Of fowls after their kind, and of cattle after their kind, of every creeping thing of the earth after his kind, two of every [sort] shall come unto thee, to keep [them] alive.
20. Of the fowl, &c.] The order in which the animals are here mentioned is deserving of notice; first the fowls, then the cattle, and finally the creeping things. What is the reason of this order? Probably the order of the account of the Creation in chap. 1 is followed, where the creation of the fowls is recorded in Gen 1:20-22, and of the cattle and creeping things in Gen 1:24. The same order is maintained in Gen 1:26.
kind ] The same word as in Gen 1:12 (P).
cattle ] as in Gen 1:24, denoting domestic animals generally. The only group of animals mentioned in Gen 1:21; Gen 1:24, which is here omitted, is “the beast of the earth,” i.e. “the wild beast.” Is this intentional? The LXX adds, after “every creeping thing,” = “and of every wild beast.”
creeping thing ] See note on Gen 1:24. The exact phrase “everything that creepeth upon the ground after its kind” is reproduced from Gen 1:25.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
After their kind, i.e. according to their several kinds. They
shall come unto thee of their own accord, by my impulse, or by the conduct of angels, as Gen 2:19.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
Of fowls after their kind, and of cattle after their kind, of every creeping thing of the earth after his kind,…. What before is generally expressed by “every living thing”, is here particularly explained of every sort of them; and from the order of them some have thought that in the same manner they were disposed of in the ark, the fowls in the first story, the cattle in the next, and the creeping things in the lowermost: but others place them in a different manner, [See comments on Ge 6:16] the roots and grain in the lower story, the living creatures of all sorts in the second, and their hay and litter in the third: the second story being three hundred cubits long, and fifty broad, contained in the whole fifteen thousand cubits, which is supposed to be divided into an hundred and fifty equal rooms; so the Targum of Jonathan on Ge 6:14 of these, four are allowed for Noah and his family, two with earth for those animals that live underground, one for those which live on herbs and roots, and the other for those which live on flesh; and the other one hundred and forty four rooms are divided into three parts, that is, twenty four for birds, twenty five for beasts, and the other ninety five for such animals as are designed to be food for the rest; and according to the calculations of learned men, there appear to have been in this story rooms sufficient for all sorts of birds, beasts, and creeping things k:
two of every sort shall come unto thee, to keep them alive; that is, they shall come of themselves, as Jarchi and Aben Ezra observe, the providence of God so directing and impelling them, just as the creatures came to Adam; so that there was no need for Noah to take any pains by hunting or hawking to get such a number together: the Targum of Jonathan is,
“they shall come unto thee by the hand of an angel, who shall take and cause them to come.”
So says another Jewish l writer, that they were collected by the angels who presided over each species; in which, except the notion of angels presiding over every kind of creature, there is no incongruity, as Bishop Patrick observes; and two of every sort were to come to the ark, to be preserved alive there, that they might propagate their species. So Lucian says m, that swine, and horses, and lions, and serpents, and all other creatures which were on the earth, entered into the ark “by pairs”.
k Vid. Bedford’s Scripture Chronology, c. 12. p. 155. l Pirke Eliezer, c. 23. m De Dea Syria.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Gen 6:20 Of fowls after their kind, and of cattle after their kind, of every creeping thing of the earth after his kind, two of every [sort] shall come unto thee, to keep [them] alive.
Ver. 20. Two of every sort shall come unto thee. ] “For they are all thy servants,” saith David; Psa 119:91 they wait upon thy word. This Noah might make good use of; and did, no doubt. See how sequacious these poor creatures are to God their centurion. If he bid them come, they come; if go, they go. And shall not I obey God, and follow his call, be there never so many lions in my way?
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
of. Samaritan Pentateuch, Targum of Onkelos, The Targum of Jonathan ben Uzziel, Septuagint, and Syriac read “and of”.
earth = ground.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
fowls: Gen 1:20-24, Act 10:11, Act 10:12
two: Gen 1:28, Gen 2:19, Gen 7:8-16, Joh 5:40
Reciprocal: Gen 1:21 – great Gen 1:24 – Let Gen 7:15 – General