◄ Genesis 8:10 ►
Noah waited seven more days and again sent out the dove from the ark.
Study Bible
Noah waited seven more days
The phrase highlights Noah's patience and obedience to God's timing. The number seven in Hebrew culture often symbolizes completeness or perfection, reflecting God's creation week. Noah's waiting period signifies a complete cycle, suggesting a divine orchestration in the unfolding events. This patience is a model for believers, emphasizing trust in God's perfect timing and the importance of waiting on the Lord.

and again sent out the dove
The dove is a symbol of peace and the Holy Spirit in Christian theology. In the context of Genesis, the dove represents hope and the search for new beginnings. Noah's action of sending the dove again indicates perseverance and faith in God's promise to renew the earth. The dove's mission is to find evidence of life and restoration, paralleling the believer's journey to seek signs of God's presence and renewal in their lives.

from the ark
The ark is a symbol of God's salvation and protection. It represents a place of refuge amidst judgment, akin to Christ's role as the Savior. Noah's sending of the dove from the ark signifies a transition from judgment to grace, from confinement to freedom. The ark's role in the narrative underscores the theme of divine deliverance and the hope of a new beginning, encouraging believers to trust in God's provision and protection through life's storms.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Noah
A righteous man chosen by God to survive the flood and repopulate the earth. He demonstrates patience and obedience in waiting for God's timing.

2. The Dove
A symbol of peace and the Holy Spirit, the dove is sent out by Noah to find dry land, indicating the receding of the floodwaters.

3. The Ark
The vessel built by Noah under God's instructions to save his family and pairs of every living creature from the flood.

4. The Flood
A divine judgment upon the earth due to widespread wickedness, resulting in the destruction of all life except those preserved in the ark.

5. Seven Days
A period of waiting that signifies completion and perfection in biblical numerology, reflecting Noah's faith and patience.
Teaching Points
Patience in God's Timing
Noah's waiting period teaches us the importance of trusting in God's perfect timing rather than rushing ahead with our plans.

Symbolism of the Dove
The dove represents peace and the Holy Spirit, reminding us to seek God's presence and guidance in our lives.

Faith in Action
Noah's actions demonstrate faith through obedience, encouraging us to act on God's instructions even when the outcome is uncertain.

Hope in New Beginnings
The sending of the dove signifies hope and renewal, encouraging us to look for God's new beginnings in our lives after periods of trial.

Completion and Perfection
The use of "seven days" highlights the biblical theme of completion, urging us to trust in God's perfect plan for our lives.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does Noah's patience in waiting for the floodwaters to recede challenge your own approach to waiting on God's timing in your life?

2. In what ways can the symbolism of the dove as a sign of peace and the Holy Spirit influence your daily walk with God?

3. How can you apply Noah's example of faith in action to a current situation where you need to trust and obey God's instructions?

4. Reflect on a time when you experienced a "new beginning" after a difficult period. How did you see God's hand in that process?

5. How does the concept of "completion and perfection" in the biblical use of the number seven encourage you to trust in God's plan for your life?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Genesis 1:2
The Spirit of God hovering over the waters connects to the dove's role in signaling new beginnings and the presence of the Holy Spirit.

Matthew 3:16
The dove descending upon Jesus at His baptism parallels the dove's role in Genesis, symbolizing the Holy Spirit and divine approval.

Psalm 40:1
This verse about waiting patiently for the Lord resonates with Noah's patience as he waits for the floodwaters to recede.

Isaiah 40:31
The promise of renewed strength for those who wait on the Lord reflects Noah's endurance and faith during the flood.
Sermons
The Dispensations of Righteousness and LoveR.A. Redford Genesis 8:6-12
A Quaint EpitaphOld Testament AnecdotesGenesis 8:9-12
If We, Cannot be as We Would, We Must be as We CanBishop Babington.Genesis 8:9-12
LessonsG. Hughes, B. D.Genesis 8:9-12
Servants Good and BadBp. Babington.Genesis 8:9-12
The Dove's Return to the ArkSpurgeon, Charles HaddonGenesis 8:9-12
The Homebound Dove -- a Lesson of FaithT. L. Cuyler, D. D.Genesis 8:9-12
The Olive LeafH. Macmillan, D. D.Genesis 8:9-12
The Returning DoveBp. Babington.Genesis 8:9-12
People
Noah
Places
Mount Ararat
Topics
Addeth, Ark, Dove, Forth, Seven, Ship, Stayed, Stayeth, Waited, Waiting, Yet
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Genesis 8:1-11

