The Promise to Never Curse the Earth Again

Midrash Aggadah Targum Pseudo-Jonathan on Genesis 8:21 View source

Curated by The Jewish Mythology Team · Published January 5, 2025

Targum Pseudo-Jonathan on Genesis 8:21 preserves one of the gentlest and most realistic sentences the Holy One ever speaks. After Noah's sacrifice, the Lord said in His Word, I will not add again to curse the earth on account of the sin of the children of men; for the imagination of the heart of man is evil from his youth; neither will I add to destroy whatever liveth as I have done.

Listen to the logic. God is not saying humanity has suddenly become good. God is saying the opposite — that the human heart's inclination, the yetzer, bends toward evil from its earliest years. And because of that, not in spite of it, God will no longer destroy the earth on account of human sin.

This is extraordinary. The same honest description of human frailty that justified the Flood now justifies the Flood never happening again. The Holy One has chosen to work with us as we are, not as we pretend to be.

The Maggid reads this as the first great act of divine patience in Torah. The takeaway: God's forbearance toward human weakness is not forgetfulness. It is a choice made with full knowledge. Heaven knows our hearts, and has decided to stay anyway.

Themes

Divine justice Repentance Noah & Flood Sin

Biblical References

Genesis 8:21

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