Land is a significant theme in Genesis 1-11. It plays a prominent role in both blessing and judgment. McKeown summarizes that theme well:

When humans are alienated from God there are significant repercussions, because God uses the land to punish his recalcitrant subjects. Misdemeanors as diverse as eating ‘forbidden’ fruit (Gen 3:17-19), fratricide (Gen 4:10-16) and building a tower without divine approval (Gen 11:5-9) are all punished in relation to land. As a result, the ground is cursed (Gen 3:17-19), thorns and thistles make the ground more difficult to cultivate and less productive (cf. Gen 5:29), human beings must still work the soil but the benefits they receive are greatly reduced (Gen 3:19, 23), and the harmony established at creation is replaced by alienation culminating in the expulsion of the human beings from the idyllic surroundings of the garden of Eden (Gen 3:24). The account of the fratricide perpetrated by Cain shows that crimes such as murder could result in further alienation from the ground and in a total loss of fertility of the ground. The final crime in the primeval narratives is that of the tower builders whose insubordination results in them being scattered over all the earth. In these early stories fertile land is a gift from God and a sign of his blessing while infertility (famine) may be a consequence of divine displeasure.

J. McKeown, “Land, Fertility, Famine,” in Dictionary of the Old Testament: Pentateuch, ed. T. Desmond Alexander and David W. Baker (Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 2003), 488.

The tower of Babel account is the concluding account to the first major section of Genesis.[1] The phrase “all the earth” [כָל־הָאָרֶץ] brackets the account as well as being a motif that recurs throughout (11:1, 4, 8, 9). The account begins with the people of the earth resisting the creation blessing. Instead of filling the earth they are determined to avoid being dispersed.[2] Mankind determines to use its capacity for dominion over the earth to resist God and to build what may be seen as an alternative Eden. The land of Shinar is located between two rivers given the names of two of the rivers that flowed from Eden.[3] After the Fall, mankind had been thrust from Eden, God’s dwelling place with man. But in this account, the people seek to build a tower that reaches into the dwelling place of God.[4] On one level this is absurd. The text makes the point that God has to come down to even see the tower.[5] On the other hand, God notes that the blessing of dominion can be turned to powerful evil if limits are not placed on it. For this reason he confuses the language of the peoples, which results in their scattering over the earth. This scattering could be looked at as a parallel to the exile from Eden and the exile of Cain.[6] Once again in the opening chapters of Genesis exile is the judgment for disobedience. On the other hand, this scattering over the face of the earth is what makes possible the fulfillment of the creation blessing’s promise that mankind will fill the earth.[7]

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[1] For literary connections between 11:1-9 and earlier parts of Genesis, see Mathews, NAC, 1:466-67. The toledoth formula seem to be the major structuring device in Genesis, but the narrowing of focus to the covenant family of Abraham beginning in 11:27 seems to mark a thematic division in Genesis.

[2] Josephus, Antiquities, 1.110; Jeremy Cohen, “Be Fertile and Increase, Fill the Earth and Master It”: The Ancient and Medieval Career of a Biblical Text (Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1989), 69.

[3] Mathews, NAC, 1:467. It plausible, though unknown, if these rivers had the names Tigris and Euphrates at the time of the tower of Babel. The Euphrates, however, did have its name by the time of Abraham, five generations later (15:18).

[4] Wenham, WBC, 242; Mathews, NAC, 1:481-82.

[5] “With heavy irony we now see the tower through God’s eyes. This tower which man thought reached to heaven, God can hardly see! From the height of heaven it seems insignificant, so the Lord must come down to look at it! ‘He sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers’ (Isa 40:22). God’s descent to earth to view the tower is no more proof of the author’s primitive anthropomorphic view of God than is God’s asking Adam and Eve where they were hiding in the garden an indication of his ignorance. It’s is simply a brilliant and dramatic way of expressing the puniness of man’s greatest achievements, when set alongside the creator’s omnipotence.” Wenham, WBC, 1:240; cf. Mathews, NAC, 1:468, 469, 483; Hamilton, NICOT, 1:354.

