The Beasts That Guarded Noah's Ark From the Flood Generation

Midrash Aggadah, Genesis 7:16

Curated by Arthur·Told by Maggid·

"And the LORD shut him in" (Genesis 7:16). This teaches that when the waters of the Flood came down and Noah entered the ark, the people of the generation of the Flood came to break open the ark and to kill Noah. What did the Holy One, blessed be He, do? He sent lions and bears and other wild beasts that tear their prey around the ark, so that anyone who sought to break open the ark, they would kill him. This is what is written: "And the LORD shut him in." And just as you say, "My God sent His angel and shut the lions' mouths" (Daniel 6:23) — just as the shutting mentioned there was by means of lions, so too the shutting mentioned here was by means of lions.

Themes

NoahAnimalsFloodWisdomTribes

Biblical References

Continue Reading

Midrash AggadahWhy the Animals Left Noah's Ark by Their FamiliesWhen the floodwaters drained and the door of the ark swung open, who walked out onto the cleansed earth? The verse says they came out "by their families" — and Book of JubileesEber and Noah of ShelahThe Book of Jubilees, an ancient Jewish text that expands on the stories in Genesis, tells us that Eber had something important to write down. But, as it says, Mekhilta DeRabbi YishmaelWhy the Rabbis Warned About Where the Eyes WanderThe generation of the Flood was destroyed by the very thing they worshipped. The Mekhilta draws a chilling connection between their sin and their punishment thrMekhilta DeRabbi YishmaelWhen God Showed Moses the Land Until DanThe Mekhilta describes a stunning moment in which God showed Moses a panoramic vision of the future, including the mighty Samson, son of Manoach. The proof thatMekhilta DeRabbi YishmaelThe men of the generation of the flood, who were "ugly" inThe book of Job presents one of the most profound tests of faith in all of Scripture. Job loses everything, his wealth, his children, his health. And his wife uTargum OnkelosThe Flood Through Onkelos's Aramaic LensThe Hebrew Bible says God "shut him in" the ark (Genesis 7:16), a strangely intimate image of the Creator personally closing Noah's door. Targum Onkelos renders