And the waters prevailed upon the earth an hundred and fifty days.
And God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the cattle that was with him in the ark: and God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters asswaged;
The fountains also of the deep and the windows of heaven were stopped, and the rain from heaven was restrained;
And the waters returned from off the earth continually: and after the end of the hundred and fifty days the waters were abated.
And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat (Gen. 7:24-8:5).
There is a new beginning following a Flood in Genesis chapter one, and sixteen hundred and fifty-seven years later there is another new beginning following a Flood in Genesis chapter eight. The order seen in God's restoration following the first is exactly the same order seen in His restoration following the second. And this must be the case, for the unchangeable pattern surrounding God's work in this respect was established in the first.
In Gen.1:2, God used raging waters (the thought conveyed by the Hebrew word tehom, translated "deep") to destroy the pre-Adamic earth following Satan's attempt to "exalt" his throne. And in Gen. 7:11ff, God used exactly the same means to destroy those upon the earth following Satan's attempt to corrupt the human race through the cohabitation of "the sons of God [angels within Satan's kingdom]" with "the daughters of men [female offspring from the lineage of Adam]" (Gen. 6:1-4).
Particulars surrounding the way in which God brought about the pre-Adamic Flood and resulting destruction are not given in Scripture. The simple statement is made concerning existing conditions at the time of the Flood -- raging waters covering a darkened earth -- and aside from commentary such as II Peter 3:5, 6 (which provides little more in the way of particulars), God has seen fit to leave the matter unrevealed.
However, God did provide revelation concerning how He went about restoring this ruined earth for man, prior to man's creation. He devoted almost an entire chapter to details surrounding this restoration, for an evident reason (Gen. 1:2b-25).
But revelation surrounding the Noachian Flood is quite different. God saw fit to provide numerous particulars concerning both the way in which He brought this Flood about and the way in which He effected restoration following the Flood. Part of chapter seven is devoted to the former (vv. 11-24), and part of chapter eight is devoted to the latter (vv. 1-14).
Destruction by a Flood
The waters which flooded the earth during Noah's day came from two sources -- from above the atmosphere and from below the earth's surface (Gen. 7:11). During the restoration of the earth following the Flood in Gen. 1:2a, God, on the second day of His restoration work, placed the waters which He later used to flood the earth once again in two locations -- above the atmosphere and below the atmosphere (Gen. 1:6-8), with the waters below the atmosphere being placed both above and below the earth's surface.
When God flooded the earth a second time, during Noah's day, He broke open "the fountains of the great deep" and opened "the windows of heaven [i.e., contextually, 'the flood gates of heaven']" (7:11). Subterranean waters began to gush up, and torrential rain (the meaning of the Hebrew word translated "rain" in Gen. 7:12) began to fall through the atmosphere from the opened flood gates above the atmosphere.
This apparently continued unchanged for forty days and nights, and at the end of this time, the highest mountain peak on earth was covered to a depth of "fifteen cubits [about twenty-five feet]" (7:12-20). And, except for the eight individuals and the animals in the ark,
"...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:
All in whose nostrils was the breath of life, of all that was in the dry land, died" (7:21, 22).
The subterranean waters didn't cease gushing up at the end of forty days; nor did the torrential rain cease coming down from above at this time. Rather, both continued, with no revealed change, for another one hundred and ten days (7:24-8:2). It was only after a full one hundred and fifty days that the subterranean waters ceased gushing up and the torrential rain ceased coming down (the same word for "rain" is used in the Hebrew text for rainfall both during the first forty days [7:12] and during the additional one hundred and ten days [8:2], which, as previously noted, refers to "torrential rain").
In this respect, what could only have been vast amounts of water continuing to come up from below and down from above for an additional one hundred and ten days evidently added significantly to the depth of the water which had already accumulated and completely covered the earth at the end of the first forty days. And, from the time involved, possibly almost three times as much more water accumulated on the earth's surface as had initially accumulated during the first forty days.
Thus, at the end of the full one hundred and fifty days, the water level could only have been far above that seen at the end of forty days, when the highest mountain peak on earth was covered to a depth of about twenty-five feet. It would undoubtedly have been at least hundreds, possibly thousands, of feet above the highest point on earth; we're not told.
