Genesis 7:13 · Bible study
Genesis 7:13 Commentary: Entering the Ark on That Very Day
Hebrew · 7 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Why does the Bible stress that Noah entered the ark on the selfsame day? A study of divine timing, obedience, and the significance of the exact date.
Research Summary
- Meaning: On the exact day appointed, Noah and his family entered the ark, completing their obedience and beginning the flood.
- Key words: bəʿeṣem (bone/substance) + hayyôm hazzeh (this day), emphasizes the precise core of the date.
- Main debate: Whether the “seven days” of J (7:4,10) conflict with the “selfsame day” of P, or whether they complement each other (the seventh day of the warning = the day of entrance).
- Theological theme: Divine timing; the intersection of God’s command, human obedience, and the onset of judgment and salvation.
- Best use: Preaching on obedience to God’s schedule; teaching that God’s promises and threats come to pass exactly when he says.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
On that very day Noah entered the ark, along with his sons Shem, Ham, and Japheth, and his wife, and the three wives of his sons—
WEB World English Bible 2000
In the same day Noah, and Shem, Ham, and Japheth—the sons of Noah—and Noah’s wife and the three wives of his sons with them, entered into the ship—
KJV King James Version 1769
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;
ASV American Standard Version 1901
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;
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
In this self-same day went in Noah, and Shem, and Ham, and Japheth, sons of Noah, and Noah's wife and the three wives of his sons with them, unto the ark;
Darby Darby Bible 1890
On the same day went 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;
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
In the selfsame day Noe, and Sem, and Cham, and Japheth, his sons: his wife, and the three wives of his sons with them, went into the ark.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
En este mismo día entró Noé, y Sem y Châm y Japhet, hijos de Noé, la mujer de Noé, y las tres mujeres de sus hijos con él en el arca;
Neste mesmo dia entrou Noé, e Sem, e Cam e Jafé, filhos de Noé, a mulher de Noé, e as três mulheres de seus filhos com ele na arca;
Ce même jour entrèrent dans l’ arche Noé, Sem, Cham et Japhet, fils de Noé, la femme de Noé et les trois femmes de ses fils avec eux:
Eben am selben Tage ging Noah in den Kasten mit Sem, Ham und Japheth, seinen Söhnen, und mit seinem Weibe und seiner Söhne drei Weibern,
Even op dienzelfden dag ging Noach, en Sem, en Cham, en Jafeth, Noachs zonen, desgelijks ook Noachs huisvrouw, en de drie vrouwen zijner zonen met hem in de ark;
In quello stesso giorno, Noè, Sem, Cam e Jafet, figliuoli di Noè, la moglie di Noè e le tre mogli dei suoi figliuoli con loro, entrarono nell’arca:
Onegoż dnia wszedł Noe i Sem i Cham i Jafet, synowie Noego, i żona Noego, i trzy żony synów jego z nim do korabia.
В сей самый день вошел в ковчег Ной, и Сим, Хам и Иафет, сыновья Ноевы, и жена Ноева, и три жены сынов его с ними.
