This verse contains God’s command to Noah to supply the boat with food.

Also take with you every sort of food that is eaten: Also translates what is literally “and as for you.” The expression gives emphasis to the directness of the command to Noah. And this is reinforced by the use of the imperative take, which is the only imperative in all the verbs of verses 18-21. Anchor Bible translates “for your part,” and New English Bible “See that you….”

And store it up: store means to “keep, stock, preserve”; we may also say “Put it where it will keep until needed.”

A number of separate actions are involved in the expressions take with you and store it up: the food has to be obtained, collected together, taken into the boat, and stored away inside. Different translations pick different verbs to use together to describe the whole process; for example, “Gather together … and stow it inside the boat,” “Get every kind of food and put it…,” and “Take all different kinds of food inside.”

Food is every kind of food that Noah and his family would require as well as food for the animals. That is eaten does not refer to any particular kind of food and adds nothing to the sense. Gen 1.29-30 indicates the food God has given for people and animals. In translation the word for food should be general enough to cover food for both people and animals, if possible. In many languages food for animals will be different from food intended for people. If a general word for food is lacking, it may be possible to say, for example, “all the things that people and animals eat.”

It shall serve as food for you and for them: you is singular, since Noah alone is being addressed, but the sense is plural, “for you and your family.” Them refers to the animals. We may translate “It will be your food and the food for the animals.”

Quoted with permission from Reyburn, William D. and Fry, Euan McG. A Handbook on Genesis. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1997. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .