Part 5-Exploring Gender in the Bible: The Flood
Author’s Note:
This article will cover all mentions of God’s and human’s genders in Genesis 6-8, inspecting the Hebrew language of each verse.
As has been mentioned in previous articles, words in square brackets (i.e., “[ ]”) are those not included in the ESV translation that indicate gender in some way or have bearing on gender.
Because I do not speak Hebrew, I will be relying heavily on translations (primarily Strong’s Concordance) of individual words and my limited knowledge of grammatical structure.
While my research is based on an interlinear version, for ease of reading verses will be presented in the ESV translation, with words marked in the English character version of the original. It is of note that the translation to English characters is not always smooth and sometimes seems to lose the nuances of the original text. Some words appear the same, but have slightly different translations. In rare cases, the definition differs from the ESV translation. These words will be defined below the passage. A phrase I will commonly use is “As translated”, meaning that there is no translation for that word to my knowledge beyond the translation used in the text.
While in many places the word “he” or “she” is added, the Hebrew text frequently conveys this via its use of verbs. Hebrew verbs include a gender which points to the gender of the person or being portrayed (Van Pelt, n.d.). Typically speaking, this is how the gender is assigned in translations. Due to this nature of the verbs, I will include the gender for all verbs throughout, (excepting the rare verbs that convey no gender). That being said, I will leave it up to the reader to decipher who the character is to which it applies (do not forget inanimate objects such as the earth).
It is also of note that often one Hebrew word translates into several in English, and these are frequently shifted into a different order to fulfill grammatical rules within a passage. While it does not affect the translation (and in fact makes it more accurate), it does somewhat confuse the placement when Hebrew words are shown. The Hebrew version will always be placed after the last word of a series of words it translates to in the English version. This may be somewhat inaccurate, and I encourage you to look up an interlinear version (see bibliography at the end) in order to get a full picture of what words relate to which other words. This is also why some of the words and genders marked for a verb do not directly follow an English verb in the passage.
Some repetitiveness may occur in translations of words, this is to make references back to certain passages easier to read without referring back to notes on past verses.
My intention is that every word conveying gender is marked in some way. That being said however, some may slip through the cracks. Also, it is of note that some “he”/“she” has been added to English translations to convey the gender indicated in other ways in the Hebrew text. These naturally will not be marked with their meaning as the word essentially corresponds to a different word that is marked with a gender and/or definition. Much of the critical thinking is left to the reader to interpret the text.
Breakdown of Genesis 6:
Genesis 6:1
“[Now it came about (hāyâ, masculine) (NASB95)] When man (‘āḏām) began (ḥālal, masculine) to multiply on the face of the land and daughters (baṯ) were born to them,”
(Genesis 6:1 ESV, BLB)
‘Āḏām means “man” or “human” or refers to Adam specifically, depending on context (Strong, 1890).
Baṯ typically refers to daughter, occasionally offspring in general, literal or figurative (Strong, 1890).
Genesis 6:2
“the sons (bēn) of God saw that (rā’â, masculine) the daughters (baṯ) of man (‘āḏām) were attractive. And they took (lāqaḥ, masculine) as their wives (iššâ) any they chose.”
(Genesis 6:2 ESV, BLB)
Bēn typically refers to son, occasionally offspring in general, literal or figurative (Strong, 1890).
Baṯ typically refers to daughter, occasionally offspring in general, literal figurative (Strong, 1890).
‘Āḏām means “man” or “human” or refers to Adam specifically, depending on context (Strong, 1890).
‘Iššâ means “woman” or “wife” (Strong, 1890).
Genesis 6:3
“Then the Lord said (‘āmar, masculine), ‘My Spirit shall not abide (dîn, masculine) in man (‘āḏām) forever, for he (hû’) is flesh: his (assumed word) days shall be 120 years.’”
(Genesis 6:3 ESV, BLB)
‘Āḏām means “man” or “human” or refers to Adam specifically, depending on context (Strong, 1890).
Hû’ means “he”, “she”, or “it”. (Strong, 1890).
Genesis 6:4
“The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons (bēn) of God came in (bô’, masculine) to the daughters (baṯ) of man (‘āḏām) and they bore children to them. These were the mighty men (gibôr) who were of old, the men (‘îš) of renown.”
(Genesis 6:4 ESV, BLB)
Gibôr means specifically men of valor (Strong, 1890).
“’Iš” is typically male, unless referring to everyone (Strong, 1890).
‘Āḏām means “man” or “human” or refers to Adam specifically, depending on context (Strong, 1890).
Genesis 6:5
“The Lord saw (rā’â, masculine) that the wickedness of man (‘āḏām) was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his (assumed word) heart was only evil continually.”
(Genesis 6:5 ESV, BLB)
‘Āḏām means “man” or “human” or refers to Adam specifically, depending on context (Strong, 1890).
Genesis 6:6
“And the Lord regretted (nāḥam, masculine) that he had made (ʿāśâ, masculine) man (‘āḏām) on the earth, and it grieved him (ʿāṣaḇ, masculine) to his (assumed word) heart.”
