As Noah looked upon the powerful beasts of prey that came forth with him from the ark, he feared that his family, numbering only eight persons, would be destroyed by them. But the Lord sent an angel to His servant with the assuring message: "The fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every fowl of the air, upon all that moveth upon the earth, and upon all the fishes of the sea; into your hand are they delivered. Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things." Before this time God had given man no permission to eat animal food; He intended that the race should subsist wholly upon the productions of the earth; but now that every green thing had been destroyed. He allowed them to eat the flesh of the clean beasts that had been preserved in the ark.

Da Noa så de mægtige rovdyr, der kom ud af arken sammen med ham, frygtede han for, at hans familie på kun otte personer ville blive tilintetgjort af dem. Men Herren sendte en engel til sin tjener med et beroligende budskab: "Frygt for Eder og rædsel for Eder skal være over alle jordens vildtlevende dyr og alle himmelens fugle og i alt, hvad jorden vrimler med, og i alle havets fisk; i Eders hånd er de givet! Alt, hvad der rører sig og lever, skal tjene Eder til føde; ligesom de grønne urter giver jeg Eder det alt sammen." Før denne tid havde Gud ikke givet menneskene tilladelse til at spise animalsk føde. Han havde til hensigt, at menneskeslægten helt skulle leve af jordens afgrøder; men nu, da alt grønt var ødelagt, tillod han dem at spise kødet af de rene dyr, der var bevaret i arken.