Genesis 7:11-24

Genesis 7:11-24

[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,  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  of all flesh,  wherein  is the breath  of life.  [16] And they that went in,  male  and female  of all flesh,  as God  had commanded  him: and the LORD  shut him in.  [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  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. 

What does Genesis 7:11-24 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

There are two views among evangelicals as to the extent of the Flood.
1.The flood was universal in that it covered the entire earth. Here is a summary of the evidence that supports this view.
a.The purpose of the Flood ( Genesis 6:5-7; Genesis 6:11-13).b.The need for an ark ( Genesis 6:14).c.The size of the ark ( Genesis 6:15-16).d.The universal terms used in the story ( Genesis 6:17-21; Genesis 7:19; Genesis 7:21-23). Context must determine whether universal terms are truly universal or limited (cf. Luke 2:1; Matthew 28:19-20).e.The amount of water involved ( Genesis 7:11; Genesis 7:20; Genesis 8:2).f.The duration of the Flood: 371days ( Genesis 7:11; Genesis 8:14).g.The testimony of Peter ( 2 Peter 3:3-7).h.The faithfulness of God ( Genesis 8:21).
This view has been the most popular with conservative interpreters throughout history.
"By and large, the tradition of the Christian church is that the context requires a universal flood, and many Christian scholars have maintained this position knowing well the geological difficulties it raises." [1]
2.The flood was local and covered only part of the earth. The evidence is as follows.
a.The main arguments rest on modern geology and the improbability of a universal flood in view of consequent global changes.
b.Advocates take the universal statements in the text as limited to the area where Moses said the Flood took place.
This view has gained wide acceptance since the modern science of geology has called in question the credibility of the text.
"The principle concern of those advocating a local flood is to escape the geological implications of a universal flood." [2]
"Since the distorted concept of special creation used by the originator of the geologic column was never truly Creationistic, and organic evolution has long since become the conceptual basis for time-equivalence of index fossils, modern Creationists can justifiably point out that organic evolution is the basis for the geological column." [2]
Basically, this controversy, like that involving the creation account, involves presuppositions about the credibility of Scripture or science and the possibility of supernatural occurrences. The scientific community seems to be more open to catastrophism of some kind than it used to be. [4]
Some interpreters have understood the opening of the "floodgates of the sky" ( Genesis 7:11) as a breaking up of a water vapor canopy that some say covered the earth before the Flood. [5] Advocates of this "canopy theory" believe that it may account for longevity before the Flood.
"The water for Noah"s Flood came from the release of great underground sources of water (the fountains of the great deep which continued pouring forth for150 days), and from the collapse of the waters above (presumably a vast water vapor blanket or canopy above the atmosphere), giving the40 days and nights of rain. Psalm 104indicates that after the Flood, the mountains were upthrust to their present positions, with associated deepening of the ocean basins, which now hold the waters of the Flood.
"These waters would not have been enough to cover today"s highest mountains. Genesis indicates no rain or rainbows before the Flood, which is consistent with the absence of high mountains that are important to the triggering of rainfall. Also, the absence of large temperature differences between poles and equator under such a greenhouse blanket of water vapor would mean an absence of the vast winds which are also necessary (now, but not before the Flood) for the rainfall cycle. Genesis describes how the earth before the Flood was watered by mists and/or springs and geysers." [6]
"We have shown earlier that the flood narrative points ahead to Moses and the escape of the Hebrews through the Red Sea. This is evidenced again by the term "dry land" (haraba) in our passage ( Genesis 7:22) rather than the customary "dry ground" (yabasa). This infrequent term occurs eight times, only once more in the Pentateuch at Exodus 14:21, where it describes the transformation of the sea into "dry land" by a "strong east wind." This exodus parallel is confirmed by Genesis 8:1 b, which speaks of God"s sending a "wind" upon the waters. Later Israel identified itself with Noah and the tiny group of survivors who escaped the wicked by the awesome deeds of God." [7]