Verse Lens · Concise explanation
Genesis 8:16 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 16. 16Go forth of the ark, thou, and thy wife, and thy sons, and thy sons’ wives with thee.
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
God commands Noah, his wife, his sons, and his daughters-in-law to leave the ark together. The human community exits by divine authorization, not Noah's private decision.
Read It With
- Genesis 8:13–22
Read verse 16 with verses 13–17. Dry ground is confirmed before the command, while the next verse extends release and renewed life to every preserved creature.
Why This Verse Appears Here
God's command turns confirmed dry earth into authorized human exit and answers Noah's continued waiting.
Read Genesis 8:15–17 together
Why these verses belong together: God's speech commands the human and animal community to leave and states renewed creaturely fruitfulness.
Verse 15. 15 And God spake unto Noah, saying,
Verse 16. 16 Go forth of the ark, thou, and thy wife, and thy sons, and thy sons’ wives with thee.
Verse 17. 17 Bring forth with thee every living thing that is with thee, of all flesh, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth; that they may breed abundantly in the earth, and be fruitful, and multiply upon the earth.
What Remains True
Deliverance reaches its next stage through responsible, shared movement rather than isolated self-release.
How It Can Shape Life
- When a crisis shelter or protective restriction ends, communicate the decision clearly and include the whole household in a safe transition plan.
Continue in Context
The full thought-unit study remains the final contextual authority for this Verse Lens.
Read Genesis 8:13–22 — Noah Leaves the Ark, Worships, and Receives God's PromiseSources used for this Verse Lens
How certain is this explanation? strong
These are the sources used directly for this lens. Language, grammar, disagreements, and the complete source shelf remain attached to the full thought-unit research record.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Displayed wording, verse order, dry-ground sequence, exit, offering, promise, and seasonal pairs.
Exact location: Genesis 8:13–22 in the pinned standardized 1769 KJV corpus
Open source ↗hebrew text morphology and lemma data
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible — Genesis
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible Project
Open Scriptures, Version 2.2 released 2021; repository inspected 2026
Supports: Drying terms, bring-out syntax, swarming and fruitfulness, offering, soothing aroma, inclination, youth, and ceasing.
Exact location: Genesis 8:13–22 forms, lemmas, syntax, and verse structure in Gen.xml
Open source ↗Translation and textual notes
NET Bible — Genesis with translators' notes
Biblical Studies Press
Biblical Studies Press, Digital edition accessed 2026
Supports: Ground and earth distinction, exit command syntax, soothing-aroma anthropomorphism, concessive ki, heart inclination, youth, and earth-duration wording.
Exact location: Genesis 8:13–22 translator notes
Open NET Genesis 8 ↗