[6] McKeown, THOTC, 72.

[7] McKeown, THOTC, 72; Mathews, NAC, 1:467.

Genesis 10 demonstrates that the blessing of Genesis 1:26-28 as reaffirmed in Genesis really did come to pass. Noah’s sons were fruitful and multiplied and filled the earth (McKeown, THOTC, 67). The structure of the chapter is built around tracing out the offspring of Noah’s three sons. Each section ends with a refrain that is a variation of: “by their clans, their languages, their lands [אֶ֫רֶץ], and their nations” (10:31; cf. 10:5, 20).

Land words also highlight countries that will be significant in Scripture. The “land [אֶ֫רֶץ] of Shinar” is closely connected to Babel and Assyria (10:10-11). Verse 19 gives the boundaries of the “territory [גְּבוּל] of Canaan.” The word גְּבוּל is can be translated territory or boundary. It occurs most often in Joshua, frequently with reference to the setting of the tribal boundaries in the latter part of that book. The “settlements” [hcsb; מוֹשָׁב] of the sons of Joktan are also noted, but their location is uncertain (Mathews, 1:465).

The final significant land word is found in 10:25: “in his [Peleg’s] days the earth [אֶ֫רֶץ] was divided.” Wenham says, “Here ‘the earth’ denotes the peoples of the world” (WBC, 1:230). This most likely refers to the scattering of the peoples at the tower of Babel.* This hints at what will become clear in chapter 11: the fulfillment of the blessing to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth is not unalloyed from elements of sin and judgment.

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*Other options are noted by Wenahm and Mathews, but this traditional interpretation is deemed by them most likely. Wenham, WBC, 1:230-31; Mathews, NAC, 1:464.

In chapter 9, the text moves from relating God’s speech within his own heart to relating his speech to Noah. The blessing that God first relates is a reiteration of the creation blessing of Genesis 1:28. Verse 1 of chapter 9 is an exact quote of 1:28a except for the alteration of the persons to whom God is speaking. Verse 7 of chapter 9 is similar to 1:28a except for the replacement of וּמִלְאוּ אֶת־הָאָרֶץ (“and fill the earth”) with שִׁרְצוּ בָאָרֶץ (“swarm on the earth”). The word שׁרץ is used in Genesis 1:20, 21 of living creatures that swarmed in the waters and in 7:21 of creatures that swarm on the land. Thus the blessing of being fruitful, multiplying and filling or increasing greatly on the earth is reiterated in 9:1 and 9:7, forming an inclusio (Matthews, NAC, 1:397).

Missing from this quotation of the creation blessing is the phrase “and have dominion over” (1:28).* That aspect of the creation blessing is taken up in 9:2. The phrases in the statement “over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth” from 1:28b or close analogues all appear in 9:2. In place of “and have dominion” (1:28b) are the statements “The fear of you and the dread of you shall be . . .” and “into your hand they are delivered” (9:2b). The concept of dominion is not absent but is placed into the context of the Fall.**

Verse 3 quotes 1:29 and expands on the liberty to eat plants given there. One of the effects of the Fall is the death of animals, and man is now permitted to eat them. Verse 5 then places a limitation on this new liberty—no animal blood may be eaten. The mention of blood raises the issue of the shedding of human blood. The reason given for this is the image of God born by man (1:6).

Thus 9:1-7 is a reaffirmation of the creation blessing in a fallen world. All of the same elements are found in 9:1-7 as are found in 1:26-29: the image of God in man, the blessings of fruitfulness and dominion, and the provision of man’s needs, specifically food, by the creation.

