And when the LORD smelled the pleasing odor is often translated literally as in Revised Standard Version. In that case the picture is of the LORD becoming aware of the pleasing smell through his nose. According to Westermann this expression remained a part of the language of sacrifice right down to the last period of Israel. See, for example, its use in Exo 29.18, 25, 41; Lev 1.9; Ezek 6.13. Some interpreters, however, conclude that the expression lost its literal sense and came to have a figurative sense meaning “the LORD received the sacrifice favorably.” Accordingly Today’s English Version translates “The odor … pleased the LORD.” Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch says “The Lord was pleased with the fragrance of the sacrifice.” One new translation expresses the whole statement as “When the LORD smelled the smell of the offerings, he felt good because of it.” Translators may follow the literal rendering or give the figurative sense.
In some languages the verb “to smell” varies according to the kind of smell involved. Here the text speaks of a pleasing odor, in which pleasing translates a word meaning “soothing, pleasant.” The literal idea is “restful,” that is, a sensation that makes a person feel at ease.
The LORD said in his heart means “the LORD thought to himself” or “the LORD said to himself.”
I will never again curse the ground begins a quotation of the thoughts or words of the LORD that continue to the end of verse 22. Curse translates a word whose literal meaning is “belittle, slight, mistreat” (so Speiser). However, in the context of this verse the meaning is the same as the meaning of the word for curse used in 3.14, 17. See there for discussion. In 3.17-18 God cursed the ground so that Adam had to work hard to raise crops. The ground is the same term as in 1.25 and applies to all the ground or the whole earth. Some translations keep to the verbal sense of the term curse here, as for example, “I will never call down trouble on the world again….” However, some take the sense to be “destroy the world,” since the flood has already taken place, and also because of the parallelism between the two halves of this verse.
Because of man, which is the reason for cursing the earth, is parallel to the expression “because of you” in 3.17. Here, as there, the sense is “because of what people do” (Today’s English Version) or “because people are disobedient.”
For the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth expands on the sense of because of man. For introduces a clause of reason, expressed in the examples that follow as “because.” For imagination of man’s heart see discussion of the parallel expression in 6.5. Man’s heart refers not to a particular man or to males only but to people generally, or “human beings” (New Jerusalem Bible). From his youth is somewhat ambiguous. It can refer to the beginning of humanity, or it can refer to the childhood or youth of each individual. Speiser takes it in the first sense and translates “The devisings of man’s heart are evil from the start.” However, most translators take it as referring to individuals; for example, New English Bible has “however evil his inclinations may be from his youth upwards,” and New International Version “… from childhood.” Compare Psa 51.5; 58.3. A typical example of this approach is “because I know that, even when they are just children, their thoughts stay on bad things.”
Neither will I ever again destroy every living creature as I have done is in part the wording of an earlier part of this verse. There the LORD is quoted as refraining from cursing the earth again. Now he will never again destroy every living creature. Destroy translates a verb meaning to “strike,” “beat,” “hit.” However, in the destruction caused by the flood, the proper sense is “destroy, kill, do away with.” Every living creature is a variant form of the expression used in 1.21 and refers to everything that is alive. As I have done is a reference to the flood that God sent on the earth. New English Bible says “as I have just done,” Today’s English Version “as I have done this time.”
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 .