New International VersionIn the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, on the seventeenth day of the second month—on that day all the springs of the great deep burst forth, and the floodgates of the heavens were opened.
New Living TranslationWhen Noah was 600 years old, on the seventeenth day of the second month, all the underground waters erupted from the earth, and the rain fell in mighty torrents from the sky.
English Standard VersionIn the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep burst forth, and the windows of the heavens were opened.
Berean Standard BibleIn the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, on the seventeenth day of the second month, all the fountains of the great deep burst forth, and the floodgates of the heavens were opened.
King James BibleIn 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.
New King James VersionIn the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.
New American Standard BibleIn the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep burst open, and the floodgates of the sky were opened.
NASB 1995In 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 burst open, and the floodgates of the sky were opened.
NASB 1977In 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 burst open, and the floodgates of the sky were opened.
Legacy Standard BibleIn the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on this day all the fountains of the great deep split open, and the floodgates of the sky were opened.
Amplified BibleIn the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, on the seventeenth day of the second month, on that same day all the fountains of the great deep [subterranean waters] burst open, and the windows and floodgates of the heavens were opened.
Christian Standard BibleIn the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the sources of the vast watery depths burst open, the floodgates of the sky were opened,
Holman Christian Standard BibleIn the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the sources of the watery depths burst open, the floodgates of the sky were opened,
American Standard VersionIn 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.
English Revised VersionIn 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.
GOD'S WORD® TranslationOn the seventeenth day of the second month of the six hundredth year of Noah's life, all the deep springs burst open. The sky opened,
Good News TranslationWhen Noah was six hundred years old, on the seventeenth day of the second month all the outlets of the vast body of water beneath the earth burst open, all the floodgates of the sky were opened,
International Standard VersionOn the seventeenth day of the second month, when Noah was 600 years old, all the springs of the great deep burst open, the floodgates of the heavens were opened,
NET BibleIn the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month--on that day all the fountains of the great deep burst open and the floodgates of the heavens were opened.
New Heart English BibleIn 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 floodgates of the sky were opened.
Webster's Bible TranslationIn 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. Majority Text Translations Majority Standard BibleIn the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, on the seventeenth day of the second month, all the fountains of the great deep burst forth, and the floodgates of the heavens were opened.
World English BibleIn the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep burst open, and the sky’s windows opened. Literal Translations Literal Standard VersionIn the six hundredth year of the life of Noah, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on this day all [the] fountains of the great deep have been broken up, and the network of the heavens has been opened,
Young's Literal Translation 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,
Smith's Literal TranslationIn the year of six hundred years of Noah's life, in the second month, in the seventeenth day of the month, in the same day all the fountains of the great deep were divided and the sluices of the heavens were opened. Catholic Translations Douay-Rheims BibleIn the six hundreth year of the life of Noe in the second month, in the seventeenth day of the month, all the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the flood gates of heaven were open:
Catholic Public Domain VersionIn the six hundredth year of the life of Noah, in the second month, in the seventeenth day of the month, all the fountains of the great abyss were released, and the floodgates of heaven were opened.
New American BibleIn the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month: on that day All the fountains of the great abyss burst forth, and the floodgates of the sky were opened.
New Revised Standard VersionIn the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep burst forth, and the windows of the heavens were opened. Translations from Aramaic Lamsa BibleIn the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, on that very day all the fountains of the great deep burst forth and the windows of heaven were opened.
Peshitta Holy Bible TranslatedIn the six hundredth year of the years of the life of Noah, in the second month, in the seventeenth in the month, in it in this day, all springs of the great depths exploded, and the floodgates of Heaven were opened. OT Translations JPS Tanakh 1917In 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.
Brenton Septuagint TranslationIn the six hundredth year of the life of Noe, in the second month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, on this day all the fountains of the abyss were broken up, and the flood-gates of heaven were opened.
Additional Translations ... Audio Bible
Context The Floodwaters Arrive10And after seven days the floodwaters came upon the earth. 11Inthe sixhundredthyearof Noah’slife,on the seventeenthdayof the secondmonth,allthe fountainsof the greatdeepburst forth,and the floodgatesof the heavenswere opened.12And the rain fell upon the earth for forty days and forty nights.…
Cross References Genesis 6:17And behold, I will bring floodwaters upon the earth to destroy every creature under the heavens that has the breath of life. Everything on the earth will perish.
Genesis 8:2The springs of the deep and the floodgates of the heavens were closed, and the rain from the sky was restrained.
