UZamcolo wawuyisenzakalo esingokoqobo. UNkulunkulu wawubangela ukuze abhubhise abantu ababi, kodwa watshela uNowa ukuba akhe umkhumbi ukuze kusindiswe abantu abalungile kanye nezilwane. (Genesise 6:11-20) Singakukholelwa ukuthi uZamcolo wenzeka ngempela ngoba kubhalwe ngawo emiBhalweni ‘ephefumulelwe uNkulunkulu.’​—2 Thimothewu 3:16.

•  Indaba eyiqiniso noma inganekwane?

•  Kungani kwaba khona uZamcolo?

•  Ingabe abantu babazi ukuthi kwakuza uZamcolo?

•  Wawubukeka kanjani umkhumbi kaNowa?

•  Kwamthatha isikhathi eside kangakanani uNowa ukwakha umkhumbi?

•  Indaba kazamcolo omkhulu, izinganekwane, nezindaba eziqanjiwe

 IBhayibheli lisitshela ukuthi uNowa wayengumuntu wangempela nokuthi uZamcolo wawuyisenzakalo sangempela hhayi nje indaba eqanjiwe noma inganekwane.

•   Ababhali beBhayibheli babekholelwa ukuthi uNowa wayengumuntu ongokoqobo. Ngokwesibonelo, ababhali beBhayibheli u-Ezra noLuka ababeyizazi-mlando ezinekhono bafaka noNowa ohlwini lozalo lwesizwe sakwa-Israyeli. (1 IziKronike 1:4; Luka 3:36) Ababhali bamaVangeli uMathewu noLuka babhala amazwi kaJesu lapho ekhuluma ngoNowa nangoZamcolo.—Mathewu 24:37-39; Luka 17:26, 27.

   Umprofethi uHezekeli nomphostoli uPawulu nabo bacaphuna uNowa njengesibonelo sokholo nokulunga. (Hezekeli 14:14, 20; Hebheru 11:7) Kungaba nengqondo yini ukuthi laba babhali bakhulume ngomuntu osenganekwaneni njengesibonelo sokulingiswa? Ngokusobala, uNowa namanye amadoda nabesifazane bokholo bayizibonelo zokulingiswa ngoba babengabantu abangokoqobo.—Hebheru 12:1; Jakobe 5:17.

•   IBhayibheli lisinikeza imininingwane ecacile mayelana noZamcolo. Ukulandisa kweBhayibheli ngoZamcolo akuqali ngamazwi anjengathi “Kwasukasukela, kudala kwakukhona . . . ,” njengokungathi uyinganekwane. Kunalokho, iBhayibheli lisitshela unyaka, inyanga, nosuku lezo zenzakalo ezihlobene noZamcolo ezenzeka ngako. (Genesise 7:11; 8:4, 13, 14) Liyasitshela nokuthi umkhumbi owakhiwa uNowa wawunjani. (Genesise 6:15) Le mininingwane ibonisa ukuthi iBhayibheli liveza uZamcolo njengendaba eyiqiniso hhayi nje indaba eqanjiwe.

 Ngokusho kweBhayibheli, ngaphambi kukaZamcolo “ububi bomuntu babubukhulu.” (Genesise 6:5) Linezela ukuthi “umhlaba wawusuwonakele emehlweni kaNkulunkulu weqiniso” ngoba wawugcwele ubudlova nokuziphatha okubi ngokocansi.—Genesise 6:11; Jude 6, 7.

 IBhayibheli lithi eziningi zalezi zinkinga zazibangelwe izingelosi ezimbi ezashiya ezulwini ukuze zilale nabesifazane. Lezi zingelosi zaba nenzalo eyayibizwa ngokuthi amaNefili, eyayibakhathaza kakhulu abantu. (Genesise 6:1, 2, 4) UNkulunkulu wanquma ukubuqeda ububi emhlabeni, avumele abantu abalungile ukuba babe nesiqalo esisha.—Genesise 6:6, 7, 17.

 Yebo. UNkulunkulu watshela uNowa okwakuzokwenzeka wamtshela nokuba akhe umkhumbi ukuze asindise umndeni wakhe nezilwane. (Genesise 6:13, 14; 7:1-4) UNowa wabaxwayisa abantu ngembubhiso ezayo, kodwa abazinakanga izixwayiso zakhe. (2 Petru 2:5) IBhayibheli lithi: “Abanakanga kwaze kwafika uZamcolo wabakhukhula bonke.”—Mathewu 24:37-39

 Umkhumbi wawuyibhokisi elikhulu, elingaba ngamamitha angu-133 ubude, angu-22 ububanzi, namamitha angu-13 ukuphakama. a Umkhumbi wawenziwe ngesihlahla esikhipha inomfi, futhi wawuhuqwe ngaphandle nangaphakathi ngetiyela. Wawunezitezi ezintathu kanye namakamela amaningana. Kwakunesicabha ohlangothini lomkhumbi futhi ngokusobala nefasitela phezulu. Kubonakala sengathi umkhumbi wawunophahla oluphakeme phakathi nendawo nendawana evumela amanzi ukuba ahambe.—Genesise 6:14-16.

 IBhayibheli alisho ukuthi kwamthatha isikhathi eside kangakanani uNowa ukwakha umkhumbi, kodwa kubonakala sengathi wachitha amashumi eminyaka ewakha. UNowa wayeneminyaka engaphezu kuka 500 ubudala lapho kuzalwa indodana yakhe yokuqala, futhi wayeneminyaka engu 600 lapho kuqala uZamcolo. b—Genesise 5:32; 7:6.

 UNkulunkulu watshela uNowa ukuba akhe umkhumbi ngemva kokuba amadodana akhe amathathu esekhulile futhi ashada, okwakungathatha iminyaka engaba ngu-50 noma engu-60. (Genesise 6:14, 18) Ngokwalokhu, kubonakala kunengqondo ukuphetha ngokuthi kungenzeka kwathatha iminyaka engu 40 noma engu 50 ukuba umkhumbi wakhiwe uqedwe.