Genesis 8:21

And the Lord smelled the soothing aroma ¹  and said ²  to himself, ³  “I will never again curse ⁴  the ground because of humankind, even though ⁵  the inclination of their minds ⁶  is evil from childhood on. ⁷  I will never again destroy everything that lives, as I have just done.

Ge 3:17; Ge 4:12; Ge 5:29; Ge 6:5; Ge 6:17; Ge 9:11-15; Le 1:9,13,17; Le 26:31; Job 14:4; Job 15:14-16; Ps 51:5; Ps 58:3; Pr 20:9; Ec 7:20; So 4:10,11; Isa 47:12; Isa 47:15; Isa 48:8; Isa 53:6; Isa 54:9,10; Isa 65:6; Jer 8:6; Jer 17:9; Jer 18:12; Eze 20:41; Am 5:21,22; Mt 15:19; Joh 3:6; Ro 1:21; Ro 3:23; Ro 8:7,8; 2Co 2:15; Eph 2:1-3; Eph 5:2; Php 4:18; Jas 1:14,15; Jas 4:1,2; 2Pe 3:6,7; 1Jo 5:19

¹ tn The Lord “smelled” (וַיָּרַח, vayyarakh) a “soothing smell” (רֵיחַ הַנִּיהֹחַ, reakh hannihoakh). The object forms a cognate accusative with the verb. The language is anthropomorphic. The offering had a sweet aroma that pleased or soothed. The expression in Lev 1 signifies that God accepts the offering with pleasure, and in accepting the offering he accepts the worshiper.

² tn Heb “and the Lord said.”

³ tn Heb “in his heart.”

⁴ tn Here the Hebrew word translated “curse” is קָלָל (qalal), used in the Piel verbal stem.

⁵ tn The Hebrew particle כִּי (ki) can be used in a concessive sense (see BDB 473 s.v. כִּי), which makes good sense in this context. Its normal causal sense (“for”) does not fit the context here very well.

⁶ tn Heb “the inclination of the heart of humankind.”

⁷ tn Heb “from his youth.”