Verse

Genesis 6:9

ESV These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God.
NIV This is the account of Noah and his family. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked faithfully with God.
NASB These are the records of the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God.
CSB These are the family records of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among his contemporaries; Noah walked with God.
NLT This is the account of Noah and his family. Noah was a righteous man, the only blameless person living on earth at the time, and he walked in close fellowship with God.
KJV These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.
NKJV This is the genealogy of Noah. Noah was a just man, perfect in his generations. Noah walked with God.

What does Genesis 6:9 mean?

This verse begins a brand new section of Genesis. Just as chapter 5 began with the "generations of Adam," this new section begins with "the generations of Noah." However, the chapter doesn't immediately launch into a list of Noah's descendants. Instead, it will first tell his amazing story, beginning with his character.

We are told he is both righteous and blameless among the people of his time. These are both words of comparison. Noah's choices stood in contrast, at least in God's sight, to the sinful, selfish choices of the rest of humanity. Noah was righteous in the sense that he did was right, and he was blameless in the sense that he didn't do what was wrong. In strong distinction to those around him, Noah was a moral, god-honoring man.

The term blameless is used in Scripture to refer to those who are exceptionally obedient to God (Job 1:1; Luke 1:6). The idea is not someone who is "absolutely perfect." Noah wasn't a sinless, morally perfect man. Only Jesus ever accomplished that (Hebrews 4:14). But by character, reputation, and practice, Noah was exceptional. In simple terms, he did good things and didn't do bad ones. That set him apart from the rest of humanity.

Even more, we're told that Noah walked with God. Those words are only said of one other man in Genesis: Enoch, the man God took away without any report of his death (Genesis 5:22–24). Noah enjoyed a very close relationship with God.
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