VERSE 1 Then the LORD said to Noah, "Enter the ark, you and all your household [hb'Teh;-la, ^t.yBe-lk'w> hT'a;-aBo x;nOl. hw"hy> rm,aYOw: [waw w/Qal impf.3m.s amar say + proper noun Yahweh + prep lamedh w/proper noun Noah + Qal imper.m.s. bo enter + pro.2m.s. attah you + waw w/noun m.s.constr. kol all + noun m.s.constr.w/2m.s.suff. bayith house, household + prep el into + def.art.w/noun f.s.abs. tebhah ark], for I have seen that you are righteous before Me in this time [generation] [hZ<h; rADB; yn:p'l. qyDIc; ytiyair' ^t.ao-yKi [part ki for + d.o. marker w/2m.s.suff. + Qal impf.1s. ra-ah see + adj.m.s.abs. tsadiq righteous + prep lamedh w/noun m.p.constr.w/1s.suff. paneh face; "before me" + prep beth w/noun m.s.abs. dor generation + def.art.w/adj.m.s. zoth this]).

ANALYSIS: VERSE 1

1. Scene 3 (vv. 1-4) constitutes a monologue addressed to Noah instructing him to enter the ark.
2. It corresponds to scene 8 (8:15-17), telling him to leave the ark.
3. Like scene 1, this scene features two commands, "Enter" (v.1) and "You shall/must take" (v.2), separated by an explanation.
4. The words: "because you I have seen righteous in this generation" clearly points back to 6:9.
5. The same terms "righteous" and "generations" (NAS "in this time") appear both here and in 6:9.
6. The italics "alone" in the NAS translation is unfortunate and misleading.
7. Noah was not the only righteous man on the earth in those days; he was simply the man of the hour.
8. Methuselah, the 8^th generation primogeniture in the line of Messiah, died in the same year the Flood happened.
9. He was a righteous man as were all the 10 firstborns of Genesis 5.
10. Translations that render the second half of the verse "for I have found that you are righteous" are misleading.
11. Here we have a verb plus two direct objects: "I have seen you, a righteous person."
12. Noah is granted permission to enter the ark because he was "righteous."
13. Noah’s right to enter the ark was not based on works (e.g. he built it, etc.).
14. He was permitted to enter it because he possessed imputed righteousness.
15. An unbeliever would not be permitted to enter the ark.
16. "Righteous" both here and in 6:9 is the righteousness that comes by faith (not works).
17. In 6:9 the observation regarding Noah’s spiritual bio also includes his phase 2 standing as seen in the term "blameless."
18. There his spiritual bio is based on the narrator’s comments (6:8,9,22).
19. Here we have God addressing himself to Noah in direct discourse.
20. Permission to enter the ark was based on Noah’s phase 1 standing before God.
21. Obviously he was the right man for the occasion being the living representative of the 10^th and final generation at the time of the Flood.
22. Furthermore he was willing to do all that God directed him to do to prepare the ark so that land dwelling creatures could perpetuate life on earth.
23. But Noah’s right to enter the sea-going vessel he had built was based on his phase 1 status, and not on merit.
24. I take the final clause of verse 1 as a statement by Yahweh that Noah was a man who possessed imputed righteousness and so he was qualified to enter the ark.
25. He was granted permission to enter the ark based on the fact he possessed imputed righteousness.
26. His willingness to do everything God asked of him was based on his phase 2 faith and commitment to God’s plan.
27. His right to enter was based on that fact he possessed +R.
28. This was true of the other human passengers as well.

Specificity Regarding the Cargo (vv. 2-3)

VERSE 2 "You shall take with you of every clean animal by sevens , a male and his female; (ATv.aiw> vyai h['b.vi h['b.vi ^l.-xQ;Ti hr'AhJ.h; hm'heB.h; lKomi [prep min from w/noun m.s.abs. kol all; every + def.art.w/noun f.s.abs. behemah beast, animal + def.art.w/adj.f.s.abs. tahor clean + Qal impf.2m.s. laqach take + prep lamedh w/2m.s.suff. "with you" + adj.m.s.abs. sheba- seven + noun m.s.abs. ish man, husband; male + waw w/noun f.s.abs. w/3m.s.suff. ishshah woman, wife; female] and of the animals that are not clean two, a male and his female [ATv.aiw> vyai ~yIn:v. awhi hr'hoj. al{ rv,a] hm'heB.h;-!miW [waw w/prep min from + def.art.w/noun f.s.abs. behemah beast, animal + rel.pro. asher who, which; "that" + neg lo + adj.f.s.abs. tahur clean + pro.3f.s. hi here: "that is" + adj.m.dual abs. shenayim two + noun m.s.ab.s ish "male" + waw w/noun f.s.abs.w/3m.s.suff. ishshah "female"]);

VERSE 3 also of the birds of the sky, by sevens, male and female, to keep offspring alive on the face of all the earth (#r,a'h'-lk' ynEP.-l[; [r;z< tAYx;l. hb'qen>W rk'z" h['b.vi h['b.vi ~yIm;V'h; @A[me ~G: [conj gam also + prep min w/noun m.s.abs. oph bird + def.art.w/noun m.p.abs. shamayim sky + adj.m.s.ab.s sheba- seven + adj.m.s.abs. sheba- "by sevens" + noun m.s.abs. zakhar male + waw w/noun f.s.abs. neqebhah female + prep lamedh w/Piel infin.constr. chayah live + noun m.s.ab.s zera- seed; with infin: "to keep alive" + prep al upon + noun both pl.constr. paneh face + noun m.s.constr. kol all + def.art.w/noun both s.abs. eretz earth]).

ANALYSIS: VERSES 2-3

1. This scene presupposes the completion of the ark.
2. This scene focuses on events just before the passengers entered the ark.
3. Noah is given his final and more detailed instructions regarding the animals that are to enter the ark.
4. In scene 2 Noah had been told to take aboard a pair of every kind of living thing (6:19-20).
5. Those general instructions were given 100 years before this new set of instructions were presented to him.
6. Gen. 9:19-20 is a general statement employing a dual form for pairs (shenayim).
7. This noun means "two" or "a pair."
8. Here he is told to take aboard seven pairs (or "seven by seven").
9. The Hebrew repeats the singular adjective "seven" (sheba- seba-).
10. The text avoids using the term for unclean (tame), but instead uses the negative with the adjective for clean (taher).
11. Nevertheless Yahweh mandates the preservation of animals that are not clean.
12. They are as much an object of Yahweh’s compassion as is Noah himself.
13. In conclusion, there is no conflict between the general announcement in 6:19-20 that pairs of animals will embark and the more detailed instructions of 7:2-3 about added clean animals.
14. Additional clean animals would be needed for food and sacrificial needs after debarkation.

