Genesis 7:1-24

  From previous studies we know:
1. The ark had perfect dimensions to float and endure the flood.
2. The ark had plenty of room for the animals that were taken.
3. The Flood story is preserved in multitudes of ancient cultures.
4. Noah was a righteous and blameless man in his generation. Because Noah believed he condemned those who rebelled against God in his generation.
5. Man corrupts his thoughts, his ways and his world.
6. God spares Noah's family in order to fulfill the covenant and promises concerning the seed of the woman.

Notice the switch back and forth between LORD (YHWH) and God (Elohim). Compare 6:22 (God, elohim) with 7:1 (LORD, YHWH):

  1. Some say this is because there are two flood accounts written together here by two different authors.  The liberal and critical scholars call one of the authors       J for Jahwist (900-850 BC) and the other E for a Elohist that came later (750-500 BC).  In addition to these two it is claimed that a man knows as D (for Deuteronomist) wrote Deuteronomy around 621 BC and another man named P (a Priest) added in the holiness code including the clean animals listed in Genesis 7 and in the law.  This idea, of course, comes against scripture including Jesus’ teaching and should be considered the result of the vain imaginations of an unbelieving  skeptical people.  This is not true for these reasons:
    1. This assumes that the Hebrews did not write their history as it happened.  Other ancient peoples wrote down events as they happened.
    2. This assumes that writing was not available to Noah, Abraham or Moses which is clearly false according to archeology and anthropologists.
    3. The writers of the documents used or written in Gen. – Deut. Were eyewitnesses to these events and familiar with contemporary customs, geography, language and history.
    4. Exodus, Numbers and Deuteronomy name Moses as the author: Ex.17:14; 24:4-7; 34:27; Numbers 33:2; Deuteronomy 31:9, 22, 24.
    5. The Old Testament repeats these claims that Moses wrote Gen-Deut:  Joshua 1:7-8, Judges 3:4; 1 Kings 2:3; 2 Kings 14:6; 21:8; 2 Chronicles 25:4;  Ezra 6:18; Nehemiah 8:1; 13:1; Daniel 9:11-13.
    6. Jesus considered Moses was the author: Matthew 8:4; 19:7-8; Mark 7:10; 12:26; Luke 24:27, 44; John 5:46-47; 7:19
  2. But, the variation of the name Elohim and YHWH does not mean there were different writers.  Generally, Elohim is used when the world (as in Gen. 6-9 Flood account) is in view and YHWH in special cases were believers (people in a covenant with God: Adam, Enoch) are involved.
  3. Also, where the theme of the verses is the person of God YHWH is used.  When other things or people are the focus then Elohim is used.
  4. The JEDP concept really falls apart when we find the use of YHWH-Elohim in Genesis 2 together in one verse, in one sentence to make the name that we translate as “the Lord God”.  If JEDP were correct then 2 or more authors combined over a period of hundreds of years to write not only the same sentence but a compound name in a sentence.

 

7:1

 

7:2

The not-clean animals are preserved on the ark.  This makes a worthy point that unclean animals are not the same as sin.  The flood was to destroy sin but unclean animals were spared.

 

7:3

 

7:4

“send rain” is the Hebrew word “matar” and means a regular rainfall.  It does not mean a heavy, driving rain. 

  • In 7:12 a different word is used for the rain, “gesem”.  This word does mean heavy rain. It is used again in 1 Kings 18:41, 45 and Ezekiel 13:11, 13.

 

7:5

Verses 7:1-4 give the command and 7:5 gives us Noah’s execution of it.

This is similar to the command of 6:14-21 to build the ark and the recording of Noah’s completion in 6:22.

 

We would like more details of how Noah built the ark including technique, time, employees, surrounding events, Noah’s challenges and attitudes.

But, all we are told is he did it.  He got the job done.

 

7:6

Noah was 600 years old when the flood came. 

Noah will live another 350 years until he is 950. (9:29)

 

7:7-9

The animals came onto the ark that last week.

Noah and his family were on the ark waiting for the flood.

 

7:10

In 7:4 God promises he will send the waters in seven days.

Noah obeyed God’s words.  The Lord fulfilled his own word.

Man’s role is to obey the word of God. 

The Lord’s role is to fulfill the word of God and keep his promises.

