And the LORD smelled a sweet savour; and the LORD said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man’s sake; for the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done.
And the LORD smelled the sweet aroma, and the LORD said to himself, 'I will never again curse the ground because of people, even though the thoughts of the human heart are evil from childhood. And I will never again destroy every living thing as I have done.'
God is promising that despite humanity's tendency toward evil, He will never again destroy the earth and all living things like He did with the flood.
📚 Historical Context
This verse comes right after Noah offered sacrifices to God following the great flood that destroyed the earth. Noah had just built an altar and offered burnt offerings from the clean animals and birds that were saved on the ark. God's response to this worship was to make a covenant promise about the future of the earth and humanity.
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