[8] Also he sent forth a
dove from him, to see if the waters were abated from off the face of the
ground; [9] But the dove found no rest for the sole of her foot,
and she returned unto him into the ark, for the waters were on the face
of the whole earth: then he put forth his hand, and took her, and pulled
her in unto him into the ark. [10] And he stayed yet other seven
days; and again he sent forth the dove out of the ark; [11] And
the dove came in to him in the evening; and, lo, in her mouth was an olive
leaf pluckt off: so Noah knew that the waters were abated from off the
earth. [12] And he stayed yet other seven days; and sent forth the
dove; which returned not again unto him any more.
He sent forth a dove - Which returned the first time
with no good news, but probably wet and dirty; but the second time she
brought an olive leaf in her bill, which appeared to be fresh plucked off;
a plain indication that now the trees began to appear above water. Note
here, that Noah set forth the dove the second time, seven days after the
first time, and the third time was after seven days too: and probably the
first sending of her out was seven days after the sending forth of the
raven. The olive branch is an emblem of peace.
[13] And it came to pass in
the six hundredth and first year, in the first month, the first day of
the month, the waters were dried up from off the earth: and Noah removed
the covering of the ark, and looked, and, behold, the face of the ground
was dry.
Noah removed the covering of the ark - Not the whole
covering, but so much as would suffice to give him a prospect of the earth
about it: and behold the face of the ground was dry.
[14] And in the second month,
on the seven and twentieth day of the month, was the earth dried. [15]
And God spake unto Noah, saying, [16] Go forth of the ark, thou,
and thy wife, and thy sons, and thy sons' wives with thee. [17]
Bring forth with thee every living thing that is with thee, of all flesh,
both of fowl, and of cattle, and of every creeping thing that creepeth
upon the earth; that they may breed abundantly in the earth, and be fruitful,
and multiply upon the earth. [18] And Noah went forth, and his sons,
and his wife, and his sons' wives with him: [19] Every beast, every
creeping thing, and every fowl, and whatsoever creepeth upon the earth,
after their kinds, went forth out of the ark.
The earth was dried - So as to be a fit habitation for
Noah.
[20] And Noah builded an altar
unto the LORD; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl,
and offered burnt offerings on the altar.
And Noah builded an altar - Hitherto he had done nothing
without particular instructions and commands from God but altars and sacrifices
being already of Divine institution, he did not stay for a particular command
thus to express his thankfulness. And he offered on the altar, of every
clean beast and of every clean fowl - One, the odd seventh that we read
of, Genesis 7:2,3.
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