And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.

GENESIS 6:7KJV
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Genesis 6:7 (KJV)

What does Genesis 6:7 mean?

Genesis 6:7 describes God’s decision to wipe out humanity, along with animals, creeping things, and birds, from the earth because He regrets having made them. The verse shows God’s deep sorrow over the widespread evil and corruption among His creation.

In this verse, the LORD is speaking about His response to the growing wickedness on earth before the flood. God’s words are not just about people but include all living creatures, highlighting how far the corruption had spread. The verse expresses a strong sense of grief and disappointment, not just anger, as God considers undoing His creative work.

The Hebrew behind Genesis 6:7

  • "LORD" (יְהוָה, YHWH): This is the personal name of God, emphasizing a direct and personal involvement in the decision.
  • "Destroy" (מָחָה, machah): This word means to blot out or wipe away, suggesting a thorough removal, not just punishment.
  • "Repenteth" (נָחַם, nacham): This word is often understood as expressing deep sorrow or regret, not repentance from sin, but a grieving over what has happened.
  • "Created" (בָּרָא, bara): This word is used for God’s unique act of creation, so the decision to destroy is directly connected to His original act of making life.

Why Genesis 6:7 matters

  • Genesis 6:7 clarifies that God’s judgment is not impulsive anger but a sorrowful response to the depth of human and earthly corruption.
  • The verse connects the fate of animals and birds to humanity’s actions, showing the far-reaching effects of human choices on all creation.
  • This verse sets the stage for the story of the flood, making clear that the coming judgment is rooted in God’s grief over the state of the world He made.

Where else these words appear

“thing” Hebrew H7431 · used in 17 verses

  • Genesis 1:24 And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so.
  • Genesis 7:23 And every living substance was destroyed which was upon the face of the ground, both man, and cattle, and the creeping things, and the fowl of the heaven; and they were destroyed from the earth: and Noah only remained alive, and they that were with him in the ark.
  • Psalms 104:25 So is this great and wide sea, wherein are things creeping innumerable, both small and great beasts.

“destroy” Hebrew H4229 · used in 32 verses

  • Genesis 7:4 For yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights; and every living substance that I have made will I destroy from off the face of the earth.
  • Deuteronomy 29:20 The LORD will not spare him, but then the anger of the LORD and his jealousy shall smoke against that man, and all the curses that are written in this book shall lie upon him, and the LORD shall blot out his name from under heaven.
  • Psalms 109:13 Let his posterity be cut off; and in the generation following let their name be blotted out.

“created” Hebrew H1254 · used in 46 verses

  • Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
  • Psalms 89:47 Remember how short my time is: wherefore hast thou made all men in vain?
  • Isaiah 45:12 I have made the earth, and created man upon it: I, even my hands, have stretched out the heavens, and all their host have I commanded.

“fowls” Hebrew H5775 · used in 70 verses

  • Genesis 1:20 And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.
  • Leviticus 11:13 And these are they which ye shall have in abomination among the fowls; they shall not be eaten, they are an abomination: the eagle, and the ossifrage, and the ospray,
  • Psalms 104:12 By them shall the fowls of the heaven have their habitation, which sing among the branches.