Job 12:15If He holds back the waters, they dry up, and if He releases them, they overwhelm the land.
Psalm 104:6-9You covered it with the deep like a garment; the waters stood above the mountains. / At Your rebuke the waters fled; at the sound of Your thunder they hurried away— / the mountains rose and the valleys sank to the place You assigned for them— ...
Isaiah 54:9“For to Me this is like the days of Noah, when I swore that the waters of Noah would never again cover the earth. So I have sworn that I will not be angry with you or rebuke you.
Ezekiel 26:19For this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘When I make you a desolate city like other deserted cities, and when I raise up the deep against you so that the mighty waters cover you,
Matthew 24:38-39For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark. / And they were oblivious until the flood came and swept them all away. So will it be at the coming of the Son of Man.
Luke 17:26-27Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man: / People were eating and drinking, marrying and being given in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all.
Hebrews 11:7By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in godly fear built an ark to save his family. By faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.
1 Peter 3:20who disobeyed long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In the ark a few people, only eight souls, were saved through water.
2 Peter 2:5if He did not spare the ancient world when He brought the flood on its ungodly people, but preserved Noah, a preacher of righteousness, among the eight;
2 Peter 3:6through which the world of that time perished in the flood.
Revelation 12:15-16Then from his mouth the serpent spewed water like a river to overtake the woman and sweep her away in the torrent. / But the earth helped the woman and opened its mouth to swallow up the river that the dragon had poured from his mouth.
Genesis 9:11And I establish My covenant with you: Never again will all life be cut off by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth.”
Genesis 9:15I will remember My covenant between Me and you and every living creature of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life.
Treasury of Scripture 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. second month. all. Genesis 1:7 And God made the firmament, and divided the waters whichwere under the firmament from the waters whichwere above the firmament: and it was so. Genesis 6:17 And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, whereinis the breath of life, from under heaven;and every thing thatis in the earth shall die. Genesis 8:2 The fountains also of the deep and the windows of heaven were stopped, and the rain from heaven was restrained; windows. Genesis 1:7 And God made the firmament, and divided the waters whichwere under the firmament from the waters whichwere above the firmament: and it was so. Genesis 8:2 The fountains also of the deep and the windows of heaven were stopped, and the rain from heaven was restrained; 2 Kings 7:2,19 Then a lord on whose hand the king leaned answered the man of God, and said, Behold,if the LORD would make windows in heaven, might this thing be? And he said, Behold, thou shalt seeit with thine eyes, but shalt not eat thereof… Jump to Previous BrokenBurstDeepFloodgatesFountainsGreatHeavenHundredthLifeMonthNoah'sOpenOpenedSecondSeventeenthSixSkySky'sWindowsJump to Next BrokenBurstDeepFloodgatesFountainsGreatHeavenHundredthLifeMonthNoah'sOpenOpenedSecondSeventeenthSixSkySky'sWindowsGenesis 7 1.Noah, his family and the living creatures enter the ark.6.The flood begins.17.The increase of the flood for forty days.21.All flesh is destroyed by it.24.Its duration of 150 days.In the six hundredth year of Noah’s lifeThis phrase situates the event within a specific timeframe, emphasizing the longevity of pre-flood generations. Noah's age reflects the antediluvian period's extended lifespans, which are documented in Genesis 5. This longevity is often interpreted as a sign of the pristine conditions of the early earth and humanity's initial state of grace before the fall and subsequent corruption. on the seventeenth day of the second month
The specificity of the date underscores the historical nature of the flood narrative. The Hebrew calendar, which is lunar-based, places this event in the spring, a time often associated with new beginnings. This timing may symbolize a new beginning for creation post-flood. The precision of the date also serves to highlight the importance of the event in biblical history. all the fountains of the great deep burst forth
This phrase suggests a cataclysmic event involving subterranean waters. The "fountains of the great deep" may refer to vast underground water reserves, which, when released, contributed to the floodwaters. This aligns with ancient Near Eastern cosmology, which often depicted the earth as resting on waters. The bursting forth signifies a divine intervention, as God uses creation itself to execute judgment. and the floodgates of the heavens were opened
This imagery of the heavens opening complements the bursting of the deep, indicating a deluge from above and below. The "floodgates" suggest a controlled release of water, emphasizing God's sovereignty over creation. This dual source of water highlights the totality of the flood's impact. The opening of the heavens can also be seen as a reversal of the separation of waters inGenesis 1, symbolizing a return to chaos as a result of human sin.
