Genesis 7: The flood comes
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What happens?
Yahweh tells Noah to go into the ship with his household and the animals. When Noah is 600 years old the flood comes: rain falls for forty days and forty nights, and the waters rise over the high mountains. Every living thing on the land dies; only Noah and those with him in the ship are left.
Who is speaking?
The narrator tells the story. God speaks in 4 of the 24 verses, at the start, telling Noah to go into the ship. After that no one speaks. God's own words are printed in gold, and those verses are marked God speaks
1Yahweh said to Noah, “Come with all of your household into the ship, for I have seen your righteousness before me in this generation.God speaks
In plain English: Yahweh said to Noah, "Go into the ship, you and all your household, because I have seen that you are righteous before me in this generation.
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2You shall take seven pairs of every clean animal with you, the male and his female. Of the animals that are not clean, take two, the male and his female.God speaks
In plain English: Take with you seven pairs (or: seven) of every clean animal, the male and its female. Of the animals that are not clean, take two, the male and its female.
Good to know: "Seven pairs" is "seven seven" in Hebrew, which can mean seven pairs or seven of each. Here God asks for more of the clean animals, while spoke of two of every sort. Readers explain this in different ways: some see the extra clean animals as meant for the offering in ; others see two tellings of the story woven together.
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3Also of the birds of the sky, seven and seven, male and female, to keep seed alive on the surface of all the earth.God speaks
In plain English: Also take seven pairs (or: seven) of the birds of the sky, male and female, to keep their offspring alive on the face of all the earth.
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4In seven days, I will cause it to rain on the earth for forty days and forty nights. I will destroy every living thing that I have made from the surface of the ground.”God speaks
In plain English: In seven days I will send rain on the earth for forty days and forty nights, and I will wipe out from the face of the ground every living thing I have made."
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5Noah did everything that Yahweh commanded him.
In plain English: Noah did everything Yahweh commanded him.
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6Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters came on the earth.
In plain English: Noah was 600 years old when the flood waters came on the earth.
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7Noah went into the ship with his sons, his wife, and his sons’ wives, because of the floodwaters.
In plain English: Noah went into the ship with his sons, his wife, and his sons' wives, because of the flood waters.
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8Clean animals, unclean animals, birds, and everything that creeps on the ground
In plain English: Clean animals and unclean animals, birds, and everything that creeps on the ground
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9went by pairs to Noah into the ship, male and female, as God commanded Noah.
In plain English: went in pairs to Noah into the ship, male and female, as God had commanded Noah.
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10After the seven days, the floodwaters came on the earth.
In plain English: After the seven days, the flood waters came on the earth.
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11In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep burst open, and the sky’s windows opened.
In plain English: In the 600th year of Noah's life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the springs of the great deep burst open, and the windows of the sky were opened.
The Hebrew words: "The great deep" is tehom, the same word as "the deep" in . The "windows" of the sky are openings, like floodgates: water comes from below and from above.
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12It rained on the earth forty days and forty nights.
In plain English: Rain fell on the earth for forty days and forty nights.
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13In the same day Noah, and Shem, Ham, and Japheth—the sons of Noah—and Noah’s wife and the three wives of his sons with them, entered into the ship—
In plain English: On that same day Noah went into the ship, with his sons Shem, Ham, and Japheth, Noah's wife, and his sons' three wives:
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14they, and every animal after its kind, all the livestock after their kind, every creeping thing that creeps on the earth after its kind, and every bird after its kind, every bird of every sort.
In plain English: they, and every kind of wild animal, every kind of livestock, every kind of creeping thing on the earth, and every kind of bird, birds of every sort.
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15Pairs from all flesh with the breath of life in them went into the ship to Noah.
In plain English: Pairs of all flesh that had the breath of life went into the ship to Noah.
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16Those who went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God commanded him; then Yahweh shut him in.
In plain English: Those that went in were male and female of all flesh, as God had commanded him. Then Yahweh shut him in.
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17The flood was forty days on the earth. The waters increased, and lifted up the ship, and it was lifted up above the earth.
In plain English: The flood went on for forty days on the earth. The waters rose and lifted the ship, and it rose high above the earth.
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18The waters rose, and increased greatly on the earth; and the ship floated on the surface of the waters.
In plain English: The waters rose and grew greatly on the earth, and the ship floated on the surface of the waters.
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19The waters rose very high on the earth. All the high mountains that were under the whole sky were covered.
In plain English: The waters rose very high on the earth, and all the high mountains under the whole sky were covered.
The Hebrew word: "Earth" is erets, which can mean the whole earth or one land or country.
How it is translated: In its 2,190 verses this Bible says "land" about 6 times in 10, and "earth" about 3 times in 10.
What changes: Read as "land", the flood could be read as covering all the land the writer knew. Read as "earth", it covered the whole world.
Church tradition: Many churches teach a flood over the whole world; others teach a great flood over one region. The verse says the waters covered "all the high mountains that were under the whole sky".
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20The waters rose fifteen cubits higher, and the mountains were covered.
In plain English: The waters rose fifteen cubits higher, and the mountains were covered.
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21All flesh died that moved on the earth, including birds, livestock, animals, every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, and every man.
In plain English: All flesh that moved on the earth died: birds, livestock, wild animals, every creeping thing on the earth, and every person.
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22All on the dry land, in whose nostrils was the breath of the spirit of life, died.
In plain English: Everything on dry land that had the breath of the spirit of life in its nostrils died.
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23Every living thing was destroyed that was on the surface of the ground, including man, livestock, creeping things, and birds of the sky. They were destroyed from the earth. Only Noah was left, and those who were with him in the ship.
In plain English: Every living thing on the face of the ground was wiped out: people, livestock, creeping things, and birds of the sky. They were wiped out from the earth. Only Noah was left, and those who were with him in the ship.
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24The waters flooded the earth one hundred fifty days.
In plain English: The waters covered the earth for 150 days.
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