1 And it came to passe wha men bega to multiplye apo the erth ad had begot them doughters
Book of Enoch · 300 BC And it came to pass when the children of men had multiplied that in those days were born unto them beautiful and comely daughters.
Clement of Alexandria · AD 215 The mind is led astray by pleasure, and the virgin center of the mind, if not disciplined by the Word, degenerates into licentiousness and reaps disintegration as reward for its transgressions. An example of this for you is the angels who forsook the beauty of God for perishable beauty and fell as far as heaven is from the earth.
Bede · AD 735 And when men began to multiply on the earth and had daughters, the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took wives for themselves of all whom they chose.
2 the sonnes of God sawe the doughters of men that they were fayre and toke vnto them wyves which they best liked amoge the all.
Philo of Alexandria · AD 50 II. (6) "And when the angels of God saw the daughters of men that they were beautiful, they took unto themselves wives of all of them whom they Chose." [Genesis 6:2] Those beings, whom other philosophers call demons, Moses usually calls angels; and they are souls hovering in the air.
John Chrysostom · AD 407 "Now, when the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful, they took wives for themselves from them all just as they were inclined." Let us study each expression of this statement closely so that nothing of what is hidden below the surface may pass us by.
Bonaventure · AD 1257 The first mystery is that of the creation of beings, and there the Antichrist is represented by Lamech who was the first to introduce bigamy and was a transgressor of the natural law and given to extreme lust. Then "the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were fair, and they took wives for themselves, as many as they wished." Because of this came the Flood.
3 And the LORd sayd: My spirite shall not allwaye stryve withe man for they are flesh. Nevertheles I wyll geue them yet space and hundred and.xx. yeres
Philo of Alexandria · AD 50 V. (19) And, in all such matters, it is impossible for the spirit of God to remain and to pass all its time, as the law-giver himself shows.
Jerome · AD 420 (Version 3.) And the Lord God said: My spirit will not dwell in these men forever, because they are flesh. In Hebrew, it is written, My spirit will not judge these men forever, because they are flesh: that is, because the condition of man is fragile, I will not subject them to eternal torment; but here I will restore to them what they deserve.
Bede · AD 735 And God said, "My Spirit shall not remain in man forever, because he is flesh; and his days shall be one hundred and twenty years." Saint Jerome, explaining these verses, says, "It is written in Hebrew: My Spirit shall not judge these men forever, because they are flesh; that is, because human nature is fragile, I will not condemn them to eternal torment; but here I will render…
4 There were tirantes in the world in thos dayes. For after that the children of God had gone in vnto the doughters of men and had begotten them childern the same childern were the mightiest of the world and men of renowne
Philo of Alexandria · AD 50 (92) On what principle it was that giants were born of angels and women? (#Ge 6:4). The poets call those men who were born out of the earth giants, that is to say, sons of the Earth.{11}{the Greek name Gigas is said to be derived from geµ and gennaoµ, "to bring forth."} But Moses here uses this appellation improperly, and he uses it too very often merely to denote the vast pers…
Ambrose of Milan · AD 397 The author of divine Scripture does not wish these giants to be understood, according to the custom of poets, as children of the earth, but rather it asserts that they were begotten of angels and women, and calls them by this name to express the size of their bodies.
Bede · AD 735 There were giants on the earth in those days. Giants are called men with immense bodies and excessive power, of which there were also many after the flood, that is, in the times of Moses or David, who have the name in Greek because, according to the poets' fables, the earth bore them.
5 And whan the LORde sawe yt the wekednesse of man was encreased apon the erth and that all the ymaginacion and toughtes of his hert was only evell continually
Book of Enoch · 300 BC And then Michael, Uriel, Raphael, and Gabriel looked down from heaven and saw much blood being shed upon the earth, and all lawlessness being wrought upon the earth. And they said one to another: 'The earth made without inhabitant cries the voice of their cryingst up to the gates of heaven.
Ephrem the Syrian · AD 373 After Moses spoke about the mighty men who were born into the tribe of Cain, whose women, even though beautiful, were nevertheless smaller than the sons of Seth, he then said, "The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was always evil," for in the years given to them for repentance they had increased t…
Bede · AD 735 But God, seeing that the wickedness of men was great on the earth, and that every thought of their hearts was only evil continually, regretted that He had made man on the earth.
6 he repented that he had made man apon the erth and sorowed in his hert.
Ambrose of Milan · AD 397 'I will wipe from the face of the Earth,' He said, 'man, beasts, crawling creatures, and birds of the sky' (Gen. VI, 7). What harm had the irrational creatures done? But because these things had been done for the sake of humanity, once humanity was destroyed, the logical consequence was that these things should also be destroyed, since there was no one to make use of them.
