Noah

Biblical Account

Noah was the son of Lamech and the great-grandson of Enoch. His father named him, saying, "This same shall comfort us" (Genesis 5:29). Genesis records that when the earth was filled with wickedness, "Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD," and that "Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God" (Genesis 6:8–9).

God commanded Noah to build an ark and to bring aboard the eight members of his family along with the animals (Genesis 6–7). The Flood came when Noah was six hundred years old, and after the waters receded, the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat. Noah sent out a raven and a dove to confirm that the land had dried (Genesis 8). After leaving the ark, Noah built an altar and offered sacrifices, and God made a covenant never again to destroy the earth by a flood, giving the rainbow as its sign (Genesis 9:8–17). The account then turns to Noah's drunkenness and the cursing of Canaan (Genesis 9:20–27). Noah died at the age of 950 (Genesis 9:29).

Significance Within Scripture

Ezekiel 14:14 names Noah, together with Daniel and Job, as an example of a righteous man, and Isaiah 54:9 uses the Noahic covenant as an illustration of God's unchanging promise. In the New Testament, Jesus compared the days of Noah to the coming of the Son of Man (Matthew 24:37–39). Hebrews 11:7 describes Noah as one who prepared the ark by faith, and 2 Peter 2:5 calls him "Noah... a preacher of righteousness." 1 Peter 3:20–21 connects deliverance through the Flood with baptism.

Interpretations and Debates

• Extent of the Flood: Some read the account as describing a flood that covered the entire globe, while others understand it as a regional flood. Opinion is also divided between those who read the text as literal history and those who see it as a theological narrative that employs the literary forms of the ancient Near East. This discussion is also connected to the broader creation and evolution debate.
• Number of animals: It is commonly said that the animals went in "two by two," but Genesis 7:2 records that clean animals were to be taken aboard by sevens.
• 120 years of preaching: The idea that Noah preached for 120 years while building the ark is an interpretation that links Genesis 6:3 with 2 Peter 2:5; the text does not state this directly.
• The "curse of Ham": In Genesis 9:25 the one cursed is not Ham but his son Canaan. This passage was used in parts of the Western world to justify racial discrimination and slavery, and many denominations and theologians today regard such use as a misuse of the text.

In Korean Churches

The story of Noah is a frequent subject in Sunday school and Vacation Bible School, and it is often taught through activities such as making model arks. In preaching, it is used chiefly as an example of obedience and faith that run counter to the spirit of the age, or as a warning to prepare for the Second Coming and the Last Judgment. The rainbow is widely used in church educational materials as a symbol of God's promise.