1 And the LORD said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation.
2 Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens, the male and his female: and of beasts that are not clean by two, the male and his female.
3 Of fowls also of the air by sevens, the male and the female; to keep seed alive upon the face of all the earth.
4 For yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights; and every living substance that I have made will I destroy from off the face of the earth.
5 And Noah did according unto all that the LORD commanded him.
6 And Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters was upon the earth.
7 And Noah went in, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons' wives with him, into the ark, because of the waters of the flood.
8 Of clean beasts, and of beasts that are not clean, and of fowls, and of every thing that creepeth upon the earth,
9 There went in two and two unto Noah into the ark, the male and the female, as God had commanded Noah.
10 And it came to pass after seven days, that the waters of the flood were upon the earth.
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, and Noah's 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 and two of all flesh, wherein is the breath of life.
16 And they that went in, 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 went 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.
1 And the LORD H3068 said H559 unto Noah, H5146 Come H935 thou and all thy house H1004 into the ark; H8392 for thee have I seen H7200 righteous H6662 before me H6440 in this H2088 generation. H1755
2 Of every clean H2889 beast H929 thou shalt take H3947 to thee by sevens, H7651 H7651 the male H376 and his female: H802 and of beasts H929 that are not clean H2889 H1931 by two, H8147 the male H376 and his female. H802
3 Of fowls H5775 also of the air H8064 by sevens, H7651 H7651 the male H2145 and the female; H5347 to keep H2421 seed H2233 alive H2421 upon the face H6440 of all the earth. H776
4 For yet H5750 seven H7651 days, H3117 and I will cause it to rain H4305 upon the earth H776 forty H705 days H3117 and forty H705 nights; H3915 and every H3605 living substance H3351 that I have made H6213 will I destroy H4229 from off H5921 the face H6440 of the earth. H127
5 And Noah H5146 did H6213 according unto all that the LORD H3068 commanded H6680 him.
6 And Noah H5146 was six H8337 hundred H3967 years H8141 old H1121 when the flood H3999 of waters H4325 was upon the earth. H776
7 And Noah H5146 went in, H935 and his sons, H1121 and his wife, H802 and his sons' H1121 wives H802 with him, into the ark, H8392 because of H6440 the waters H4325 of the flood. H3999
8 Of clean H2889 beasts, H929 and of beasts H929 that are not clean, H2889 and of fowls, H5775 and of every thing that creepeth H7430 upon the earth, H127
9 There went in H935 two H8147 and two H8147 unto Noah H5146 into the ark, H8392 the male H2145 and the female, H5347 as H834 God H430 had commanded H6680 Noah. H5146
10 And it came to pass after seven H7651 days, H3117 that the waters H4325 of the flood H3999 were upon the earth. H776
11 In H8141 the six H8337 hundredth H3967 year H8141 of Noah's H5146 life, H2416 in the second H8145 month, H2320 the seventeenth H7651 H6240 day H3117 of the month, H2320 the same H2088 day H3117 were all the fountains H4599 of the great H7227 deep H8415 broken up, H1234 and the windows H699 of heaven H8064 were opened. H6605
12 And the rain H1653 was upon the earth H776 forty H705 days H3117 and forty H705 nights. H3915
13 In the selfsame H6106 day H3117 entered H935 Noah, H5146 and Shem, H8035 and Ham, H2526 and Japheth, H3315 the sons H1121 of Noah, H5146 and Noah's H5146 wife, H802 and the three H7969 wives H802 of his sons H1121 with them, into the ark; H8392
14 They, H1992 and every beast H2416 after his kind, H4327 and all the cattle H929 after their kind, H4327 and every creeping thing H7431 that creepeth H7430 upon the earth H776 after his kind, H4327 and every fowl H5775 after his kind, H4327 every bird H6833 of every sort. H3671
15 And they went in H935 unto Noah H5146 into the ark, H8392 two H8147 and two H8147 of all flesh, H1320 wherein H834 is the breath H7307 of life. H2416
16 And they that went in, H935 went in H935 male H2145 and female H5347 of all flesh, H1320 as God H430 had commanded H6680 him: and the LORD H3068 shut him in. H5462
17 And the flood H3999 was forty H705 days H3117 upon the earth; H776 and the waters H4325 increased, H7235 and bare up H5375 the ark, H8392 and it was lift up H7311 above the earth. H776