In 9:8-17 God covenants with Noah what he had purposed in 8:21-22. The heart of the covenant is that God will never again destroy the earth with a flood. Great emphasis is placed on the earth in this passage. Animals are identified as being “of the earth” or “on the earth.” The covenant is even said to be made with the earth itself (9:13). The covenant therefore guarantees that the earth will remain a stable place for God to work out his plan of redemption, despite the continuing sinfulness of man which deserves God’s judgment.

Land, important in creation, is reaffirmed as important in 8:20-9:17. It remains the sphere of mankind’s rule. In addition it is the platform on which the plan of redemption is worked out (McKeown, Genesis, THOTC, 61-62).

Genesis 9:26-27 also has land promise implications. Cain will become the servant of Shem when Israel conquers the land of Canaan and makes it her own. Japheth dwelling in the tents of Shem*** could refer to the salvation of the Gentiles and the special role that Israel will have in the coming kingdom. Though there is an equality of all believers in Christ, Israel is given a special role relative to the nations in the future (see Ex 4:22; Dt 26:19; Isa 11:14;14:2;49:22-26; 60:12; Jer 31:7-9).

 

*The LXX adds καὶ κατακυριεύσατε αὐτῆς (“have dominion over it”) to 9:1, using the exact words found in 1:28a. Some interpreters also wish to emend the repetitive וּרְבוּ־בָהּ (“and multiply in it”) at the end of 9:7 to וּרְדוּ־בָהּ (“and rule it”). Jeremy Cohen, "Be Fertile and Increase, Fill the Earth and Master It": The Ancient and Medieval Career of a Biblical Text (Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1989), 26-27. Both the LXX and the emendation reveal a lack of understanding of verse two. See above.

**Some might claim that God is limited dominion in this passage to rule over the animals whereas in Genesis 1 his rule extends to all the earth. It is unlikely that a limitation on the creation blessing is intended here. Furthermore, rule over the animal world alone implies extensive dominion over the earth. Gootjes notes this in his discussion of Klaas Schilder’s view of culture: “The cow has been created; it exists in the created world. But it wanders around freely. Man is given the right to domesticate it and to use its milk. The horse too has been created; it is galloping about in Eden. Man has the right and the ability to catch it, to tame it, to bridle it, and to ride it. Imagine what a development this means to created man. He can go more quickly than he could on his own feet, and he can carry heavier loads. But also imagine how much man has to invent to do this, even in a sinless world. He has to invent the bridle, reins, the wheel and a cart, stables, and fences. All this belongs to having dominion over a horse. Man can also use sheep. They can be shorn, and the wool can be used for making cloth. The dominion over the animals undoubtedly involves a cultural task. Man’s dominion becomes even more impressive when we realize that God also gave mankind dominion over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air. They too have to serve man (after their own fashion). But in order to have dominion over fish and birds, man has to extend his influence to the sea and to the air. He has to develop the means to reach fish and birds. In other words, this dominion requires cultural development.” N. H. Gootjes, "Schilder on Christ and Culture," in Always Obedient: Essays on the Teaching of Dr. Klaas Schilder, ed. J. Geertsema (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R, 1995), 45.

***Scholars disagree over who inhabits Shem’s tents. For an argument in favor of God dwelling in Shem’s tents, see Kaiser, Toward and Old Testament Theology, 82. For an argument in favor of Japheth dwelling in Shem’s tents, see Hamiltion, NICOT, 1:362.

Ground and earth terms recur in verses 1-14 with an emphasis on the need for the ground to dry before disembarkation from the Ark can occur. In verses 15-19 the emphasis is on earth as the place where humans and animals live. The importance of earth in this chapter is as the sphere for living life.

