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 8:20KJV
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Genesis 8:20 (KJV)

What does Genesis 8:20 mean?

Genesis 8:20 describes Noah building an altar to the LORD after leaving the ark and offering burnt sacrifices from every kind of clean animal and bird. This act shows Noah’s gratitude and reverence toward God after surviving the flood.

Noah is the main figure here, acting on his own after the floodwaters have receded and his family and the animals have left the ark. The verse highlights Noah’s immediate response to God’s deliverance by constructing an altar (a special place for worship) and offering burnt offerings, which were a way to honor and thank God in ancient times. The mention of “clean” animals and birds points to early ideas about which creatures were suitable for sacrifice, even before the formal laws given later in the Bible.

The Hebrew behind Genesis 8:20

  • "Altar" (מִזְבֵּחַ, mizbeach): This word refers to a structure specifically set apart for offerings to God. Its use here shows Noah’s intention to formally worship and thank God, not just express gratitude in words.
  • "Burnt offerings" (עֹלָה, olah): This term means a sacrifice that is completely burned on the altar. The idea is that the whole animal is given up to God, symbolizing total dedication or surrender.
  • "Clean" (טָהוֹר, tahor): This word describes animals considered acceptable for sacrifice. The distinction matters because it shows that Noah was careful to follow what was understood as proper worship, even before the detailed sacrificial laws were given to Moses.

Why Genesis 8:20 matters

  • Genesis 8:20 shows that worship and gratitude were important to people of faith even before formal religious systems were established.
  • The verse clarifies that the idea of “clean” and “unclean” animals existed before the laws in Leviticus, suggesting an early awareness of what was fitting for sacrifice.
  • This act of sacrifice sets the stage for God’s response in the following verses, where God makes promises about the future of the earth and humanity.

Where else these words appear

“Noah” Hebrew H5146 · used in 39 verses

  • Genesis 5:29 And he called his name Noah, saying, This same shall comfort us concerning our work and toil of our hands, because of the ground which the LORD hath cursed.
  • Genesis 7:9 There went in two and two unto Noah into the ark, the male and the female, as God had commanded Noah.
  • Genesis 9:17 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.

“fowl” 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.

“clean” Hebrew H2889 · used in 87 verses

  • Genesis 7:2 Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens, the male and his female: and of beasts that are not clean by two, the male and his female.
  • Exodus 39:30 And they made the plate of the holy crown of pure gold, and wrote upon it a writing, like to the engravings of a signet, HOLINESS TO THE LORD.
  • Deuteronomy 12:15 Notwithstanding thou mayest kill and eat flesh in all thy gates, whatsoever thy soul lusteth after, according to the blessing of the LORD thy God which he hath given thee: the unclean and the clean may eat thereof, as of the roebuck, and as of the hart.