Genesis 9:20

"Noah, a man of the soil, proceeded to plant a vineyard."  Genesis 9:20

Noah's work was not over when he came out of the ark.  He decided to become a gardener and grow a vineyard.  This translation makes it sound as if Noah was always a planter, but the qBible translates this to be that Noah became a gardener.  You're never too old to start a fresh.

Genesis 9:19

"These were the three sons of Noah, and from them came the people who were scattered over the earth."  Genesis 9:19

All of the people across this globe, came from these three men, the sons on Noah.  From the ark, they came out and spread across the earth.

Genesis 9:18

The sons of Noah who came out of the ark were Shem, Ham, and Japheth.  (Ham was the father of Canaan.)  Genesis 9:18

All of the sons that Noah brought into the ark with, came out with him.  God kept them all safe in the ark while the floodwaters raged the outside world.  If we answer God's call, he will carry us through the storms of life, safely to the other side to see the promised salvation.

Genesis 9:17

So God said to Noah, "This is the sign of the covenant I have established between me and all life on the earth."  Genesis 9:17

God is reiterating his words in the previous verses, the rainbow in the sky is the sign of his promise to never destroy all life on Earth with flood waters.  Whenever we look up in the sky and see a rainbow, we can be sure that God remembers us.

Genesis 9:16

"Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth."  Genesis 9:16

Here he is pointing out that this promise from God is everlasting.  He didn't say "I won't destroy all life by flood for the next 10 years or even for the next millennia," but he promised that he would never again destroy all life by flood.

When God says "I will see it," the Qbible translates this as "I will look at it."  So he's not going to just notice it out of the corner of his eye as an after thought, but he's going to actively look at the rainbow and remember his promise.  God will actively remember and keep his promises.

Genesis 9:14-15

"Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind.  Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life."  Genesis 9:14-15

In the previous verses God told Noah that he was making a promise to mankind and all the creatures and all the future generations, and now he is telling what that pledge is - he will never again destroy all living creatures and people with flood waters.  The rainbow in the sky reminds both us and God of his promise.  And this is a promise he has kept, no matter how displeasing we are or how much our world rejects him, God has not brought forth another flood.

Genesis 9:12-13

 "And God said, 'This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come:  I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth.'"  Genesis 9:12-13

Now that God has made his pledge to Noah and his descendants and all the living land creatures, not to destroy the whole world by flood again, he is putting up a sign as a reminder.  Every time we see a rainbow, we know that God promised us.  And he has kept that promise - never since then has there been a global flood that wiped out all life on the land.

Genesis 9:11

 "I establish my covenant with you:  Never again will all life be cut off by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth."  Genesis 9:11

God is promising this to all the creatures of the earth and all the future creatures to come.  There will never be another flood that will destroy all life on the land.  God did not just make this promise to Noah and his family, but to all the animals too!  Even though they were not made in his image like man was, he still loves and cares for each animal.  No matter how bad mankind might get again, he's promising the animals that he won't wipe the earth clean with another global flood.

Genesis 9:8-10

 Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him:  "I now establish my covenant with you and with your descendants after you and with every living creature that was with you - the birds, the livestock and all the wild animals, all those that came out of the ark with you - every living creature on earth."  Genesis 9:8-10

The first seven verses of the chapter started as God giving a blessing to Noah and his sons.  Now in verse 8, God is speaking to them and establishing his covenant with them and all the living creatures on the earth.  So the first seven verses were just for mankind and now this covenant is for all creatures on the earth, not just the men.

Genesis 9:7

"As for you, be fruitful and increase in number; multiply on the earth and increase upon it."  Genesis 9:7

Here, God is echoing the same instructions he gave Adam and Eve in Genesis 1:28 when he first created mankind and blessed them with life.  He wants humans to thrive and expand.  Despite his earlier punishment, God still loves mankind and wants good for us.

BibleRef points out that this is following God's harsh stance against killing.  Not only are humans made in his image (as reiterated in verse 6), but he wants to stop the kinds of violence that ruined the world before the flood.

He's not still holding a grudge, saying "Okay, you survived my punishment, but lets see if you make the final cut."  No, God is telling them that they have a fresh start, the world's slate has been wiped clean, now go forth and live.  In the same way, we make mistakes and sin.  Then we repent and ask for forgiveness and God (through Jesus's sacrifice on the cross), gives us that forgiveness.  Our slate is wiped clean, now go forth and live.

Genesis 9:6

“Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made man.”  Genesis 9:6

God has granted men the right to kill and eat from the animals in verse 5, but now here in verse 6 he's commanding that people not kill other people.  The reason is because in someway we were made in his image.  Does that mean physically?  Or is that more about spiritually or mentally?  Or maybe it is a combination of all of the above?  Whatever the case, there is something different about us then all the other creatures on this planet with us - something that makes us resemble God.

Lord, God, may I be a worthy likeness of you.  Amen.

Genesis 9:5

"And for your lifeblood I will surely demand an accounting.  I will demand an accounting from every animal.  And from each man, too, I will demand an accounting for the life of his fellow man."  Genesis 9:5

 

Not only should mankind not eat any animal's blood, but there will be an accounting demanded of any animal or man that spills the blood of any man.  That means even the animals will be held accountable for killing a human.  What does that accounting look like?  Is this something that will be seen in this life or will it be seen to in the afterlife?  Whatever the difference is between mankind and animals, we can be comforted in knowing that God treasures each of our lives.

Genesis 9:4

"But you must not eat meat that has its lifeblood still in it."  Genesis 9:4

There is a stipulation to God's permission to eat meat - the meat must not have the blood in it.  The Hebrew can also be translated to read, "But you must not eat meat that has its life, that is the blood, still in it."  The wording also seems to explain why we shouldn't eat the blood, the blood has the life in it and life is sacred.