Scofield Reference Bible Notes
Genesis 8

Gen 8:2 The fountains also of the deep and the windows of heaven were stopped, and the rain from heaven was restrained;

stopped

Miracles (O.T.). Gen 11:7-9. (Gen 5:24; Jon 2:1-10.)

Gen 8:4 And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat.

seventh month

i.e. October.

Ararat

Literally holy ground, answering to the "heavenly" of Ephesians 2:4-6 for the Church, and to the "new heavens and new earth" for Israel. (Isaiah 65:17-19; 66:22; Revelation 21:1).

Gen 8:5 And the waters decreased continually until the tenth month: in the tenth month, on the first day of the month, were the tops of the mountains seen.

tenth month

i.e. January.

Gen 8:7 And he sent forth a raven, which went forth to and fro, until the waters were dried up from off the earth.

raven

The raven and the dove have been thought to stand for the believer's two natures: the "old man" satisfied with a world under judgment; the "new man" finding satisfaction only in the things of the new creation.

Gen 8:8 Also he sent forth a dove from him, to see if the waters were abated from off the face of the ground;

dove

The raven and the dove have been thought to stand for the believer's two natures: the "old man" satisfied with a world under judgment; the "new man" finding satisfaction only in the things of the new creation.

Gen 8:13 And it came to pass in the six hundredth and first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, the waters were dried up from off the earth: and Noah removed the covering of the ark, and looked, and, behold, the face of the ground was dry.

first month

i.e. April.

Gen 8:14 And in the second month, on the seven and twentieth day of the month, was the earth dried.

second month

i.e. May.

Gen 8:20 And Noah builded an altar unto the LORD; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar.

burnt offerings

Sacrifice (typical). Gen 12:7, 8. (Gen 4:4; Heb 10:18.)

Gen 8:21 And the LORD smelled a sweet savour; and the LORD said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake; for the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done.

The Third Dispensation: Human Government. Under Conscience, as in Innocency, man utterly failed, and the judgment of the Flood marks the end of the second dispensation and the beginning of the third. The declaration of the Noahic Covenant subjects humanity to a new test. Its distinctive feature is the institution, for the first time, of human government—the government of man by man. The highest function of government is the judicial taking of life. All other governmental powers are implied in that. It follows that the third dispensation is distinctively that of human government. Man is responsible to govern the world for God. That responsibility rested upon the whole race, Jew and Gentile, until the failure of Israel under the Palestinian Covenant (Deu 28 - 30:1-10) brought the judgment of the Captivities, when "the times of the Gentiles" (See Scofield Luke 21:24; Revelation 16:14) began, and the government of the world passed exclusively into Gentile hands (Daniel 2:36-45; Luke 21:24; Acts 15:14-17). That both Israel and the Gentiles have governed for self, not God, is sadly apparent. The judgment of the confusion of tongues ended the racial testing; that of the captivities the Jewish; while the Gentile testing will end in the smiting of the Image (Dan 2) and the judgment of the nations (Matthew 25:31-46).

See, for the other six dispensations:

• Innocence (Scofield Genesis 1:28)
• Conscience (Scofield Genesis 3:23)
• Promise (Scofield Genesis 12:1)
• Law (Scofield Exodus 19:8)
• Grace (Scofield John 1:17)
• Kingdom (Scofield Ephesians 1:10)

The Eight Covenants Gen 15:18. (Gen 1:28; Heb 8:10).