Genesis 6:5

NETBible

But the Lord saw 1  that the wickedness of humankind had become great on the earth. Every inclination 2  of the thoughts 3  of their minds 4  was only evil 5  all the time. 6 

NIV ©

The LORD saw how great man’s wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time.

NASB ©

Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

NLT ©

Now the LORD observed the extent of the people’s wickedness, and he saw that all their thoughts were consistently and totally evil.

MSG ©

GOD saw that human evil was out of control. People thought evil, imagined evil--evil, evil, evil from morning to night.

BBE ©

And the Lord saw that the sin of man was great on the earth, and that all the thoughts of his heart were evil.

NRSV ©

The LORD saw that the wickedness of humankind was great in the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of their hearts was only evil continually.

NKJV ©

Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

KJV
And GOD
<03068>
saw
<07200> (8799)
that the wickedness
<07451>
of man
<0120>
[was] great
<07227>
in the earth
<0776>_,
and [that] every imagination
<03336>
of the thoughts
<04284>
of his heart
<03820>
[was] only
<07535>
evil
<07451>
continually
<03117>_.
{every...: or, the whole imagination: the Hebrew word signifieth not only the imagination, but also the purposes and desires} {continually: Heb. every day}
NASB ©
Then the LORD
<3068>
saw
<7200>
that the wickedness
<7463>
of man
<120>
was great
<7227>
on the earth
<776>
, and that every
<3605>
intent
<3336>
of the thoughts
<4284>
of his heart
<3820>
was only
<7534>
evil
<7451>
continually
<3605>
<3117>.
LXXM
idwn
<3708> 
V-AAPNS
de
<1161> 
PRT
kuriov
<2962> 
N-NSM
o
<3588> 
T-NSM
yeov
<2316> 
N-NSM
oti
<3754> 
CONJ
eplhyunyhsan
<4129> 
V-API-3P
ai
<3588> 
T-NPF
kakiai
<2549> 
N-NPF
twn
<3588> 
T-GPM
anyrwpwn
<444> 
N-GPM
epi
<1909> 
PREP
thv
<3588> 
T-GSF
ghv
<1065> 
N-GSF
kai
<2532> 
CONJ
pav
<3956> 
A-NSM
tiv
<5100> 
I-NSM
dianoeitai {V-PMI-3S} en
<1722> 
PREP
th
<3588> 
T-DSF
kardia
<2588> 
N-DSF
autou
<846> 
D-GSM
epimelwv
<1960> 
ADV
epi
<1909> 
PREP
ta
<3588> 
T-APN
ponhra
<4190> 
A-APN
pasav
<3956> 
A-APF
tav
<3588> 
T-APF
hmerav
<2250> 
N-APF
NET [draft] ITL
But the Lord
<03068>
saw
<07200>
that
<03588>
the wickedness
<07451>
of humankind
<0120>
had become great
<07227>
on the earth
<0776>
. Every
<03605>
inclination
<03336>
of the thoughts
<04284>
of their minds
<03820>
was only
<07535>
evil
<07451>
all
<03605>
the time
<03117>
.
HEBREW
Mwyh
<03117>
lk
<03605>
er
<07451>
qr
<07535>
wbl
<03820>
tbsxm
<04284>
ruy
<03336>
lkw
<03605>
Urab
<0776>
Mdah
<0120>
ter
<07451>
hbr
<07227>
yk
<03588>
hwhy
<03068>
aryw (6:5)
<07200>
NETBible

But the Lord saw 1  that the wickedness of humankind had become great on the earth. Every inclination 2  of the thoughts 3  of their minds 4  was only evil 5  all the time. 6 

NET Notes

1 sn The Hebrew verb translated “saw” (רָאָה, ra’ah), used here of God’s evaluation of humankind’s evil deeds, contrasts with God’s evaluation of creative work in Gen 1, when he observed that everything was good.

2 tn The noun יֵצֶר (yetser) is related to the verb יָצָר (yatsar, “to form, to fashion [with a design]”). Here it refers to human plans or intentions (see Gen 8:21; 1 Chr 28:9; 29:18). People had taken their God-given capacities and used them to devise evil. The word יֵצֶר (yetser) became a significant theological term in Rabbinic literature for what might be called the sin nature – the evil inclination (see also R. E. Murphy, “Yeser in the Qumran Literature,” Bib 39 [1958]: 334-44).

3 tn The related verb הָשָׁב (hashav) means “to think, to devise, to reckon.” The noun (here) refers to thoughts or considerations.

4 tn Heb “his heart” (referring to collective “humankind”). The Hebrew term לֵב (lev, “heart”) frequently refers to the seat of one’s thoughts (see BDB 524 s.v. לֵב). In contemporary English this is typically referred to as the “mind.”

5 sn Every inclination of the thoughts of their minds was only evil. There is hardly a stronger statement of the wickedness of the human race than this. Here is the result of falling into the “knowledge of good and evil”: Evil becomes dominant, and the good is ruined by the evil.

6 tn Heb “all the day.”

6 sn The author of Genesis goes out of his way to emphasize the depth of human evil at this time. Note the expressions “every inclination,” “only evil,” and “all the time.”