The Meaning of Genesis 9:17 Explained

Genesis 9:17

KJV: And God said unto Noah, This is the token of the covenant, which I have established between me and all flesh that is upon the earth.

YLT: And God saith unto Noah, 'This is a token of the covenant which I have established between Me and all flesh that is upon the earth.'

Darby: And God said to Noah, This is the sign of the covenant which I have established between me and all flesh that is upon the earth.

ASV: And God said unto Noah, This is the token of the covenant which I have established between me and all flesh that is upon the earth.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And God  said  unto Noah,  This [is] the token  of the covenant,  which I have established  between me and all flesh  that [is] upon the earth. 

What does Genesis 9:17 Mean?

Context Summary

Genesis 9:1-17 - God's Covenant With Noah
As the human race started afresh on its career, God blessed it, as at the first. God always stands with us in a new start. The prohibition against the use of blood in food is often repeated. See Leviticus 17:11; Acts 15:29. In a very deep sense, the blood is the life. When we speak of being redeemed by the blood of Jesus, we mean that we have been saved by His sacrificed life. The blood maketh atonement for the soul. But while animal life might be used for food or sacrifice, human life was surrounded by the most solemn sanctions. A Covenant is a promise or undertaking resting on certain conditions, with a sign or token attached to it. The bow in the cloud, the Lord's Supper, the wedding ring are signs and seals of their respective covenants. Never witness a rainbow without remembering that as God hath sworn that the waters of Noah shall no more go over the earth, so He will not withdraw His kindness. See Isaiah 54:9. [source]

Chapter Summary: Genesis 9

1  God blesses Noah and his sons, and grants them flesh for food
4  Blood and murder are forbidden
8  God's covenant, of which the rainbow was constituted a pledge
18  Noah's family replenishes the world
20  Noah plants a vineyard,
21  Is drunken, and mocked by his son;
25  Curses Canaan;
26  Blesses Shem;
27  Prays for Japheth, and dies

What do the individual words in Genesis 9:17 mean?

And said God to Noah this [is] the sign of the covenant which I have established between Me and all flesh that [is] on the earth -
וַיֹּ֥אמֶר אֱלֹהִ֖ים אֶל־ נֹ֑חַ זֹ֤את אֽוֹת־ הַבְּרִית֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר הֲקִמֹ֔תִי בֵּינִ֕י וּבֵ֥ין כָּל־ בָּשָׂ֖ר אֲשֶׁ֥ר עַל־ הָאָֽרֶץ פ

וַיֹּ֥אמֶר  And  said 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
אֱלֹהִ֖ים  God 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: אֱלֹהִים  
Sense: (plural).
נֹ֑חַ  Noah 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: נׄחַ  
Sense: son of Lamech, father of Shem, Ham, and Japheth; builder of the ark which saved his family from the destruction of the world which God sent on the world by the flood; became the new seminal head of the human race because his family were the only survivors of the flood.
זֹ֤את  this  [is] 
Parse: Pronoun, feminine singular
Root: זׄאת  
Sense: this, this one, here, which, this … that, the one … the other, such.
אֽוֹת־  the  sign 
Parse: Noun, common singular construct
Root: אֹות  
Sense: sign, signal.
הַבְּרִית֙  of  the  covenant 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: בְּרִית  
Sense: covenant, alliance, pledge.
הֲקִמֹ֔תִי  I  have  established 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Perfect, first person common singular
Root: קוּם 
Sense: to rise, arise, stand, rise up, stand up.
בֵּינִ֕י  between  Me 
Parse: Preposition, first person common singular
Root: בַּיִן 
Sense: between, among, in the midst of (with other preps), from between.
בָּשָׂ֖ר  flesh 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: בָּשָׂר  
Sense: flesh.
אֲשֶׁ֥ר  that  [is] 
Parse: Pronoun, relative
Root: אֲשֶׁר 
Sense: (relative part.).
הָאָֽרֶץ  the  earth 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: אֶרֶץ  
Sense: land, earth.
פ  - 
Parse: Punctuation

What are the major concepts related to Genesis 9:17?

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