The flood narrative as a whole prefigures baptism, where water signifies both judgment and purification. It also foreshadows the eschatological judgment, as referenced in2 Peter 3:6-7, where the world is reserved for fire. Noah's deliverance through the flood is a type of Christ, who provides salvation from judgment for those who are in Him. Persons / Places / Events 1. NoahA righteous man chosen by God to survive the flood and preserve human and animal life. His obedience and faith are central to this account. 2. The Great DeepRefers to the subterranean waters that burst forth, contributing to the flood. This emphasizes the cataclysmic nature of the event. 3. The Floodgates of the HeavensSymbolizes the opening of the skies, allowing rain to pour down, which, combined with the waters from the deep, caused the flood. 4. The FloodA divine judgment on a corrupt world, sparing only Noah, his family, and the animals on the ark. 5. The ArkThe vessel built by Noah under God's instructions to save his family and pairs of every kind of animal. Teaching Points God's Sovereignty and JudgmentThe flood demonstrates God's control over creation and His righteous judgment against sin. Obedience and FaithNoah's life exemplifies the importance of obedience to God's commands, even when they seem incomprehensible. Preparedness for God's TimingJust as Noah prepared for the flood, believers are called to be ready for Christ's return. The Reality of Divine JudgmentThe flood serves as a historical reminder of the seriousness of sin and the reality of divine judgment. God's Provision and SalvationThe ark is a symbol of God's provision for salvation, pointing to Christ as our ultimate refuge. Bible Study Questions and Answers 1.What is the meaning of Genesis 7:11?
2.How does Genesis 7:11 demonstrate God's sovereignty over creation and time?
3.What lessons can we learn from Noah's obedience in Genesis 7:11?
4.How does Genesis 7:11 connect with God's judgment in other Bible passages?
5.How can we apply Noah's faithfulness in Genesis 7:11 to our daily lives?
6.What does "fountains of the great deep burst forth" signify about God's power?
7.How could all the water needed for the flood in Genesis 7:11 have been sourced?
8.Does Genesis 7:11 align with geological and archaeological evidence of a global flood?
9.How does Genesis 7:11 fit with the scientific understanding of Earth's history?
10.What are the top 10 Lessons from Genesis 7?
11.What was the duration of Noah's time on the ark?
12.What are the fountains of the great deep?
13.What are the "windows of heaven"?
14.What does "open the windows of heaven" mean?What Does Genesis 7:11 Mean In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life• Scripture presents Noah’s age as genuine history, reinforcing the reliability of the genealogies inGenesis 5 (seeGenesis 5:32; 7:6). • God preserved Noah for six centuries, underscoring His long-suffering patience before judgment (compare2 Peter 3:9). • The verse reminds us that God’s timing is precise; judgment did not come a day early or late (Ecclesiastes 3:1).
on the seventeenth day of the second month• A specific calendar date anchors the event in real time, affirming that the Flood is not myth but factual (Luke 17:26–27). • The detail highlights God’s sovereignty over seasons and dates (Psalm 104:19). • This timestamp foreshadows how later redemptive events also occur on exact, God-ordained days, such as the Exodus (Exodus 12:41).
all the fountains of the great deep burst forth• The phrase points to subterranean waters suddenly erupting, supplying a massive share of the Flood’s volume. •Job 38:16 echoes the idea of hidden “springs of the sea,” whileProverbs 8:28 mentions “the fountains of the deep” being established. • The catastrophe reveals creation’s dependence on the Creator: when He removes restraint, the earth itself becomes an instrument of judgment (James 5:9).
and the floodgates of the heavens were opened• Torrential rains descended from above, joining the waters rising from below—total, global inundation (Genesis 7:19–20). • The same heavens that previously watered Eden gently (Genesis 2:6) now unleash judgment, showing that blessings withheld become judgments rendered (Malachi 3:10–11, reverse principle). • This dual source of water pictures both vertical and horizontal dimensions of judgment, paralleling the final judgment where earth and heaven flee (Revelation 20:11).
