Genesis7

The LORD commands Noah, whom He deems righteous, to enter the ark with his family and specific numbers of animals, announcing a forty-day flood to destroy all living substance. Noah obeys, and after seven days, the flood begins, with rain for forty days and nights and the breaking of the great deep. The waters rise, covering the highest mountains, and all living creatures outside the ark perish, leaving only Noah and those with him alive.
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God Commands Noah to Enter the Ark

1
And the LORD said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation. ​
2
Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens, the male and his female: and of beasts that are not clean by two, the male and his female. ​
3
Of fowls also of the air by sevens, the male and the female; to keep seed alive upon the face of all the earth.
4
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. ​
5
And Noah did according unto all that the LORD commanded him. ​
6
And Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters was upon the earth.
7
And Noah went in, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons' wives with him, into the ark, because of the waters of the flood.
8
Of clean beasts, and of beasts that are not clean, and of fowls, and of every thing that creepeth upon the earth,
9
There went in two and two unto Noah into the ark, the male and the female, as God had commanded Noah.
10
And it came to pass after seven days, that the waters of the flood were upon the earth. ​

The Flood Waters Erupt

11
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. ​
12
And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights. ​
13
In the selfsame day entered Noah, and Shem, and Ham, and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and Noah's wife, and the three wives of his sons with them, into the ark;
14
They, and every beast after his kind, and all the cattle after their kind, and every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind, and every fowl after his kind, every bird of every sort.
15
And they went in unto Noah into the ark, two and two of all flesh, wherein is the breath of life.
16
And they that went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God had commanded him: and the LORD shut him in. ​

The Waters Prevail and Destroy All Life

17
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. ​
18
And the waters prevailed, and were increased greatly upon the earth; and the ark went upon the face of the waters.
19
And the waters prevailed exceedingly upon the earth; and all the high hills, that were under the whole heaven, were covered. ​
20
Fifteen cubits upward did the waters prevail; and the mountains were covered. ​
21
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: ​
22
All in whose nostrils was the breath of life, of all that was in the dry land, died.
23
And every living substance was destroyed which was upon the face of the ground, both man, and cattle, and the creeping things, and the fowl of the heaven; and they were destroyed from the earth: and Noah only remained alive, and they that were with him in the ark. ​
24
And the waters prevailed upon the earth an hundred and fifty days. ​

Study Notes for Genesis 7

Verse 1

Noah’s righteousness is the basis for his salvation amidst universal judgment. This highlights the doctrine of election; Noah was saved not by his works, but by his faith and moral standing in a wicked generation (Gen 6:9).

Verse 2

The distinction between clean and unclean animals precedes the Mosaic Law, indicating an early understanding of purity. The seven pairs of clean animals were necessary for post-flood sacrifices (Gen 8:20) and for sustaining the renewed world.

Verse 4

The period of forty days and forty nights is a symbolic duration in scripture, representing a time of testing, judgment, or preparation (e.g., Israel in the wilderness, Jesus’ temptation).

Verse 5

This verse emphasizes Noah’s obedience, a recurring theme that contrasts sharply with the disobedience of the rest of humanity described in the preceding chapter.

Verse 10

The completion of the seven-day waiting period initiated by God (v. 4) signals the precise moment the patience of God toward the wicked generation ceased and divine judgment began.

Verse 11

This verse describes the two sources of the catastrophe, demonstrating the flood was not merely local rain: the 'fountains of the great deep' (subterranean waters) and the 'windows of heaven' (atmospheric waters). This describes a global, cataclysmic event.

Verse 12

The forty days of rain served as both the final mechanism of judgment and a clear marker of the initial phase of the rising waters.

Verse 16

The detail that 'the LORD shut him in' is crucial. It signifies that salvation and protection were secured entirely by divine action, and once the door was sealed by God, the time for repentance had passed.

Verse 17

The forty days mark the duration of the rising waters, which lifted the massive ark off the ground, confirming its successful construction and the power of the flood.

Verse 19

The statement that 'all the high hills... were covered' confirms the universal scope of the flood, emphasizing that God's judgment was comprehensive across the entire terrestrial sphere.

Verse 20

Fifteen cubits (approx. 22.5 feet) above the highest mountains indicates a depth sufficient to ensure the ark floated safely above any submerged obstructions or peaks.

Verse 21

This verse stresses the totality of the destruction, encompassing all land-dwelling creatures, and reversing the creation order established in Genesis 1 and 2.

Verse 23

The contrast between the destruction of 'every living substance' and the survival of 'Noah only' highlights the effectiveness of God’s judgment and the singular nature of His grace and covenant with Noah.

Verse 24

The hundred and fifty days marks the full duration that the waters continued to prevail at their maximum height before God remembered Noah and began the process of recession (Gen 8:1).

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