AND THE EARTH WAS CORRUPTED BEFORE GOD. Said R. Judah: ‘What does the phrase “before God” signify? ‘It signifies that they perpetrated their crimes openly in the eyes of all.’
Said R. Jose: ‘I interpret it in a reverse sense, namely, that at first “the earth was corrupted before God”, that is, that they committed their sins secretly, so as to be known only to God but not to man. They finished, however, by coming out into the open, as it is written, AND THE EARTH WAS FILLED WITH VIOLENCE, indicating that there was not a place in the whole earth which did not witness their sins.’
R. Abba said: ‘From the time that Adam transgressed the command of his Master, all the succeeding generations were called “sons of Adam” in a derogatory sense, as much as to say, “the sons of the man who transgressed his Master’s commands”.
But when Noah appeared, mankind were called by his name, to wit, “the generations of Noah”, in an honourable sense, since he secured for them permanent existence in the world, and not “the generations of Adam”, since he had caused them to be driven from the world and brought death to all.’
Said R. Jose to him: ‘But in a later passage (Gen. 11, 5) it is written, “and the Lord came down to see the city and the tower which the children of Adam had built”- Adam and not Noah.’ R. Abba replied: ‘It was because he was the first sinner. Better had it been for him that he should not have been created, so as not to be mentioned in this verse.
See now, it is written: “A wise son causeth his father to rejoice” (Prov. 10, 1). When a son is good, people mention his father’s name with praise; but if he is bad, they mention his father with reproach. So it was with Adam. He transgressed the command of his Master, and therefore when later men arose who rebelled against their Master, they were designated by the Scripture “the sons of Adam”, that is, the sons of the first man who rebelled against his Master and transgressed His commands.
Hence “these are the generations of Noah”-these and not the former ones; these who entered into and emerged from the ark and brought forth generations to people the world; but they are not the generations of Adam, who emerged from the Garden of Eden without bringing any progeny forth from thence.
וַתִּשָּׁחֵת הָאָרֶץ לִפְנֵי הָאֱלֹהִים. אָמַר רַבִּי יְהוּדָה כֵּיוָן דִּכְתִיב וַתִּשָּׁחֵת הָאָרֶץ אַמַּאי לִפְנִי הָאֱלֹהִים. אֶלָּא כֵּיוָן דְּעֲבָדוּ חוֹבֵיהוֹן בְּאִתְגַּלְּיָא לְעֵינֵיהוֹן דְּכֹלָּא כְּדֵין לִפְנֵי הָאֱלהִים כְּתִיב.
AND THE EARTH WAS CORRUPTED BEFORE GOD. Said R. Judah: ‘What does the phrase “before God” signify? ‘It signifies that they perpetrated their crimes openly in the eyes of all.’
רַבִּי יוֹסֵי אָמַר אֲנָא אִפְכָא אֲמָרִית. וַתִּשָּׁחֵת הָאָרֶץ לִפְנִי הָאֱלֹהִים. בְּקַדְמִיתָא לִפְנֵי הָאֱלֹהִים דְּלָא הֲווּ עָבְדֵי בְּאִתְגַּלְּיָיא. לִפְנֵי הָאֱלהִים עֲבָדוּ וְלָא לִפְנֵי בְּנֵי נְשָׁא. וּלְבַסוֹף עֲבָדוּ בְּאִתְגַּלְּיָא הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב וַתִּמָּלֵא הָאָרֶץ חָמָס. דְּלָא הֲוָה אֲתַר בְּכָל אַרְעָא דְּלָא הֲוָה בְּאִתְגַּלְּיָא. וּבְגִין כָּךְ בִּתְרֵי גַּוְונֵי אָמַר קְרָא.
Said R. Jose: ‘I interpret it in a reverse sense, namely, that at first “the earth was corrupted before God”, that is, that they committed their sins secretly, so as to be known only to God but not to man. They finished, however, by coming out into the open, as it is written, AND THE EARTH WAS FILLED WITH VIOLENCE, indicating that there was not a place in the whole earth which did not witness their sins.’
אֵלֶּה תּוֹלְדוֹת נֹחַ. רַבִּי אַבָּא אָמַר מִיּוֹמָא דְּעֲבַר אָדָם עַל פְּקוּדָא דְּמָרֵיהּ כָּל בְּנֵי עָלְמָא דְּאִתְיַלִּידוּ לְבָתַר אִקְרוּן בְּנֵי הָאָדָם. וְלָא לִשְׁבָחָא אִקְרוּן הָכִי. אֶלָּא כְּמַאן דְּאָמַר בְּנוֹי דְּהַהוּא דְּעֲבַר עַל פְּקוּדָא דְמָרֵיהּ.
