Get Out of the Box! (Gen 8:16)

The Flood

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¹⁶ Get out of the box! צֵ֖א מִן־הַתֵּבָ֑ה

I guess it is often this way. The original instruction to get into the box was issued to Noah in Gen 6:18–19, and it took more than half of chapter 7 to accomplish it:

^{‎Gen 7:1} YHWH said to Noah, “You and your whole family, get into the box [בֹּֽא־אַתָּ֥ה וְכָל־בֵּיתְךָ֖ אֶל־הַתֵּבָ֑ה]. … ¹⁵ Then they came to Noah, at the box [וַיָּבֹ֥אוּ אֶל־נֹ֖חַ אֶל־הַתֵּבָ֑ה], two of each of all flesh that had a life-spirit in it. ¹⁶ Those that came: a male and a female of all animal life came, as God had commanded him. Then YHWH closed it/him up.

Here is chapter 8, the whole box will be emptied in 10 minutes — just five verses, 15–19, will take care of it all. It’s easier to unpack than to pack!

— you and your wife and your sons and your sons’ wives with you.

אַתָּ֕ה וְאִשְׁתְּךָ֛ וּבָנֶ֥יךָ וּנְשֵֽׁי־בָנֶ֖יךָ אִתָּֽךְ׃

We spoke, way back when, about the “whole family” of v. 1 versus the specific listing of Noah, sons, and wives when they were told to get in and then when they were told to get in again:

^{Gen 6:18} So get into the box, you and your sons and your wife and your sons’ wives with you.

…

^7:1 YHWH said to Noah, “You and your whole family, get into the box.”

What’s occupying the thoughts of (some of) our commentators here in 8:16 is a subtle difference between 6:18 and our verse:

Rashi: This time the men are not grouped together but each with his wife. At this point, they were once again permitted to have sex.

For a responsible opposing viewpoint, we turn to Umberto Cassuto, who says the variation in listing the family members …