8:21 not again curse. The promise of God, given in response to Noah’s sacrificial prayer of thanksgiving and intercession, is tremendous in scope. He would never again “curse the ground” with a worldwide curse as He had done following Adam’s sin. The Edenic curse is still in effect, of course, but there would be no other. Noah had, indeed, brought “comfort” to the world concerning “the ground which the LORD had cursed” (Genesis 5:29).

8:21 every living thing. Neither would God ever again bring a worldwide cataclysm to the earth as He had with the Flood.

8:22 remaineth. This dual promise would be kept as long as the earth existed in its probationary state, with man still in his sinful condition, his “heart evil from his youth.” Eventually, the earth would be renovated and the curse removed altogether (Revelation 22:3).

8:22 shall not cease. The principle of uniformity is here established by God for the post-Flood world. Not only would the basic laws of nature still continue in effect (these had, of course, operated even during the Flood) but also the regular operation of its natural processes (these had been greatly intensified during the Flood). The basic processes of earth are its rotation on its axis and its orbital revolution around the sun. These control all annual and diurnal processes, which in turn control practically all biological and geological processes. Absolute uniformity of the day/night cycle and the seasonal cycles assures at least general uniformity of functioning (allowing for statistical variations about an average) of other processes. Thus the principle of uniformitarianism is valid absolutely for the laws of nature ever since the imposition of God’s curse (except for special miracles) and is valid statistically for the processes of nature since the flood.