The account of the Noahic covenant begins in Genesis 8:20-22 with Noah’s sacrifice. The sacrifice elicits God’s purpose to covenant with Noah.[1]

In 8:21, God purposes to not again curse the ground (ESV, HCSB, NASB, etc.) or to not add to the curse of Genesis 3:17 (Wenham).[2] This verse cannot be saying that God lifted the curse of Genesis 3:17. Romans 8 teaches that the earth still groans, waiting for its redemption. Obviously painful labor and labor pains persist after the Flood.[3] In addition the ground [אֲדָמָה] referred to here is likely world-wide in reference. Clearly Israel will face ground-related covenant curses in the future.[4]

Given that that God is proposing a real limits on the curse in this verse, and given the canonical confinement to what these limits cannot mean, this verse may teach that God will not keep adding to the curse of Genesis 3:17 on a worldwide scale despite mankind continuing to sin on a worldwide scale.

The immediate context of Genesis lends credence to this understanding. The case of Cain demonstrates that God did curse the ground with a curse that went beyond that given in Genesis 3. The Flood was obviously a curse upon the earth that went beyond the curse given in Eden. Lamech’s comment in 5:28 may indicate that these were not the only instances in which the curse on the earth was intensified. In conjunction with 8:21, 5:29 may hint at a large scale intensification of the curse as human sin spread and intensified.[5] In this understanding, the covenant with Noah brought relief from the intensification of the curse that mankind experienced in the antediluvian world and promises that such intensification will not take place again on a worldwide scale. The advantage of this view is the way it coherently connects 8:21 and 5:29; the disadvantage is the necessity to infer an increase on the Genesis 3:17 curse. An alternative view understands the fulfillment of 5:29 in the preservation of the earth promised in the Noahic covenant which finds its ultimate redemptive fulfillment in the removal of the curse in the redemption of the earth in the last day.

Second, God purposes to never again kill every living thing as he did in the Flood (8:21).

Third, God purposes that the world will be a stable place. The regular seasons and daily cycles will continue. In addition the vocabulary of this verse is packed with vocabulary from Genesis 1.[6] God’s original purposes for his good creation are preserved by the Noahic Covenant.

The reason for this covenant is also made clear in these verses: “for the intention of man’s heart is evil from his youth.” Isaac Backus explains: “The great Ruler of the universe directly after the flood, gave this as one reason why he would not bring such another with the earth remains, namely, For the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; so that if he was to drown them as often as they deserved it, one deluge must follow another continually.”[7]

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[1] Wenham notes that God does truly respond to Noah’s sacrifice in this passage. So in a sense the covenant is a response to the sacrifice. Yet it must also be understood, says Wenham, God appointed sacrifices for this purpose. Wenham, WBC, 1:190. In other words, Noah is not meriting a covenant by his religious observance.

[2] Wenham proposes the translation “I shall not curse the soil any further.” Wenham argues, “It is important to note the position of עוד in this sentence, coming after לקלל to ‘curse,’ not after אסף ‘do again’ as in the parallel clause ‘Never again shall I smite.’ This shows that God is not lifting the curse on the ground pronounced in 3:17 for man’s disobedience, but promising not to add to it.”

[3] Wenham, 1:190; Mathews, 1:394.

[4] In his list of the covenant curses found in the Pentateuch, Douglas Stuart includes the following categories: drought, crop pests, other agricultural disasters, famine, desolation of the land, and exile. He is draws primarily on Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28. For a full listing with verse citations, see Douglas Stuart, Hosea-Jonah, Word Biblical Commentary, ed. Bruce M. Metzger (Nashville: Nelson, 1987), xxxiv-xxxvii.

[5] “Prior to the flood the shedding of innocent blood polluted the ground, decreasing significantly its fertility. In 9:1-7 God issues certain instructions which are intended to prevent the earth from being contaminated in the future. These focus of the ‘lifeblood’ of both animal and humans which must be treated with due respect.” Alexander, From Paradise to Promised Land, 135.

[6] Matthews, NAC, 1:396-97.