18 And the waters H4325 prevailed, H1396 and were increased H7235 greatly H3966 upon the earth; H776 and the ark H8392 went H3212 upon the face H6440 of the waters. H4325
19 And the waters H4325 prevailed H1396 exceedingly H3966 H3966 upon the earth; H776 and all the high H1364 hills, H2022 that were under H8478 the whole heaven, H8064 were covered. H3680
20 Fifteen H6240 H2568 cubits H520 upward H4605 did the waters H4325 prevail; H1396 and the mountains H2022 were covered. H3680
21 And all flesh H1320 died H1478 that moved H7430 upon the earth, H776 both of fowl, H5775 and of cattle, H929 and of beast, H2416 and of every creeping thing H8318 that creepeth H8317 upon the earth, H776 and every man: H120
22 All in whose nostrils H639 was the breath H5397 H7307 of life, H2416 of all that was in the dry H2724 land, died. H4191
23 And every living substance H3351 was destroyed H4229 which was upon the face H6440 of the ground, H127 both man, H120 and cattle, H929 and the creeping things, H7431 and the fowl H5775 of the heaven; H8064 and they were destroyed H4229 from the earth: H776 and Noah H5146 only H389 remained H7604 alive, and they that H834 were with him in the ark. H8392
24 And the waters H4325 prevailed H1396 upon the earth H776 an hundred H3967 and fifty H2572 days. H3117
1 And Jehovah said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation.
2 Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee seven and seven, the male and his female; and of the beasts that are not clean two, the male and his female:
3 of the birds also of the heavens, seven and seven, male and female, to keep seed alive upon the face of all the earth.
4 For yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights; and every living thing that I have made will I destroy from off the face of the ground.
5 And Noah did according unto all that Jehovah commanded him.
6 And Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters was upon the earth.
7 And Noah went in, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons' wives with him, into the ark, because of the waters of the flood.
8 Of clean beasts, and of beasts that are not clean, and of birds, and of everything that creepeth upon the ground,
9 there went in two and two unto Noah into the ark, male and female, as God commanded Noah.
10 And it came to pass after the seven days, that the waters of the flood were upon the earth.
11 In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on 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, and Noah's wife, and the three wives of his sons with them, into the ark;
14 they, and every beast after its kind, and all the cattle after their kind, and every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth after its kind, and every bird after its kind, every bird of every sort.
15 And they went in unto Noah into the ark, two and two of all flesh wherein is the breath of life.
16 And they that went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God commanded him: and Jehovah 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 lifted up above the earth.
18 And the waters prevailed, and increased greatly upon the earth; and the ark went upon the face of the waters.
19 And the waters prevailed exceedingly upon the earth; and all the high mountains 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 birds, and cattle, and beasts, and every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth, and every man:
22 all in whose nostrils was the breath of the spirit of life, of all that was on the dry land, died.
23 And every living thing was destroyed that was upon the face of the ground, both man, and cattle, and creeping things, and birds of the heavens; and they were destroyed from the earth: and Noah only was left, and they that were with him in the ark.
24 And the waters prevailed upon the earth a hundred and fifty days.
1 And Jehovah saith to Noah, `Come in, thou and all thy house, unto the ark, for thee I have seen righteous before Me in this generation;
2 of all the clean beasts thou dost take to thee seven pairs, a male and its female; and of the beasts which are not clean two, a male and its female;
3 also, of fowl of the heavens seven pairs, a male and a female, to keep alive seed on the face of all the earth;
4 for after other seven days I am sending rain on the earth forty days and forty nights, and have wiped away all the substance that I have made from off the face of the ground.'
