Noah, and Noah's wife, and three wives of his
sons with them, into the ark; they, and every beast after its kind,
and all the cattle after their kind, and every creeping thing that
creepeth upon the earth after its kind, and every bird after its kind,
every bird of every sort. And, they went in unto Noah and the ark, two
and two of all flesh wherein is the breath of life. And they that went
in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God commanded him._

55. Here Moses begins to be remarkably verbose. His wordiness hurts
tender ears when he so often and apparently without any use repeats
the same things. It is not sufficient to say "all birds," but he names
three kinds of birds. Of these, the term _zippor_ is usually said to
mean "a sparrow," but this passage shows clearly that it is a generic
term, doubtless so called from the sound, _zi, zi_. He also names
three kinds of beasts. Also, when speaking of the flood itself, he is
very wordy, saying that the waters prevailed, that they increased,
that they flooded and covered the face of the earth. Finally, when he
tells of the effect of this flood, he makes similar repetition: "All
flesh expired, died, was destroyed," etc.

56. But I said above (para 37) that Moses repeats these things
contrary to his style, in order to force the reader to pause and more
diligently learn and meditate upon this great event. We cannot fully
comprehend the wrath which destroys, not man alone, but all his
possessions. Moses wishes to arouse hardened and heedless sinners by
such a consideration of God's wrath.

57. Hence, these words are not idle, as a shallow and unspiritual
reader might judge. They rather challenge us to fear God, and call
attention to the present so that, sobered by the thought of such
wrath, we may make an earnest beginning in the fear of God, and cease
from sin. For not without many tears does Moses appear to have written
this account! So utterly is he with eyes and mind absorbed in this
horrible spectacle of wrath that he cannot but repeat the same
statements again and again. Doubtless he does this with the purpose to
thrust such darts of divine fear, so to speak, into the souls of pious
readers.

58. It may be well to transport ourselves in thought into the time of
the event. What do you think would be our state of mind if we had been
put into the ark, if we had seen the waters spreading everywhere with
overwhelming force and the wretched human beings perishing wit