The Meaning of Genesis 7:16 Explained

Genesis 7:16

KJV: And they that went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God had commanded him: and the LORD shut him in.

YLT: and they that are coming in, male and female of all flesh, have come in as God hath commanded him, and Jehovah doth close it for him.

Darby: And they that came, came male and female of all flesh, as God had commanded him. And Jehovah shut him in.

ASV: And they that went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God commanded him: and Jehovah shut him in.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And they that went in,  went in  male  and female  of all flesh,  as God  had commanded  him: and the LORD  shut him in. 

What does Genesis 7:16 Mean?

Context Summary

Genesis 7:1-24 - The Great Flood
What anguish! They climbed the highest story of their towers, then to the hills, but the greedy waters followed them, till the last crag was covered, and all living things in the first homes of human life had perished. Equally sudden and unexpected shall be the days of the Son of Man. See Luke 17:26; 2 Peter 3:7. But what drowns other men only lifts the child of God nearer his home. The waters bear up the ark. When the loftiest refuges of lies and pride are submerged, and the whole landscape is covered with a monotonous waste of trouble, God says to the soul, "Come into the ark." It is as though He is inside and wants us to enter into close fellowship with Himself. See Psalms 27:5. When God shuts the door behind us, no power can force, no skeleton key can unlock, and no wedge can pry the door. For the extent of the Deluge it is appropriate to consider Luke 2:1-3. [source]

Chapter Summary: Genesis 7

1  Noah, his family and the living creatures enter the ark
6  The flood begins
17  The increase of the flood for forty days
21  All flesh is destroyed by it
24  Its duration of 150 days

What do the individual words in Genesis 7:16 mean?

And they entered male and female of all flesh they went in as had commanded him God and shut in Yahweh him
וְהַבָּאִ֗ים זָכָ֨ר וּנְקֵבָ֤ה מִכָּל־ בָּשָׂר֙ בָּ֔אוּ כַּֽאֲשֶׁ֛ר צִוָּ֥ה אֹת֖וֹ אֱלֹהִ֑ים וַיִּסְגֹּ֥ר יְהוָ֖ה בַּֽעֲדֽוֹ

וְהַבָּאִ֗ים  And  they  entered 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Article, Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine plural
Root: בֹּוא 
Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.
זָכָ֨ר  male 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: זָכָר  
Sense: male (of humans and animals) adj.
וּנְקֵבָ֤ה  and  female 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, feminine singular
Root: נְקֵבָה  
Sense: female.
מִכָּל־  of  all 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: כֹּל  
Sense: all, the whole.
בָּשָׂר֙  flesh 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: בָּשָׂר  
Sense: flesh.
בָּ֔אוּ  they  went  in 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person common plural
Root: בֹּוא 
Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.
צִוָּ֥ה  had  commanded 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: צָוָה  
Sense: to command, charge, give orders, lay charge, give charge to, order.
אֱלֹהִ֑ים  God 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: אֱלֹהִים  
Sense: (plural).
וַיִּסְגֹּ֥ר  and  shut  in 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: סָגוּר 
Sense: to shut, close.
יְהוָ֖ה  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.