Final Warning (v.4)

VERSE 4 "For after seven more days, I will send rain on the earth forty days and forty nights (hl'y>l' ~y[iB'r>a;w> ~Ay ~y[iB'r>a; #r,a'h'-l[; ryjim.m; ykinOa' h['b.vi dA[ ~ymiy"l. yKi [part ki for + prep lamedh w/noun m.p.abs. yom day + adv odh after + adj.m.s.abs. sheba- seven + pro.1s. anoki I + Hiphil part.m.s.abs. matar rain + prep al upon + def.art.w/noun both s.abs. eretz earth + adj. both p.abs. arba-im forty + noun m.s.abs. yom day + waw w/adj. both pl.abs. arba-im forty + noun m.s.abs. layil night]; and I will blot out from the face of the land every living thing that I have made [hm'd'a]h' ynEP. l[;me ytiyfi[' rv,a] ~Wqy>h;-lK'-ta, ytiyxim'W [waw w/Qal perf.1s. machah wipe out/off; cf. 6:7 + d.o. marker + noun m.s.constr. kol all + def.art.w/noun m.s.abs. yequm ability to stand; "every living thing" + rel.pro. asher which + Qal perf.1s. ashah make + prep min w/prep al upon; "from upon" + noun both p.constr. paneh face + def.art.w/noun f.s.abs. adhamah ground, land])."

ANALYSIS: VERSE 4

1. Noah was granted a one week notice regarding the onset of the Flood.
2. As in 6:13, 17 the circumstantial participle ("will send rain") is used to denote imminent divine action.
3. The main clause "I will blot out…" indicates result (or purpose).
4. The verb for ‘to rain’ (matar) denotes ordinary rainfall.
5. What makes the rain event so potent is its duration: "forty days and nights."
6. The word used for "rain" in v.12 (gesem) does denote heavy rain (cf. 1Kgs. 18:41,45; Ezek. 13:11,13).
7. "Blot out" or "wipe out" echoes the terminology of 6:7 and looks forward to 7:23.
8. "Wipe out" (machah) is the featured verb of total destruction.
9. It is used in the OT in these theological contexts: (a) forgiveness of sins as in Ps. 51:3; Isa. 43:25; 44:22 (b) removal of names from God’s book as in Deut. 32:32,33; (c) elimination of tears in the eternal state in Isa. 25:8.
10. "Every living thing I have made" is literally "every existing thing..."
11. The noun "existence" (yequm) only occurs here, in 7:23 and Deut. 11:6.
12. Noah is duly informed of this sobering event and the fact it will hit in just seven days from the revelation granted in scene 3.
13. Genesis begins with a seven day week and the antediluvian era ends with a seven day week.
14. What took place in chapter 1 would be reversed at the end of the final week of the antediluvian era.

Scene 4: Noah’s Complete Obedience (vv. 5-16)

VERSE 5 Noah did according to all that the LORD had commanded him (hw"hy> WhW"ci-rv,a] lkoK. x;nO f[;Y:w: [waw w/Qal impf.3m.s. ashah do + proper noun Noah + prep kaph w/noun m.s.abs. kol all + rel.pro. asher which + Piel impf.3m.s.w/3m.s.suff. tswah command, order + proper noun Yahweh]).

VERSE 6 Now Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of water came upon the earth (#r,a'h'-l[; ~yIm; hy"h' lWBM;h;w> hn"v' tAame vve-!B, x;nOw> [waw w/proper noun Noah + noun m.s.constr. ben son; "old" + adj.f.s.abs. shesh six + adj.f.p.abs. me-ah hundred + noun f.s.abs. shanah year + waw w/def.art.w/noun m.s.abs. mabul flood + Qal perf.3m.s. hayah to be, exist, happen + noun m.p.abs. mayim waters + prep al upon + def.art.w/noun both s.abs. eretz earth]).

VERSE 7 Then Noah and his sons and his wife and his sons' wives with him entered the ark because of the water of the flood (lWBM;h; yme ynEP.mi hb'Teh;-la, ATai wyn"b'-yven>W ATv.aiw> wyn"b'W x;nO aboY"w: [waw w/Qal impf.3m.s bo enter + proper noun Noah + waw w/noun m.p.constr.w/3m.s.suff. ben son + waw w/noun f.s.constr.w/3m.s.suff. ishshah wife + waw w/noun f.p.constr. ishshah wife + noun m.p.constr.w/3m.s.suff. ben + part.w/3m.s.suff. ith together with;"with him" + prep el into + def.art.w/noun f.s.abs. tebhah ark + prep min w/noun both p.constr. paneh face literally: "from the face"; translated "because" + noun m.p.constr. mayim waters + def.art.w/noun m.s.abs. mabbul flood]).

VERSE 8 Of clean animals and animals that are not clean and birds and everything that creeps on the ground (hm'd'a]h'-l[; fmero-rv,a] lkow> @A[h'-!miW hr'hoj. hN"n<yae rv,a] hm'heB.h;-!miW hr'AhJ.h; hm'heB.h;-!mi [prep min from; "Of" + def.art.w/noun f.s.abs. behemah beast, animal + def.art.w/adj.f.s.abs. tahur clean + waw w/prep min w/def.art.w/noun f.s.abs. behemah animal + rel.pro. asher which + part ayin not + adj.f.s.abs. tahur clean + waw w/prep min from, of + def.art.w/noun m.s.abs. oph bird + waw w/noun m.s.abs. kol all; "everything" + rel.pro. asher which + Qal part.m.s.abs. ramash creep, crawl + prep al upon + def.art.w/noun f.s.abs. adamah ground]),

VERSE 9 there went into the ark to Noah by twos, male and female, as God had commanded Noah (x;nO-ta, ~yhil{a/ hW"ci rv,a]K; hb'qen>W rk'z" hb'Teh;-la, x;nO-la, WaB' ~yIn:v. ~yIn:v. [adj.m. dual abs. shenayim two + adj.m. dual abs. shenayim two + Qal perf.3p. bo go, enter; "went into" + prep el to + proper noun Noah + prep el to + def.art.w/noun f.s.abs. tebaah ark + noun m.s.abs. zakhar male + waw w/noun f.s.abs. neqebhah female + prep kaph w/rel.pro. asher "just as" + Piel perf.3m.s. tsawah command + noun m.p.abs. Elohim + d.o. marker + proper noun Noah]).

VERSE 10 It came about after the seven days, that the water of the flood came upon the earth (#r,a'h'-l[; Wyh' lWBM;h; ymeW ~ymiY"h; t[;b.vil. yhiy>w: [waw w/Qal impf.3m.s. hayah to be + prep lamedh w/adj.m.s.constr. sheba- seven + def.art.w/noun m.p.abs. yom day + waw w/noun m.p.constr. mayim waters + def.art.w/noun m.s.abs. mabbul flood + Qal perf. 3p. hayah to be; "came" + prep al upon + def.art.w/noun both s.abs. eretz earth]).