R. Abba said: ‘From the time that Adam transgressed the command of his Master, all the succeeding generations were called “sons of Adam” in a derogatory sense, as much as to say, “the sons of the man who transgressed his Master’s commands”.
כֵּיוָן דְּאָתָא נֹחַ, אִקְרוּן בְּנֵי עָלְמָא עַל שְׁמֵיהּ דְּנֹחַ. תּוֹלְדוֹת נֹחַ לְשִׁבְחָא. דְּקָאִים לוֹן בְּעָלְמָא. וְלָא תּוֹלְדוֹת דְּאָדָם דְּאַעֲבוּר לוֹן מֵעָלְמָא וְגָרִים מוֹתָא לְכֻלְהוּ.
But when Noah appeared, mankind were called by his name, to wit, “the generations of Noah”, in an honourable sense, since he secured for them permanent existence in the world, and not “the generations of Adam”, since he had caused them to be driven from the world and brought death to all.’
אָמַר לֵיהּ רַבִּי יוֹסֵי, אִי הָכִי, הָא כְּתִיב לְבָתַר וַיֵּרֶד יְיָ לִרְאוֹת אֶת הָעִיר וְאֶת הַמִּגְדָּל אֲשֶׁר בָּנוּ בְּנִי הָאָדָם. בְּנֵי הָאָדָם כְּתִיב וְלָא כְּתִיב בְּנֵי נֹחַ. אָמַר לֵיהּ בְּגִין דְּאָדָם (דחטא ד"א חטא) קַמֵּי מָרֵיהּ טַב לֵיהּ דְּלָא אִבְרֵי וְלָא יִכְתּוֹב עֲלֵיהּ הַאי קְרָא.
Said R. Jose to him: ‘But in a later passage (Gen. 11, 5) it is written, “and the Lord came down to see the city and the tower which the children of Adam had built”- Adam and not Noah.’ R. Abba replied: ‘It was because he was the first sinner. Better had it been for him that he should not have been created, so as not to be mentioned in this verse.
אֶלָּא תָּא חֲזֵי, כְּתִיב (משלי י׳:א׳) בֵּן חָכָם יְשַׂמַּח אָב. כַּד בְּרָא טַב, כָּל בְּנִי עָלְמָא דָּכְרִין לֵיהּ לְאֲבוֹי לְטַב. וְכַד אִיהוּ בִּישׁ, כֹּלָּא דָּכְרִין לֵיהּ לְאֲבוֹי לְבִישׁ. אָדָם בְּגִין דְּחָטָא וְעָבַר עַל פְּקוּדָא דְּמָרֵיהּ, כַּד אָתוּ אִנּוּן דְּמָרְדוּ בְּמָרֵיהוֹן מַה כְּתִיב אֲשֶׁר בָּנוּ בְּנֵי הָאָדָם בְּנוֹי (עה א) דְּאָדָם קַדְמָאָה דְּמָרַד בְּמָרֵיהּ וְעֲבַר עַל פְּקוּדֵיהּ.
See now, it is written: “A wise son causeth his father to rejoice” (Prov. 10, 1). When a son is good, people mention his father’s name with praise; but if he is bad, they mention his father with reproach. So it was with Adam. He transgressed the command of his Master, and therefore when later men arose who rebelled against their Master, they were designated by the Scripture “the sons of Adam”, that is, the sons of the first man who rebelled against his Master and transgressed His commands.
וּבְגִינֵי כָךְ אֵלֶּה תּוֹלְדוֹת נֹחַ. אֵלֶּה וְלָא קַדְמָאֵי. אֵלֶּה דְּנָפְקוּ וְעָאלוּ גּוֹ תֵּיבָה וְאַפִּיקוּ תּוֹלְדִין לְעָלְמִין וְלָא תּוֹלְדוֹת אָדָם דְּנָפַק מִגִּנְתָּא דְעֵדֶן וְלָא אַפִּיק לוֹן מִתַּמָּן.
Hence “these are the generations of Noah”-these and not the former ones; these who entered into and emerged from the ark and brought forth generations to people the world; but they are not the generations of Adam, who emerged from the Garden of Eden without bringing any progeny forth from thence.