5 And Noah doth according to all that Jehovah hath commanded him:
6 and Noah `is' a son of six hundred years, and the deluge of waters hath been upon the earth.
7 And Noah goeth in, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons' wives with him, unto the ark, from the presence of the waters of the deluge;
8 of the clean beasts and of the beasts that `are' not clean, and of the fowl, and of every thing that is creeping upon the ground,
9 two by two they have come in unto Noah, unto the ark, a male and a female, as God hath commanded Noah.
10 And it cometh to pass, after the seventh of the days, that waters of the deluge have been on the earth.
11 In the six hundredth year of the life of Noah, in the second month, in the seventeenth day of the month, in this day have been broken up all fountains of the great deep, and the net-work of the heavens hath been opened,
12 and the shower is on the earth forty days and forty nights.
13 In this self-same day went in Noah, and Shem, and Ham, and Japheth, sons of Noah, and Noah's wife and the three wives of his sons with them, unto the ark;
14 they, and every living creature after its kind, and every beast after its kind, and every creeping thing that is creeping on the earth after its kind, and every fowl after its kind, every bird -- every wing.
15 And they come in unto Noah, unto the ark, two by two of all the flesh in which `is' a living spirit;
16 and they that are coming in, male and female of all flesh, have come in as God hath commanded him, and Jehovah doth close `it' for him.
17 And the deluge is forty days on the earth, and the waters multiply, and lift up the ark, and it is raised up from off the earth;
18 and the waters are mighty, and multiply exceedingly upon the earth; and the ark goeth on the face of the waters.
19 And the waters have been very very mighty on the earth, and covered are all the high mountains which `are' under the whole heavens;
20 fifteen cubits upwards have the waters become mighty, and the mountains are covered;
21 and expire doth all flesh that is moving on the earth, among fowl, and among cattle, and among beasts, and among all the teeming things which are teeming on the earth, and all mankind;
22 all in whose nostrils `is' breath of a living spirit -- of all that `is' in the dry land -- have died.
23 And wiped away is all the substance that is on the face of the ground, from man unto beast, unto creeping thing, and unto fowl of the heavens; yea, they are wiped away from the earth, and only Noah is left, and those who `are' with him in the ark;
24 and the waters are mighty on the earth a hundred and fifty days.
1 And Jehovah said to Noah, Go into the ark, thou and all thy house; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation.
2 Of all clean beasts thou shalt take to thee by sevens, a male and its female; but of the beasts that are not clean two, a male and its female.
3 Also of the fowl of the heavens by sevens, male and female; to keep seed alive on the face of all the earth.
4 For in yet seven days I will cause it to rain on the earth forty days and forty nights; and every living being which I have made will I destroy from the ground.
5 And Noah did according to all that Jehovah had commanded him.
6 And Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters was on the earth.
7 And Noah went in, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons' wives with him, into the ark, because of the waters of the flood.
8 Of clean beasts, and of beasts that are not clean, and of fowl, and of everything that creeps on the ground,
9 there came two and two unto Noah into the ark, male and female, as God had commanded Noah.
10 And it came to pass after seven days that the waters of the flood were on the earth.
11 In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on that same day all the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.
12 And the pour of rain was on the earth forty days and forty nights.
13 On the same day went Noah, and Shem and Ham and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and Noah's wife, and the three wives of his sons with them, into the ark;
14 they, and every beast after its kind, and all the cattle after their kind, and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth after its kind, and all fowl after its kind -- every bird of every wing.
15 And they went to Noah, into the ark, two and two of all flesh, in which was the breath of life.
16 And they that came, came male and female of all flesh, as God had commanded him. And Jehovah shut him in.
17 And the flood was forty days on the earth. And the waters increased, and bore up the ark; and it was lifted up above the earth.
18 And the waters prevailed and increased greatly on the earth; and the ark went on the face of the waters.
19 And the waters prevailed exceedingly on the earth; and all the high mountains that are under all the heavens were covered.
