565. The symbolism of humankind as the human race of that time — an evil and corrupt race — is established by subsequent verses:
My spirit will not denounce humankind forever, because they are flesh. (Genesis 6:3)
The evil of the people in the land multiplied; and everything that the thoughts of their heart fabricated was nothing but evil. (Genesis 6:5)
I will obliterate the human whom I created. (Genesis 6:7)
And from the next chapter:
All flesh creeping on the earth passed away, and every human, in whose nostrils was the breath of living spirit. (Genesis 7:21-22)
In regard to humanity, it has already been said that the Lord alone is human [§§49, 162] and that from him every heavenly person (or heavenly church) acquires the name of human [§477]. Everyone who is not heavenly acquires the name of human from him too, as do people of all religions whatever. It is what distinguishes us from animals. Still, we are not human, are not different from the animals, except through having a remnant (as noted [§§530, 560]), which is the Lord's. The remnant too enables us to be called human, and since the remnant enables this, and the remnant is the Lord's, again it is from the Lord that we acquire the name of human, no matter how bad we are. We would not be human but the lowest of the animals if we had no remnant.
