Noah's Flood

Biblical Text and Narrative

The account is recorded in Genesis 6–9. According to the text, when human wickedness filled the earth, God resolved to judge the earth by water (Genesis 6:5-7). He then commanded Noah, who was "a just man and perfect in his generations," to build an ark (Genesis 6:9, 14). The ark measured 300 cubits long, 50 cubits wide, and 30 cubits high (Genesis 6:15).

After eight people—Noah, his wife, his three sons Shem, Ham, and Japheth, and their wives—entered the ark with the animals, rain fell for forty days (Genesis 7:12). The waters prevailed upon the earth for 150 days, and the ark came to rest on Mount Ararat (Genesis 8:4). Noah sent out a raven and a dove to see whether the waters had receded, and the dove returned with a freshly plucked olive leaf (Genesis 8:11).

After leaving the ark, Noah built an altar and offered burnt offerings. God promised never again to destroy all living creatures by a flood and gave the rainbow as the sign of that promise (Genesis 9:11-13). This is known as the Noahic covenant. According to the dates given in the text, about one year passed from the day the flood began until the earth was dry (Genesis 7:11; 8:14).

Background

• Ark: The Hebrew word tebah, translated "ark," is also used for the basket of bulrushes in which the infant Moses was placed (Exodus 2:3).
• Cubit: A unit of length measured from the elbow to the tip of the middle finger, commonly estimated at about 45 centimeters (roughly 18 inches).
• Ararat: The text says only "the mountains of Ararat" and does not identify a particular peak. The name is often associated with the ancient region of Urartu (present-day eastern Turkey and Armenia).
• Ancient Near Eastern flood stories: Flood narratives also appear in Mesopotamian works such as the Epic of Gilgamesh, and scholars study them in comparison with the biblical text.

Significance in the Whole of Scripture

God's words to Noah after the flood (Genesis 9:1-7) repeat the blessing given at creation. For this reason, many interpreters read the flood as both a judgment and a new beginning.

The New Testament takes up this event in several places. Jesus compared His Second Coming to the days of Noah (Matthew 24:37-39; Luke 17:26-27). Hebrews 11:7 presents Noah as one who prepared the ark by faith. 1 Peter 3:20-21 connects the saving of eight people through water with baptism (1 Peter 3:21). 2 Peter 2:5 calls Noah "a preacher of righteousness" (2 Peter 2:4-5).

Interpretations and Issues

• Extent of the flood: Interpretations fall into three broad categories: the view that the flood covered the entire globe, the view that it was confined to the region then inhabited by humans, and the view that emphasizes the theological message over historical reporting. Both the global-flood and local-flood views are held within conservative evangelicalism. The claims of creation science, which seeks to explain geological strata and fossils by the flood, form one part of the creation and evolution debate.
• Composition of the text: In 6:19 the animals come in pairs, male and female, whereas 7:2 calls for seven pairs of the clean animals only. On the basis of such differences, some critical scholars hold that two sources were woven together. Conservative scholars regard the details as harmonious within a single narrative.
• Typological interpretation: Since the early church there has been a tradition of reading the ark as a type (a figure that foreshadows something to come) of the church, and the flood as a type of baptism.
• Details not found in the text: The idea that Noah preached for 120 years while building the ark is an interpretation that combines the "hundred and twenty years" of Genesis 6:3 with 2 Peter 2:5; it does not appear directly in the text. Scenes of people mocking Noah are likewise absent from the text. The popular image of every animal entering two by two differs from the record in 7:2. After the episode of Noah's drunkenness following the flood, the one cursed was not Ham but Ham's son Canaan (Genesis 9:25). Claims to have found remains of the ark on Mount Ararat have been made many times, but none has been confirmed by scholars.

In the Korean Church

In preaching, the ark is frequently used as a figure for the refuge of salvation or for the church. The ark and the rainbow are common subjects in Sunday school materials and illustrations. The Korea Association of Creation Research and similar organizations have promoted flood-based creation science within the church, though these claims have drawn criticism from the scientific community and from some theologians.