(Note that the topography of the antediluvian earth was quite different than that which exists today. Mountain peaks in the antediluvian world could only have been considerably lower, for reasons which become evident when one views Scripture dealing with how God restored the earth following the Flood.
Restoration following the Flood occurred through part of the land beneath the water being raised [forming mountainous or high terrain] and part being lowered [forming mainly ocean basins], with water moving from land being raised to land being lowered [Psa. 104:6-8, NASB].
How high were the antediluvian mountains, which preceded the vast changes in the earth's topography following the first one hundred and fifty days of the Flood? No one knows, for there is no data to work with.)
Thus, at the end of the first forty days of the Flood, the ark rested on a shoreless ocean, with the water level about twenty-five feet above the highest point on earth. And the ark continued floating on a shoreless ocean, with subterranean waters continuing to gush up from below the earth's surface and torrential rain continuing to fall from the supply of water above the atmosphere for another one hundred and ten days, which could only have progressively raised the water level higher and higher.
Only at the end of one hundred and fifty days did God step in and close both the fountains of the deep and the flood gates of heaven (8:2). Apparently all of the water above the atmosphere had fallen (for none remains there today), though that would not appear to be the case with the water below the earth's surface (for about three percent of the earth's total water supply can be found below the earth's surface today).
God apparently waited until the entire supply of water above the atmosphere had been depleted, which took one hundred and fifty days. Then He closed both the flood gates of heaven and the sources of the subterranean waters.
Restoration Following the Flood
The one hundred fiftieth day, when God stepped in and put a stop to matters, was the seventeenth day of the seventh month of the year (cf. 7:11; 8:1-4). This is the day that Scriptures states, the ark rested "upon the mountains of Ararat" (v. 4).
Or, is that really what Scripture states? This is the way that all of the widely-used English translations read. But how could this be correct if the water level continued to rise for a total of one hundred and fifty days in the manner previously seen, which, from a Scriptural stand point, is really the only possible way to view the matter?
This fact should have caught the attention of at least some translators, for the Hebrew word translated "upon" (al) in this verse can also be understood and translated as "over" or "above." For example, it is translated "over" in the first verse of this chapter ("pass over the earth"), or it is translated "above" back in chapter one ("fly above the earth" [v. 20]).
This Hebrew word has to be understood contextually. And in Gen. 8:4, as is evident from the context introducing this verse, the translation should be "above" or "over," not "upon." That is, at the end of one hundred and fifty days, when the supply of water above the atmosphere had apparently been depleted and God stepped in and closed the flood gates and the sources of the subterranean waters, Gen. 8:4 locates the ark in relation to a point on the earth beneath the waters, below the ark. This verse locates the ark in relation to the Ararat mountain range (a range which stretches from modern-day Turkey eastward into Armenia).
And that this is the correct way to view Gen. 8:4 is a simple matter to illustrate, not only from Scripture preceding the verse (as has already been shown) but from Scripture following the verse as well.
Genesis 8:1, 3, 5 clearly reveals that God not only closed the flood gates of heaven and the sources of the subterranean waters at the end of one hundred and fifty days, but He also began a restorative work at this same time. Immediately following the Flood waters reaching their highest level, they began to recede. And it took about five and one-half months for the level to drop completely, though almost two more months were required after that for the face of the earth to become dry (cf. 8:1-4, 13, 14).
If the ark came to rest on a mountain peak in the Ararat range on the day that God both closed the sources of the Flood waters and began His restorative work, resulting in the waters continually receding, it could not have been too many days before dry land appeared around the ark.
But this didn't happen. It wasn't until almost two and one-half months had passed that the tops of the mountains appeared above the waters (8:5). And after another forty days, Noah sent forth a dove, which found "no rest for the soul of her foot" (8:6-9). That is to say, almost four months after the waters began to continually go down, there was no dry land around the ark, though seven days later, when Noah sent the dove forth again, the dove did find dry land within flying distance of the ark (8:10, 11).
Where did the ark finally come to rest following the Flood? We're not told, though, from the way that the text reads -- Noah having to wait for about two months after the waters had completely subsided for the face of the earth to become dry -- the ark apparently came to rest in an unrevealed place in the lowlands.
