Bible Strands
Genesis 8:7
and sent out a raven. It kept flying back and forth until the waters had dried up from the earth.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Noah acts after forty days of waiting, opening the ark’s window to test the floodwaters. He releases a raven to assess whether the earth has become dry enough for habitation.
The words — The Hebrew וַיֵּצֵא יָצוֹא וָשׁוֹב (va/i.ye.Tze' ya.tzO' va/Shov) literally describes the bird going out and returning continuously. This phrasing emphasizes the raven’s persistent patrol until the waters dried up (יְבֹשֶׁת, ye.Vo.shet).
The thread — The narrative pattern of birds operating under divine command appears in 1 Kings 17:4 and 1 Kings 17:6, where ravens are ordered to feed Elijah. Job 38:41 further references the raven’s dependence on God for provision.
Why it lands — The text demands acknowledgment that God’s judgment and preservation unfold through observable, created means. A reader must recognize that waiting on environmental signs is part of the process before stepping into a renewed world.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And he sent forth a raven, which went forth to and fro, until the waters were dried up from off the earth.
Cross-references
- 1 Kings 17:4 And you are to drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there.”
- 1 Kings 17:6 The ravens would bring him bread and meat in the morning and evening, and he would drink from the brook.
- Job 38:41 Who provides food for the raven when its young cry out to God as they wander about for lack of food?
- Psalms 147:9 He provides food for the animals, and for the young ravens when they call.
- Leviticus 11:15 any kind of raven,