“The ark came to rest.”
This completes the prophecy of 5: 29, “Lamech called his name Noah, saying, ‘Out of the ground which the Lord has cursed this one shall bring us rest from our work and the toil of our hands.’” Together, the prophecy and its fulfillment reveal the significance of the Sabbath that will be declared for mankind. They also offer insight into the corruption of the earth (see here and here).
Failure to observe a Sabbath rest, to work endlessly, restlessly; to be constantly seeking for ways to improve efficiency, productivity and profit: these corrupt the heart of man and do damage to the earth, too, as we know well in our own time. The curse of the earth is there not to be overcome by man’s ingenuity, but as a spur to faith in the One ‘who gives the growth’ [1 Cor 3:6].
Lamech does not comprehend the essence of his prophecy. As one who in his heart rebels against the curse and against the curative effect of work, he imagines that his offspring will carry through some kind of program that will undo the curse. Instead, Noah’s birth portends God’s intervention and an imposed Sabbath over all the earth, that the damage done by man’s unbridled will might be undone, and that Noah might re-consecrate the earth to God by his sacrifice in the making of the Noachide covenant.