Also, it could possibly be stated that the ark's resting place would be somewhere west of where the city of Babylon was built two generations following the end of the Flood, for, to arrive at this location, those who built Babylon migrated eastward to a plain in the land of Shinar (Gen. 10:5-10; 11:1ff). This would only be a possibility though, for there could have been a migration of people to locations other than the vicinity of where the ark came to rest during time covering two generations (note that the direction of migration in Gen. 11:2 should be translated "eastward" rather than "from the east," as in the KJV [ref. NSAB, NIV]).
What difference though does all of this make, and why spend this time showing an incorrect translation and understanding of Gen. 8:4? Actually, it makes a lot of difference, for if an individual follows the incorrect translation and understanding of Gen. 8:4, the door is closed to tremendous Biblical truths which can be seen in verses one through four only by viewing verse four correctly.
1) Paralleling Two New Beginnings
As previous seen, Gen. 1:2b and Gen. 8:1 have to do with introductory information concerning new beginnings following two different Floods, one pre-Adamic, and the other post-Adamic. This parallel though is usually missed through following the English translation of Gen. 8:1 and not understanding that the latter must follow that previously established in the former.
The Hebrew word Ruach appears in both verses. In Gen. 1:2b, this word is translated "Spirit"; but in Gen. 8:1, this word has been translated "wind" and separated from the same parallel thought seen in how God begins His restorative work in this respect, as established back in Gen. 1:2b.
("Wind" or "breath" can be correct translations of Ruach, if the context permits [as "wind" or "breath" can also be seen at times as correct translations of Pneuma, the corresponding word in the Greek N.T., usually translated "Spirit"]. But there is nothing in the context of Gen. 8:1 which would suggest understanding Ruach as "wind.")
In Gen. 1:2b, God previously established, in an unchangeable manner, how He initially acts in a restoration of this manner. It is evident (both contextually and by comparing the type with the antitype) that Ruach, in Gen. 1:2b, must be understood as the Spirit, rather than as a wind, moving over the waters. And with this in mind, when arriving at Gen. 8:1, this verse, of necessity, would have to be understood the same way. Scripture must be understood and interpreted in the light of Scripture.
And, understanding Gen. 8:1 in this respect becomes vitally necessary to properly understand what is in view in verse four, through another corrected translation.
2) Over the Mountains of Ararat
At the end of the Flood, after the utter destruction which had affected "all in whose nostrils was the breath of life," save those on the ark, Noah and his family found themselves at a place above "the mountains of Ararat." Then, on this same day, the Spirit of God set about to effect restoration, exactly as previously seen in Genesis chapter one. And also, exactly as previously seen in Genesis chapter one, this restoration was for purposes surrounding regality.
Regality in Genesis chapter one is shown through a direct statement -- "...let them have dominion [or, '...let them rule']" (vv. 26, 28). The Hebrew word translated "dominion" in these two verses is radah, the same word translated "rule" in Psa. 110:2, where Christ will rule as the great King-Priest after the order of Melchizedek during the coming day of His power.
Regality in Genesis chapter eight though is shown through a different fashion than in chapter one. A "mountain" in Scripture signifies a kingdom. And at the end of the Flood (foreshadowing the end of the coming Tribulation), those in the ark (foreshadowing the nation of Israel in that day) found themselves resting in a place of safety above the mountains of Ararat (foreshadowing the nation of Israel in that coming day, resting in a place of safety above all the kingdoms of the world, no longer the tail, but elevated to the head).
Then, the name "Ararat" itself, a transliterated Hebrew word, comes from a root word which means holy ground. And this is exactly where Israel will find herself once restored to the land in that coming day.
(The word "holy" is used numerous times throughout Scripture in relation to God. And the same word is used numerous times as well in relation to different things as they pertain to the Jewish people -- the people themselves, Jerusalem, the Temple, and the land as a whole [cf. Ex. 19:6; Deut. 7:6; Psa. 2:6; 11:4; 65:4; 78:41; Zeph. 2:12; 3:11].
The word "holy" carries the thought of set apart [unto the Lord]. This is the only way in which the word can be used relative to inanimate objects, though the meaning would extend beyond this into the thought of purity when used relative to the people of Israel.)
There was a time when the entire earth was referred to as "the holy mountain of God [i.e., 'the set apart kingdom of God']" (Ezek. 28:14). However, Satan, the ruler over this kingdom, because of his aspirations to extend his rule beyond that which God had appointed him to occupy, introduced corruption, resulting in his kingdom being reduced to a ruined state.
