Genesis – Chapter 7

Old Testament24 Verses

Chapter Summary

Genesis 7 opens with the words: "And the Lord said to him: Go in, thou and all thy house, into the ark: for thee I have seen just before me in this generation." Noah stands at the center of this chapter. Across its 24 verses, two threads run through the text: family and covenant relationships and holiness. Read slowly, this chapter rewards the kind of prayerful attention the Church calls lectio divina.

1And the Lord said to him: Go in, thou and all thy house, into the ark: for thee I have seen just before me in this generation.

2Of all clean beasts take seven and seven, the male and the female.

3But of the beasts that are unclean two and two, the male and the female. Of the fowls also of the air seven and seven, the male and the female: that seed may be saved upon the face of the whole earth.

4For yet a while, and after seven days, I will rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights: and I will destroy every substance that I have made, from the face of the earth.

5And Noe did all things which the Lord had commanded him.

6And he was six hundred years old, when the waters of the flood overflowed the earth.

7And Noe went in and his sons, his wife and the wives of his sons with him into the ark, because of the waters of the flood.

8And of beasts clean and unclean, and of fowls, and of every thing that moveth upon the earth,

9Two and two went in to Noe into the ark, male and female, as the Lord had commanded Noe.

10And after the seven days were passed, the waters of the flood overflowed the earth.

11In the six hundredth year of the life of Noe, in the second month, in the seventeenth day of the month, all the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the floodgates of heaven were opened:

12And the rain fell upon the earth forty days and forty nights.

13In the selfsame day Noe, and Sem, and Cham, and Japheth, his sons: his wife, and the three wives of his sons with them, went into the ark.

14They and every beast according to its kind, and all the cattle in their kind, and every thing that moveth upon the earth, according to its kind, and every fowl according to its kind, all birds, and all that fly,

15Went in to Noe into the ark, two and two of all flesh, wherein was the breath of life.

16And they that went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God had commanded him: and the Lord shut him in on the outside.

17And the flood was forty days upon the earth: and the waters increased, and lifted up the ark on high from the earth.

18For they overflowed exceedingly: and filled all on the face of the earth: and the ark was carried upon the waters.

19And the waters prevailed beyond measure upon the earth: and all the high mountains under the whole heaven were covered.

20The water was fifteen cubits higher than the mountains which it covered.

21And all flesh was destroyed that moved upon the earth, both of fowl and of cattle, and of beasts, and of all creeping things that creep upon the earth: and all men.

22And all things wherein there is the breath of life on the earth, died.

23And he destroyed all the substance that was upon the earth, from man even to beast, and the creeping things and fowls of the air: and they were destroyed from the earth: and Noe only remained, and they that were with him in the ark.

24And the waters prevailed upon the earth a hundred and fifty days.

Important Verses in Genesis 7

And the Lord said to him: Go in, thou and all thy house, into the ark: for thee I have seen just before me in this generation.

Genesis 7:1

And Noe did all things which the Lord had commanded him.

Genesis 7:5

In the six hundredth year of the life of Noe, in the second month, in the seventeenth day of the month, all the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the floodgates of heaven were opened:

Genesis 7:11

And they that went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God had commanded him: and the Lord shut him in on the outside.

Genesis 7:16

Historical Context

As a Old Testament book, Genesis was written with the people of Israel, to root their identity in God's creation and the covenant with the patriarchs in view. Chapter 7 of 50 belongs to the early movement of the book, where the narrative or argument is still unfolding. It is a narrative passage recounting concrete events in salvation history with 24 verses in the Douay-Rheims translation. Historical attention falls on Noah, the principal figures named in this chapter. The passage starts with these words: "And the Lord said to him: Go in, thou and all thy house, into the ark: for thee I have seen just before me in this…" The final verse reads: "And the waters prevailed upon the earth a hundred and fifty days. " 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. The book's material reflects the era summarized as follows: 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

The literal sense of Genesis 7 presents a concrete episode in the history of creation, covenant, and the patriarchs. A pivotal line is verse 1: "And the Lord said to him: Go in, thou and all thy house, into the ark: for thee I have seen just before me in this generation." The passage repeatedly touches on family and covenant relationships.

According to Catholic interpretation, this chapter contributes to the book's portrait of creation, covenant, and the patriarchs. the Catechism teaches that Genesis reveals God's plan of salvation from the beginning (CIC 54-64). The Catechism and the liturgy frequently draw on such passages to nourish faith and moral life (CIC 2683).

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.
  • 'Be holy, for I am holy': God calls His people to be set apart for Him in every area of life.
  • The Lord is a refuge and deliverer for all who call upon Him in trouble.

People in This Chapter

Noah8 mentions

Reflection for Today

Genesis Chapter 7 describes the Flood itself, which Catholic liturgy and theology have long understood as prefiguring Baptism. The Catechism explicitly teaches that "the Church has seen in Noah's ark a prefiguring of salvation by Baptism" (CIC 1219). Just as Noah and his family were saved through water, so we are saved through the waters of Baptism, passing from death to new life in Christ.

The detailed instructions about the animals entering the ark reveal God's care for all creation, not just humanity. Catholic teaching on environmental stewardship finds support here—we are called to preserve and protect the diversity of life that God has created. Pope Francis's encyclical Laudato Si' draws on this tradition, calling us to be faithful stewards of our common home.

The forty days and nights of rain carry symbolic significance in Catholic interpretation. The number forty appears throughout Scripture as a time of testing and purification—Israel's forty years in the desert, Moses's forty days on Sinai, Jesus's forty days of fasting. The Flood represents a kind of cosmic purification, washing away corruption to make way for a new beginning. This chapter reminds us that God takes sin seriously, but His ultimate purpose is always redemption. The Church's season of Lent, with its forty days of preparation, echoes this biblical pattern of purification leading to new life.

💡Catholic Reflection • Church Teachings

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Genesis Chapter 7 about?

Genesis 7 contains 24 verses. It opens with "And the Lord said to him: Go in, thou and all thy house, into the ark: for thee I have seen just before me in this…" and closes with "And the waters prevailed upon the earth a hundred and fifty days. ". The book as a whole is narrative with genealogies and covenant accounts.

What is a key verse in Genesis 7?

One of the most significant verses is verse 1: "And the Lord said to him: Go in, thou and all thy house, into the ark: for thee I have seen just before me in this generation." It is often cited in Catholic teaching and preaching.

Who appears in Genesis Chapter 7?

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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