628. The inner meaning here is that all people everywhere in the land — in the church's territory — had made their way corrupt, so that they did not comprehend truth, since all of them had turned their attention to the bodily plane. This included not only those mentioned in the last verse [Genesis 6:11] but also those referred to as "Noah," specifically discussed both here and in the next verse. Before being reborn, they had the same character as the others. These details come first because the story of their rebirth waits till later [Genesis 8:15-22]. And since little of the church remained, the name God rather than Jehovah is now being used.

The present verse signals the fact that nothing true had survived, and the next, that nothing good had. The only truth and goodness left was the remnant possessed by the people called "Noah," because without a remnant regeneration is impossible. The doctrinal concepts that they knew about also survived.

There was no comprehension of truth, however, because this is out of the question where no will to do good exists. When will is absent, so too is intellect, and the better or worse the will is, the better or worse the intellect. The earliest people had a will to do good because they loved the Lord, and from this they had a comprehension of truth. This ability to comprehend, though, was completely destroyed along with the will.

A glimmering of truth on the rational plane and a trace of goodness on the earthly plane did remain to the people called "Noah," and for this reason they were capable of rebirth.