(Genesis 6:6 ESV, BLB)
‘Āḏām means “man” or “human” or refers to Adam specifically, depending on context (Strong, 1890).
Genesis 6:7
“So the Lord said (‘āmar, masculine), ‘I will blot out man (‘āḏām) whom I have created from the face of the land, man (‘āḏām) and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them.’”
(Genesis 6:7 ESV, BLB)
‘Āḏām means “man” or “human” or refers to Adam specifically, depending on context (Strong, 1890).
Genesis 6:8
“But Noah found (māṣā’, masculine) favor in the eyes of the Lord.”
(Genesis 6:8 ESV, BLB)
Genesis 6:9
“These are the generations of Noah. Noah was (hāyâ, masculine) a righteous man (‘îš), blameless in his generation. Noah walked (hālaḵ) with God.”
(Genesis 6:9 ESV, BLB)
“’Iš” is typically male, unless referring to everyone (Strong, 1890).
Genesis 6:10
“And Noah had (yālaḏ, masculine) three sons (bēn), Shem, Ham, and Japheth.”
(Genesis 6:10 ESV, BLB)
Bēn typically refers to son, occasionally offspring in general, literal or figurative (Strong, 1890).
Genesis 6:11
“Now the earth was corrupt (šāḥaṯ, feminine) in God’s sight, and the earth was filled (mālā’, feminine) with violence.”
(Genesis 6:11 ESV, BLB)
Genesis 6:12
“And God saw (rā’â, masculine) the earth, and behold, it was corrupt (šāḥaṯ, feminine), for all flesh had corrupted (šāḥaṯ, masculine) their way on the earth.”
(Genesis 6:12 ESV, BLB)
Genesis 6:13
“And God said (‘āmar, masculine) to Noah, ‘I have determined to make an end of all flesh [the end of all flesh has come (bô’, masculine) (NASB95)], for the earth is filled (mālā’, feminine) with violence through them (pānîm). Behold, I will destroy (šāḥaṯ, masculine) them with the earth.’”
(Genesis 6:13 ESV, BLB)
Pānîm in many cases means “faces”, in this case it indicates people of both genders. (Strong, 1890)
Genesis 6:14
“‘Make (ʿāśâ, masculine) yourself an ark of gopher wood. Make (ʿāśâ, masculine) rooms in the ark, and cover (kāp̄ar, masculine) it inside and out with pitch.’”
(Genesis 6:14 ESV, BLB)
Genesis 6:15
“‘This is how you are to make (ʿāśâ, masculine) it: the length of the ark 300 cubits, its breadth 50 cubits, and its height 30 cubits.’”
(Genesis 6:15 ESV, BLB)
Genesis 6:16
“‘Make (ʿāśâ, masculine) a roof for the ark, and finish it (kālâ, masculine) to a cubit above, and set (śûm, masculine) the door of the ark in its side. Make it (ʿāśâ, masculine) with lower, second, and third decks.’”
(Genesis 6:16 ESV, BLB)
Genesis 6:17
“‘For behold, I will bring (bô’, masculine) a flood of waters upon the earth to destroy all flesh in which is the breath of life under heaven. Everything that is on the earth shall die (gāvaʿ, masculine).’”
(Genesis 6:17 ESV, BLB)
Genesis 6:18
“‘But I will establish my covenant with you, and you shall come (bô’, masculine) into the ark, you (‘atâ), your sons (bēn), your wife (iššâ), and your sons’ (bēn) wives (iššâ) with you.’”
(Genesis 6:18 ESV, BLB)
‘Atâ as used here is the masculine version of you. (Strong, 1890)
Bēn typically refers to son, occasionally offspring in general, literal or figurative (Strong, 1890).
‘Iššâ means “woman” or “wife” (Strong, 1890).
Genesis 6:19
“‘And of every living thing of all flesh, you shall bring (bô’, masculine) two of every sort into the ark to keep them alive with you. They shall be (hāyâ, masculine) male and female.’”
(Genesis 6:19 ESV, BLB)
Genesis 6:20
“‘Of the birds according to their kinds, and of the animals according to their kinds, of every creeping thing of the ground, according to its kind, two of every sort shall come (bô’, masculine) in to you to keep them alive.’”
(Genesis 6:20 ESV, BLB)
Genesis 6:21
“‘‘Also take (lāqaḥ, masculine) with you every sort of food that is eaten (āḵal, masculine), and store (‘āsap̄, masculine) it up. It shall serve (hāyâ, masculine) as food for you and for them.’”
(Genesis 6:21 ESV, BLB)
Genesis 6:22
“Noah did (ʿāśâ, masculine) this; he did (ʿāśâ, masculine) all that God commanded (ṣāvâ, masculine) him.”
(Genesis 6:22 ESV, BLB)
Breakdown of Genesis 7:
Genesis 7:1
“Then the Lord said (‘āmar, masculine) to Noah, ‘Go into (bô’, masculine) the ark, you and all your household, for I have seen that you are righteous before me in this generation.’”