     4819   dryness

Genesis 8:1-19

     7203   ark, Noah's

Genesis 8:8-12

     4636   dove

Genesis 8:10-12

     5977   waiting

Library
December 27. "He Sent Forth the Dove which Returned not Again unto Him" (Gen. viii. 12).
"He sent forth the dove which returned not again unto him" (Gen. viii. 12). First, we have the dove going forth from the ark, and finding no rest upon the wild and drifting waste of sin and judgment. This represents the Old Testament period, perhaps, when the Holy Ghost visited this sinful world, but could find no resting-place, and went back to the bosom of God. Next, we have the dove going forth and returning with the olive leaf in her mouth, the symbol and the pledge of peace and reconciliation, …
Rev. A. B. Simpson—Days of Heaven Upon Earth

'Clear Shining after Rain'
'And God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the cattle that was with him in the ark: and God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters asswaged; The fountains also of the deep and the windows of heaven were stopped, and the rain from heaven was restrained; And the waters returned from off the earth continually: and after the end of the hundred and fifty days the waters were abated. And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

The Sermon of the Seasons
"Oh, the long and dreary Winter! Oh, the cold and cruel Winter!" We say to ourselves, Will spring-time never come? In addition to this, trade and commerce continue in a state of stagnation; crowds are out of employment, and where business is carried on, it yields little profit. Our watchmen are asked if they discern any signs of returning day, and they answer, "No." Thus we bow our heads in a common affliction, and ask each man comfort of his fellow; for as yet we see not our signs, neither does …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 32: 1886

The Best of the Best
"I am the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valleys."--Song of Solomon 2:1. THE time of flowers has come, and as they are in some faint degree emblems of our Lord, it is well, when God thus calls, that we should seek to learn what he desires to teach us by them. If nature now spreads out her roses and her lilies, or prepares to do so, let us try, not only to see them, but to see Christ as he is shadowed forth in them. "I am the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valleys." If these are the words …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 42: 1896

The Unchangeable One
Psalm cxix. 89-96. For ever, O Lord, thy word is settled in heaven. Thy faithfulness is unto all generations: thou hast established the earth, and it abideth. They continue this day according to thine ordinances: for all are thy servants. Unless thy law had been my delight, I should then have perished in mine affliction. I will never forget thy precepts: for with them thou hast quickened me. I am thine, save me; for I have sought thy precepts. The wicked have waited for me to destroy me: …
Charles Kingsley—Town and Country Sermons

On Gen. viii. I
On Gen. viii. I Hippolytus, the expositor of the Targum, and my master, Jacobus Rohaviensis, have said: On the twenty-seventh day of the month Jiar, which is the second Hebrew month, the ark rose from the base of the holy mount; and already the waters bore it, and it was carried upon them round about towards the four cardinal points of the world. The ark accordingly held off from the holy mount towards the east, then returned towards the west, then turned to the south, and finally, bearing off eastwards, …
Hippolytus—The Extant Works and Fragments of Hippolytus

The Song of the Three Children
DANIEL iii. 16, 17, 18. O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace; and He will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up. We read this morning, instead of the Te Deum, the Song of the Three Children, beginning, 'Oh all ye works of the Lord, bless ye the Lord: praise …
Charles Kingsley—The Good News of God

Nature of Covenanting.
A covenant is a mutual voluntary compact between two parties on given terms or conditions. It may be made between superiors and inferiors, or between equals. The sentiment that a covenant can be made only between parties respectively independent of one another is inconsistent with the testimony of Scripture. Parties to covenants in a great variety of relative circumstances, are there introduced. There, covenant relations among men are represented as obtaining not merely between nation and nation, …
John Cunningham—The Ordinance of Covenanting

That it is Profitable to Communicate Often
The Voice of the Disciple Behold I come unto Thee, O Lord, that I may be blessed through Thy gift, and be made joyful in Thy holy feast which Thou, O God, of Thy goodness hast prepared for the poor.(1) Behold in Thee is all that I can and ought to desire, Thou art my salvation and redemption, my hope and strength, my honour and glory. Therefore rejoice the soul of Thy servant this day, for unto Thee, O Lord Jesus, do I lift up my soul.(2) I long now to receive Thee devoutly and reverently, I desire …
Thomas A Kempis—Imitation of Christ

Covenanting Enforced by the Grant of Covenant Signs and Seals.
To declare emphatically that the people of God are a covenant people, various signs were in sovereignty vouchsafed. The lights in the firmament of heaven were appointed to be for signs, affording direction to the mariner, the husbandman, and others. Miracles wrought on memorable occasions, were constituted signs or tokens of God's universal government. The gracious grant of covenant signs was made in order to proclaim the truth of the existence of God's covenant with his people, to urge the performance …
John Cunningham—The Ordinance of Covenanting

Genesis
The Old Testament opens very impressively. In measured and dignified language it introduces the story of Israel's origin and settlement upon the land of Canaan (Gen.--Josh.) by the story of creation, i.-ii. 4a, and thus suggests, at the very beginning, the far-reaching purpose and the world-wide significance of the people and religion of Israel. The narrative has not travelled far till it becomes apparent that its dominant interests are to be religious and moral; for, after a pictorial sketch of …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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