ANALYSIS: VERSES 5-10

1. Scene 4 (vv. 5-16) relates the total and complete obedience of Noah and the animals to God’s command to enter the ark and the onset of the Flood.
2. The fullness of description along with the timing give this scene weight and solemnity.
3. The day when the old creation died is described with a gravity befitting the occasion.
4. The three-fold refrain "As Yahweh had commanded him" emphasizes the central fact: Noah’s fidelity to God led to his deliverance.
5. This scene, like scenes 1 and 3, falls into two main parts, each concluding with "as God had commanded Noah/him" (vv. 5, 9, 16).
6. These parallels include: (1) Noah’s age (v.6a corresponds to v.11a); (2) Flood comes (v.6b corresponds to v.10b, 11b-12); (3) Noah and family enter (v.7 corresponds to v.13); (4) Animals enter (v.8 corresponds to v.14); (5) in pairs (v.9a corresponds to vv.15-16a; and (6) "As God commanded (v.9b corresponds to v.16b).
7. It should be noted that the second verse(s) cited in each of the six examples does not simply repeat the first citation, but is more precise than the first.
8. V. 6a dates the flood to the "600^th year of Noah’s life; v. 11a dates it to the day.
9. V. 7 mentions Noah’s sons; v. 13 names them.
10. The entirety of Gen. 7:6-16 is an elaborate piece of epic composition, in which there are only two events stated at the beginning, namely the onset of the flood and the entry into the ark.
11. Descriptions of these events alternate−flood (v.6), entry (vv. 7-9), flood (vv. 10-11), entry (vv. 13-16a), flood (v. 17).
12. A third event (the closing of the door) is mentioned only once (v. 16b).
13. The above is a good example of what has been labeled as "panel-writing."
14. In the opening and closing verses of this scene the name Yahweh is used.
15. V. 5 is almost identical with 6:22 with the substitution of "the LORD" with "God," and the omission of "so he did."
16. Instead of the latter clause ("so he did") we have the long and detailed description in vv. 6-16 of the arrival of the flood and Noah’s embarkation.
17. Clearly the narrator wishes to insist that the latter events were much more important than the actual building of the ark.
18. Yet, from a human perspective, boarding the ark was much easier than building it!
19. Genesis plays down Noah’s effort, merely mentioning his obedience.
20. In this scene we are confronted with an amazing spectacle: the tremendous procession of all the creatures streaming in from all parts of the earth to Noah’s ark.
21. The brief expression in 6:22 would have been inadequate so a detailed description such as we have in this scene was necessary.
22. Here we have a magnificent and graphic picture of that wondrous scene, the mass pilgrimage from all parts of Pangea to the one place that promised deliverance to every land creature.
23. Noah was 500 years old when he fathered his sons (5:32) and he was 600 years of age at the onset of the Flood (vv. 6, 11).
24. V. 7 fulfills the command in 7:1, though the terminology is closer to 6:18.
25. Vv. 8-9 records the fulfillment of 7:2-3, thought the terminology is closer to 6:18.
26. No mention is made of the seven pairs of clean animals, but fact of 7:2-3 and the remark "as God had commanded Noah," and the rest of the story (8:20) indicate that additional clean animals embarked.
27. The list of animals here and throughout the flood story clearly echoes Gen. 1.
28. The second part of this scene begins with v. 10 and goes over the same events as in vv. 6-9, giving more detail, especially as it concerns the flood.
29. "In seven days" looks back to 7:3 and the "waters of the flood...the earth" to 7:6.
30. Note that God is pictured as working according to a weekly cycle.
31. In waiting for the flood to subside, Noah too follows a weekly cycle of activity (8:10, 12).

Part Two of Scene Four (vv. 11-16)

Dating of the Flood (v. 11)

VERSE 11 In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month (vd,xol; ~Ay rf'['-h['b.viB. ynIVeh; vd,xoB; x;nO-yYEx;l. hn"v' tAame-vve tn:v.Bi [prep beth w/non f.s.constr. shanah year + adj.f.s.abs. shesh six + adj.f.p.abs. me-ah hundred + noun f.s.abs. shanah year + prep lamedh w/noun m.p.constr. chayyim life + proper noun Noah + def.art.w/adj.m.s.abs. sheni second + prep beth w/adj.m.s.ab.s sheba- seventh + adj.m.s.abs. ashar ten + noun m.s.abs. yom day + prep lamedh w/noun m.s.abs. choresh month], on the same day all the fountains of the great deep burst open [hB'r; ~AhT. tnOy>[.m;-lK' W[q.b.nI hZ<h; ~AYB; [prep beth w/noun m.s.abs. yom day + def.art.w/adj.m.s.abs. zeh this; "same" + Niphal perf.3p. baqa- cleave, divide, break up + noun m.s.constr. kol all + noun m.p.constr. ma-yan fountain, spring + noun both s.abs. tehom depths (oceanic) + adj.f.s.abs. rabh great], and the floodgates [windows] of the sky were opened [WxT'p.nI ~yIm;V'h; tBorua]w: [waw w/noun f.p.constr. arebah window; "floodgates" + def.art.w/noun m.p.abs. shamayim heaven, sky + Niphal perf.3p. pathach open]).

VERSE 12 The rain fell upon the earth for forty days and forty nights (hl'y>l' ~y[iB'r>a;w> ~Ay ~y[iB'r>a; #r,a'h'-l[; ~v,G<h; yhiy>w: [waw w/Qal impf.3m.s. hayah to be, happen; "fell" + def.art.w/noun m.s.abs. geshem rain (heavy) + prep al upon + def.art.w/noun both s.abs. eretz earth + adj. both p.abs. arba-im forty + noun m.s.abs. yom day + waw w/noun arba-im forty + noun m.s.ab.s layil night]).