20 Fifteen cubits upward the waters prevailed; and the mountains were covered.
21 And all flesh that moved on the earth expired, fowl as well as cattle, and beasts, and all crawling things which crawl on the earth, and all mankind:
22 everything which had in its nostrils the breath of life, of all that was on the dry [land], died.
23 And every living being was destroyed that was on the ground, both man, and cattle, and creeping things, and fowl of the heavens; and they were destroyed from the earth. And Noah alone remained, and what was with him in the ark.
24 And the waters prevailed on the earth a hundred and fifty days.
1 Yahweh said to Noah, "Come with all of your household into the ark, for I have seen your righteousness before me in this generation.
2 You 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.
3 Also of the birds of the sky, seven and seven, male and female, to keep seed alive on the surface of all the earth.
4 In seven days, I will cause it to rain on the earth for forty days and forty nights. Every living thing that I have made, I will destroy from the surface of the ground."
5 Noah did everything that Yahweh commanded him.
6 Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters came on the earth.
7 Noah went into the ark with his sons, his wife, and his sons' wives, because of the waters of the flood.
8 Clean animals, animals that are not clean, birds, and everything that creeps on the ground
9 went by pairs to Noah into the ark, male and female, as God commanded Noah.
10 It happened after the seven days, that the waters of the flood came on the earth.
11 In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on the same day all the fountains of the great deep were burst open, and the sky's windows were opened.
12 The rain was on the earth forty days and forty nights.
13 In 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 ark;
14 they, and every animal after its kind, all the cattle 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.
15 They went to Noah into the ark, by pairs of all flesh with the breath of life in them.
16 Those who went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God commanded him; and Yahweh shut him in.
17 The flood was forty days on the earth. The waters increased, and lifted up the ark, and it was lifted up above the earth.
18 The waters prevailed, and increased greatly on the earth; and the ark floated on the surface of the waters.
19 The waters prevailed exceedingly on the earth. All the high mountains that were under the whole sky were covered.
20 The waters prevailed fifteen cubits upward, and the mountains were covered.
21 All flesh died that moved on the earth, including birds, cattle, animals, every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, and every man.
22 All in whose nostrils was the breath of the spirit of life, of all that was on the dry land, died.
23 Every living thing was destroyed that was on the surface of the ground, including man, cattle, 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 ark.
24 The waters prevailed on the earth one hundred fifty days.
1 And the Lord said to Noah, Take all your family and go into the ark, for you only in this generation have I seen to be upright.
2 Of every clean beast you will take seven males and seven females, and of the beasts which are not clean, two, the male and his female;
3 And of the birds of the air, seven males and seven females, so that their seed may still be living on the face of the earth.
4 For after seven days I will send rain on the earth for forty days and forty nights, for the destruction of every living thing which I have made on the face of the earth.
5 And Noah did everything which the Lord said he was to do.
6 And Noah was six hundred years old when the waters came flowing over all the earth.
7 And Noah, with his sons and his wife and his sons' wives, went into the ark because of the flowing of the waters.
8 Of clean beasts, and of beasts which are not clean, and of birds, and of everything which goes on the earth,
9 In twos, male and female, they went into the ark with Noah, as God had said.
10 And after the seven days, the waters came over all the earth.
11 In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, all the fountains of the great deep came bursting through, and the windows of heaven were open;
12 And rain came down on the earth for forty days and forty nights.
13 On the same day Noah, with Shem, Ham, and Japheth, his sons, and his wife and his sons' wives, went into the ark;
14 And with them, every sort of beast and cattle, and every sort of thing which goes on the earth, and every sort of bird.
15 They went with Noah into the ark, two and two of all flesh in which is the breath of life.
16 Male and female of all flesh went in, as God had said, and the ark was shut by the Lord.
17 And for forty days the waters were over all the earth; and the waters were increased so that the ark was lifted up high over the earth.
18 And the waters overcame everything and were increased greatly on the earth, and the ark was resting on the face of the waters.
19 And the waters overcame everything on the earth; and all the mountains under heaven were covered.
20 The waters went fifteen cubits higher, till all the mountains were covered.
21 And destruction came on every living thing moving on the earth, birds and cattle and beasts and everything which went on the earth, and every man.