(Genesis 7:1 ESV, BLB)
Genesis 7:2
“‘Take (lāqaḥ, masculine) with you seven pairs of all clean animals, the male and his mate, and a pair of the animals that are not clean, the male and his mate,’”
(Genesis 7:2 ESV, BLB)
Genesis 7:3
“‘and seven pairs of the birds of the heavens also, male and female, to keep their offspring alive on the face of all the earth.’”
Genesis 7:3 ESV
Genesis 7:4
“‘For in seven days I will send rain (māṭar, masculine) on the earth forty days and forty nights, and every living thing that I have made I will blot out from the face of the ground.’”
(Genesis 7:4 ESV, BLB)
Genesis 7:5
“‘And Noah did (ʿāśâ, masculine) all that the Lord had commanded him (ṣāvâ, masculine) .’”
(Genesis 7:5 ESV, BLB)
Genesis 7:6
“Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters came (hāyâ, masculine) upon the earth.”
(Genesis 7:6 ESV, BLB)
Genesis 7:7
“And Noah and his sons (bēn) and his wife (iššâ) and his sons’ (bēn) wives (iššâ) with him went into (bô’, masculine) the ark to escape the waters of the flood.”
(Genesis 7:7 ESV, BLB)
Bēn typically refers to son, occasionally offspring in general, literal or figurative (Strong, 1890).
‘Iššâ means “woman” or “wife” (Strong, 1890).
Genesis 7:8
“Of clean animals, and of animals that are not clean, and of birds, and of everything that creeps (rāmaś, masculine) on the ground,”
(Genesis 7:8 ESV, BLB)
Genesis 7:9
“two and two, male and female, went into the ark with Noah, as God had commanded (ṣāvâ, masculine) Noah.”
(Genesis 7:9 ESV, BLB)
Genesis 7:10
“And after seven days the waters of the flood came upon the earth.”
(Genesis 7:10 ESV, BLB)
Genesis 7:11
“In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep burst forth, and the windows of the heavens were opened.”
(Genesis 7:11 ESV)
Genesis 7:12
“And rain fell (hāyâ, masculine) upon the earth forty days and forty nights.”
(Genesis 7:12 ESV, BLB)
Genesis 7:13
“On the very same day Noah and his sons (bēn), Shem and Ham and Japheth, and Noah’s wife (‘iššâ) and the three wives (‘iššâ) of his sons (bēn) with them entered (bô’, masculine) the ark,”
(Genesis 7:13 ESV, BLB)
Bēn typically refers to son, occasionally offspring in general, literal or figurative (Strong, 1890).
‘Iššâ means “woman” or “wife” (Strong, 1890).
Genesis 7:14
“they and every beast, according to its kind, and all the livestock according to their kinds, and every creeping thing that creeps (rāmaś, masculine) on the earth, according to its kind, and every bird, according to its kind, every winged creature.”
(Genesis 7:14 ESV, BLB)
Genesis 7:15
“They went (bô’, masculine) into the ark with Noah, two and two of all flesh in which there was the breath of life.”
(Genesis 7:15 ESV, BLB)
Genesis 7:16
“And those that entered, male and female of all flesh, went in as God had commanded (ṣāvâ, masculine) him (‘ēṯ). And the Lord shut (sāḡar, masculine) him (assumed word) in.”
(Genesis 7:16 ESV, BLB)
‘Ēṯ is the object of a verb (Strong, 1890), in this case Noah.
Genesis 7:17
“The flood continued (hāyâ, masculine) forty days on the earth. The waters increased (rāḇâ, masculine) and bore up (nāśā’, masculine) the ark, and it rose (rûm, feminine) high above the earth.”
(Genesis 7:17 ESV, BLB)
Genesis 7:18
“The waters prevailed (gāḇar, masculine) and increased (rāḇâ, masculine) greatly on the earth, and the ark floated (yālaḵ, feminine) on the face of the waters.”
(Genesis 7:18 ESV, BLB)
Genesis 7:19
“And the waters prevailed so mightily on the earth that all the high mountains under the whole heaven were covered (kāsâ, masculine).”
(Genesis 7:19 ESV, BLB)
Genesis 7:20
“The waters prevailed above the mountains, covering (kāsâ, masculine) them fifteen cubits deep.”
(Genesis 7:20 ESV, BLB)
Genesis 7:21
“And all flesh died (gāvaʿ, masculine) that moved on the earth, birds, livestock, beasts, all swarming creatures that swarm (šāraṣ, masculine) on the earth, and all mankind (‘āḏām).”
(Genesis 7:21 ESV, BLB)
‘Āḏām means “man” or “human” or refers to Adam specifically, depending on context (Strong, 1890).
Genesis 7:22
“Everything on the dry land in whose nostrils was the breath of life died.”
(Genesis 7:22 ESV)
Genesis 7:23
“He blotted out (māḥâ, masculine) every living thing that was on the face of the ground, man (‘āḏām) and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens. They were blotted out (māḥâ, masculine) from the earth. Only Noah was left (šā’ar, masculine), and those who were with him in the ark.”