ANALYSIS: VERSES 11-12

1. One hundred years prior to the onset of the Flood Noah was first informed of the impending judgment upon humanity and the deliverance God intended for him and his household.
2. At that time Noah began to father three sons who along with their wives would accompany him on the ark.
3. Noah easily deduced from that encounter that he and his family would be protected not only from the flood waters but would be kept safe from the escalating violence that characterized those times.
4. So he knew he would father sons and they would marry and be delivered from the coming wrath.
5. Noah at age 500 (5:32) did not have three married sons, but he was told he would have married sons when the flood began.
6. Shem was 100 years old when he fathered his firstborn and this was two years after the flood (Gen. 11:10).
7. The fullness and precision of the dates of the flood are amazing (cf. 7:12, 17, 24; 8:3, 4, 5, 6, 10, 12, 13, 14).
8. The chronological notations lend authenticity to the flood story.
9. In v. 7a we have the precise day of the year when the flood commenced.
10. Restoration began on a Sunday according to Genesis 1.
11. One month (30 days) and seventeen days later has the flood beginning on a Thursday.
12. On that day and for a total of forty days the canopy condensed out accounting for the poetic phrase "the windows of the heavens were opened."
13. At the end of the forty days (cf. 7:12) the canopy ("waters above the expanse" of 1:7) was no more.
14. If the 600^th year of Noah’s life began on a Sunday, then the 17^th day of the second month would fall on a Thursday.
15. This calculation assumes a biblical year of 12 months with 30 days for each of the 12 months.
16. Counting forward 150 days (7:24) from the 17^th day of the second month (Thursday) has the flood ending on a Saturday.
17. For forty days and forty nights the earth experienced its first rainfall.
18. The rain fell in torrents unremittingly.
19. When it ended the flood event was by no means over.
20. Flood waters prevailed for another 110 days.
21. Gen. 7:11b explains that an additional source of inundation is to be attributed to "the foundations of the great deep."
22. This is the waters of the oceanic depths and in Genesis chapter 1 verse 7 the phrase "the waters below the expanse" (i.e. atmosphere) refers to the water in earth’s seas.
23. This source of watery destruction is not usually taken into account when the Flood is discussed.
24. The flood story is often wrongly debunked by those who think that the main source of destruction came from rainfall.
25. Rainfall alone could not have covered earth’s mountains (Gen. 7:20) as we know them today since there would have been no way all this water could have subsided exposing Pangea.
26. The forty days and nights of incessant rainfall added many millions of cubit meters of water to earth’s hydrosphere but nowhere enough to cover mountains like Everest.
27. By far the principal destruction came from water that was violently moved from its oceanic basins to cover Pangea in repeated tidal wave action.
28. This is expressed in the language of v. 18a "the waters prevailed and increased greatly upon the earth" and in v. 19 "the waters prevailed more and more upon the earth, so that all the high mountains everywhere under the heavens were covered" and in v. 20 "the waters prevailed fifteen cubits higher, and the mountains were covered."
29. "All of the reservoirs of the great deep burst open" simultaneous with the "windows of the heavens being opened" and finally, "the water prevailed upon the earth one hundred and fifty days."
30. So deadly water from two separate sources came upon Pangea: one primary and one secondary.
31. So often the Flood has been portrayed as having been caused by excessive rain.
32. Josephus, never imagining any other possibility, commented as follows: "When God gave the signal, and it began to rain, the water poured down forty entire days, till it became fifteen cubits higher then the earth; which was the reason whey there were no greater number preserved, since they had no place to flee to. When the rain ceased, the water did just begin to abate…"
33. Since the Flood was a global phenomena that included disruption of the placid antediluvian seas, then gravity and tidal mechanisms were at play.
34. Genesis teaches that rain was associated with the Flood , but not that rain was the primary cause of the Flood.
35. The two phenomena were merely simultaneous.
36. The fact the waters increased after the rain subsided (Gen. 7) is indicative of a second gravity field acting contrary to the gravity of the earth, was involved in tidal upheavals.
37. Our Moon and Sun cause modest tides on ocean beaches grounding driftwood at high tide.
38. The Ark is viewed as a piece of driftwood, an oversized barge floating on tidal movements of sub continental magnitude.
39. Had the Flood been cause by rain exclusively, the ark would not have floated at all, or if it had its direction of floatation would have been downward, not upward, and toward sea level rather than upward toward a high group of mountains.
40. If a tidal sweep can swamp a sand castle at the sea shore it could also swamp the Alps, Andes, Pyrenees, Rockies or Alps.
41. It is only a matter of degree.
42. The final resting place of the ark with respect to its elevation and rough topography in the Ararat Mountains points to something other than rain!
43. An English geographer by the name of Mackinder who specialized in a field called geopolitics coined the term "heartland of Eurasia."
44. Mackinder viewed the region from the Caspain and Aral Seas northward and northeastward, embracing Eastern Russia, Interior and Northern Sibera, Kazadhstand, Turkestand and Uzbekistan as immune to sea power.
45. It is within this "heartland of Eurasia" that the ark found its resting place far removed from the sea (2000 miles from the Arabian Sea (Indian Ocean); some 3000 miles from the Barents Sea (arm of the Artic Sea); some 3000 miles from the Atlantic Ocean; and some 5000 miles from the Pacific Ocean).
46. The fact that ark grounded in this heartland region attests to the perspective that the Flood was tidal in nature.
47. The ark like tumbleweed caught on a barbed wire fence came to rest within the Ararat range.
48. Within this general geographical region is three interior lakes: Lake Urmia in Iran (4,364 feet above sea level); Lake Van, in Turkey (5,260 feet) and third is Lake Gokcha in Armenia (6,345 feet).
49. With the elevation in this region being above 8000 feet it is not difficult to suppose that the grounding of the ark was approaching 10,000 feet above sea level.
50. With a tidal mechanism of this magnitude immense pressures are attained.
51. The pressure on the earth’s crust could have reached 330 tons per square foot or 2 tons per square inch.
52. This would have been sufficient pressure to compress any kind of sediment and to metamorphize any of these deposits into successive strata, intermixed with occasional trapped fauna or flora, turning them instantly into perfectly preserved fossils.
53. Layers of sedimentary rock, successive layer upon layer, are found on every continent, and they appear to have been laid down by immense volumes of water, and subsequently compressed by great pressures.
54. The earth has a thin crust, varying between 5 and 30 miles thick (this is quite thing considering the earth’s diameter is 8,000 miles).
55. In v. 12 the narrator restates the fact that there were forty days and forty nights of heavy rain.
56. This occurred in connection with tidal uplift due to the interaction of the gravitational fields of planet earth and the astral visitor.
57. After 40 days and nights earth’s water vapor canopy was no more, leading to a new climatic regime for the earth.

Embarkation (vv. 13-16)

VERSE 13 On the very same day Noah and Shem and Ham and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and Noah's wife and the three wives of his sons with them, entered the ark (hb'Teh;-la, ~T'ai wyn"b'-yven> tv,l{v.W x;nO tv,aew> x;nO-ynEB. tp,y<w" ~x'w>-~vew> x;nO aB' hZ<h; ~AYh; ~c,[,B. [prep beth w/noun f.s.constr. etsem bone + def.art.w/noun m.s.abs. yom day + def.art.w/adj.m.s.abs. zeh this + Qal perf.3m.s. bo enter + proper noun Noah + waw w/proper noun Shem + w/proper noun Ham + waw w/proper noun Japeth + noun m.p.constr. ben son + proper noun Noah + waw w/noun f.s.constr. ishshah wife + proper noun Noah + waw w/adj.m.s.constr. shalosh three + noun f.p.constr. ishshah wife + noun m.p.constr.w/3m.s.suff. ben + prep eth w/3m.p.suff. with + prep el into + def.art.w/noun f.s.abs. tebah ark]),