Augustine of Hippo · AD 430 God's "anger" implies no perturbation of the divine mind. It is simply the divine judgment passing sentence on sin. And when God "thinks and then has second thoughts," this merely means that changeable realities come into relation with his immutable reason.
Salvian the Presbyter · AD 500 Let us consider how both the solicitude and severity of the Lord are shown equally in all these words. First, he said, "And God saw that the wickedness of man was great." Second, he said, "He was touched inwardly with sorrow of heart." Third, "I will destroy man whom I have created." In the first statement, wherein it is said that God sees all things, his providential care is s…
7 And sayd: I wyll destroy mankynde which I haue made fro of the face of the erth: both man beast worme and foule of the ayre for it repeteth me that I haue made them.
Philo of Alexandria · AD 50 (94) Why God, after having threatened to destroy mankind, says that he will also destroy all the beasts likewise; using the expression, "from man to beast, and from creeping things to flying creatures;" for how could irrational animals have committed sin? (#Ge 6:7).
Augustine of Hippo · AD 430 When God announces the death of all animals on the earth and in the air, the intention is to declare the magnitude of the coming disaster. There is no question here of punishing with death irrational animals as though they were guilty of sin.
Bede · AD 735 And touched by inner sorrow of the heart, He said, "I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the earth, from man to animals, from creeping things to the birds of the sky; for I regret that I have made them." For God is said to grieve in a human manner when He considers that the men whom He created cling to a malicious enemy through sin rather than to Him by livi…
8 But yet Noe found grace in the syghte of the LORde.
John Chrysostom · AD 407 The Scriptures have shown us the gravity of human wickedness and the severity of the punishment that had to be inflicted on it. They then point out to us the one who amid such a multitude had been able to keep a sincere virtue. Virtue in fact is admirable even for itself. If someone cultivates virtue among those who refuse it, he makes it much more worthy of admiration.
9 These are the generatios of Noe. Noe was a righteous man and vncorrupte in his tyme and walked wyth god.
Clement of Rome · AD 99 Let us steadfastly contemplate those who have perfectly ministered to his excellent glory... Noah, being found faithful, preached regeneration to the world through his ministry; and the Lord saved by him the animals which, with one accord, entered into the ark.
Jerome · AD 420 (Verse 9) Noah was a righteous and blameless man in his generation, pleasing to God. Specifically, it says 'in his generation' to show that his righteousness was not according to the perfected righteousness, but according to the righteousness of his generation.
Bede · AD 735 These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a just and perfect man in his generations; he walked with God. Noah is praised with the same commendation as Enoch, namely that he followed the footsteps of the divine command with upright steps of good works, and thus, while the world perished, he was saved in the ark.
10 And Noe begat.iij. sonnes: Sem Ham and Iapheth.
11 And the erth was corrupte in the syghte of god and was full of mischefe.
Augustine of Hippo · AD 430 Somebody may say to me, "Was Adam, created by God as the first man in the original state of the world, condemned for lack of faith or for sin?" It was not incredulity but disobedience that was the cause for his condemnation and the reason why all his posterity are punished. Cain too was condemned, not for lack of faith but because he killed his brother.
12 And God loked vpon the erth ad loo it was corrupte: for all flesh had corrupte his way vppon the erth.
Ephrem the Syrian · AD 373 Because the sons of Seth were going into the daughters of Cain, they turned away from their first wives whom they had previously taken. Then these wives, too, disdained their own continence and now, because of their husbands, quickly began to abandon their modesty, which up until that time they had preserved for their husbands' sake.
Bede · AD 735 And when God saw that the earth was corrupt: for all flesh had corrupted its way. All flesh means all humans, according to the prophet's statement: "And all flesh shall see the salvation of God" (Luke 3:6). For neither birds nor quadrupeds had corrupted their way by sinning, just as they will not see the Salvation of our God, that is Christ, but all humans will see.
13 Than sayd God to Noe: the end of all flesh is come before me for the erth is full of there myschefe. And loo I wyll destroy them with the erth.
Bede · AD 735 He said to Noah: The end of all flesh has come before me; the earth is filled with iniquity because of them, and I will destroy them with the earth. Make yourself an ark of smoothed wood, etc. The diverse form in the construction of the ark and the imminent flood contains a mystery.
14 Make the an arcke of pyne tree and make chaumbers in the arcke and pytch it wythin and wythout wyth pytch.
Jerome · AD 420 (Verse 14) Make for yourself an ark of square wooden planks. For the square planks, we read it is coated with pitch in Hebrew.
