The word translated `corrupt' in Gen. 6: 11 and 12, and the word translated `destroy'

in Gen. 6: 17 is the Hebrew shachath. "The only remedy was to destroy it (de facto) as

it had become destroyed (de jure)" (Companion Bible). At the time of the sounding of

the seventh angel, the wheel has come full circle, "As it was in the days of Noah" and

we read that the time had come to "destroy them which destroy (or corrupt) the earth"

(Rev. 11: 18).

Standing separate and almost alone in the midst of well nigh universal corruption

was the man Noah. It is not without significance that the name Noah is derived from the

self same Hebrew word translated `repent'. The Hebrew word is nacham and is found

for the first time in Scripture in the words of Lamech "this same shall comfort us"

(Gen. 5: 29) and refers to the Ark and the Flood. The next occurrence of nacham is in

Gen. 6: 6 where it is written `it repented the Lord'. The reason why this one Hebrew

word can have such opposite meanings is that primarily nacham means `a change of mind

or affection' and obviously the mind may change sometimes in one way, sometimes in

another. God changed His mind regarding mankind as a whole and destroyed them; He

changed His mind about Noah in particular and saved him.

What constituted the essential difference between Noah and the rest of mankind?

We shall find upon examining  the testimony of Israel that they are denounced as

wicked, corrupt and evil, yet even though enemies because of the gospel, they are

beloved because of the fathers `for the gifts and calling of God are without repentance"

(Rom. 11: 29). Israel, for all their sins were the chosen seed, and so will be saved. Even

after the Flood, the words are written "I will not again curse the ground any more for

man's sake; although (Heb. ki) the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth"

(Gen. 8: 21). What was it, therefore, that the Lord saw in the generation before the

flood that demanded total destruction? It was the corrupting of the seed, and it is the

separation of Noah from this corruption that marks him out in Gen. 6:, not simply that

he was not so sinful:

Noah, like Enoch `walked with God', but this was not all, Noah found `grace', the first

to so find in all Scripture, but moreover Noah was `perfect in his generations'. As the

word `generations' occurs twice in this passage let us note that the first word is a

translation of toledoth `family history' and can read either forward or backward, can

speak of either one's ancestors or of one's descendants, but the second word is a

translation of the Hebrew dor which refers to Noah's contemporaries, the men living at

the same time as himself. With regard to his contemporaries Noah was `perfect'. This

word, which translates the Hebrew tamim means `without blemish' and primarily refers

to physical, not moral perfection. It is in constant use to describe the blemishless

character of a sacrificial animal (Exod. 12: 5; Lev. 1: 3).

Job was described as `perfect' as well as upright (Job 1: 1, 8; 2: 3), and Jacob is

described as a `plain' man (Gen. 25: 27), using the same word as is employed in Job and

`undefiled' is the translation of the word in Song of Solomon 5: 2.  The testimony of