【Genesis 8:6, 7 李杜圣经札记】

6 过了四十天，挪亚开了方舟的窗户， 

7 放出一只乌鸦去。那乌鸦飞来飞去，直到地上的水都干了。

ERV：

6 Forty days later Noah opened the window he had made in the boat. 

7 Then he sent out a raven. The raven flew from place to place until the ground was dry and the water was gone.

NIV:

6 After forty days Noah opened a window he had made in the ark 

7 and sent out a raven, and it kept flying back and forth until the water had dried up from the earth. 

点评：

此前下雨是四十天，诺亚在这里也等了四十天才去了解水势。四十，是圣经里的一个重要数字。

为何先放一只乌鸦出去？不得而知。因为乌鸦吃腐肉，在《圣经》旧约里属于不洁的鸟类，形象不佳？还是因为乌鸦勇敢强壮？

各种教义解读皆未能提供答案。我倒觉得，这不过是文学上的对比手法而已，与之后放出的鸽子，一黑一白，形成鲜明对照。