Genesis Chapter 8 | God Remember Noah | Genesis Bible Study
Introduction
Genesis 8 marks a powerful transition in the account of the Flood. Genesis 7 emphasized judgment, destruction, and the rising waters, but Genesis 8 begins with words of hope:
“And God remembered Noah...” — Genesis 8:1
The expression “God remembered” does not mean that God had forgotten Noah. In biblical language, when God “remembers,” it often signifies that He is turning His attention toward His covenant purpose and acting on behalf of those connected to His promise.
Noah, his family, and the animals had been preserved inside the ark while the waters covered the earth. Now God causes a wind to pass over the earth, the waters begin to decrease, and eventually the ark rests upon the mountains of Ararat.
Yet Noah does not immediately leave the ark. He watches, waits, sends out the raven and then the dove, and remains inside until God tells him to come forth. The same God who instructed Noah when to enter the ark determines when it is safe to leave it.
After leaving the ark, Noah's first recorded action is significant:
“And Noah builded an altar unto the LORD...” — Genesis 8:20
Before building a house for himself, Scripture records Noah building an altar to God. His response to deliverance is worship.
Genesis 8 therefore moves through a beautiful progression:
God remembered → the waters receded → the ark rested → Noah waited → God spoke → Noah came forth → Noah worshiped.
The chapter concludes with God's declaration concerning the continuing order of creation:
“While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.” — Genesis 8:22
Genesis 8 is therefore not merely the story of the water disappearing. It is the story of God bringing Noah from judgment into restoration, from confinement into a renewed earth, and from preservation into a new beginning.
Central Theme
The God who preserves His people through judgment is also the God who brings them into restoration and new beginnings.
Scripture Reading Genesis Chapter 8
Genesis 8:2 The fountains also of the deep and the windows of heaven were stopped, and the rain from heaven was restrained;
Genesis 8:3 And the waters returned from off the earth continually: and after the end of the hundred and fifty days the waters were abated.
Genesis 8:4 And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat.
Genesis 8:5 And the waters decreased continually until the tenth month: in the tenth month, on the first day of the month, were the tops of the mountains seen.
Genesis 8:6 And it came to pass at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made:
Genesis 8:7 And he sent forth a raven, which went forth to and fro, until the waters were dried up from off the earth.
Genesis 8:8 Also he sent forth a dove from him, to see if the waters were abated from off the face of the ground;
Genesis 8:9 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.
Genesis 8:10 And he stayed yet other seven days; and again he sent forth the dove out of the ark;
Genesis 8:11 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.
Genesis 8:12 And he stayed yet other seven days; and sent forth the dove; which returned not again unto him any more.
Genesis 8:13 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.
Genesis 8:14 And in the second month, on the seven and twentieth day of the month, was the earth dried.
Genesis 8:15 And God spake unto Noah, saying,
Genesis 8:16 Go forth of the ark, thou, and thy wife, and thy sons, and thy sons' wives with thee.
Genesis 8:17 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.
Genesis 8:18 And Noah went forth, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons' wives with him:
Genesis 8:19 Every beast, every creeping thing, and every fowl, and whatsoever creepeth upon the earth, after their kinds, went forth out of the ark.
Genesis 8:20 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.
Genesis 8:21 And the LORD smelled a sweet savour; and the LORD said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake; for the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done.
Genesis 8:22 While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.
(KJV)
Genesis Chapter 8 — Study Questions
Recall Questions
What did God remember as the waters of the Flood began to subside?
What did God cause to pass over the earth so that the waters decreased?
Upon what mountains did the ark come to rest?
What two birds did Noah send out from the ark?
What did the dove bring back to Noah when he sent her out the second time?
What did Noah build unto the LORD after leaving the ark?
Observation Questions
What actions of God are described in Genesis 8:1–3 as causing the Flood waters to decrease?
What sequence of events do you observe between the ark resting on the mountains of Ararat and Noah finally leaving the ark?
What differences do you notice between the actions of the raven and the dove in Genesis 8:6–12?
What signs showed Noah that the earth was becoming dry and suitable for life again?
According to Genesis 8:15–19, did Noah leave the ark when he first saw dry ground, or did he wait for God's command?
What does Genesis 8:20–22 reveal about Noah's first recorded action after leaving the ark and God's response to his offering?
Personal Application
Genesis 8 begins with the powerful words, “And God remembered Noah.” This does not mean that God had forgotten him. In biblical language, God's “remembering” points to His turning His attention toward someone in order to act faithfully according to His purpose and covenant commitment.
Noah also teaches us an important lesson about waiting for God's timing. Even after he could see that the surface of the ground was dry, Noah did not simply leave the ark. He waited until God told him to go forth (Genesis 8:15–16). Sometimes circumstances may appear ready before God has given the instruction to move.
Ask yourself: Am I willing to wait for God's direction even when I believe the waiting season is over?
Finally, Noah's first recorded act after leaving the ark was worship. He built an altar and offered sacrifices unto the LORD. His response to deliverance was not merely celebration—it was thanksgiving, worship, and dedication to God.
Personal Reflection:
When God brings me through a difficult season, is worship my first response? How can I demonstrate gratitude and obedience to God for His faithfulness in my life?
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