[7] Isaac Backus, An Appeal to the Public for Religious Liberty against the Oppressions of the Present Day, 6. Geerhardus Vos explains why there is no contradiction for this statement as a reason for staying future curses while the similar statement in Genesis 6:5 is given as reason for judgment. “Before the deluge almost identical words were spoken by God to motive the necessity of the judgment, 6.5. How can the same statement explain, first, that the judgment is unavoidable, and then that there will be no repetition of the judgment henceforth? The solution of the difficulty lies in the addition of the words ‘from his youth; in the second case. What was described in Gen. 6.5, was the historical culmination of a process of degeneration; that called for judgment. What is here described is the natural state of evil in the human heart as such, altogether apart from historical issues. Because the evil is thus deep-seated, no judgment can cure it. Therefore other means must be resorted to, and these other means would become impossible of execution, if repeated, catastrophic judgments of this nature in the sequel interfered with the ordinary unfolding of history.” Vos, Biblical Theology, 52.

Land words occur in Genesis 7 at a higher percentage per verse than in any other chapter in Genesis.[1] Land words occur in several contexts in the chapter. In several instances God is promising to keep alive earth-creatures by bringing them on the ark: “to keep their offspring alive on the face of all the earth” (7:3); “. . . and of everything that creeps on the ground, tow and two, male and female, went into the ark with Noah (7:8-9); “and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth . . . went into the ark with Noah” (7:14-15). In several other instances the emphasis is on the death of all creatures not in the ark: “and every living thing that I have made I will blot out from the face of the ground” (7:4); “and all flesh died that moved on the earth . . . all swarming creatures that swarm on the earth” (7:21); “everything on the dry land in whose nostrils was the breath of life died” (7:22); “he blotted out every living thing that was on the face of the ground” (7:23); “they were blotted out from the earth” (7:23). Finally, earth is repeatedly the destination of the great flood: “I will send rain on the earth” (7:4); “. . . when the flood of waters came upon the earth” (7:6); “the waters of the flood came upon the earth” (7:9); “and rain fell upon the earth” (7:12); “the flood continued forty days on the earth” (7:17); “the waters increased and bore up the ark, and it rose high above the earth” (7:17); “the waters prevailed so mightily on the earth . . .” (7:18); “and the waters prevailed on the earth” (7:24).

It is clear from these verses that the earth stood at the center of God’s judgment, that the earth-dwellers faced certain death unless they received rescue and life through the ark. The centrality of the earth to this judgment is made clearer by the many echoes back to Genesis 1 in these chapters.[2] In the Flood God is reversing the creation and then recreating his earth. This shows the great extent of the judgment—sin required a recreation. It also shows the depth of sin—even a recreation and washing of the earth with water cannot rid the world of the problem of sin. Finally, it demonstrates the centrality of the earth for God’s purposes. Land plays a large role in the promises of God, and it plays a large role in the judgments of God.

A number of different land words are used in Genesis 7. אֶ֫רֶץ is the most common (14x). אֲדָמָה occurs three times. In verse 4 it is used to recall the curse of Genesis 3:17-19.[3] In 7:23 it is used alongside אָדָם, which may be a literary association designed to highlight that man who came from the ground is returning to the ground.[4] חָרָבָה, which means “dry land” or “dry ground” is used in 7:22 to note that all life on the dry land died in the Flood.

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[1] In terms of straight number of occurrences, only Genesis 1, 41, 47 exceed chapter 7.

[2] Mathews, 1:376; Wenham, 1:182; Sailhamer, 80.

[3] Mathews, 1:373.

[4] Mathews, 1:381.