Augustine of Hippo · AD 430 Undoubtedly the ark is a symbol of the city of God on its pilgrimage in history. It is a figure of the church that was saved by the wood on which there hung the "Mediator between God and men, himself man, Jesus Christ." Even the very measurements of length, height and breadth of the ark are meant to point to the reality of the human body into which he came as it was foretold th…
Bede · AD 735 You shall make little rooms in the ark. All the mansions in the ark were arranged as receptacles for various animals that were to enter it, and in the Church there are many orders of institutions according to the diversity of those who come to the faith.
15 And of this facion shalt thou make it.The lenth of the arcke shall be.iij. hundred cubytes ad the bredth of it.l. cubytes and the heyth of it.xxx. cubytes.
Bede · AD 735 There is, however, another memorable mystery in the shape of the ark, which is found to be formed according to the measure of the human body.
16 A wyndow shalt thou make aboue in the arcke. And wythin a cubyte compasse shalt thou finysh it.And the dore of the arcke shalt thou sette in ye syde of it: and thou shalt make it with.iij loftes one aboue an other.
Jerome · AD 420 (Verse 16.) Assembling, you shall make an ark, and you shall finish it with a cubit from above. As for the reason why it says, assembling, you shall make an ark, in Hebrew it has, 'you shall make the middle of the ark,' which Symmachus interpreted more clearly, saying 'transparent,' that is, making the ark clear, intending for a window to be understood.
Bede · AD 735 You shall make upper rooms and lower rooms in it. Lower rooms denote a triple roof. For "stege" in Greek means "roof"; hence ancient interpreters for this word used "tricamerata." Finally, in the Acts of the Apostles, where a young man, whom Paul the Apostle revived from death, is said to have fallen from the third roof or upper room, in Greek it is written that he fell from th…
17 For behold I wil bringe in a floud of water apon the erth to destroy all flesh from vnder heaven wherin breth of life is so that all that is in the erth shall perish.
Hippolytus of Rome · AD 235 Hippolytus, the Targumist expositor, said: The names of the wives of the sons of Noah are these: the name of the wife of Sem, Nahalath Mahnuk; and the name of the wife of Cham, Zedkat Nabu; and the name of the wife of Japheth, Arathka. These, moreover, are their names in the Syriac Targum.
Bede · AD 735 Behold, I will bring the waters of a flood upon the earth, to destroy all flesh in which there is the breath of life under heaven. Everything that is on the earth shall perish, and I will establish my covenant with you, and you shall enter the ark, you and your sons, and the rest.
John Damascene · AD 749 From the beginning "the spirit of God moved over the waters," and over and again Scripture testifies to the fact that water is purifying. It was with water that God washed away the sin of the world in the time of Noah.
18 But I will make myne apoyntement with the that both thou shalt come in to ye arcke and thy sonnes thy wyfe and thy sonnes wyves with the.
Ambrose of Milan · AD 397 And therefore, since all earthly things perish in the flood, but the just alone remains forever, it is said to him: I will establish my covenant with thee; for he is the heir of divine grace, he is the heavenly possessor of the inheritance, the sharer in the most blessed goods.
John Damascene · AD 749 When Noah was ordered to enter the ark and was entrusted with the safeguarding of the seed of the earth, he was given this command, which reads: "Come into the ark, you, your sons, your wife and your sons' wives." He separated them from their wives, so that with the help of chastity they might escape the ocean's depths and that worldwide destruction.
19 And of all that lyveth what soever flesh it be shalt thou brynge in to the arcke of every thynge a payre to kepe them a lyve wyth the. And male and female
Augustine of Hippo · AD 430 A further question asked by the curious concerns those tiny creatures, smaller even than mice and lizards, such as locusts, beetles, flies and even fleas. Were there not more of these in the ark than the number prescribed by God?
20 se that they be of byrdes in their kynde and of beastes in their kynde and of all maner of wormes of the erth in their kinde: a payre of every thinge shall come vnto the to kepe them a lyve.
Ephrem the Syrian · AD 373 On that same day elephants came from the east, apes and peacocks approached from the south, other animals gathered from the west, and still others hastened to come from the north. Lions came from the jungles, and wild beasts arrived from their lairs.
21 And take vnto the of all maner of meate yt may be eaten and laye it vp in stoore by the that it may be meate both for ye and for the:
Bede · AD 735 Therefore, you shall take with you of all food that can be eaten, and gather it to yourself, and it shall be food both for you and for them.
22 and Noe dyd acordynge to all that God commaunded hym.