Genesis 8 · Verse 20

Genesis 8:20

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.
Genesis 8:20, King James Version

Genesis 8:20 in other translations

BSBThen Noah built an altar to the LORD. And taking from every kind of clean animal and clean bird, he offered burnt offerings on the altar.
WEBNoah built an altar to the LORD, and took of every clean animal, and of every clean bird, and offered burnt offerings on the altar.
ASVAnd Noah builded an altar unto Jehovah, and took of every clean beast, and of every clean bird, and offered burnt-offerings on the altar.
YLTAnd Noah buildeth an altar to Jehovah, and taketh of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and causeth burnt-offerings to ascend on the altar;
DARBYAnd Noah built an altar to Jehovah; and took of every clean animal, and of all clean fowl, and offered up burnt-offerings on the altar.
BBEAnd Noah made an altar to the Lord, and from every clean beast and bird he made burned offerings on the altar.
WebsterAnd Noah built an altar to the LORD, and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt-offerings on the altar.

What does Genesis 8:20 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
20. Noah builded an altar--literally, "a high place"--probably a mound of earth, on which a sacrifice was offered. There is something exceedingly beautiful and interesting to know that the first care of this devout patriarch was to return thanks for the signal instance of mercy and goodness which he and his family had experienced. took of every clean beast ... fowl--For so unparalleled a deliverance, a special acknowledgment was due.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 20 Noah builded an altar - As we have already seen that Adam, Cain, and Abel, offered sacrifices, there can be no doubt that they had altars on which they offered them; but this, builded by Noah, is certainly the first on record. It is worthy of remark that, as the old world began with sacrifice, so also did the new. Religion or the proper mode of worshipping the Divine Being, is the invention or institution of God himself; and sacrifice, in the act and design, is the essence of religion. Without sacrifice, actually offered or implied, there never was, there never can be, any religion. Even in the heavens, a lamb is represented before the throne of God as newly slain, Rev 5:6, Rev 5:12, Rev 5:13. The design of sacrificing is two-fold: the slaying and burning of the victim point out, 1st, that the life of the sinner is forfeited to Divine justice; 2dly, that his soul deserves the fire of perdition. The Jews have a tradition that the place where Noah built his altar was the same in which the altar stood which was built by Adam, and used by Cain and Abel, and the same spot on which Abraham afterwards offered up his son Isaac. The word מזבח mizbach, which we render altar, signifies properly a place for sacrifice, as the root זבח zabach signifies simply to slay. Altar comes from the Latin altus, high or elevated, because places for sacrifice were generally either raised very high or built on the tops of hills and mountains; hence they are called high places in the Scriptures; but such were chiefly used for idolatrous purposes. Burnt-offerings - See the meaning of every kind of offering and sacrifice largely explained on Leviticus 7:1-38.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Genesis 8:20-22
Noah was now gone out into a desolate world, where, one might have thought, his first care would have been to build a house for himself, but he begins with an alter for God. He begins well, that begins with God. Though Noah's stock of cattle was small, and that saved at great care and pains, yet he did not grudge to serve God out of it. Serving God with our little is the way to make it more; we must never think that is wasted with which God is honoured. The first thing done in the new world was an act of worship. We are now to express our thankfulness, not by burnt-offerings, but by praise, and pious devotions and conversation. God was well pleased with what was done. But the burning flesh could no more please God, than the blood of bulls and goats, except as typical of the sacrifice of Christ, and expressing Noah's humble faith and devotedness to God. The flood washed away the race of wicked men, but it did not remove sin from man's nature, who being conceived and born in sin, thinks, devises, and loves wickedness, even from his youth, and that as much since the flood as before. But God graciously declared he never would drown the world again. While the earth remains, and man upon it, there shall be summer and winter. It is plain that this earth is not to remain always. It, and all the works in it, must shortly be burned up; and we look for new heavens and a new earth, when all these things shall be dissolved. But as long as it does remain, God's providence will cause the course of times and seasons to go on, and makes each to know its place. And on this word we depend, that thus it shall be. We see God's promises to the creatures made good, and may infer that his promises to all believers shall be so.

Matthew Henry, 1706 · public domain

Genesis 8:20 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.