(Genesis 7:23 ESV, BLB)
‘Āḏām means “man” or “human” or refers to Adam specifically, depending on context (Strong, 1890).
Genesis 7:24
“And the waters prevailed (gāḇar, masculine) on the earth 150 days.”
(Genesis 7:24 ESV, BLB)
Breakdown of Genesis 8:
Genesis 8:1
“But God remembered (zāḵar, masculine) Noah and all the beasts and all the livestock that were with him (assumed word) in the ark. And God made a wind blow (ʿāḇar, masculine) over the earth, and the waters subsided (šāḵaḵ, masculine).”
(Genesis 8:1 ESV, BLB)
Genesis 8:2
“The fountains of the deep and the windows of the heavens were closed (sāḵar, masculine), the rain from the heavens was restrained (kālā’, masculine),”
(Genesis 8:2 ESV, BLB)
Genesis 8:3
“and the waters receded (šûḇ, masculine) from the earth continually. At the end of 150 days the waters had abated (ḥāsēr, masculine),”
(Genesis 8:3 ESV, BLB)
Genesis 8:4
“and in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, the ark came to rest (nûaḥ, feminine) on the mountains of Ararat.”
(Genesis 8:4 ESV, BLB)
Genesis 8:5
“And the waters continued to abate until the tenth month; in the tenth month, on the first day of the month, the tops of the mountains were seen.”
(Genesis 8:5 ESV)
Genesis 8:6
“[then it came about (hāyâ, masculine) (NASB95)] At the end of forty days Noah opened (pāṯaḥ, masculine) the window of the ark that he had made (ʿāśâ, masculine)”
(Genesis 8:6, ESV, BLB)
Genesis 8:7
“and sent forth (šālaḥ, masculine) a raven. It went (yāṣā’, masculine) to and fro until the waters were dried up from the earth.”
(Genesis 8:7 ESV, BLB)
Genesis 8:8
“Then he sent forth (šālaḥ, masculine) a dove from him, to see if the waters had subsided from the face of the ground.”
(Genesis 8:8 ESV, BLB)
Genesis 8:9
“But the dove found (māṣā’, feminine) no place to set her foot, and she returned (šûḇ, feminine) to him to the ark, for the waters were still on the face of the whole earth. So he put out (šālaḥ, masculine) his hand and took her (lāqaḥ, masculine) and brought (bô’, masculine) her into the ark with him (assumed word).”
(Genesis 8:9 ESV, BLB)
Genesis 8:10
“He waited (ḥûl, masculine) another seven days, and again (yāsap̄, masculine) he (assumed word) sent forth the dove out of the ark.”
(Genesis 8:10 ESV, BLB)
Genesis 8:11
“And the dove came (bô’, feminine) back to him in the evening, and behold, in her mouth was a freshly plucked olive leaf. So Noah knew (yāḏaʿ, masculine) that the waters had subsided from the earth.”
(Genesis 8:11 ESV, BLB)
Genesis 8:12
“Then he waited (yāḥal, masculine) another seven days and sent forth (šālaḥ, masculine) the dove, and she did not return to him (assumed word) anymore (yāsap̄, feminine).”
(Genesis 8:12 ESV, BLB)
Genesis 8:13
“[Now it came about (hāyâ, masculine) (NASB95)] In the six hundred and first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, the waters were dried from off the earth. And Noah removed (sûr, masculine) the covering of the ark and looked (rā’â, masculine), and behold, the face of the ground was dry.”
(Genesis 8:13 ESV, BLB)
Genesis 8:14
“In the second month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, the earth had dried (yāḇēš, feminine) out.”
(Genesis 8:14 ESV, BLB)
Genesis 8:15
“Then God said (dāḇar, masculine) to Noah,”
(Genesis 8:15 ESV, BLB)
Genesis 8:16
“‘Go out (yāṣā’, masculine) from the ark, you and your wife (‘iššâ), and your sons (bēn) and your sons’ (bēn) wives (‘iššâ) with you.’”
(Genesis 8:16 ESV, BLB)
‘Iššâ means “woman” or “wife” (Strong, 1890).
Bēn typically refers to son, occasionally offspring in general, literal or figurative (Strong, 1890).
Genesis 8:17
“‘Bring out (yāṣā’, masculine) with you every living thing that is with you of all flesh—birds and animals and every creeping thing that creeps (rāmaś, masculine) on the earth—that they may swarm on the earth, and be fruitful and multiply on the earth.’”
(Genesis 8:17 ESV, BLB)
Genesis 8:18
“So Noah went out (yāṣā’, masculine), and his sons (bēn) and his wife (iššâ) and his sons’ (bēn) wives (iššâ) with him (assumed word).”
(Genesis 8:18 ESV, BLB)
Bēn typically refers to son, occasionally offspring in general, literal or figurative (Strong, 1890).
‘Iššâ means “woman” or “wife” (Strong, 1890).
Genesis 8:19
“Every beast, every creeping thing, and every bird, everything that moves on the earth, went out by families from the ark.”
