And God said to Noah, “I have determined to make an end of all flesh, for the earth is filled with violence through them. Behold, I will destroy them with the earth.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The verse highlights that God's judgment isn't just a reaction to deeds, but a response to a deeply ingrained corruption of all flesh, a state so permeated by violence that it warrants their destruction with the earth itself. This isn't merely about punishment for actions, but about the complete unmaking of a creation that has become irredeemably defiled by its inhabitants.
And God said to Noah, “I have determined to make an end of all flesh, for the earth is filled with violence through them. Behold, I will destroy them with the earth.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This verse comes as God reveals His heartbreaking decision to Noah: humanity's corruption and violence have reached a point where He will bring an end to all living things. The preceding verses detail the pervasive wickedness and the blurring of lines between God's people and the world, leading to a deep grief and regret in God's heart. Following this announcement, God immediately instructs Noah to build an ark, setting the stage for the preservation of life through him.
Why does the Bible describe the earth as 'filled with violence' right before the flood? It wasn't just about punches and fights.
The Hebrew word used here for 'violence' (hamas) paints a picture of more than just physical aggression. It speaks to a pervasive sense of injustice, oppression, and wrongdoing that has permeated society.
A Deeper Corruption
When God declares, 'I will destroy them with the earth,' it sounds harsh. But what does this judgment truly signify?
This isn't a spontaneous outburst of divine anger. It's a measured, though severe, response to pervasive and incurable wickedness. God’s judgment here is a form of cleansing for a world overwhelmed by sin.
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The Divine Decree
Understand the original words
Noach · Hebrew Proper Noun
A righteous man of faith chosen by God to preserve life through the flood; his name is often associated with 'rest' or 'comfort'.
c. 10,000-4000 BC
Early Human Migration and Societal Development
Following the last Ice Age, human populations began to grow and spread, developing increasingly complex societies, agriculture, and settlements across the globe.
c. 4000-2000 BC
Rise of Early Civilizations
Major river valley civilizations emerged in Mesopotamia, Egypt, and the Indus Valley, marked by urbanization, established governments, and organized religious practices.
c. 3000-2500 BC— this verse
Pre-Flood Patriarchal Era
This period, leading up to the Genesis account, is characterized by a significant increase in human population and the growing divergence between those who followed God (like Seth's line) and those who did not.
c. 2500 BC
The Great Flood
God enacts judgment upon a deeply wicked world through a global flood, preserving only Noah, his family, and pairs of animals in an ark.
c. 2500-2000 BC
Post-Flood Reconstruction and Covenant
Following the flood, God establishes a covenant with Noah, promising never again to destroy all life with a flood, marked by the rainbow as a sign.
This verse highlights God's initial command for humanity to 'fill the earth and subdue it.' Genesis 6:13 reveals how humanity's corruption and violence completely inverted this command, leading to God's decision to destroy them and start anew.
Luke 17:26-27Jesus directly compares the days of Noah to the days before His return, emphasizing the widespread wickedness and violence that characterized that era, just as Genesis 6:13 states the earth was filled with violence.
2 Peter 2:4-6Peter recounts the destruction of the ungodly world by flood, explicitly mentioning God's judgment on the 'world of the ungodly' due to their 'ungodly deeds' and 'lawless behavior,' which directly echoes the reasons for destruction given in Genesis 6:13.
Jude 1:5-7Jude warns against ungodliness by reminding readers of God's judgment on the disobedient Israelites and the angels who left their proper dwelling, drawing a parallel to the antediluvian world that was destroyed because of its violence and sexual immorality.
Romans 3:23This verse states that 'all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.' Genesis 6:13 illustrates this truth on a massive scale, showing a world so consumed by sin and violence that God determined to bring it to an end.
calvinGenesis 6:1-22: "And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them,"
There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.
Gigantes fuerunt in terra in diebus illis: et etiam postquam ingressi sunt filii Dei ad filias hominum, genuerunt eis: isti sunt potentes, qui a saec…
pooleGenesis 6:13: "And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth."
i.e. The time of ruin, as this word is used, Ezekiel 7:2-3, Ezekiel 7:6, Amos 8:2 , of all flesh, to all men, as Genesis 6:12 , though the beasts also were involved in the same destruction, is come, i.e. is approaching, and at the very door, and shall as certainly come as if it were actually come. Before me, i.e. in…
The verse highlights that God's judgment isn't just a reaction to deeds, but a response to a deeply ingrained corruption of all flesh, a state so permeated by violence that it warrants their destruction with the earth itself. This isn't merely about punishment for actions, but about the complete unmaking of a creation that has become irredeemably defiled by its inhabitants.
This verse comes as God reveals His heartbreaking decision to Noah: humanity's corruption and violence have reached a point where He will bring an end to all living things. The preceding verses detail the pervasive wickedness and the blurring of lines between God's people and the world, leading to a deep grief and regret in God's heart. Following this announcement, God immediately instructs Noah to build an ark, setting the stage for the preservation of life through him.
This verse comes as God reveals His heartbreaking decision to Noah: humanity's corruption and violence have reached a point where He will bring an end to all living things. The preceding verses detail the pervasive wickedness and the blurring of lines between God's people and the world, leading to a deep grief and regret in God's heart. Following this announcement, God immediately instructs Noah to build an ark, setting the stage for the preservation of life through him.
"And God said to Noah, “I have determined to make an end of all flesh, for the earth is filled with violence through them. Behold, I will destroy them with the earth." — The verse highlights that God's judgment isn't just a reaction to deeds, but a response to a deeply ingrained corruption of all flesh, a state so permeated by violence that it warrants their destruct…
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Last reviewed October 2026