正當 那 日，挪亞 和 他 三個兒子 閃、含、雅弗，並挪亞 的妻子 和三個 兒 婦，都進 入 方舟。
On the same day Noah, with Shem, Ham, and Japheth, his sons, and his wife and his sons' wives, went into the ark;
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Genesis 7:13
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators across traditions agree that the repeated emphasis on “the selfsame day” underscores the precise fulfillment of God’s command and the onset of judgment. Barnes notes the “simple grandeur” of the threefold description of the entrance, first in the command, then in the seven-day process, and finally in the completed act. Calvin argues the repetition is deliberate: the Spirit wants to fix our minds on a judgment too terrible for words, and to help us believe an event that strains credibility. The Cambridge Bible observes that the phrase “selfsame day” (Hebrew bəʿeṣem hayyôm hazzeh) is a distinctive marker of the Priestly source, appearing also in Genesis 17:23, 26 and Exodus 12:17. It binds the entrance to the date of the flood’s outbreak (Gen 7:11). Thus the verse teaches that Noah’s obedience was not just an action but a response at God’s appointed time, neither earlier nor later.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Low
What is clear: The verse plainly records that on the day God had appointed, Noah and his entire family entered the ark, and this entrance coincided with the beginning of the flood.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Histori city of the global flood | Christians across traditions affirm that the flood was a real, historical event sent by God in judgment. | Some read Genesis as describing a global flood covering the entire earth; others see a regional flood that destroyed all known civilization. Both views affirm the theological message of judgment and salvation. |
| The meaning of 'selfsame day' | All agree the phrase indicates literal, punctual time: Noah entered on the very day God appointed. | There is no significant debate on this phrase; it is universally read as emphasizing exact fulfillment. |
| Relationship between J and P accounts | The Bible presents one coherent account of the flood, with complementary details. | Conservative scholars see Moses as the author weaving sources together harmoniously. Source critics see the 'selfsame day' as a separate tradition that omits the seven-day interval, but both sides agree the final text presents a unified chronology. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Genesis 7 shows Noah entering the ark at age 600, on the seventeenth day of the second month (7:11). The Hebrew construction bəʿeṣem uses the word for “bone” (ʿeṣem), meaning the very substance or essence of the day, not just “on that day” but on its exact core. The ark (tēvâ) is the same word used for the basket that saved baby Moses, linking God’s saving vessel across the scriptures.
The flood narrative weaves together two traditional sources: the “J” source mentions a seven‑day warning before the rain (7:4, 10), while the “P” source gives the precise date and the selfsame‑day formula. This verse, from P, presumes the entrance is simultaneous with the breaking open of the fountains of the deep. The repetition of the list of names, Noah, his sons, his wife, and his sons’ wives, emphasizes that all eight persons entered together. The LXX and Peshitto read “with him” instead of “with them,” but the Hebrew text stresses the collective action: the wives entered with them, the men.
Ancient Near Eastern flood stories (e.g., the Gilgamesh Epic) also describe a boat and a family, but Genesis uniquely ties the event to a specific calendar date and a covenant‑making God. The “same day” language echoes the creation week (Gen 1:5, “evening and morning were one day”) and patterns God’s work of judgment and new beginning with the same order as creation.
Textual Notes
The Hebrew text of Genesis 7:13 is stable across major manuscripts. A minor variation appears in the Septuagint (LXX) and Peshitta (Syriac), which read “with him” (singular) instead of the Masoretic “with them” (plural) for the phrase describing the wives’ entrance. The LXX likely harmonized to the singular “him” as in 8:16, where Noah and his family leave the ark. The Masoretic reading is well supported and fits the context: the wives enter with the men, emphasizing the group as a whole. No other variants of significance are noted in the consulted sources.
Reception History
From the early church onward, this verse has been read as the climactic moment of Noah’s faith. Irenaeus of Lyons (2nd century) saw Noah’s entrance as a type of Christ gathering his church into salvation. Augustine in The City of God used the ark to prefigure the church, where people of all kinds are saved together within its walls. Matthew Henry calls the repeated description a “new creation,” linking the preservation of the original kinds to God’s creative work. Reformers like Calvin stressed the repetition as a divinely‑willed aid to faith in the flood’s reality. In hymnody, the entrance has been sung as a moment of refuge (“The Lord Shut Him In” by Philip Doddridge). The selfsame day remains for many a reminder that God’s judgments and deliverances meet on the calendar of his choosing.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- The precision of God’s command, God did not say “eventually” but “on that very day.” Noah’s obedience was punctual, not delayed.
- The completeness of the family, Eight people, three generations, entering together. Salvation in the ark was a household affair, yet each person chose to follow Noah.
- The finality of the door, While this verse does not mention God shutting the door (that comes in v.16), the entrance on the selfsame day anticipates that closure. Once the date arrived, the opportunity to enter ended.
Five-point outline
- God appoints a time (the seventeenth day of the second month).
- Noah trusts that time and acts when it comes.
- The family enters together, unity in obedience.
- The animals also enter, showing that all life depends on God’s timing.
- The day is recorded for future generations as a mark of both judgment and grace.
Illustration hooks
- A family preparing for a hurricane: they board up windows, but the final decision to evacuate must happen before a specific hour. Noah’s “selfsame day” is that hour.
