So the LORD said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
What's easy to miss here is that God's "repentance" isn't about Him making a mistake, but about His deep sorrow and grieving that His creation, made in His image, has become so perverted. The extensive list of creatures being destroyed – man, beast, creeping things, and birds – emphasizes the devastating ripple effect of humanity's sin, showing how it corrupted not just people, but the entire created order that depended on them.
So the LORD said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
The narrative is building towards God's judgment on humanity's pervasive wickedness. Following descriptions of how deeply evil had corrupted human hearts and filled the earth with violence, this verse reveals God's sorrowful decision to wipe out His creation, from humans to animals, because of their sin. This sets the stage for the introduction of Noah, the one person found righteous, who will be preserved to begin anew.
Have you ever felt so deeply disappointed or hurt by someone that you regretted ever getting involved with them? Genesis 6:7 speaks of God's regret.
The text reveals a profound emotional response from God: 'it repenteth me that I have made them.' This isn't a change of mind in the human sense, but rather a deep sorrow and grief that His creation has so utterly turned against His purposes.
A Father's Sorrow
Commentators like Calvin and Gill emphasize that this 'repentance' isn't about God making a mistake. Instead, it reflects His intense sorrow over sin and its destructive consequences. It's a father's grief when his beloved child, despite all efforts, chooses a path of self-destruction and rebellion. God's heart is moved by the corruption that has permeated humanity, a corruption so deep it breaks the very heart of the Creator.
The Weight of Sin
This sorrow stems from the realization that humanity, created in His image, has become something God can no longer recognize or delight in. Barnes notes that the destruction wasn't just a judgment, but a response to sin that marred the very purpose of creation. The animals are included in this sorrow and judgment because their existence and purpose were intrinsically tied to humanity.
When judgment falls, it's easy to question its fairness. Why must the innocent suffer with the guilty? Genesis 6:7 addresses this head-on.
The verse details that God's judgment will extend beyond humanity to include animals and creeping things. This isn't arbitrary punishment, but a consequence woven into the fabric of creation.
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Interconnectedness of Creation
Commentators like Barnes and Elllicott highlight that the animal world's fate is bound up with humanity's. Since they were created for man's use and benefit, their involvement in the judgment underscores the magnitude of man's fall. It’s a powerful illustration of how sin's consequences ripple outward, affecting all of creation that is dependent on humanity.
A World Out of Joint
The 'blotting out' from the face of the earth signifies a radical undoing of God's ordered creation. The phrase used, often translated as 'blot out' or 'wipe away,' speaks of a complete erasure. This judgment is a restoration of order by removing the pervasive corruption that had infected every aspect of life, as Calvin notes, 'every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.' The world was so thoroughly corrupted that even the natural order, which was meant to sustain life, had to be undone to purge the deep-seated sin.
Understand the original words
machah · Hebrew Verb
To wipe away, erase, or destroy, used here to describe the thorough removal of humanity and living creatures from the earth as a judgment for sin.
The decision for the Flood wasn't sudden. It followed a long period of human population growth and societal development, during which wickedness became so pervasive that God's heart was broken. This verse highlights the culmination of that corruption and God's sorrowful, yet just, decision to bring about a world-cleansing judgment.
c. 10,000 BC
End of the Last Ice Age
Following the last glacial period, significant climate shifts began, leading to rising sea levels and altered landscapes. This period marked a transition to the world as we know it and set the stage for early human civilization.
c. 4000 BC - c. 3000 BC
Early Human Migration and Civilization
Humanity, having survived the post-Ice Age changes, began to spread and establish early settlements and civilizations, particularly in fertile river valleys like Mesopotamia and Egypt. This era saw the growth of complex societies and increased human population.
c. 3000 BC - c. 2000 BC
The Period of the Patriarchs
Following the establishment of early civilizations, this period includes the lives of key figures like Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, whose faith and covenant with God would shape future generations. The narrative of humanity's growing corruption precedes the Flood.
c. 2350 BC— this verse
Noah's Lifespan and the Ark
This period encompasses Noah's life, his righteous stand amidst widespread wickedness, and the divine command to build the ark. Genesis 6:7 speaks of God's decision to bring the Flood, a pivotal moment in human history.
c. 2349 BC
The Great Flood
A catastrophic global flood, as described in Genesis, destroyed all life on Earth except for Noah and his family, and the animals preserved in the ark. This event served as a divine judgment on humanity's pervasive sinfulness.
c. 2349 BC - c. 1400 BC
Post-Flood Re-establishment
Following the Flood, Noah's family repopulated the Earth. This era saw the re-establishment of human society under new covenants and laws, leading towards figures like Abraham and the formation of Israel.
This passage shows the immediate consequence of humanity's sin, where the ground itself is cursed because of Adam's disobedience, foreshadowing the widespread corruption that would lead God to destroy creation.
Deuteronomy 9:5This verse directly links God's judgment and his actions not to Israel's righteousness, but to the extreme wickedness of the nations He was driving out, echoing the reason for the Flood judgment in Genesis.
Job 7:17Job questions God's focus on humanity, expressing the overwhelming burden of human existence and the constant scrutiny from God, which resonates with the profound divine attention to human sinfulness in Genesis 6.
Psalm 14:1-3This psalm describes the universal corruption of mankind, stating that 'no one does good, not even one,' which is a powerful reflection of the 'every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually' described in Genesis 6.
Romans 1:18-32Paul explains how humanity, in its rebellion against God, has fallen into every kind of unrighteousness, leading to God giving them over to their sinful desires, mirroring the utter depravity that prompted God's judgment in Genesis 6.
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…
gillGenesis 6:7: "And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them."
And the Lord said,.... Not to the angels, nor to Noah, but within himself, on observing to what a height the sin of man had got, and what a spread it made on the earth: I will destroy man, whom I have created, from the face of the earth; though he is my creature, the work of my hands…
What's easy to miss here is that God's "repentance" isn't about Him making a mistake, but about His deep sorrow and grieving that His creation, made in His image, has become so perverted. The extensive list of creatures being destroyed – man, beast, creeping things, and birds – emphasizes the devastating ripple effect of humanity's sin, showing how it corrupted not just people, but the entire created order that depended on them.
The narrative is building towards God's judgment on humanity's pervasive wickedness. Following descriptions of how deeply evil had corrupted human hearts and filled the earth with violence, this verse reveals God's sorrowful decision to wipe out His creation, from humans to animals, because of their sin. This sets the stage for the introduction of Noah, the one person found righteous, who will be preserved to begin anew.
The narrative is building towards God's judgment on humanity's pervasive wickedness. Following descriptions of how deeply evil had corrupted human hearts and filled the earth with violence, this verse reveals God's sorrowful decision to wipe out His creation, from humans to animals, because of their sin. This sets the stage for the introduction of Noah, the one person found righteous, who will be preserved to begin anew.
"So the LORD said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them.”" — What's easy to miss here is that God's "repentance" isn't about Him making a mistake, but about His deep sorrow and grieving that His creation, made in His image, has become so perverted. The extensi…
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Last reviewed October 2026