Previous Questions and Answers
How long did the flood last?
How long did the
flood last?
Genesis 7:4 says, "For yet seven
days, and I will cause it to rain upon the earth FORTY DAYS AND
FORTY NIGHTS; and every living substance that I have made will I
destroy from off the face of the earth."
It rained for 40 days and 40 nights, and the fountains of the deep were opened up: that is what caused the whole earth to be flooded. Genesis 7:10-12 says "And it came to pass after seven days, that the waters of the flood were upon the earth. In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened. And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights." Genesis 7:17-21 says, "And the flood was forty days upon the earth; and the waters increased, and bare up the ark, and it was lift up above the earth. And the waters prevailed, and were increased greatly upon the earth; and the ark went upon the face of the waters. And the waters prevailed exceedingly upon the earth; and all the high hills, that were under the whole heaven, were covered. Fifteen cubits upward did the waters prevail; and the mountains were covered. And all flesh died that moved upon the earth, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of beast, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth, and every man."
The waters of the flood started to go down, and the ark rested on the mountains after 5 months had passed. Genesis 7:24-8:5 says, "And THE WATERS PREVAILED UPON THE EARTH AN HUNDRED AND FIFTY DAYS. And God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the cattle that was with him in the ark: and God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters asswaged; The fountains also of the deep and the windows of heaven were stopped, and the rain from heaven was restrained; And the waters returned from off the earth continually: and AFTER THE END OF THE HUNDRED AND FIFTY DAYS THE WATERS WERE ABATED. AND THE ARK RESTED IN THE SEVENTH MONTH, on the seventeenth day of the month, UPON THE MOUNTAINS OF ARARAT. And the waters decreased continually until the tenth month: in the tenth month, on the first day of the month, were the tops of the mountains seen."
For the time table, please notice Noah’s age when the flood started. Genesis 7:11 says, "In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, IN THE SECOND MONTH, THE SEVENTEENTH DAY OF THE MONTH, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened." Genesis 8:4 says, "And the ark rested in THE SEVENTH MONTH, ON THE SEVENTEENTH DAY OF THE MONTH, upon the mountains of Ararat." That is exactly 5 months.
The previous verse was only saying that the BOTTOM OF THE ARK had rested upon the mountains at the 5 month point, but as Genesis 8:5 says, the tops of the mountains could not be seen until about 2 1/2 months later, "And the waters decreased continually until THE TENTH MONTH: in the tenth month, ON THE FIRST DAY OF THE MONTH, WERE THE TOPS OF THE MOUNTAINS SEEN." So that would make the flood about 7 1/2 months long before the mountains could be seen.
Genesis 8:13 says, "And it came to pass in THE SIX HUNDREDTH AND FIRST YEAR, IN THE FIRST MONTH, THE FIRST DAY OF THE MONTH, THE WATERS WERE DRIED UP FROM OFF THE EARTH: and Noah removed the covering of the ark, and looked, and, behold, THE FACE OF THE GROUND WAS DRY."
Notice that THE FACE of the ground was dry, that is, there was NO STANDING WATER seen. This would have been about the 10 1/2 month point since the flood began, but the ground was still soggy, and so God did not tell them to leave the ark until a little later.
Genesis 8:14-16 says, "And in THE SECOND MONTH, ON THE SEVEN AND TWENTIETH DAY OF THE MONTH, WAS THE EARTH DRIED. And God spake unto Noah, saying, Go forth of the ark, thou, and thy wife, and thy sons, and thy sons' wives with thee." Notice this time that it is not just the FACE of the earth, but the EARTH (the ground) that is truly dry. Now Noah and his wife and their family could walk around without getting their feet all soggy and wet, and they could sit down on the ground without getting all wet.
So the flood began when Noah was 600 years old, in the second month, and the 17th day. They were allowed to get back off of the ark when Noah was 601 years old, in the second month, and the 27th day. So once the flood started, until the time when the ground was truly dry again, it was 1 year and 10 days. That is the length of the flood, 1 year and 10 days.