22 Everything on the dry land, in which was the breath of life, came to its end.
23 Every living thing on the face of all the earth, man and cattle and things moving on the face of the earth, and birds of the air, came to destruction: only Noah and those who were with him in the ark, were kept from death.
24 And the waters were over the earth a hundred and fifty days.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Keil & Delitzsch Commentary » Commentary on Genesis 7
Commentary on Genesis 7 Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
Genesis 7:1-12
When the ark was built, and the period of grace (Genesis 6:3) had passed, Noah received instructions from Jehovah to enter the ark with his family, and with the animals, viz., seven of every kind of clean animals, and two of the unclean; and was informed that within seven days God would cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights. The date of the flood is then given (Genesis 7:6): “ Noah was six hundred years old, and the flood was (namely) water upon the earth; ” and the execution of the divine command is recorded in Genesis 7:7-9. There follows next the account of the bursting forth of the flood, the date being given with still greater minuteness; and the entrance of the men and animals into the ark is again described as being fully accomplished (Genesis 7:10-16). - The fact that in the command to enter the ark a distinction is now made between clean and unclean animals, seven of the former being ordered to be taken, - i.e., three pair and a single one, probably a male for sacrifice-is no more a proof of different authorship, or of the fusion of two accounts, than the interchange of the names Jehovah and Elohim . For the distinction between clean and unclean animals did not originate with Moses, but was confirmed by him as a long established custom, in harmony with the law. It reached back to the very earliest times, and arose from a certain innate feeling of the human mind, when undisturbed by unnatural and ungodly influences, which detects types of sin and corruption in many animals, and instinctively recoils from them (see my biblische Archהeologie ii. p. 20). That the variations in the names of God furnish no criterion by which to detect different documents, is evident enough from the fact, that in Genesis 7:1 it is Jehovah who commands Noah to enter the ark, and in Genesis 7:4 Noah does as Elohim had commanded, whilst in Genesis 7:16, in two successive clauses, Elohim alternates with Jehovah -the animals entering the ark at the command of Elohim , and Jehovah shutting Noah in. With regard to the entrance of the animals into the ark, it is worthy of notice, that in Genesis 7:9 and Genesis 7:15 it is stated that “ they came two and two ,” and in Genesis 7:16 that “ the coming ones came male and female of all flesh .” In this expression “they came” it is clearly intimated, that the animals collected about Noah and were taken into the ark, without his having to exert himself to collect them, and that they did so in consequence of an instinct produced by God, like that which frequently leads animals to scent and try to flee from dangers, of which man has no presentiment. The time when the flood commenced is said to have been the 600th year of Noah's life, on the 17th day of the second month (Genesis 7:11). The months must be reckoned, not according to the Mosaic ecclesiastical year, which commenced in the spring, but according to the natural of civil year, which commenced in the autumn at the beginning of sowing time, or the autumnal equinox; so that the flood would be pouring upon the earth in October and November. “ The same day were all the fountains of the great deep ( תּהום the unfathomable ocean) broken up, and the sluices (windows, lattices) of heaven opened, and there was (happened, came) pouring rain ( גּשׁם in distinction from טטר ) upon the earth 40 days and 40 nights .” Thus the flood was produced by the bursting forth of fountains hidden within the earth, which drove seas and rivers above their banks, and by rain which continued incessantly for 40 days and 40 nights.
Genesis 7:13-16
“ In the self-same day had Noah...entered into the ark: ” בּא , pluperfect “ had come ,” not came , which would require יבא . The idea is not that Noah, with his family and all the animals, entered the ark on the very day on which the rain began, but that on that day he had entered, had completed the entering, which occupied the seven days between the giving of the command (Genesis 7:4) and the commencement of the flood (Genesis 7:10).
