Genesis 6:20 tells Noah that pairs of every kind of bird, livestock, and creeping thing will come to him so their lives can be kept safe through the coming flood. The verse shows God planning ahead for the survival of creation, not just for Noah’s own household. God speaks this instruction to Noah, the righteous man chosen to build the ark, in the account of the great flood.
Of the birds after their kind, of the livestock after their kind, of every creeping thing of the ground after its kind, two of every sort will come to you, to keep them alive.
Genesis 6:20 (WEB)
What Genesis 6:20 Means
The verse begins by naming three broad groups of living creatures: birds, livestock, and creeping things of the ground. Each is described as coming “after their kind,” a phrase that points to the basic categories God made in creation, with each creature reproducing according to its own type. The sorting is careful and orderly, not random.
The key action is that “two of every sort will come to you.” God is telling Noah that the animals will be gathered to him, and that the purpose is “to keep them alive.” The verse is about preservation. God does not say these animals will be happy or that the flood will end in any particular way for them, only that their lives will be kept through the disaster.
What the verse does not promise is a detailed account of how the animals arrived or how Noah managed their care. Those questions are answered in the verses that follow. Genesis 6:20 is a statement of God’s intention and provision, given as a single piece of the larger instructions for the ark.
The Context of Genesis 6:20
Genesis is the first book of the Torah, traditionally attributed to Moses, and it opens the larger story of Scripture with creation, the fall, and the early history of humanity. The flood narrative appears after a passage describing human wickedness and God’s grief over it. Genesis 6:17 and onward show God announcing judgment on the earth while also making a covenant with Noah, so the verse sits at the heart of a moment that is both severe and merciful.
Just before verse 20, God tells Noah that everything in the earth will die, and just after it, God gives instructions about storing food for the journey. That placement matters. Verse 20 is not a sentimental note about animals but part of a careful plan in which God’s judgment and God’s faithfulness are both at work, and the survival of creatures is one way that continuity is protected.
Key Phrases in Genesis 6:20
Genesis 8:1
God remembered Noah, all the animals, and all the livestock that were with him in the ship; and God made a wind to pass over the earth. The waters subsided.
(WEB)
This verse follows the flood account and records that God remembered Noah and the living creatures with him in the ark. It completes the thought begun in Genesis 6:20, showing that God’s concern for the preservation of life was active and faithful throughout the waters. Reading the two together lets you see the full arc of God’s care from instruction to deliverance.
Genesis 9:16
The rainbow will be in the cloud. I will look at it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.”
(WEB)
After the flood, God establishes a covenant that includes every living creature on the earth. This verse helps you understand that the preservation begun in Genesis 6:20 was never meant to be temporary. It reveals God’s enduring commitment to the life he created, extending the promise beyond Noah’s household to all living things.
A Short Prayer From Genesis 6:20
Lord, you see every living thing and you know how to keep life going even when the world feels like it is coming apart. Help me trust your plan when I cannot see how things will work out. Give me faithfulness in the tasks you have placed in my hands, however small they seem, and remind me that you are still caring for what you have made. Keep me steady through every season of uncertainty, and let my life reflect your patient provision. Amen.
