YHVH's covenant with Noah included all of humanity, and not just the Jewish people.

"With every living thing, birds, animals and every creature of the earth, from everything that came out of the ark to all the creatures of the earth."  (Gen 9:8-17)

This covenant included even the ground and the cycle of seasons upon it.

"And YHVH said to Himself: I shall not curse the ground again because of man for as long as the world stands, sowing and reaping, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will not cease."  (Gen 8:21-22)


The first appearance of the term "covenant" (Brit) in the Torah was not at the end of the Flood with the 'rainbow' covenant - but rather at the beginning of that story, when YHVH first spoke to Noah.

"And YHVH said to Noah: The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is full of corruption, and behold, I shall destroy the world.  Make yourself an ark and behold, I shall bring a flood of water upon the earth to destroy all living flesh from under the heavens; everything that is in the earth will die.  And I shall establish my covenant with you, and you will come into the ark, you, and your sons and your wife and the wives of your sons with you. And of all living things, of all flesh, you shall bring two of each into the ark."  (Gen 6:13-19)

The Covenant Of Creation

The act of Creation included within itself a covenant between Elohim and His world.  Elohim did not create the world to be chaos, and He will not go back on His intention and His actions - not even when "all flesh has corrupted its way."

This unconditional commitment not to annihilate His creation was included in the very act of Creation and in the blessing bestowed upon Adam and Eve immediately after their creation.  This was a covenant concerning the existence of all mankind within its necessary framework - the world.

We generally think that the complete destruction of man and all of creation was avoided because of Noah's righteousness. However, it was because of the original covenant to preserve Creation, that the Flood did not destroy everything, and man survived, capable of reviving humanity.

Why did the Torah highlight Noah's righteousness at the beginning of the story of the Flood and present this as the reason that he would be saved?

It was Noah's righteousness that qualified him to be selected for the task of fulfilling the covenant with all of humanity.  The choice of survivor from whom all mankind would be built up anew was not arbitrary, but rather in accordance with a moral criterion.  This was at the same time both a fitting reward for Noah's righteousness and an expression of hope that the new generation would follow a better path than its predecessor.

Nevertheless, the selection of Noah contained an element of necessity that was independent of his actions, which arose from the original covenant between YHVH and His world.

The two reasons for Noah's salvation (the necessity of preserving a remnant of Creation based on YHVH's first covenant and the reward appropriate for the righteous man) are expressed in YHVH's two speeches to Noah prior to the Flood.  (Gen 6:13-22, and 7:1-5)

Despite the proximity of these two speeches in the text, a considerable period of time divided them.  Both contain a double command concerning entering the ark, one command concerning Noah and his household, the other concerning the representatives of all types of animals.

The most important difference concerns the reason why Noah was to enter the ark: In the first speech he was the subject of the primordial covenant: "And I shall establish My covenant with you."  Noah was commanded to built an ark into which he would enter when the Flood came, but he was not told the reason for his selection.  He was given the task of preserving life, in fulfillment of the covenant.  Only in the second speech, when Noah was commanded to enter the ark seven days before the onset of the rain, YHVH told him:

"Come, you, and all of your household, into the ark, for I have observed you to be righteous before me in this generation, and therefore you are worthy of being saved from punishment and of fulfilling the covenant of Creation."

Priority was awarded to the consideration of fulfilling the covenant over the saving of the righteous person from punishment.

The first speech used the name Elohim, signifying the attribute of strict justice, while the second speech used the name YHVH, signifying His attribute of mercy.

In the first speech, Noah was commanded to bring two of every kind of animal into the ark, male and female, with no distinction between different types of animals.  In the second, he was given an additional command: he was to take "seven of each, male and female" of the pure animals while "of the animals that are not pure, two, male and female."  (Gen 7:2)

Seven pairs of each pure animal were needed as offering when he emerged.

"Noah built an altar to YHVH and took of all the pure animals and of all the pure birds, and offered offerings upon the altar."  (Gen 8:20)

When Elohim (justice) appeared to Noah, obligating him to fulfill the covenant, no distinction between pure and impure animals was appropriate, only the preservation of Creation, in order that the covenant be fulfilled.  "Two of each shall you bring into the ark to preserve them with you, they shall be male and female."  (Gen 6:19)

In the second covenant YHVH (Mercy) anticipated Noah's desire to offer a sacrifice upon leaving the ark, and prepared for this eventuality.

The Covenant Of The Rainbow

In the covenant of the rainbow YHVH placed His relationship with man upon mutual commitment.  Just as YHVH committed Himself in this covenant not to destroy all living things, so man must commit himself to treat them with respect and responsibility.  He was forbidden to scorn the lives of animals by eating limbs from their flesh while they live and he was likewise prohibited from ending human life, his own or that of someone else, through an act of murder; a murderer must be brought to justice.  (Gen 9:4-6)  These commitments were both preceded and followed by YHVH's blessing: "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth."

The Divine commitment in the covenant of the rainbow was broader than that of the first covenant.  Not only will the world not be utterly destroyed, but no Flood like the one that occurred will ever visit the world.

"And I shall establish My covenant with you, and all flesh will not be cut off again by the waters of a flood, and there shall not be another flood to destroy the world."  (Gen 9:11)

Why was this additional promise necessary?

Immediately after Noah: "And Noah built an altar to YHVH, and he took from all the pure animals and from all the pure birds, and offered offerings upon the altar."  (Gen 8:20)

Noah was uncertain about rebuilding if it could all be destroyed again.  In great distress he turned to YHVH, through the offerings, for encouragement and a promise that the world will continue to exist in the future.

"And YHVH smelled the sweet fragrance, and YHVH said to Himself: I shall not curse the land again because of man nor shall I smite all living things again as I have done."  (Gen 8:21)

Noah's sacrifices aroused YHVH's Mercy.

"And YHVH said to Noah and to his sons with him saying, behold, I establish My covenant with you and with your seed after you, and all flesh will not be cut off again by the waters of a flood, nor shall there be another flood to destroy the world."  (Gen 9:8-11)

YHVH also added an important "sign" to this covenant, the rainbow, to strengthen Noah's faith.  This visible sign will appear from time to time and serve as a guarantee for the preservation of the world that Noah will gradually rebuild.  The rainbow can be seen as a symbol of peace between heaven and earth, between YHVH and the world.  The flood was a type of war that Elohim declared against the world and the rainbow was the "cease-fire".  The earth will still receive rain, but this will be rain of peace and blessing, not arrows of death any more.

"Like the sight of a rainbow that appears in the cloud on a rainy day, so was the appearance of the glow around, and it was the vision of the image of YHVH's glory."  (Ezk 1:28)