VERSE 14 they and every beast after its kind (Hn"ymil. hY"x;h;-lk'w> hM'he [pro.3m.p. hem they + waw w/noun m.s.constr. kol all, every + def.art.w/noun f.s.abs. chayyah living thing ("beast") + prep lamedh w/noun m.s.constr.w/3f.s.suff. min kind], and all the cattle after their kind [Hn"ymil. hm'heB.h;-lk'w> [waw w/noun m.s.const. kol all + def.art.w/noun f.s.abs. behemah beast; "cattle" + prep lamedh w/noun m.s.abs.w/3m.s.suff. min kind], and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth after its kind [WhnEymil. #r,a'h'-l[; fmeroh' fm,r,h'-lk'w> [waw w/noun m.s.constr. kol every + def.art.w/noun m.s.abs. remesh creeping/crawling organism + prep al upon + def.art.w/noun both s.abs. eretz earth + prep lamedh w/noun m.s.absw/3m.s.suff.. min kind], and every bird after its kind, all sorts of birds [@n"K'-lK' rAPci lK WhnEymil. @A[h'-lk'w> [waw w/noun m.s.constr. kol every + def.art.w/noun m.s.abs. oph bird + prep lamedh w/noun m.s.constr.w/3m.s.suff. min kind + noun m.s.abs. kol all, every + noun both s.abs. sippor bird + noun m.s.constr. kol every + noun f.s.abs. kanaph wing, border; "sort"]).

VERSE 15 So they went into the ark to Noah, by twos of all flesh in which was the breath of life (~yYIx; x;Wr AB-rv,a] rf'B'h;-lK'mi ~yIn:v. ~yIn:v. hb'Teh;-la, x;nO-la, WaboY"w: [waw w/Qal impf.3m.p. bo go in + prep el to + proper noun Noah + prep el to + def.art.w/noun f.s.abs. tebah ark + adj.m. dual abs. shenayim two + adj.m. dual abs. shenayim two "by twos" + prep min from w/noun m.s.cnstr. kol all + def.art.w/noun m.s.abs. bashar flesh + rel.pro. asher which + prep beth w/3m.s.suff. "in which" + noun both s.abs. ruach breath + noun m.p.abs. chayyah life]).

VERSE 16 Those that entered, male and female of all flesh, entered as God had commanded him (~yhil{a/ Atao hW"ci rv,a]K; WaB' rf'B'-lK'mi hb'qen>W rk'z" ~yaiB'h;w> [waw w/def.art.w/Qal part.m.p.abs. bo enter + noun m.s.abs. zzakar male + waw wnoun f.s.abs. neqebah female + prep min from w/noun m.s.constr. kol all + noun m.s.abs. bashar flesh + Qal perf.3p. bo enter + prep kaph w/rel.pro. asher "as" + Piel perf.3m.s. tswah command + d.o. marker w/3m.s.suff. "him" + noun m.p.abs. Elohim]; and the LORD closed it behind him [Ad[]B; hw"hy> rGOs.YIw: [waw w/Qal impf.3m.s. sagar close + proper noun Yahweh + prep ba-adh w/3m.s.suff. behind]).

ANALYSIS: VERSES 13-16

1. The fairly rare phrase "On that very same day" is used to stress memorable occasions, e.g. Abraham’s circumcision (17:23, 26); the Exodus (Ex. 12:41, 51), Moses’ death (Deut. 32:48).
2. "Shem, Ham, and Japeth," named only here in in 6:10 and 9:18.
3. Elsewhere the story has "his sons."
4. "Noah’s wife" only here; elsewhere "his wife" ( 7:7; 8:18) or "your wife" ( 6:18, 8:16).
5. "The three wives of his sons" is another unique phrase: elsewhere "the wives of his sons."
6. This unusual grammatical form draws attention to the wives being a distinct group.
7. The full roll call of all the creatures echoes Gen. 1 with the refrain "according to their types/kinds."
8. Similar lists omitting the refrain occur again at 7:21 (flood victims) and 8:17 (those who left the ark).
9. V. 14 narrate the passenger list.
10. Humans are referred to as simply "they."
11. The animals are referred to in general terms by the phrase "and every living thing after its kind" (not "beast" as in NAS).
12. The threefold classification of the animal kingdom is as follows: (1) "all beasts (not "cattle) after their kind" (warm blooded creatures that are earth bound); (2) "every creeping thing that creeps on the earth" (cold blooded creatures); and (3) "every bird after its kind" (winged creatures).
13. The bird kingdom with all of its many species is given special consideration in the text by the additional phrase "all sorts of birds."
14. Again, the roll call of creatures echoes Genesis 1.
15. The logistics of their boarding is ignored.
16. Clearly there was an invisible hand upon each pair that entered the ark.
17. Noah and his sons mostly just stood by and watched this amazing event as the animals entered the ark in an orderly fashion.
18. Up the ramp they walked and crawled and flew settling into one of the three decks with a compartment for each.
19. Two by tow, male and female came to Noah and settled in.
20. The animals who entered the ark are further described as those "in which was the breath of life."
21. This exact expression was used earlier in 6:17 of those that perished by drowning.
22. The only creatures that entered were those that could not have overcome the monstrous tides that swept over Pangea.
23. Once aboard the animals behaved themselves as if they all knew what was at stake and during the time of their pilgrimage, their embarkation, and their sea voyage they all refrained from their usual behavior in the wild kingdom.
24. Again, a great stream of diverse creatures enters the ark invisibly controlled.
25. Noah did his part, which was to build and stock the ark with food.
26. The rest God did, but Noah gets credit for obedience.
27. The last act was to seal the door/ramp of the ark and that was left to Yahweh.
28. The door was so large and heavy that Noah and his sons could not have managed to raise it and seal it on the very day the rains began!
29. The miraculous is never a problem for God where necessary.
30. When it is all said and done, Noah was saved by grace, his heroic efforts and wisdom notwithstanding.
31. These verses set forth actions which prove to be a major turning point in human history.
32. Noah’s obedience in concert with divine help saved himself and made possible a new world order, whose security from universal drowning would be guaranteed by covenant.
33. These verses set forth the founders of the new humanity (Noah’s three sons) and a new animal kingdom entering the ark in a double column.
34. As each group entered its name is called and recorded for posterity.
35. So ends scene 4.

Scene 5: The Waters in Ascendancy (vv. 17-24)

Stage 1: V. 17

VERSE 17 Then the flood [waters] came upon the earth for forty days (#r,a'h'-l[; ~Ay ~y[iB'r>a; lWBM;h; yhiy>w: [waw w/Qal impf.3m.s. hayah be, happen; "came" + def.art.w/noun m.s.abs. mabbul flood + adj. both p.abs. arab-im forty + noun m.s.abs. yom day + prep al upon + def.art.w/noun both s.abs. eretz , and the water increased and lifted up the ark, so that it rose above the earth [#r,a'h' l[;me ~r'T'w: hb'Teh;-ta, Waf.YIw: ~yIM;h; WBr>YIw: [waw w/Qal impf.3m.p. rabah increase + def.art.w/noun m.p.abs. mayim waters + waw w/Qal impf.3m.p. nasha lift up + d.o. marker + def.art.w/noun f.s.abs. tebah ark + waw w/Qal impf.3f.s. rum lift + prep min w/prep al upon + def.art.w/noun both s.abs. eretz]).

