deeper love of God.

Main Teachings

  • The family is the first school of faith, where love, obedience, and forgiveness are learned.
  • True conversion means turning away from sin and returning to God with our whole heart.
  • Sin has real consequences, but God's judgment always aims at conversion and restoration.

People in This Chapter

Noah5 mentions

Reflection for Today

Genesis Chapter 6 introduces the narrative of Noah and the Flood, which Catholic theology interprets on multiple levels. The Catechism teaches that the Flood represents God's judgment on sin while simultaneously revealing His mercy in preserving a remnant (CIC 56-58). The Church Fathers saw in Noah's ark a type of the Church—the vessel of salvation amid the waters of destruction.

The mysterious reference to the "sons of God" and "daughters of men" has generated various interpretations in Catholic tradition. St. Augustine understood this as referring to the intermarriage between the godly line of Seth and the ungodly line of Cain, leading to widespread corruption. This interpretation emphasizes the importance of maintaining fidelity to God across generations.

God's grief over human wickedness reveals the depth of divine love—God is not indifferent to our choices. Yet in Noah, God finds a righteous man who "walked with God." The Catechism presents Noah as a model of faith and obedience (CIC 2569). His willingness to build the ark despite ridicule prefigures the faith required of all believers. Catholic tradition sees the Flood waters as a type of Baptism (1 Peter 3:20-21), through which we pass from death to life. The covenant with Noah, marked by the rainbow, establishes God's commitment to creation and foreshadows the New Covenant in Christ's blood.

💡Catholic Reflection • Church Teachings

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Genesis Chapter 6 about?

Genesis 6 contains 22 verses. It opens with "And after that men began to be multiplied upon the earth, and daughters were born to them," and closes with "And Noe did all things which God commanded him. ". The book as a whole is narrative with genealogies and covenant accounts.

What is a key verse in Genesis 6?

One of the most significant verses is verse 3: "And God said: My spirit shall not remain in man for ever, because he is flesh, and his days shall be a hundred and twenty years." It is often cited in Catholic teaching and preaching.

Who appears in Genesis Chapter 6?

This chapter mentions Noah.

Who wrote Genesis and when?

Traditionally attributed to Moses; Catholic scholarship recognizes the work of inspired editors drawing on ancient oral and written traditions. Traditions reaching back to the 2nd millennium BC, compiled in final form between the 10th and 5th centuries BC.

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