(Genesis 8:19 ESV)
Genesis 8:20
“Then Noah built (bānâ, masculine) an altar to the Lord and took (lāqaḥ, masculine) some of every clean animal and some of every clean bird and offered (ʿālâ, masculine) burnt offerings on the altar.”
(Genesis 8:20 ESV, BLB)
Genesis 8:21
“And when the Lord smelled (rîaḥ, masculine) the pleasing aroma, the Lord said (‘āmar, masculine) in his (assumed word) heart, ‘I will never again curse the ground because of man (‘āḏām), for the intention of man’s (‘āḏām) heart is evil from his (assumed word) youth. Neither will I ever again strike down every living creature as I have done.’”
(Genesis 8:21 ESV, BLB)
‘Āḏām means “man” or “human” or refers to Adam specifically, depending on context (Strong, 1890).
Genesis 8:22
“‘While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease (šāḇaṯ, masculine).’”
(Genesis 8:22 ESV, BLB)
Author’s Thoughts:
I have marked many words in the text with “assumed word”, this does not mean the word is inherently wrong, it simply means it does not appear in the original text. Most places, these words refer to someone already known to be of that gender (in this case, most frequently Noah), or a group of people such as Genesis 8:21 “for the intention of man’s heart is evil from his (assumed word) youth.” (Genesis 8:21, ESV, BLB). It is quite likely this particular verse means mankind, but “his” is inserted for better flow. Oftentimes I have not marked words such as “he” or “she” in any way in other places, as they are technically not in the passage, but the verbs point to the gender of the added word (see Genesis 8:12, for example).
There are also many verses in this text that do not include human gender at all. The story in general is not gender based, it simply is included in our discussion as I am including every chapter. Verses that have absolutely no human gender (although I have marked verbs referring to animal gender, etc.) are Genesis 6:11 “Now the earth was corrupt (šāḥaṯ, feminine) in God’s sight, and the earth was filled (mālā’, feminine) with violence.” (Genesis 6:11 ESV, BLB), which refers to the earth as feminine, Genesis 6:20 “Of the birds according to their kinds, and of the animals according to their kinds, of every creeping thing of the ground, according to its kind, two of every sort shall come (bô’, masculine) in to you to keep them alive.” (Genesis 6:20 ESV, BLB), referring to the animals as masculine, Genesis 7:3 “and seven pairs of the birds of the heavens also, male and female, to keep their offspring alive on the face of all the earth.” (Genesis 7:3 ESV), Genesis 7:6 “Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters came (hāyâ, masculine) upon the earth.” (Genesis 7:6 ESV, BLB), in which the masculine term refers to the waters, Genesis 7:8 “Of clean animals, and of animals that are not clean, and of birds, and of everything that creeps (rāmaś, masculine) on the ground,” (Genesis 7:8 ESV, BLB), referring again the the animals, Genesis 7:10-12 “And after seven days the waters of the flood came upon the earth. In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep burst forth, and the windows of the heavens were opened. And rain fell (hāyâ, masculine) upon the earth forty days and forty nights.” (Genesis 7:10-12 ESV, BLB), referring to the rain as masculine, Genesis 7:14 “they and every beast, according to its kind, and all the livestock according to their kinds, and every creeping thing that creeps (rāmaś, masculine) on the earth, according to its kind, and every bird, according to its kind, every winged creature.” (Genesis 7:14 ESV, BLB), in reference to the creeping animals, Genesis 7:15 “They went (bô’, masculine) into the ark with Noah, two and two of all flesh in which there was the breath of life.” (Genesis 7:15 ESV, BLB), again, referring to the animals, Genesis 7:17-20 “The flood continued (hāyâ, masculine) forty days on the earth. The waters increased (rāḇâ, masculine) and bore up (nāśā’, masculine) the ark, and it rose (rûm, feminine) high above the earth. The waters prevailed (gāḇar, masculine) and increased (rāḇâ, masculine) greatly on the earth, and the ark floated (yālaḵ, feminine) on the face of the waters. And the waters prevailed so mightily on the earth that all the high mountains under the whole heaven were covered (kāsâ, masculine). The waters prevailed above the mountains, covering (kāsâ, masculine) them fifteen cubits deep.” (Genesis 7:17-20 ESV, BLB), about the flood, Genesis 7:22 “Everything on the dry land in whose nostrils was the breath of life died.”(Genesis 7:22 ESV), Genesis 7:24 “And the waters prevailed (gāḇar, masculine) on the earth 150 days.” (Genesis 7:24 ESV, BLB), again, talking about the flood waters, Genesis 8:2-6 “The fountains of the deep and the windows of the heavens were closed (sāḵar, masculine), the rain from the heavens was restrained (kālā’, masculine), and the waters receded (šûḇ, masculine) from the earth continually. At the end of 150 days the waters had abated (ḥāsēr, masculine), and in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, the ark came to rest (nûaḥ, feminine) on the mountains of Ararat. And the waters continued to abate until the tenth month; in the tenth month, on the first day of the month, the tops of the mountains were seen.” (Genesis 8:2-5 ESV, BLB), referencing the waters again, although some argument could be made that God was restraining the waters, Genesis 8:14 “In the second month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, the earth had dried (yāḇēš, feminine) out.” (Genesis 8:14 ESV, BLB), earth again, Genesis 8:19 “Every beast, every creeping thing, and every bird, everything that moves on the earth, went out by families from the ark.” (Genesis 8:19 ESV), Genesis 8:22 “‘While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease (šāḇaṯ, masculine).’” (Genesis 8:22 ESV, BLB), referring to the day and night. These are important verses that we are going to ignore due to their irrelevance to our study. Many studies exist on the flood, for more flood based information, read one of them! Our study focuses on gender.
