first moneth] See Annot. on Chap. 7. vers. 11. first moneth] Heb. in the first, the first of the moneth. Where after the former first the word moneth is understood, after the latter the word day; the moneth and day are expresly mentioned before, vers. 4. and after, vers. 14. yet sometimes the substantive of time is omitted, and vertually comprehended under the adjective of number and order, as Matthew 26:17. in the Greek, the first of the feast, the word day is left out; but Mark 14:12. it is supplied, and the speech made full thus, the first day of the feast. This was the first moneth according to the sacred account, to wit, the moneth Nisan answering to March; see the Annotation on Chapter. 7. vers. 11. and the first day of that moneth. the face of the ground] The ground is said to have a face as the waters, Chap. 1, 2. and the firmament, a face, vers. 20. of that Chapter, by which is meant the open and most visible part called the supersicies, or surface, which is most obvious to the view, as the face of a man is more visible then his other parts, which are commonly covered, when the face is commonly bare. was day] That is, the ground which before was quite covered with waters (except the hilly part) was now generally bare, so that it appeared all earth; yet was it not so dry but that it was soft and muddy; and so not firme enough to afford a solid subsistence to hard and heavie bodies, as in the twenty seventh day of the next moneth it did, vers. 14. untill which Noah kept in the Arke notwithstanding the drynesse of the earth in the sense fore-mentioned. removed the covering] That is, took up a board or two in the top or roofe of the Arke, to look round about him; for through the window he could not see so farre every way.