Question
Can you tell me the meaning of the name “Noah” and what this man stood for?
Answer
The word Noah, or “noach” in Hebrew, literally means “rest.” It seems that until his birth there were many aspects of life that were running amuck and getting out of hand. With his birth things calmed down a bit, and rest came down to the earth. Hence his name.
However, his presence was not enough to offset the corruption within humanity which had brought about the havoc in world activity. The result was the Great Flood which brought about the destruction of almost the entire human race. Noah was then given the chance to rebuild the world in a more proper, and restful, order than that which had previously existed.