ANALYSIS: VERSE 17

1. Here the flood account reaches its climax in the destruction of land breathing life forms by the watery cataclysm.
2. The absence of any personal names, apart from the parenthetic mention of Noah in v. 23, enhances the mood of desolation.
3. The effects of the rising waters are portrayed by focusing on different aspects of the in turn.
4. The ark floats (17-18), then the high mountains are covered (19-20), and all land bound creatures die (21-23).
5. A brief notice of the ark in v. 23b, reminds us that there is still hope.
6. The sequence closes with a final look at the waters triumphing over the earth (v. 24).
7. The phrases "on the earth" and "waters" occur six times in this paragraph, often in close conjunction.
8. Verse 17 presents the initial or first stage of the flood event−the forty days of incessant heavy rainfall.
9. Simultaneous with the rain was the disruption of the fountains of the oceanic depths (cf. v. 11bc) producing massive tidal waves moving over the shores of Pangea.
10. The words "the water increased and lifted up the ark" points to the tides reaching the ark somewhere inland and causing it to float.
11. Considering the size of the ark this required a sizable amount of water to send it on its journey above the deadly rising tides.
12. The words "so that it rose above the earth" simply indicates that the ark was riding high on the water.
13. So this verse presents the launch of the ark from its place of construction.

Stage 2: V. 18

VERSE 18 The water prevailed and increased greatly upon the earth, and the ark floated on the surface of the water (~yIM'h; ynEP.-l[; hb'Teh; %l,Tew: #r,a'h'-l[; daom. WBr>YIw: ~yIM;h; WrB.g>YIw: [waw w/Qal impf.3m.p. gabar prevail + def.art.w/noun m.p.abs. mayim waters + waw w/Qal impf.3m.p. rabah be great + adv me-odh much + prep al upon + def.art.w/noun both s.abs. eretz + waw w/Qal impf.3f.s. halak walk + def.art.w/noun f.s.abs. tebah ark + prep al upon + noun both p.constr. peh face + def.art.w/noun m.p.abs. mayim waters]).

ANALYSIS: VERSE 18

1. This verse moves the drama onward and upward.
2. After the first tidal waves reached the ark and caused it to break free from its place, the narrator tells us that the waters "prevailed and increased."
3. This indicates a heightening of the tidal effect causing the ark to stay atop the highest surges.
4. Verse 18 is the intermediate stage, with v. 17 being the initial stage, and v. 19 marking the summit of the ark’s ascent over the earth.
5. "Greatly" marks a significant advance over v. 17.
6. With the prevailing and increasing ("greatly") waters the ark is seen "walking" or "floating on the face of the waters."
7. This stage continues past the 40 days of rain onward to the end of the 150 days.
8. It represents roughly the midpoint of the event, some 75 days or so after the rain’s began to fall.
9. The verb "prevailed" occurs 4x in vv. 18, 19, 20, 24.
10. The verb "increased" occurs 2x in vv. 17 and 18.
11. "Greatly" (adv me-odh) is added in v. 18 and doubled in v.19.

Stage 3: Vv. 19-20

VERSE 19 The water prevailed more and more upon the earth (#r,a'h'-l[; daom. daom. Wrb.G" ~yIM;h;w> [waw w/def.art.w/noun m.p.abs. mayim waters + Qal perf.3p. gabar prevail + adv. me-odh much, more + adv me-odh more + prep al upon + def.art.w/noun both s.abs. eretz], so that all the high mountains everywhere under the heavens were covered [~yIm'V'h;-lK' tx;T;-rv,a] ~yhiboG>h; ~yrIh'h,-lK' WSkuy>w: [waw w/Pual impf.3m.p. kasha cover + noun m.s.const. kol all + def.art.w/noun m.p.abs. har mountain + def.art.w/adj.m.p.abs. gaboah high + rel.pro. asher which + prep tachath under + noun m.s.constr. kol all + def.art.w/noun m.p.abs. shamayim heaven]).

VERSE 20 The water prevailed fifteen cubits higher, and the mountains were covered (~yrIh'h, WSkuy>w: ~yIM'h; Wrb.G" hl'[.m;l.mi hM'a; href.[, vmex] [adj.f.s.constr. chamesh five + adj.f.s.abs. eshereh ten + noun f.s.abs. ammah cubit + prep min from w/ prep lamedh w/ad ma-al above; "higher" + Qal perf.3p. gabar prevail + waw w/Pual impf.3m.p. kasha cover + def.art.w/noun m.p.abs. har mountain]).