Genesis 7:17-24 contain a description of the flood: how the water increased more and more, till it was 15 cubits above all the lofty mountains of the earth, and how, on the one hand, it raised the ark above the earth and above the mountains, and, on the other, destroyed every living being upon the dry land, from man to cattle, creeping things, and birds. “The description is simple and majestic; the almighty judgment of God, and the love manifest in the midst of the wrath, hold the historian fast. The tautologies depict the fearful monotony of the immeasurable expanse of water: omnia pontus erant et deerant litera ponto .” The words of Genesis 7:17, “ and the flood was (came) upon the earth for forty days ,” relate to the 40 days' rain combined with the bursting forth of the foundations beneath the earth. By these the water was eventually raised to the height given, at which it remained 150 days (Genesis 7:24). But if the water covered “ all the high hills under the whole heaven ,” this clearly indicates the universality of the flood. The statement, indeed, that it rose 15 cubits above the mountains, is probably founded upon the fact, that the ark drew 15 feet of water, and that when the waters subsided, it rested upon the top of Ararat, from which the conclusion would very naturally be drawn as to the greatest height attained. Now as Ararat, according to the measurement of Perrot , is only 16,254 feet high, whereas the loftiest peaks of the Himalaya and Cordilleras are as much as 26,843, the submersion of these mountains has been thought impossible, and the statement in Genesis 7:19 has been regarded as a rhetorical expression, like Deuteronomy 2:25 and Deuteronomy 4:19, which is not of universal application. But even if those peaks, which are higher than Ararat, were not covered by water, we cannot therefore pronounce the flood merely partial in its extent, but must regard it as universal, as extending over every part of the world, since the few peaks uncovered would not only sink into vanishing points in comparison with the surface covered, but would form an exception not worth mentioning, for the simple reason that no living beings could exist upon these mountains, covered with perpetual snow and ice; so that everything that lived upon the dry land, in whose nostrils there was a breath of life , would inevitably die, and, with the exception of those shut up in the ark, neither man nor beast would be able to rescue itself, and escape destruction. A flood which rose 15 cubits above the top of Ararat could not remain partial, if it only continued a few days, to say nothing of the fact that the water was rising for 40 days, and remained at the highest elevation for 150 days. To speak of such a flood as partial is absurd, even if it broke out at only one spot, it would spread over the earth from one end to the other, and reach everywhere to the same elevation. However impossible, therefore, scientific men may declare it to be for them to conceive of a universal flood of such a height and duration in accordance with the known laws of nature, this inability on their part does not justify any one in questioning the possibility of such an event being produced by the omnipotence of God. It has been justly remarked, too, that the proportion of such a quantity of water to the entire mass of the earth, in relation to which the mountains are but like the scratches of a needle on a globe, is no greater than that of a profuse perspiration to the body of a man. And to this must be added, that, apart from the legend of a flood, which is found in nearly every nation, the earth presents unquestionable traces of submersion in the fossil remains of animals and plants, which are found upon the Cordilleras and Himalaya even beyond the limit of perpetual snow.
(Note: The geological facts which testify to the submersion of the entire globe are collected in Buckland's reliquiae diluv., Schubert's Gesch. der Natur, and C. v. Raumer's Geography, and are of such importance that even Cuvier acknowledged “ Je pense donc, avec MM. Deluc et Dolomieu, que s'il y a quelque chose de constaté en géologie; c'est que la surface de notre globe a été victime d'une grande et subite révolution, dont la date ne peut remonter beaucoup au delà de cinq ou six mille ans ” (Discours sur les rιvol. de la surface du globe , p. 190, ed. 6). The latest phase of geology, however, denies that these facts furnish any testimony to the historical character of the flood, and substitutes the hypothesis of a submersion of the entire globe before the creation of man: 1. because the animals found are very different from those at present in existence; and 2. because no certain traces have hitherto been found of fossil human bones. We have already shown that there is no force in these arguments. Vid., Keerl , pp. 489ff.)
In Genesis 7:23, instead of ויּמּח ( imperf. Niphal ) read ויּמח ( imperf. Kal ): “ and He ( Jehovah ) destroyed every existing thing, ” as He had said in Genesis 7:4.