Genesis 6 · Verse 18

Genesis 6:18

But with thee will I establish my covenant; and thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons’ wives with thee.
Genesis 6:18, King James Version

Genesis 6:18 in other translations

BSBBut I will establish My covenant with you, and you will enter the ark—you and your sons and your wife and your sons’ wives with you.
WEBBut I will establish my covenant with you. You shall come into the ship, you, your sons, your wife, and your sons’ wives with you.
ASVBut I will establish my covenant with thee; and thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons’ wives with thee.
YLT‘And I have established My covenant with thee, and thou hast come in unto the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy son's wives with thee;
DARBYBut with thee will I establish my covenant; and thou shalt go into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons' wives with thee.
BBEBut with you I will make an agreement; and you will come into the ark, you and your sons and your wife and your sons' wives with you.
WebsterBut with thee will I establish my covenant: and thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons' wives with thee.

What does Genesis 6:18 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Genesis 6:17-22

17-22. And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood--The repetition of the announcement was to establish its certainty (Ge 41:32). Whatever opinion may be entertained as to the operation of natural laws and agencies in the deluge, it was brought on the world by God as a punishment for the enormous wickedness of its inhabitants.

Read the full comment on Genesis 6:17-22 →

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 18 With thee will I establish my covenant - The word ברית berith, from בר bar, to purify or cleanse, signifies properly a purification or purifier, (see on Genesis 15 (note)), because in all covenants made between God and man, sin and sinfulness were ever supposed to be on man's side, and that God could not enter into any covenant or engagement with him without a purifier; hence, in all covenants, a sacrifice was offered for the removal of offenses, and the reconciliation of God to the sinner; and hence the word ברית berith signifies not only a covenant, but also the sacrifice offered on the occasion, Exo 24:8; Psa 50:5; and Jesus Christ, the great atonement and purifier, has the same word for his title, Isa 42:6; Isa 49:8; and Zac 9:11. Almost all nations, in forming alliances, etc., made their covenants or contracts in the same way. A sacrifice was provided, its throat was cut, and its blood poured out before God; then the whole carcass was divided through the spinal marrow from the head to the rump; so as to make exactly two equal parts; these were placed opposite to each other, and the contracting parties passed between them, or entering at opposite ends met in the center, and there took the covenant oath. This is particularly referred to by Jeremiah, Jer 34:18, Jer 34:19, Jer 34:20 : "I will give the men (into the hands of their enemies, Jer 34:20) that have transgressed my covenant, which have not performed the words of the covenant which they made before me, when they cut the calf in twain, and passed between the parts thereof," etc. See also Deu 29:12. A covenant, says Mr. Ainsworth, is a disposition of good things faithfully declared, which God here calls his, as arising from his grace towards Noah (Gen 6:8) and all men; but implying also conditions on man's part, and therefore is called our covenant, Zac 9:11. The apostles call it διαθηκη, a testament or disposition; and it is mixed of the properties both of covenant and testament, as the apostle shows, Heb 9:16, etc., and of both may be named a testamental covenant, whereby the disposing of God's favors and good things to us is declared. The covenant made with Noah signified, on God's part, that he should save Noah and his family from death by the ark. On Noah's part, that he should in faith and obedience make and enter into the ark - Thou shalt come into the ark, etc., so committing himself to God's preservation, Heb 11:7. And under this the covenant or testament of eternal salvation by Christ was also implied, the apostle testifying, 1Pet 3:21, that the antitype, baptism, doth also now save us; for baptism is a seal of our salvation, Mar 16:16. To provide a Savior, and the means of salvation, is God's part: to accept this Savior, laying hold on the hope set before us, is ours. Those who refuse the way and means of salvation must perish; those who accept of the great Covenant Sacrifice cannot perish, but shall have eternal life. See on Gen 15:10 (note), etc.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Genesis 6:12-21

God told Noah his purpose to destroy the wicked world by water. The secret of the Lord is with them that fear him, Psa 25:14. It is with all believers, enabling them to understand and apply the declarations and warnings of the written word. God chose to do it by a flood of waters, which should drown the world. As he chooses the rod with which he corrects his children, so he chooses the sword with which he cuts off…

Read the full comment on Genesis 6:12-21 →

Genesis 6:18 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וַהֲקִמֹתִ֥יva.ha.ki.mo.Tiand I will establishH6965
אֶת\־'et-<obj.>H853
בְּרִיתִ֖יbe.ri.Ticovenant myH1285
אִתָּ֑ךְ'i.Takhwith youH854
וּבָאתָ֙u.va.Taand you will goH935
אֶל\־'el-intoH413
הַתֵּבָ֔הha.te.Vahthe arkH8392
אַתָּ֕ה'a.TahyouH859
וּבָנֶ֛יךָu.va.Nei.khaand sons yourH1121
וְאִשְׁתְּךָ֥ve.'ish.te.Khaand wife yourH802
וּנְשֵֽׁי\־u.ne.shei-and [the] wives ofH802
בָנֶ֖יךָva.Nei.khasons yourH1121
אִתָּֽךְ\׃'i.Takhwith youH854

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Genesis 6:18

  • Hebrews 11:7

    By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.

  • Genesis 7:7

    And Noah went in, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons’ wives with him, into the ark, because of the waters of the flood.

  • Genesis 7:13

    In the selfsame day entered Noah, and Shem, and Ham, and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and Noah’s wife, and the three wives of his sons with them, into the ark;

  • Genesis 17:7

    And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee.

  • Isaiah 26:20

    Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast.

  • 2 Peter 2:5

    And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly;

  • Genesis 7:1

    And the Lord said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation.

  • 1 Peter 3:20

    Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.

  • Genesis 9:9-16

    And I, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after you; And with every living creature that is with you, of the fowl, of the cattle, and of every beast of the earth with you; from all that go out of the ark, to every beast of the earth. And I will establish my covenant with you; neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth. And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: …

  • Genesis 17:21

    But my covenant will I establish with Isaac, which Sarah shall bear unto thee at this set time in the next year.

  • Genesis 17:4

    As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
establish.
9:9,11; 17:4,7,21
come.
7:1,7,13; Isa 26:20; Heb 11:7; 1Pe 3:20; 2Pe 2:5

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Genesis 6:17

    And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and every thing that is in the earth shall die.

  • Genesis 6:18

    But with thee will I establish my covenant; and thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons’ wives with thee.

  • Genesis 6:19

    And of every living thing of all flesh, two of every sort shalt thou bring into the ark, to keep them alive with thee; they shall be male and female.

Read all of Genesis 6

Genesis 6:18 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Mas estableceré mi pacto contigo, y entrarás en el arca tú, y tus hijos y tu mujer, y las mujeres de tus hijos contigo.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Et j’établis mon alliance avec toi, et tu entreras dans l’arche, toi, et tes fils et ta femme et les femmes de tes fils avec toi.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Aber mit dir will ich meinen Bund errichten, und du sollst in die Arche gehen, du und deine Söhne und dein Weib und die Weiber deiner Söhne mit dir.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Ponamque fœdus meum tecum: et ingredieris arcam tu et filii tui, uxor tua, et uxores filiorum tuorum tecum.