Noah
The man God chose to survive the flood in the ark, through whom life was preserved and a covenant made never to flood the earth again.
At a glance
- Name
- Noah
- Type
- Person
- Period
- Old Testament
- Appears in
- The book of Genesis
- First appearance
- Genesis 5
- Known for
- The man who built the ark and survived the flood
Who is Noah?
Noah is the man God chooses to preserve through a great flood. In a generation the text describes as corrupt and violent, Noah is the one who found favor in the eyes of the LORD and is said to have walked with God.
God tells Noah to build an ark and to bring his family and pairs of every kind of animal aboard. The floodwaters cover the earth, and only those in the ark survive. When the waters recede, the ark comes to rest on the mountains, and Noah sends out a raven and then a dove to see whether the ground is dry.
After Noah leaves the ark, God makes a covenant with him and every living creature, promising never again to destroy the earth by flood, and gives the rainbow as its sign.
Noah in the Bible
God commands the ark
Seeing the earth's corruption, God tells Noah to build an ark to survive a coming flood.
Read Genesis 6 →The flood
The floodwaters cover the earth, and only Noah, his family, and the animals in the ark survive.
Read Genesis 7 →The raven and the dove
As the waters recede, Noah sends out a raven and a dove to find dry ground.
Read Genesis 8 →The covenant and the rainbow
God promises never again to flood the earth and gives the rainbow as the sign of his covenant.
Read Genesis 9 →Not to be confused with
- Noah, daughter of Zelophehad A different Noah, one of the five daughters of Zelophehad, is a woman named in Numbers who asks for an inheritance among her father's clan.
Key passages featuring Noah
These are key passages, not a complete list of every appearance.