Genesis 6:17

And I, behold, I The emphasis on the 1st person seems to bring out the thought of the terrible necessity of this act of universal destruction brought upon the world by its Creator.

the flood Heb. mabbûl, a word used only of the Deluge in this passage (6 9) and in Psalms 29:10, where "the flood of waters" fails to give the meaning, which is "the Deluge (the mabbûl) of waters."

all flesh See Genesis 6:12. Here, however, it denotes the animals as well as mankind.

the breath of life Lit. "the spirit (ruaḥ, LXX πνεῦμα) of life," a different phrase from that in Genesis 2:7, "the breath (nishmath) of life" (J). Noah is commanded to enter the ark, taking with him his own family and two of allthe animals. The Priestly Writer could not endorse the idea that the distinction between "clean" and "unclean" was known before the days of Moses. In J, however (Genesis 7:2-3), it is assumed that this distinction was primaeval (see note).