Genesis 6:1 states “[Now it came about (hāyâ, masculine) (NASB95)] When man (‘āḏām) began (ḥālal, masculine) to multiply on the face of the land and daughters (baṯ) were born to them,” (Genesis 6:1, ESV, BLB). As mentioned above, ‘Āḏām means “man” or “human” or refers to Adam specifically, depending on context (Strong, 1890). In this context, mankind seems the most likely. The introduction of daughters following this is because the daughters are what pertains to this particular story. Genesis 6:2 follows “the sons (bēn) of God saw that (rā’â, masculine) the daughters (baṯ) of man (‘āḏām) were attractive. And they took (lāqaḥ, masculine) as their wives (iššâ) any they chose.” (Genesis 6:2 ESV, BLB). Again, Bēn typically refers to son, occasionally offspring in general, literal or figurative, with Baṯ being the female version of the same definition (Strong). Thus it is the “bēn” or “sons” in this passage do not refer to literal offspring of God. Who they actually are is much debated, and this story has confused theologians for years. My task is not to guess the nature of these beings, however. There is simply not enough information in this passage to make a complete story, and it seems likely to me that this is because it is not of utmost importance that we know it, or the passage would be clearer. What we can guess (and this is simply that, a guess) is that from the context of Genesis 6:3 “Then the Lord said (‘āmar, masculine), ‘My Spirit shall not abide [or strive] (dîn, masculine) in man (‘āḏām) forever, for he (hû’) is flesh: his (assumed word) days shall be 120 years.’” (Genesis 6:3 ESV, BLB) it would seem God was vexed with the situation. Genesis 6:4 continues “The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons (bēn) of God came in (bô’, masculine) to the daughters (baṯ) of man (‘āḏām) and they bore children to them. These were the mighty men (gibôr) who were of old, the men (‘îš) of renown.” (Genesis 6:4 ESV, BLB) “Bô’” being masculine confirms the male gender of bēn, although the general identity is still not confirmed. “’Āḏām” again could mean mankind in general, although in these particular passages the gist of the translation would be the same. “Gibôr” and “’Iš” point towards male offspring, while not excluding the possibility of female offspring who are not specifically mentioned. (Strong, 1890).
Genesis 6:5 again implies God’s disapproval of the situation, although it seems likely it was not the full reason God realized man’s wickedness. “The Lord saw (rā’â, masculine) that the wickedness of man (‘āḏām) was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his (assumed word) heart was only evil continually.” (Genesis 6:5 ESV, BLB). This passage points to God being male, but likely refers to mankind in general for the human gender. The same logic applies to Genesis 7:21, to skip ahead a bit, “And all flesh died (gāvaʿ, masculine) that moved on the earth, birds, livestock, beasts, all swarming creatures that swarm on the earth, and all mankind (‘āḏām).” (Genesis 7:21 ESV, BLB). While some masculine verbs are used, contextually we can assume both genders were included, as in Genesis 7:23 “He blotted out every living thing that was on the face of the ground, man (‘āḏām) and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens. They were blotted out from the earth. Only Noah was left, and those who were with him in the ark.” (Genesis 7:23 ESV, BLB). The same logic applies to Genesis 8:21 “And when the Lord smelled the pleasing aroma, the Lord said in his heart, ‘I will never again curse the ground because of man (‘āḏām), for the intention of man’s (‘āḏām) heart is evil from his (assumed word) youth. Neither will I ever again strike down every living creature as I have done.’” (Genesis 8:21 ESV, BLB). There is no reason to believe women were exempt from either the sins or the punishments, from which I would conclude “’āḏām” is used in the broader form referring to both genders.
Genesis 6:6 further confirms God’s gender through it’s verbs “And the Lord regretted (nāḥam, masculine) that he had made (ʿāśâ, masculine) man on the earth, and it grieved him (ʿāṣaḇ, masculine) to his (assumed word) heart.” (Genesis 6:6 ESV, BLB). This analysis also applies to Genesis 6:7 “So the Lord said (‘āmar, masculine), ‘I will blot out man (‘āḏām) whom I have created from the face of the land, man (‘āḏām) and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them.’” (Genesis 6:7 ESV, BLB). “’Āḏām” again refers to mankind in these verses, for the above reasons.