וַיִּ֥בֶןvai.Yi.venand he builtH1129
נֹ֛חַNo.achNoahH5146
מִזְבֵּ֖חַmiz.Be.achan altarH4196
לַֽיהוָ֑הla.Yah.wehto YahwehH3068
וַיִּקַּ֞חvai.yi.Kachand he tookH3947
מִכֹּ֣ל\׀mi.Kolsome of allH3605
הַבְּהֵמָ֣הha.be.he.Mahthe livestockH929
הַטְּהוֹרָ֗הha.te.ho.Rah<the> cleanH2889
וּמִכֹּל֙u.mi.Koland some of everyH3605
הָע֣וֹףha.'of<the> birdH5775
הַטָּהֹ֔רha.ta.Hor<the> cleanH2889
וַיַּ֥עַלvai.Ya.'aland he offered upH5927
עֹלֹ֖ת'o.Lotburnt offeringsH5930
בַּמִּזְבֵּֽחַ\׃ba.miz.Be.achon the altarH4196

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

Cross references for Genesis 8:20

  • Hebrews 13:15-16

    By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name. But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.

  • Romans 12:1

    I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

  • Genesis 22:9

    And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood.

  • Genesis 12:7-8

    And the Lord appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the Lord, who appeared unto him. And he removed from thence unto a mountain on the east of Beth–el, and pitched his tent, having Beth–el on the west, and Hai on the east: and there he builded an altar unto the Lord, and called upon the name of the Lord.

  • Leviticus 11:1-47

    And the Lord spake unto Moses and to Aaron, saying unto them, Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, These are the beasts which ye shall eat among all the beasts that are on the earth. Whatsoever parteth the hoof, and is clovenfooted, and cheweth the cud, among the beasts, that shall ye eat. Nevertheless these shall ye not eat of them that chew the cud, or of them that divide the hoof: as the camel, because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not the hoof; he is unclean unto you. …

  • 1 Peter 2:9

    But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:

  • Genesis 26:25

    And he builded an altar there, and called upon the name of the Lord, and pitched his tent there: and there Isaac’s servants digged a well.

  • Exodus 24:4-8

    And Moses wrote all the words of the Lord, and rose up early in the morning, and builded an altar under the hill, and twelve pillars, according to the twelve tribes of Israel. And he sent young men of the children of Israel, which offered burnt offerings, and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen unto the Lord. And Moses took half of the blood, and put it in basons; and half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar. And he took the book of the covenant, and read in the audience of the people: and they said, All that the Lord hath said will we do, and be obedient. …

  • Genesis 35:7

    And he built there an altar, and called the place El–beth–el: because there God appeared unto him, when he fled from the face of his brother.

  • Genesis 35:1

    And God said unto Jacob, Arise, go up to Beth–el, and dwell there: and make there an altar unto God, that appeared unto thee when thou fleddest from the face of Esau thy brother.

  • 1 Peter 2:5

    Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.

  • Hebrews 13:10

    We have an altar, whereof they have no right to eat which serve the tabernacle.

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

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
builded.
4:4; 12:7,8; 13:4; 22:9; 26:25; 33:20; 35:1,7; Ex 20:24,25; 24:4-8
Ro 12:1; Heb 13:10,15,16; 1Pe 2:5,9
clean beast.
7:2; Le 11:1-47
burnt.
Le 1:1-17

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

Context

  • Genesis 8:19

    Every beast, every creeping thing, and every fowl, and whatsoever creepeth upon the earth, after their kinds, went forth out of the ark.

  • Genesis 8:20

    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.

  • Genesis 8:21

    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.

Read all of Genesis 8

Genesis 8:20 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Y edificó Noé un altar á Jehová, y tomó de todo animal limpio y de toda ave limpia, y ofreció holocausto en el altar.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Et Noé bâtit un autel à l’ Éternel, et prit de toute bête pure et de tout oiseau pur, et offrit des holocaustes sur l’autel.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Und Noah baute Jehova einen Altar; und er nahm von allem reinen Vieh und von allem reinen Gevögel und opferte Brandopfer auf dem Altar.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Ædificavit autem Noë altare Domino: et tollens de cunctis pecoribus et volucribus mundis, obtulit holocausta super altare.