One of the profiles in People of the Bible, with every point tied to a chapter and verse you can check.
What Noah is known for
- Building the ark at God's command
- Surviving the flood with his family and the animals
- The covenant with the sign of the rainbow
- Planting the first vineyard mentioned in the Bible
- Being the ancestor of the nations listed in Genesis 10
Noah’s life in order
Birth and name
Genesis 5:28–32
Noah is born to Lamech, a descendant of Adam through Seth. His father gives him his name with a hope of relief from hard work on the land. Noah later has three sons, Shem, Ham and Japheth.
A world gone wrong
Genesis 6:5–8
Genesis describes a world full of violence and wickedness. God is grieved that he made humankind and decides to wipe out life on the earth. But Noah finds favor with God.
Instructions for the ark
Genesis 6:9–22
Noah is described as righteous and blameless in his generation. God tells him to build a large wooden ark and gives its measurements. Noah does everything God commands.
Into the ark
Genesis 7:1–16
Noah, his wife, his sons and their wives enter the ark with the animals. Genesis says Noah is six hundred years old. Then God shuts them in.
The flood
Genesis 7:17–24
Rain falls for forty days, and the waters rise until even the high mountains are covered. Every living thing outside the ark dies. Only Noah and those with him survive.
The raven and the dove
Genesis 8:1–14
God remembers Noah, and the waters begin to go down. The ark comes to rest on the mountains of Ararat. Noah sends out a raven and then a dove, which returns with an olive leaf and later does not return at all.
Altar and promise
Genesis 8:15–22
When the earth is dry, God tells Noah to leave the ark. Noah builds an altar and offers sacrifices. God promises that the cycle of seasons will continue as long as the earth lasts.
The rainbow covenant
Genesis 9:1–17
God blesses Noah's family and makes a covenant with them and every living creature. He promises never again to destroy all life with a flood. The rainbow is set in the clouds as the sign of this promise.
The vineyard and Noah's death
Genesis 9:18–29
Noah plants a vineyard, drinks too much wine and lies uncovered in his tent. Ham sees him, while Shem and Japheth cover him without looking. Noah dies at the age of 950.
What does the name Noah mean?
The Hebrew name Noach sounds like the word for “rest.” In Genesis 5:29, his father Lamech links the name to a hope that this child will bring comfort or relief from hard toil.
The verb Lamech uses for “comfort” (nacham) is not the same root as the name, so the link is a wordplay based on sound. Scholars often note this, and the exact origin of the name is uncertain.
Key verses
“Noah, however, found favor in the eyes of the LORD.”
“This is the account of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation; Noah walked with God.”
“So Noah did everything precisely as God had commanded him.”
“I have set My rainbow in the clouds, and it will be a sign of the covenant between Me and the earth.”
Verse text: Berean Standard Bible (BSB), public domain.
What Noah’s story shows
Faithful in a long task
Building an ark of that size would have meant long, steady work. Genesis 6:22 simply notes that Noah did all he was told. The story values quiet persistence.
Waiting for the right time
Even after the rain stops, Noah waits for months and sends out birds to test whether the land is dry. He leaves the ark only when told to (Genesis 8:15–16). Patience is part of the rescue.
A promise after disaster
The story ends not with the flood but with a covenant that includes every living creature (Genesis 9:8–17). Many readers see the rainbow as a sign of God's commitment to the world.
Good people still have flaws
The same man called righteous in Genesis 6 is later found drunk in his tent (Genesis 9:20–21). The Bible lets its heroes be fully human.
Noah elsewhere in the Bible
Noah is mentioned well beyond Genesis. The prophets recall him in Isaiah 54:9 and Ezekiel 14:14. In the New Testament, Jesus compares the days of Noah to the time of his return (Matthew 24:37–39).
Hebrews 11:7 lists Noah among examples of faith, and 1 Peter 3:20 and 2 Peter 2:5 also refer to him and the ark.
Other ancient flood stories
Ancient Mesopotamian texts, such as the Epic of Gilgamesh and the Atrahasis story, also tell of a great flood and a man who survives in a boat. Scholars often compare them with Genesis, noting both the similarities and the very different picture of God.
Readers understand the flood in different ways. Some take it as a worldwide historical event, others as a regional flood, and others as a theological story told in ancient form.