Later, after the kingdom had been restored and man had been created to rule the kingdom in the stead of Satan, man's fall resulted in the same thing. Corruption was reintroduced into the kingdom, and this corruption affected both man and the material creation.
Then, later yet, the nation of Israel was brought into existence and called forth, as a set apart people, to rule in a set apart land, within a theocracy. But the Lord's name, the people, the temple, and the land were all later polluted, defiled, profaned through a continued disobedience of the people (cf. Num. 35:33, 34; Psa. 79:1; Ezek. 14:11; 20:43; 23:38; 36:20; Hos. 5:3; 6:10).
And Israel, the wife of Jehovah, climaxed the nation's disobedience by taking up unholy alliances with the surrounding Gentile nations -- something which God had forbidden in no uncertain terms (cf. Num. 23:9; Deut. 7:1-6). And these alliances were viewed in Scripture as harlotry on Israel's part (cf. Jer. 3:1-4; Ezek. 16:2, 28, 29).
The day came when Israel's cup of iniquity became full (cf. Gen. 15:16), and God drove His adulterous wife out among her Gentile lovers to effect repentance through persecution at the hands of her lovers. And that is exactly where Israel is seen in the world today. Israel today is seen as "the great whore," residing among her Gentile lovers. And because of this, Israel today is seen associated with both Babylon and Jerusalem, but only with Jerusalem in the respect that Jerusalem, during this time, is seen associated with Sodom and Egypt (Rev. 11:8; 17:1-7, 18).
(For a discussion of Revelation chapters eleven, seventeen, and eighteen in the preceding respect, refer to Appendix II in the author's book, "Esther.")
The day is coming though when all of this will change. Israel, through the judgments of the Tribulation, will be brought to the place of repentance. This will be followed by the harlot being cleansed and restored to her rightful place in a cleansed land, within a theocracy.
Then, that foreshadowed by Gen. 8:4 -- Noah and his family resting above the mountains of Ararat -- will be realized. Gentile world power will have been destroyed (typified by the destruction occurring during the Flood). And Israel, in that coming day, will find herself at rest, placed above all the kingdoms of the world, in a holy place (cf. Zech. 14:9, 20, 21).
This is exactly what is also seen in Rev. 12:1b and Rev. 17:18b. A woman is seen in chapter twelve as the one possessing "a crown of twelve stars," with the number "twelve" signifying governmental perfection. Then, allowing Scripture to continue interpreting itself, a harlot is seen in chapter seventeen as "the one having kingly authority over the kings of the earth" (lit. transl. from the Gk., v. 18b).
That seen in both Rev. 12:1b and 17:18b point to that which awaits Israel following her cleansing. That is to say, Israel, as God's firstborn son (Ex. 4:22, 23), holds this regal position today but cannot exercise this position until after the nation's cleansing. And the fact that Israel will one day be cleansed and ultimately exercise this position was all foretold back in Gen. 8:4.
3) Shem, Ham, Japheth
Genesis chapter nine then adds to a developing Old Testament word picture. Among Noah's three sons following the Flood, only one -- Shem -- was blessed and said to have a God (v. 26). And from Shem descended Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, his twelve sons, and the nation of Israel.
Since Shem is the only one stated to have been blessed and to have a God, in order for the other two sons to have received spiritual blessings, they would have had to go to Shem -- something stated in the text in relation to Japheth through his having to dwell in the tents of Shem (v. 27).
This is the same position which Shem's descendant, Abraham, held in relation to the nations; and this is the same position which the descendants of Abraham through Isaac and Jacob have held, continue to hold today, and will always hold relative to the nations. If the nations are to be blessed, it must be accomplished through the means which God has decreed -- through Abraham and his seed, through Isaac and Jacob (Gen. 12:1-3).
That's the importance seen in the Noachian Flood and that which occurred following the Flood. And that's the importance seen in the vast amount of space which God has provided in His Word surrounding that which the Flood foreshadows.
Israel must be brought to the place of repentance. Only then can that foreshadowed in Gen. 8:4 be realized, with blessings flowing from a restored people, in a restored city and land, out to the nations of the earth.
Arlen L. Chitwood, The Lamp Broadcast, Inc., Norman, Okla.
E-mail: alchitwood@att.net.