ANALYSIS: VERSES 19-20

1. The key term "prevailed/triumphed" (gabar) is repeated in the description of stage 3 of the flood’s ascendancy.
2. But this time there is a doubling of the adverb me-odh (much, more) which equates to "exceedingly."
3. Note again in stage 2, the adverb occurs one time and in stage 1 it is absent.
4. Maximum surge is said to have covered "the high mountains everywhere."
5. All mountain ranges around the globe were swamped with high tides.
6. The language here and throughout the narration clearly indicates a universal flood.
7. This verse and the next one indicates the height of the waters during the flood event.
8. High mountains were submerged.
9. In fact the highest of the highest mountains were covered by at least 15 cubits (22 feet or 7 meters).
10. This is how strong the gravitational pull was on earth’s hydrosphere as the astral visitor made repeated passes in its elliptical approach to planet earth during the five months of the flood’s ascendancy.
11. The minimum distance the astral approach was from the earth served perfectly God’s wrath.
12. The ark’s draft was such that it did not smash into any mountain peaks.
13. It passed over the highest mountains with very little to spare but with sufficient clearance to spare the ark striking mountain peaks!
14. Based on the ark’s height of 45 feet (30 cubits), it draft would have been half that figure (22 feet).
15. The view held by this study is that there was a global Flood, that it was caused by the interacting gravities of two astral bodies of planetary dimensions−the earth and the astral visitor.
16. The earth is a triple fluid (atmosphere, water and magma).
17. Each of these fluids was in upheaval simultaneously.
18. The earth has some 200 million cubic miles of water.
19. This is a drop in the bucket compared to its volume of semi-fluid magma.
20. The earth’s crust is thin, compared to its 8000 mile diameter, ranging from 5 to 30 miles in thickness.
21. Under normal conditions this magma is effected by earth’s shape, earth’s gravity (downward pull towards earth’s core), and earth’s centrifugal force (rotation).
22. With the thinness and fragility of the earth’s crust coupled with the confinement and the viscosity of the magma a new view of mountain building (orogenesis) is herein introduced.
23. Not only was earth’s hydrosphere disrupted, so was the earth’s crust and internal magma was greatly effected by the gravitational pull of the astral visitor.
24. The effect on the earth’s crust was new zones of orogenetic uplift: "the Circim-Pacific and the Alpine-Himalayan zones.
25. The bleeding of lava, forming new basaltic plateaus on several continents.
26. A rash of new volcanoes.
27. Is there any evidence in Scriptures to support this theory?
28. Yes, it is to be found in Ps. 104 which celebrates the great flood with specific reference to verses 8: "The mountains rose (Qal impf alah ascend) and the valleys sank down (Qal impf yarad go down), to the place You established for them."
29. The points of maximum gravitational up thrust is where we find these scallop like mountain ranges in two general zones (see pt. 24).
30. With regard to the reshaping of the earth’s topography by water see 2Pet. 3:5-6.
31. Donald W. Patten in his book "The Biblical Flood and the Ice Epoch" he offers his flood model which is summarized on pages 143 and following.
32. Type of celestial body: a single astral body.
33. Mass of astral visitor: perhaps between .05 and .10 of the earth (like Mercury at .054).
34. Density of the astral visitor: between 3.0 and 6.0 (water = 1).
35. Duration of catastrophic period: tidally, 150 days; astronomically, seven to eight months; in terms of Noah’s voyage, one year from embarkation to debarkation.
36. The speed of the approaching astral visitor: increasing at it approached the sun; between 1.5 and 2.0 million miles per day (earth’s speed is 1.7 million miles per day).
37. Manner of visitor’s interaction with earth included: nearly a temporary capture; two approaches.
38. Closeness of approach: perhaps between 15,000 and 30,000 miles of earth.
39. Visitor’s orbit during period of conflict: perigee between 15,00 and 30,000 miles; apogee between 1.2 million miles and 1.5 million miles; a period of approaches of 110 to 130 days.
40. Escape of the astral visitor was due to: the earth’s control of the visitor short of capture; the sun’s greater control over the visitor remained dominant; the velocity of the visitor made permanent capture difficult; the eccentricity of the earth’s orbit discouraged permanent capture; the secondary perturbations of the moon discouraged permanent capture.
41. Position of the earth at the time of onset of crisis was: three or four months after perihelion; approaching aphelion.
42. Perturbations of the visitor’s orbit were due to: the earth-moon system, primarily by the earth.
43. The visitor used the earth as a pivot point.
44. Effect of the catastrophe on the moon’s orbit probably was: to decrease its eccentricity (currently .055); to decrease its period (currently 27+ days); and to increase its angle to the ecliptic (currently 5 degrees).
45. Effect of catastrophe on earth’s orbit probably was: to decrease its orbital eccentricity (currently .017); to decrease its period; to reorganize the orientation of its orbital axis; to alter the dates of aphelion and perihelion; to alter the dates of solstices and equinoxes.
46. Effect of the catastrophe was greater on the earth than on the moon: the visitor approached closer to the earth than the moon; the earth had more magma to disrupt and more surface to distend; the earth had atmosphere to disrupt; the earth had fauna and flora to engulf in burial.
47. Effect on the earth’s axis was probably: to cause an increase in the inclination from the perpendicular to the ecliptic (currently 231/2 degrees).
48. Effect on the earth’s rotation: to increase the speed and thus shorten the day.
49. Effect on the earth’s magnetic poles was probably to cause relocation.
50. Effect on the earth’s atmosphere: to cause a complete condensing of the antediluvian canopy of water vapor (the primeval greenhouse effect); to cause a new heat disequilibrium; to cause a new climatic regime; to cause a thinning of the ozone canopy.
51. Effect on the earth’s fauna: to bury billions of specimens; to cause a reorganization of zoogeography for the surviving species.
52. Effect on the earth’s flora was: to bury trillions of specimens; to bring thousands of species to extinction; to cause a reorganization of the florigeography for the surviving species.
53. Effect of the catastrophe on man was: to make his survivors very few in number; to make his survivors and their early generations very catastrophic-minded.
54. Effect of the catastrophe upon the solar system was: to reduce the eccentricity of two of its periodic members; to add one to the number of planets in the sun’s inner domain.
55. A successful model should be psychologically satisfying to the uncommitted mind, even if it contradicts a century and a half-old proposition.
56. This model does not violate scripture but enhances the understanding of the text.
57. The timing of this event: 1656 years after Adam’s creation; 2302-2301 BC.

Totality of Specie Destruction (vv. 21-23)

VERSE 21 All flesh that moved on the earth perished (#r,a'h'-l[; fmeroh' rf'B'-lK' [w:g>YIw: [waw w/Qal impf.3m.s. gawa expire + noun m.s.constr. kol all + noun m.s.abs. bashar flesh + def.art.w/Qal part.m.s.abs. ramash creep; "moved" + prep al upon + def.art.w/noun both s.abs. eretz], birds and cattle [animals/domesticated] and beasts [wild animals] and every swarming thing that swarms upon the earth, and all mankind [~d'a'h' lkow> #r,a'h'-l[; #reVoh; #r,V,h;-lk'b.W hY"x;b;W hm'heB.b;W @A[B' [prep beth w/noun m.s.abs. oph bird + waw w/prep beth w/noun f.s.abs. behemah beast, animal; for domesticated animals + waw w/prep beth w/def.art.w/noun f.s.abs. chayyah living thing for wild animals + waw w/prep beth w/noun m.s.constr. kol + def.art.w/noun m.s.abs. sheretz teeming/swarming things + def.art.w/Qal part.m.s.abs. sharatz swarm, teem + prep al + def.art.w/noun both s.abs. eretz earth + waw w/noun m.s.abs. kol all + def.art.w/noun m.s. adam mankind]);

VERSE 22 of all that was on the dry land, all in whose nostrils was the breath of the spirit of life, died (Wtme hb'r'x'B, rv,a] lKomi wyP'a;B. ~yYIx; x;Wr-tm;v.nI rv,a] lKo [noun m.s.abs. kol all + rel.pro. asher + noun f.s.constr. neshamah breath + noun both s.abs. ruach spirit + noun m.p.abs. chayyim life + prep beth w/noun m. dual constr.w/3m.s.suff. aph nostril + prep min w/noun m.s.abs. kol all + rel.pro. asher + prep beth w/def.art.w/noun f.s.abs. chrabah dry land + Qal perf.3p. muth die]).

