Genesis 8:21

The Lord smelled the meat cooking on the altar and he was happy. He said to himself, “People always think the wrong way all their lives, right from the time they are little until they die. But I will never again kill off every living thing like I did this time. I will never curse the earth again for what people do.

Barkly (portions)

In The King James Version

And the LORD smelled a sweet savour; and the LORD said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man’s sake; for the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done.

In Context

20Then Noah got some big stones and made them into a table with a flat top, called an Altar for the Lord. Then he went and found some of the animals and birds that the Lord said were clean. They were the right ones to use to show him respect. He killed the animals, and burned them on the altar to say, “Thank you Lord for keeping us all safe.”

22While the earth is still here, everything will be the same. There will always be day time and night time, and every year there will be a hot weather time and a cold weather time, wet weather time and dry weather time. There will always be a right time to plant seeds for food and a right time to get the food from those plants.”

Read all of Genesis 8

Cross References

Genesis 4:12And if you try to grow plants in the ground, nothing will grow for you. You will always go from place to place, and you will never settle down anywhere.”

Genesis 6:5The Lord looked at the people on the earth and saw that they were getting worse and worse. They were always thinking the wrong way and working out ways to do bad things all the time.

Genesis 9:11This is my promise. I will never again send a flood that kills everything.”

Matthew Henry on Genesis 8:21-22

Noah's Sacrifice. ( b. c. 2348.) 20 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. 21 And the Lord smelled a sweet savour; and the Lord said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake; for the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done. 22 While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer… Read the whole commentary →

This Verse In Other Editions

Study Genesis 8:21