Genesis 6:8-9 introduces a new character “But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord. These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man (‘îš), blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God.” (Genesis 6:9 ESV). Through Noah, his sons are introduced in Genesis 6:10 “And Noah had three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.” (Genesis 6:10 ESV). There is some speculation over whether or not Noah had other children, if there were other children who were not on the ark or not does not seem pertinent to our study.
Genesis 6:13 identifies God once again as male “And God said (‘āmar, masculine) to Noah, ‘I have determined to make an end of all flesh [the end of all flesh has come (bô’, masculine) (NASB95)], for the earth is filled with violence through them (pānîm). Behold, I will destroy (šāḥaṯ, masculine) them with the earth.’” (Genesis 6:13 ESV, BLB). The people mentioned appear to not have a specified gender as pānîm in many cases means “faces”, and indicates people of both genders in this case, obviously. Genesis 6:12 a verse before this further emphasizes that it was all humans “And God saw (rā’â, masculine) the earth, and behold, it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted (šāḥaṯ, masculine) their way on the earth.” (Genesis 6:12 ESV, BLB), as the “all flesh” negates the masculinity of corrupted (or šāḥaṯ)
Genesis 6:14-16 mention gender only in reference to the character, Noah, stating “Make (ʿāśâ, masculine) yourself an ark of gopher wood. Make (ʿāśâ, masculine) rooms in the ark, and cover (kāp̄ar, masculine) it inside and out with pitch. This is how you are to make (ʿāśâ, masculine) it: the length of the ark 300 cubits, its breadth 50 cubits, and its height 30 cubits. Make (ʿāśâ, masculine) a roof for the ark, and finish it (kālâ, masculine) to a cubit above, and set (śûm, masculine) the door of the ark in its side. Make it (ʿāśâ, masculine) with lower, second, and third decks.”
(Genesis 6:14-16 ESV, BLB).
The attention is then turned back to the Lord in Genesis 6:17, “For behold, I will bring (bô’, masculine) a flood of waters upon the earth to destroy all flesh in which is the breath of life under heaven. Everything that is on the earth shall die (gāvaʿ, masculine).” (Genesis 6:17 ESV, BLB), again implying God is male.
Genesis 6:18 mentions other people’s genders, male and female in how they are related to Noah “But I will establish my covenant with you, and you shall come (bô’, masculine) into the ark, you (‘atâ), your sons (bēn), your wife (iššâ), and your sons’ (bēn) wives (iššâ) with you.” (Genesis 6:18 ESV, BLB). ‘Atâ as used here is the masculine version of you, which applies to Noah. The genders are only in relation to Noah, working out to exactly half male and half female. This was somewhat for reproductive reasons, but we have no reason to believe that is the full reason, as there is no evidence Noah and his wife had children after the fall. Genesis 7:7 follows in like fashion “And Noah and his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives with him went into the ark to escape the waters of the flood.” (Genesis 7:7 ESV), along with Genesis 7:13 “On the very same day Noah and his sons (bēn), Shem and Ham and Japheth, and Noah’s wife (‘iššâ) and the three wives (‘iššâ) of his sons (bēn) with them entered (bô’, masculine) the ark,” (Genesis 7:13 ESV, BLB), Genesis 8:16 “‘Go out (yāṣā’, masculine) from the ark, you and your wife (‘iššâ), and your sons (bēn) and your sons’ (bēn) wives (‘iššâ) with you.’” (ESV, BLB), and Genesis 8:18 “So Noah went out (yāṣā’, masculine), and his sons (bēn) and his wife (iššâ) and his sons’ (bēn) wives (iššâ) with him (assumed word).” (Genesis 8:18 ESV, BLB).
Genesis 6:19 and 6:21 discuss Noah as male, but otherwise have no relevance “‘And of every living thing of all flesh, you shall bring (bô’, masculine) two of every sort into the ark to keep them alive with you. They shall be (hāyâ, masculine) male and female.’” (Genesis 6:19 ESV, BLB), Genesis 6:21 “‘Also take (lāqaḥ, masculine) with you every sort of food that is eaten (āḵal, masculine), and store (‘āsap̄, masculine) it up. It shall serve (hāyâ, masculine) as food for you and for them.’” (Genesis 6:21 ESV, BLB).
Genesis 6:22 confirms the previously mentioned genders of God and Noah “Noah did (ʿāśâ, masculine) this; he did (ʿāśâ, masculine) all that God commanded (ṣāvâ, masculine) him.” (Genesis 6:22 ESV, BLB), as does Genesis 7:1 “Then the Lord said (‘āmar, masculine) to Noah, ‘Go into (bô’, masculine) the ark, you and all your household, for I have seen that you are righteous before me in this generation.’”