VERSE 23 Thus He blotted out every living thing that was upon the face of the land (hm'd'a]h' ynEP.-l[; rv,a] ~Wqy>h;-lK'-ta, xm;YIw: [waw w/Qal impf.3m.s. machah wipe out + d.o. marker + noun m.s.constr. kol all + def.art.w/noun m.s.abs. yequm standing + rel.pro. asher + prep al upon + noun both p.constr. paneh face + def.art.w/noun f.s.abs. adamah ground, land], from man to animals to creeping things and to birds of the sky, and they were blotted out from the earth [#r,a'h'-!mi WxM'YIw: ~yIm;V'h; @A[-d[;w> fm,r,-d[; hm'heB.-d[; ~d'a'me [prep min w/noun m.s.abs. adam man + prep adh as far as; "to" + noun f.s.abs. behemah animal + prep adh to + noun m.s.abs. remesh creeping thing + waw w/prep adh + noun m.s.abs. oph bird + def.art.w/noun m.p.abs. shamayim heaven + waw w/Niphal impf.3m.p. machah strike, wipe out + prep min from + def.art.w.noun both s.abs. eretz]; and only Noah was left, together with those that were with him in the ark [hb'TeB; ATai rv,a]w: x;nO-%a; ra,V'yIw: [waw w/Niphal impf.3m.s. sha-ar remain + adv ak only + proper noun Noah + waw w/rel.pro. asher those + prep eth w/3m.s.suff together with + prep beth w/noun f.s.abs. tebah ark]).

Five Months of Ascendancy (v. 24)

VERSE 24 The water prevailed upon the earth one hundred and fifty days (~Ay ta;m.W ~yVimix] #r,a'h'-l[; ~yIM;h; WrB.g>YIw: [waw w/Qal impf.3m.p. gabar prevail + def.art.w/noun m.p.abs. mayim waters + prep al upon + def.art.w/noun both s.abs. eretz + adj. both p.abs. chamishshim fifty + waw w/adj.f.s.constr. me-ah hundred + noun m.s.abs. yom day]).

ANALYSIS: VERSES 21-24

1. This second part of scene 5 (vv. 17-24) is preoccupied with the destruction of the lower creation, including mankind.
2. "All flesh" had corrupted itself and so "all flesh" reaped annihilation by drowning (cf. 6:12, 13, 17).
3. "All flesh" is used in the flood narration for the pairs that entered the ark (cf. 6:19, 7:15,16).
4. God made good on his threat to wipe from the face of the earth "all flesh" a hundred years prior to the judgment by drowning.
5. The participle "that moved" (ramash) has only been used in connection with the locomotion of the cold bloodied creatures, namely the reptiles that live on land (cf. 1:21, 24, 25, 26, 28, 30; 6:7, 20; 7:8, 14, 23; in 1:21 it used in connection with creatures that live exclusively in water, like for instance, a lobster), but here it is used of the locomotion of all creatures and require air for life.
6. The list of target creatures in v. 21 follows the order of their creation in Genesis 1.
7. Birds, next domesticated animals ("cattle"), next wild animals ("beasts"), next "every swarming thing that swarms" (according to Lev. 11:29, 31,41,42,43,44 where this root is used it is used of rodents and reptiles).
8. The root rmsh is used both in a technical and non technical sense in v. 21.
9. Last by not least is recorded the destruction of all humanity residing outside the ark.
10. The verb used for death is the one that means ‘to expire’ or ‘to breathe one’s last breath’ (gawa rather than the common term muth- to die).
11. Not one person by ingenuity or dumb luck survived the flood year.
12. In v. 22 the narrator makes it plain that he is talking only of creatures that possess lungs and live primarily on land.
13. Hence the phrase, "of all that was on the dry land."
14. The specific noun "dry land" as opposed to simply "land" (adamah) is charabah and occurs in the flood story only here.
15. It was first used in connection with the appearance of Pangea (1:9, 10).
16. The noun charabah is used of the surface on which the children of Israel walked when they passed through the sea (Ex. 14:21,22,29; 15:19; Ps. 66:6; cf. Heb. 11:29).
17. God makes the dry land (Ps. 95:5; 107:35; Isa. 41:18; Jon. 1:9; 2:10; Hag. 2:6).
18. He is free to soak it, shake it, and dry it out to suit His righteous purposes.
19. Nowhere does the text explicitly say that living things "were drowned" even though that is clearly what must be deduced from the narrative.
20. The closets term to indicate drowning in the Hebrew language is taba and it literally means ‘to sink down’ (e.g. drown) and it only occurs 1x in Ex. 15:4 in connection with the death of Pharaoh’s officer corps.
21. Drowning is presented in v. 22 as "all in whose nostrils was the breath of the spirit of life, died" (standard term for physical death).
22. Of course the nostril is associated with breathing.
23. Humans require a living soul in addition to air in order to begin and sustain physical life.
24. Animals only require air to sustain their flesh.
25. In v. 22 the "all flesh" is broken down into five categories: "birds," "livestock," "wild animals," "creepers," and "man."
26. V. 23 is the death notice within the flood story.
27. In this verse the order starts with man and ends with birds (the reverse of v. 21).
28. Following a general notice of total annihilation of all creatures that make their home "upon the face of the land" the narrator classifies "every living thing" (literally, ‘everyting that stands’) into four separate categories: ""man," "animals" (larger four legged), "creeping things" (rodents, reptiles), and "birds" (in the reverse order of their creation in Gen. 1).
29. The selected term for their collective demise from the planet is "blot out" (machah), which term was first used by Yahweh when He told Noah of His intentions back in 6:7 (here and in 7:2 in the flood narrative; 2x in v. 23 once in the Qal and once in the Niphal).
30. V. 23 details the contrast between the spared and the condemned and this contrast is highlighted by the use of two Niphals ("they were blotted out" and "Noah was left"; the verb is sha-ar to remain).
31. The use of the passive form (Niphal) describes the fate of both the condemned and the righteous.
32. "Noah was left behind" (Niphal impf. sha-ar) in addition to "those that were with him on he ark."
33. Sometimes it is good to be ‘left behind’ as in the case of Lk. 17:34-36 where the one left behind is the one who enters the 1000 years.
34. Noah is delivered because of Yahweh and Noah’s family is delivered because of Noah.
35. Lot was preserved because of Abraham and Lot’s family was preserved because of Lot.
36. A important chronological note is supplied by v. 24.
37. Two times "one hundred and fifty days" appears in the Flood narrative, here and in 8:3.
38. This is the length of time that the waters maintained ascendancy over the earth.
39. The tidal effect began on D+1 and continued to increase until D+150.
40. During the first 40 days there was incessant and heavy rainfall.
41. One hundred and fifty days after the onset the ark rested on one of the mountains of Ararat (8:3-4).
42. It is ignorant to think that forty days of rain could result in another 110 days of water rising.
43. If water crested over the highest of the high mountains (vv. 19-20) then where could it retreat to so as to expose dry land once again?
44. It achieved this remarkable feat by being pulled there via gradational interaction between the earth and the astral visitor that was caught for five months in earth’s orbit.