Genesis 8:8-12

Context

8:8 Then Noah¹ sent out a dove² to see if the waters had receded³ from the surface of the ground. 8:9 The dove could not find a resting place for its feet because water still covered⁴ the surface of the entire earth, and so it returned to Noah⁵ in the ark. He stretched out his hand, took the dove,⁶ and brought it back into the ark.⁷ 8:10 He waited seven more days and then sent out the dove again from the ark. 8:11 When⁸ the dove returned to him in the evening, there was⁹ a freshly plucked olive leaf in its beak! Noah knew that the waters had receded from the earth. 8:12 He waited another seven days and sent the dove out again,¹⁰ but it did not return to him this time.¹¹

[8:8] ¹tn Heb “he”; the referent (Noah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[8:8] ²tn The Hebrew text adds “from him.” This has not been translated for stylistic reasons, because it is redundant in English.

[8:8] ³tn The Hebrew verb קָלָל (qalal) normally means “to be light, to be slight”; it refers here to the waters receding.

[8:9] ⁴tn The words “still covered” is supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[8:9] ⁵tn Heb “him”; the referent (Noah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[8:9] ⁶tn Heb “it”; the referent (the dove) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[8:9] ⁷tn Heb “and he brought it to himself to the ark.”

[8:11] ⁸tn The clause introduced by vav (ו) consecutive is translated as a temporal clause subordinated to the following clause.

[8:11] ⁹tn The deictic particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) draws attention to the olive leaf. It invites readers to enter into the story, as it were, and look at the olive leaf with their own eyes.

[8:12] ¹⁰tn The word “again” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[8:12] ¹¹tn Heb “it did not again return to him still.” For a study of this section of the flood narrative, see W. O. E. Oesterley, “The Dove with the Olive Leaf (Gen VIII 8–11),” ExpTim 18 (1906/07): 377-78.