(Genesis 7:1 ESV, BLB), Genesis 7:2
“‘Take (lāqaḥ, masculine) with you seven pairs of all clean animals, the male and his mate, and a pair of the animals that are not clean, the male and his mate,’” (Genesis 7:2 ESV, BLB) (Noah’s gender only), Genesis 7:4 “‘For in seven days I will send rain (māṭar, masculine) on the earth forty days and forty nights, and every living thing that I have made I will blot out from the face of the ground.’” (Genesis 7:4 ESV, BLB) (God’s gender only), Genesis 7:5 “And Noah did (ʿāśâ, masculine) all that the Lord had commanded him (ṣāvâ, masculine).” (Genesis 7:5 ESV, BLB) (Noah’s gender), Genesis 7:9 “two and two, male and female, went into the ark with Noah, as God had commanded (ṣāvâ, masculine) Noah.” (Genesis 7:9 ESV, BLB) (God’s), Genesis 7:16 “And those that entered, male and female of all flesh, went in as God had commanded (ṣāvâ, masculine) him (‘ēṯ). And the Lord shut (sāḡar, masculine) him (assumed word) in.” (Genesis 7:16 ESV, BLB) (God’s gender confirmed, Noah’s technically not). Genesis 7:23 “He blotted out (māḥâ, masculine) every living thing that was on the face of the ground, man (‘āḏām) and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens. They were blotted out (māḥâ, masculine) from the earth. Only Noah was left (šā’ar, masculine), and those who were with him in the ark.” (Genesis 7:23 ESV, BLB) (both God and Noah’s genders referred to), Genesis 8:1 “But God remembered (zāḵar, masculine) Noah and all the beasts and all the livestock that were with him (assumed word) in the ark. And God made a wind blow over the earth, and the waters subsided.” (Genesis 8:1 ESV, BLB) (God only), Genesis 8:6 “At the end of forty days Noah opened (pāṯaḥ, masculine) the window of the ark that he had made (ʿāśâ, masculine)” (Genesis 8:6 ESV, BLB) (Noah only), Genesis 8:7 “and sent forth (šālaḥ, masculine) a raven. It went to and fro until the waters were dried up from the earth.” (Genesis 8:7 ESV, BLB) (Noah), Genesis 8:8 “Then he sent forth (šālaḥ, masculine) a dove from him (assumed word), to see if the waters had subsided from the face of the ground.” (Genesis 8:8 ESV, BLB) (Noah). Genesis 8:9 “But the dove found no place to set her foot, and she returned to him (assumed word) to the ark, for the waters were still on the face of the whole earth. So he put out (šālaḥ, masculine) his hand and took her (lāqaḥ, masculine) and brought (bô’, masculine) her into the ark with him (assumed word).” (Genesis 8:9 ESV, BLB) (Noah), Genesis 8:10 “He waited (ḥûl, masculine) another seven days, and again (yāsap̄, masculine) he (assumed word) sent forth the dove out of the ark.” (Genesis 8:10 ESV, BLB) (Noah), Genesis 8:11 “And the dove came back to him in the evening, and behold, in her mouth was a freshly plucked olive leaf. So Noah knew (yāḏaʿ, masculine) that the waters had subsided from the earth.” (Genesis 8:11 ESV, BLB) (Noah), Genesis 8:12 “Then he waited (yāḥal, masculine) another seven days and sent forth (šālaḥ, masculine) the dove, and she did not return to him (assumed word) anymore.” (Genesis 8:12 ESV, BLB) (Noah), Genesis 8:13 “In the six hundred and first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, the waters were dried from off the earth. And Noah removed (sûr, masculine) the covering of the ark and looked (rā’â, masculine), and behold, the face of the ground was dry.” (Genesis 8:13 ESV, BLB) (Noah), Genesis 8:15 “Then God said (dāḇar, masculine) to Noah,” (Genesis 8:15 ESV, BLB) (God), Genesis 8:17 “‘Bring out (yāṣā’, masculine) with you every living thing that is with you of all flesh—birds and animals and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth—that they may swarm on the earth, and be fruitful and multiply on the earth.’” (Genesis 8:17 ESV, BLB) (Noah), Genesis 8:20 “Then Noah built (bānâ, masculine) an altar to the Lord and took (lāqaḥ, masculine) some of every clean animal and some of every clean bird and offered (ʿālâ, masculine) burnt offerings on the altar.” (Genesis 8:20 ESV, BLB) (Noah), and finally, Genesis 8:21 “And when the Lord smelled (rîaḥ, masculine) the pleasing aroma, the Lord said (‘āmar, masculine) in his (assumed word) heart, ‘I will never again curse the ground because of man (‘āḏām), for the intention of man’s (‘āḏām) heart is evil from his (assumed word) youth. Neither will I ever again strike down every living creature as I have done.’” (Genesis 8:21 ESV, BLB) (God).
In summary, this story is mostly centered around a man, but otherwise does not speak much to our topic. Importantly, God is frequently implied to be male by the verbs. The story refers to a sad situation that both genders got caught up in scrupulously. It is a great warning of God’s judgment on all sinners.
Bibliography
Blue Letter Bible, Hebrew Interlinear, 2025
English Standard Version Bible, 2016
New American Standard Bible, 1995
Strong, J. (1890). Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible. http://ci.nii.ac.jp/ncid/BB10658005
Van Pelt, M. V. (n.d.). English grammar to ace Biblical Hebrew. Zondervan Academic.
