Gen 8:1–3: God remembered; the wind; the waters going back

Says וַיִּזְכֹּר אֱלֹהִים אֶת־נֹחַ, "and God remembered Noah," with the animals "that were with him in the ark" (BSB). The verb is a Qal of zakhar, "remember." Then וַיַּעֲבֵר אֱלֹהִים רוּחַ עַל־הָאָרֶץ, "and God caused a wind to pass over the earth," a Hiphil of 'avar, "pass over" ("And God sent a wind over the earth," BSB), and וַיָּשֹׁכּוּ הַמָּיִם, "and the waters abated" (BDB "the waters abated"); the BSB's "began to subside" has no separate verb for "began" in the Hebrew.

Says In 8:2 מַעְיְנֹת תְּהוֹם, "the springs of the deep," and וַאֲרֻבֹּת הַשָּׁמָיִם, "the windows of the heavens," וַיִּסָּכְרוּ, "were stopped" (BDB "shut up, stop up"), and the rain וַיִּכָּלֵא, "was restrained" (BDB). In 8:3 וַיָּשֻׁבוּ הַמַּיִם, "and the waters went back," הָלוֹךְ וָשׁוֹב, "going and returning" ("receded steadily," BSB), and וַיַּחְסְרוּ, "decreased" (BDB "diminish, decrease, of waters"), מִקְצֵה חֲמִשִּׁים וּמְאַת יוֹם, "at the end of 150 days."

Implies "God remembered" is God acting in faithfulness toward Noah, not recall after forgetting: with God as subject the verb is followed at once by action for the one remembered (the wind here; Lot brought out at Gen 19:29; the covenant at Exod 2:24), and Noah is the man to whom God promised a covenant at 6:18.

Uncertain רוּחַ, "wind," over the waters shares words with 1:2. Whether 8:1 is meant as a picture of a new creation is not stated. No lean is taken here.