- A student who knows an exam date: the student can study any time, but the test will happen on a fixed day. Noah obeyed God’s schedule, not his own.
- A couple’s wedding day: they have been planning for months, but the ceremony itself happens on one appointed day. The ark entrance was that kind of moment.
Questions your congregation is asking
- What if Noah had not finished building the ark in time? The text does not focus on last‑minute work; it focuses on God’s command and Noah’s completed obedience.
- Does this verse contradict the seven‑day warning in 7:4 and 7:10? No; the seven‑day warning prepared Noah, and the entrance occurred on the final day of that week, which was also the day the flood began.
- Why are the wives not named? The Bible often leaves names unstated; the focus is on their inclusion through the household unit, not their individual identities.
Leading a Discussion
This verse records the moment when Noah’s years of building and preaching gave way to action. The phrase “selfsame day” is the hinge between waiting and entering. In your group, walk through how God’s timing can feel different from our own, and what it means to trust that his appointed day is right.
Discussion questions
- Read Genesis 7:13 alongside Genesis 6:18 and 7:1. What do these verses reveal about God’s plan and Noah’s response?
- The word translated “selfsame” uses the Hebrew word for “bone.” Why would the writer choose that image to describe this day?
- Why does the text list every family member individually? What does that say about God’s care for persons, not just a mass of people?
- How does the entrance into the ark relate to Christ’s words in John 10:9, “I am the door”? In what ways does Noah’s ark point forward to salvation in Jesus?
- The flood began on this same day. How does God’s judgment and mercy meet at this date? Is it possible to have one without the other?
- What “selfsame day” might God be calling you to act on right now, something you have known to do but have put off?
- How does the story of Noah help you trust God’s timing when you do not see the flood coming or when you are still building the ark?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Genesis 5:32 | Noah was five hundred years old, then Noah became the father of Shem, Ham, and Japheth. |
| Genesis 6:10 | Noah became the father of three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth. |
| Genesis 6:18 | But I will establish my covenant with you. You shall come into the ship, you, your sons, your wife, and your sons’ wives with you. |
| Genesis 7:1 | Yahweh said to Noah, “Come with all of your household into the ship, for I have seen your righteousness before me in this generation. |
| Genesis 7:7 | Noah went into the ship with his sons, his wife, and his sons’ wives, because of the floodwaters. |
| Genesis 7:9 | went by pairs to Noah into the ship, male and female, as God commanded Noah. |
| Genesis 9:18 | The sons of Noah who went out from the ship were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Ham is the father of Canaan. |
| Genesis 9:19 | These three were the sons of Noah, and from these the whole earth was populated. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
7 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes sees the flood as caused mainly by the land sinking and the "fountains of the great deep" breaking open, with the forty days of rain being only a secondary factor. He calls any question about how the Lord literally shut Noah into the ark an idle and unworthy speculation.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin notes that Moses repeats details about the animals entering the ark not by accident but to help readers believe an event so extraordinary. He stresses that each species was drawn by God's own hand, not by chance or Noah's effort, to preserve them from the flood. This shows God's direct involvement in the preservation of life.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The commentary highlights the Priestly source’s use of “selfsame day” to mark the Flood’s start as coinciding exactly with Noah entering the ark. This phrasing is a characteristic stylistic marker of that specific biblical tradition, distinguishing it from other accounts that mention a seven-day interval before the catastrophe began.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva note draws attention to the precise time and complete list of those who entered: Noah, his wife, their three sons, and each son's wife. The focus is on the exactness of "the selfsame day" and the naming of every individual, underscoring that all eight persons entered together as God had commanded.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill highlights that Scripture records the names of Noah and his three sons but leaves the wife and daughters-in-law unnamed, identifying them only by their family roles. He then surveys a range of Jewish, Arabic, and other ancient traditions that supply legendary names for these women.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange highlights the specific contrast between the divine names in this verse: Elohim gives instructions about the animals for preserving creation, but Jehovah, the covenant God, personally shuts Noah inside the ark. This act both secures Noah's salvation and seals the fate of the condemned world.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry emphasizes that the detailed repetition of this scene honors Noah’s faith and deliberately echoes the creation account, presenting the ark’s preservation