Land words are significant to this chapter. Verse 1 opens with a recollection of Genesis 1:28.[1] In chapter 1 God declares the blessing: “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth [אֶרֶץ].” In 6:1 we see that God’s blessing is being fulfilled. The setting of the chapter is “when man began to multiply on the face of the land [אֲדָמָה].”[2] And yet the blessing is now seen to be tainted by the fall. The seed blessing is seen to be corrupted in 6:1-4. Verses 5-7 highlight the corruption of the land blessing. It seems that the inspired text could read: “The Lord saw the wickedness of man was great. . . . And the Lord regretted that he had made man. . . . So the Lord said, ‘I will blot out man whom I have created.” But instead we read that the “wickedness of man was great in the earth [אֶרֶץ]” and that “he had made man on the earth [אֶרֶץ]” and that man will be blotted out “from the face of the land [אֲדָמָה].” This emphasis recurs in 6:11-13. Verse 11 resumes the discussion of the sin problem that leads to the Flood after verses 8-10 introduce righteous Noah and his family. The earth leads off the description of the problem: “Now the earth [אֶרֶץ] was corrupt in God’s sight, and the earth [אֶרֶץ] was filled with violence.”[3] There is probably an allusion here to the fact that God intended mankind to fill the earth (1:28); but rather than being filled with humans, the earth is filled with violence,[4] which almost certainly includes murders. It is this violence that corrupts the earth, just as Cain polluted the ground with the blood of Abel.[5] Verse 12 says that “God saw the earth [אֶרֶץ],” which harkens back to God’s sight of his creation in chapter 1 (vv. 10, 12, 18, 21, 25, 31). But now what he sees is not good.[6] He sees corruption, and the rest of the verse explains why: “for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth [אֶרֶץ].” Verse 13 then gives the death sentence, and the reason given for the sentence is an echo of verse 11—“the earth [אֶרֶץ] is filled with violence.” Thus it is not simply that the death sentence will be executed. It will be executed in conjunction with the earth: “I will destroy them with the earth [אֶרֶץ].” Verse 17 and 18 explain that this will happen with “a flood of waters upon the earth [אֶרֶץ]” with the result that everything that is on the earth [אֶרֶץ] shall die.” The earth is at the center of the problem in this chapter (it is corrupted by sin), and it is therefore going to play a large role in the judgment.

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[1] John H. Sailhamer, “Genesis,” in Expositor’s Bible Commentary, vol. 2, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1990), 76; Victor P. Hamilton, The Book of Genesis, ed. R. K. Harrison, New International Commentary on the Old Testament, 1:262; Mathews, 1:322.

[2] It may be that אֲדָמָה is used here instead of אֶרֶץ to indicate the close connection that man has to the ground. That connection will be significant as the passage unfolds. See Wenham, 1:137, 139.

[3] Some think that earth here is “synecdoche” (Leupold, 1:266) or “metonymy” (John Currid, Genesis, EP Study Commentary, 1:184) for “inhabitants of the earth.” However, given the emphasis on the physical earth throughout this chapter, and given the teaching in chapter 4 and later in the Pentateuch that murder pollutes the land, it is better to see the physical earth here as corrupted by the violence of its inhabitants. Mathews, Genesis, New American Commentary1:359-60.

[4] Gordon Wenham, Genesis, Word Biblical Commentary, 1:171.

[5] Mathews, 1:159-60.

[6] Wenham, 1:171.

In Genesis 5:29 Lamech prophesies that Noah will bring relief from agonizing labor that results from cursed ground. This prophecy probably refers to the Noahic covenant. That covenant placed limits on the curse’s effects on the world.

Genesis 8:21 may indicate that God will no longer intensify the curse on the ground as he did with Cain in Genesis 4 and in the Flood itself. This verse may indicate that such intensifications were not limited to these two instances. If so 8:21 may indicate that the Noahic covenant will roll back the intensification of the curse. On this interpretation 8:21 would signal the fulfillment of 5:29.

The Noahic covenant may fulfill the prophecy of 5:29 in a different way. The nature of the Noahic covenant is to set bounds on the curse so that God’s plan of redemption can be worked out in the world. The culmination of the redemption made possible by the Noahic covenant is the removal of the curse. In this way Noah plays a significant role in God’s plan to bring the earth relief from the curse.

These proposals are complementary rather than mutually exclusive.