Genesis 9:9

8 17b. The Covenant with Noah

9. I, behold, I Cf. Genesis 6:17, "I, behold, I do bring the flood of waters." The same personal emphasis is expressed in proclaiming the mercy of the covenant as previously in the sentence of doom.

establish my covenant See Genesis 6:18. The Pentateuch mentions three covenants between God and man: (1) with Noah, and its token is the rainbow; (2) with Abraham, 15 and 17, and its token is circumcision, chap. 17; (3) with the people of Israel at Mt Sinai, and its tokens are "the blood of the covenant," the Tabernacle, and the Levitical system (Exodus 24, 25.).

In a covenant between God and man, God makes the promise and lays down the conditions. Man accepts the terms unconditionally, while God "establishes," or ratifies, them.

There is no equality of relationship as in a covenant agreement between men. Man is pledged to obedience on the strength of God's promise of blessing. An outward sign is the "sacrament" of the relation.