 

7:11

17th day of the 2nd month of Noah’s 600 year:

  • Israel had two calendars: Civil and Religious.  The civil year began in the fall around Sept. 15 and the religious year began around March 15 with the Exodus generation (Passover being on Nisan 14 or around April 1).  If the civil calendar was being referred to here then the flood began on November 2.
  • This very date is marked by comments in 7:11 “on that day” and 7:13 “on that very day”
  • Noah got off the ark on the 27th day of the 2nd month of Noah’s 601 year (8:14)
  • According to  Jesus this day began like any other day for the people of Noah’s generation.  The people were eating, drinking and having weddings (Mt. 24:37)

 

This verse gives us the two sources of the flood waters:

  1. The springs of the great deep burst forth
    1. A tidal wave caused by the eruption of the ocean waters, a tsunami.
    2. “All the springs of the great deep burst forth.”  These springs are mentioned in Genesis 2:6 as “streams” or “mists” that came up out of the ground.
    3. “Burst forth” is “baqa”, the same word used in

                                                              i.      Numbers 16:31 where an earthquake splits the earth and Korah and his followers are swallowed up.

                                                            ii.      Psalm 78:15 where God split the rock in Exodus 17:6

    1. It is possible that an earthquake set off the release of water pressurized under the continental plates up into the atmosphere. 

                                                              i.      These waters would have began falling instantly

                                                            ii.      Some would have frozen in the upper atmosphere and fell like ice around the globe

                                                          iii.      Some would have condensed into vapor and fell like rain during the next 40 days.

                                                           iv.      This upward shot water also could have penetrated the waters above the atmosphere (sky) from Genesis 1:7 causing it (“flood gates of heaven”) to fall to the earth

    1. Continental Plates and continental drift.  Genesis 10:24 refers to the earth being divided.  Genesis 1:9 records that all the water was gathered to one place thus there would have been a single continental land mass.  This is called Pangaea by geologists and other today.  It was the super-continent.
    2. Catastrophic plate tectonics http://www.answersingenesis.org/tj/v16/i1/plate_tectonics.asp  
    3. Go to this site for description and images: http://www.licoc.org/TBS/Evidence%20Supporting%20the%20Flood.htm
    4. Watch a video presentation of this “bursting forth”:  http://www.thetaxpayerschannel.org/graphics/creation/fonte23.mov


    Mountain Ranges

  1. The flood gates of the heavens were opened
    1. An opening of a water reservoir in the heavens causing  a forty day fall out of rain
    2. On the second day of creation God “separated the water under the expanse from the water above it.”
    3. “Flood gates” or “windows” are from Gen. 1:7.  The explosion of water into the atmosphere from the bursting forth of the underground waters may have caused an disruption of the waters above the earth.
    4. 2 Peter 3:5-7; 10 – Water was placed there in the beginning for longevity or destruction.  Today the earth awaits the fire.

 

God undoes his creative work of the second day and releases the chaos of Gen. 1:2 back onto the earth.  Chaos has never left the universe it has just been “held together by the power of his word.” (Heb. 1:3)  The prophets speak of the day of the Lord as a day of undoing of creation: Isaiah 24:18; Jer. 4:23-26; Amos 7:4

 

Reference

Event

Date
Month/Day/Noah’s Age

7:10

Noah enters ark

2/10/600

7:11

Flood begins

2/17/600

7:12,17

Water falls for 40 days

3/26/600

7:24; 8:3

Water prevails 150 days

7/16/600

8:4

Ark grounds on mountain

7/17/600

8:5

Hill tops visible

10/1/600

8:6,7

Raven sent

11/10/600

8:8

Dove sent

11/17/600

8:10,11

Dove sent, returns w/ leaf

11/24/600

8:12

Dove sent, does not return

12/1/600

8:13

Ground appears dry

1/1/601

8:14

Noah leaves ark

2/27/601

 

7 days waiting on the ark

150 days the water prevailed (first 40 days the water came)

150 days the water receded

70 days the earth dried

 

 

 Some say that Noah had never seen rain before based on Hebrews 11:7, but the verse is talking about not having seen a universal flood.  When God mentioned rain to Noah the word had meaning.  It probably rained before the flood since the planet earth was like a terrarium with great tropical growth.

 

7:16

God Shut the door

 

7:17-20

There are 47 Hebrew words in these verses 13 of them are:

  • Waters 5x
  • increased 2x
  • rose 3x
  • greatly 3x

These are similar words (increased, greatly, etc.) that were used to desribe man's sin on the earth. They are now used to describe God's judgment.

7:19-23
"all/every" is used 8x in the Hebrew

7:19
Clearly describes a worldwide flood