Genesis 6:5
in Genesis 6Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great upon the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was altogether evil all the time.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And Jehovah saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
KJV
And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
⋯
This verse in Genesis 6
Commentary
13 notes on this verseA commentator
IrenaeusThe Demonstration of the Apostolic Preaching, Sections 18-19 · Written before 202.
And for a very long while wickedness extended and spread, and reached and laid hold upon the whole race of mankind, until a very small seed of righteousness remained among them: and illicit unions took place upon the earth, since angels were united with the daughters of the race of mankind; and they bore to them sons who for their exceeding greatness were called giants.
This site's exposition
the wickedness of man was great upon the earth
on Genesis 6:5-7
The verdict covers every inclination of his heart, altogether evil all the time. The verb rendered regretted does not mean God changed His mind about right and wrong, and the older writers read it as Scripture giving God's grief in words a man can feel. He was grieved in His heart. Jesus points back to these days at Matthew 24:38, where men ate and drank until the day Noah entered the ark.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers3 voices
And then Michael, Uriel, Raphael, and Gabriel looked down from heaven and saw much blood being shed upon the earth, and all lawlessness being wrought upon the earth.
Since the Son of God is always one and the same, He gives to those who believe on Him a well of water [springing up] to eternal life, but He causes the unfruitful fig-tree immediately to dry up; and in the days of Noah He justly brought on the deluge for the purpose of extinguishing that most infamous race of men then existent, who could not bring forth fruit to God, since the angels that sinned had commingled with them, and [acted as He did] in order that He might put a check upon the sins of these men, but [that at the same time] He might preserve the archetype, the formation of Adam. And it was He who rained fire and brimstone from heaven, in the days of Lot, upon Sodom and Gomorrah, "an example of the righteous judgment of God," that all may know, "that every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit shall be cut down, and cast into the fire."
After Moses spoke about the mighty men who were born into the tribe of Cain, whose women, even though beautiful, were nevertheless smaller than the sons of Seth, he then said, "The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth and …
The Medieval Church1 voice
But God, seeing that the wickedness of men was great on the earth, and that every thought of their hearts was only evil continually, regretted that He had made man on the earth.
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
Note, All the sins of sinners are known to God the Judge. Those that are most conversant in the world, though they see much wickedness in it, yet they see but little of that which is; but God sees all, and judges aright concerning it, how great it is, nor can he be deceived in his judgment. He observed the fountain of sin that was in men's hearts.
6 more voices on this verse
The Puritans and the Awakening4 voices
Note, When wickedness has become general and universal ruin is not far off; while there is a remnant of praying people in a nation, to empty the measure as it fills, judgments may be kept off a great while; but when all hands are at work to pull down the fences by sin, and none stand in the gap to make up the breach, what can be expected but an inundation of wrath?
And God saw the wickedness of man was great in the earth,....
And God saw the wickedness of man was great in the earth,....
Note, All the sins of sinners are known to God the Judge. Those that are most conversant in the world, though they see much wickedness in it, yet they see but little of that which is; but God sees all, and judges aright concerning it, how great it is, nor can he be deceived in his judgment. He observed the fountain of sin that was in men's hearts.
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
The wickedness of man was great - What an awful character does God give of the inhabitants of the antediluvian world! 1. They were flesh, (Gen 6:3), wholly sensual, the desires of the mind overwhelmed and lost in the desires of the flesh, their souls no longer discerning their high destiny, but ever minding earthly things, so that they were sensualized, brutalized, and become flesh; incarnated so as not to retain God in their knowledge, and they lived, seeking their portion in this life. 2. They were in a state of wickedness.
The wickedness of man was great - What an awful character does God give of the inhabitants of the antediluvian world! 1. They were flesh, (Gen 6:3), wholly sensual, the desires of the mind overwhelmed and lost in the desires of the flesh, their souls no longer discerning their high destiny, but ever minding earthly things, so that they were sensualized, brutalized, and become flesh; incarnated so as not to retain God in their knowledge, and they lived, seeking their portion in this life. 2. They were in a state of wickedness.
The words behind it
15 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיַּ֣רְא | vaiyar' | and he saw | H7200 → | 1300 times |
| יְהוָ֔ה | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| כִּ֥י | ki | that | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| רַבָּ֛ה | rabah | [was] great | H7227 → | 454 times |
| רָעַ֥ת | raat | [the] evil of | H7451 → | 662 times |
| הָאָדָ֖ם | haadam | <the> humankind | H120 → | 551 times |
| בָּאָ֑רֶץ | baaretz | on the earth | H776 → | 2504 times |
| וְכָל־ | vekhol | and every | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| יֵ֙צֶר֙ | yetzer | <the> inclination of | H3336 → | |
| מַחְשְׁבֹ֣ת | machshevot | [the] thoughts of | H4284 → | |
| לִבּ֔וֹ | libo | heart his | H3820 → | 595 times |
| רַ֥ק | rak | only | H7535 → | 109 times |
| רַ֖ע | ra' | [was] evil | H7451 → | 662 times |
| כָּל־ | kol- | every | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| הַיּֽוֹם׃ | haiyom | <the> day | H3117 → | 2304 times |
וַיַּ֣רְאand he saw
vaiyar'H7200 →1300 times
יְהוָ֔הYahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
כִּ֥יthat
kiH3588 →4482 times
רַבָּ֛ה[was] great
rabahH7227 →454 times
רָעַ֥ת[the] evil of
raatH7451 →662 times
הָאָדָ֖ם<the> humankind
haadamH120 →551 times
בָּאָ֑רֶץon the earth
baaretzH776 →2504 times
וְכָל־and every
vekholH3605 →5413 times
יֵ֙צֶר֙<the> inclination of
yetzerH3336 →
מַחְשְׁבֹ֣ת[the] thoughts of
machshevotH4284 →
לִבּ֔וֹheart his
liboH3820 →595 times
רַ֥קonly
rakH7535 →109 times
רַ֖ע[was] evil
ra'H7451 →662 times
כָּל־every
kol-H3605 →5413 times
הַיּֽוֹם׃<the> day
haiyomH3117 →2304 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Jeremiah 17:9The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?
it leads to
- Mark 7:21–22
For from within the hearts of men come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery,
- Matthew 15:19
For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, and slander.
- Ecclesiastes 9:3
This is an evil in everything that is done under the sun: There is one fate for everyone. Furthermore, the hearts of men are full of evil and madness while they are alive, and…
- Proverbs 28:26
He who trusts in himself is a fool, but one who walks in wisdom will be safe.
- Hebrews 3:12
See to it, brothers, that none of you has a wicked heart of unbelief that turns away from the living God.
- Mark 7:21–22
Through
Matthew 15:19For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, and slander.
it leads to
- Mark 7:21–23
For from within the hearts of men come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery,
- Galatians 5:19–21
The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity, and debauchery;
- Jeremiah 17:9
The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?
- Mark 7:21–23
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies11
On this verse
About Genesis
This page draws on 9 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Bede, Commentary on Genesis (Hexaemeron); Book of Enoch, 1 Enoch, Chapters 9-11; Ephrem the Syrian, COMMENTARY ON GENESIS 6.6.1; Irenaeus, The Demonstration of the Apostolic Preaching, Sections 18-19; Irenaeus, Against Heresies 4.36.4; John Calvin, Commentary on Genesis; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.