summaryGenesis 7:11 records an exact date when God’s patience gave way to righteous judgment. Noah’s advanced age, the precise day and month, the eruption of subterranean waters, and the torrents from heaven combine to portray a literal, global Flood orchestrated by the Creator. The verse underscores God’s meticulous timing, total control over creation, and unwavering commitment to execute justice while keeping His word of deliverance to the faithful. (11) In the second month.--That is, of the civil year, which commenced in Tisri, at the autumnal equinox. The flood thus began towards the end of October, and lasted till the spring. The ecclesiastical year began in Abib, or April; but it was instituted in remembrance of the deliverance from Egypt ( Exodus 12:2; Exodus 23:15), and can have no place here. The year was evidently the lunar year of 360 days, for the waters prevail for 150 days ( Genesis 7:24), and then abate for 150 days ( Genesis 8:3). Now, as the end of the first period of 150 days is described in Genesis 8:4 as the seventeenth day of the seventh month, whereas the flood began on the seventeenth of the second month, it is plain that the 150 days form five months of thirty days each. But see farther proof on Genesis 8:14. . . . Verses 11, 12. - In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month. Not (1) of Noah's 600th year. (Knobel); but either (2) of the theocratic year, which began With Nisan or Abib (Exodus 12:2;Exodus 13:4;Exodus 23:15;Exodus 34:18;Deuteronomy 16:1;Nehemiah 2:1), either in March or April (Rabbi Joshua, Ambrose, Luther, Calvin, Mercerus, Havernick, Kalisch, Alford, Wordsworth); or (3) of the civil year, which commenced with the autumnal equinox in the month Tisri, "called of old the first month, but now the seventh" (Chaldee Paraphrase;Exodus 32:16;Exodus 34:22), corresponding to September or October (Josephus, Rabbi Jonathan; Kimchi, Rosenmüller, Keil, Murphy, Bush, Ainsworth, 'Speaker s Commentary ). In support of the former maybe alleged the usual Biblical mode of reckoning the sacred year by numbers, and in defense of the latter that the ecclesiastical year did not begin till the time of the Exodus.In the seventeenth day of the month. "The careful statement of the chronology, which marks with such exactness day and month in the course of this occurence, puts all suspicion of the history to shame" (Havernick).The same day were all the fountains of the great deep -i.e. the waters of the ocean (Job 38:16, 30;Job 41:31;Psalm 106:9) and of subterranean reservoirs (Job 28:4, 10;Psalm 33:7;Deuteronomy 8:7) -broken up. "Byamctynomy because the earth and other obstructions were broken up, and so a passage opened for the fountains" (Peele). "The niphal or passive form ofבָּקַע denotes violent changes in the depths of the sea, or in the action of the earth - at all events in the atmosphere" (Lange).And the windows of heaven were opened.Arubboth, fromarabh, to twine - network or lattices; hence a window, as being closed with lattice-work instead of glass (Ecclesiastes 12:3); here the flood-gates of heaven, which are opened when it rains (cf.Genesis 8:2;2 Kings 7:19;Isaiah 24:18;Malachi 3:10).And the rain was - literally,and there was (happened, came)violent rain;גֶּשֶׁס, different fromמָטָר, which denotes any rain, and is applied to other things which God pours down from heaven (Exodus 9:18;Exodus 16:4) -upon the earth forty days and forty nights (cf.Genesis 7:4). Though the language is metaphorical and optical, it clearly points to a change in the land level by which the ocean waters overflowed the depressed continent, accompanied with heavy and continuous rain, as the cause of the Deluge (contrast with this the works of the third and fourth creative days); yet "the exact statement of the natural causes that concurred in the Deluge is a circumstance which certainly in no wise removes the miraculous nature of the whole fact - who has unveiled the mysteries of nature? - but which certainly shows how exact was the attention paid to the external phenomena of the Deluge" (Havernick).
Parallel Commentaries ...
Hebrew Inבִּשְׁנַ֨ת(biš·naṯ)Preposition-b | Noun - feminine singular construct
Strong's 8141:A yearthe sixשֵׁשׁ־(šêš-)Number - feminine singular construct
Strong's 8337:Six (a cardinal number)hundredthמֵא֤וֹת(mê·’ō·wṯ)Number - feminine plural
Strong's 3967:A hundredyearשָׁנָה֙(šā·nāh)Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 8141:A yearof Noah’sנֹ֔חַ(nō·aḥ)Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 5146:Noah -- 'rest', patriarch who survived the floodlife,לְחַיֵּי־(lə·ḥay·yê-)Preposition-l | Noun - masculine plural construct
Strong's 2416:Alive, raw, fresh, strong, lifeon the seventeenthבְּשִׁבְעָֽה־(bə·šiḇ·‘āh-)Preposition-b | Number - masculine singular
Strong's 7651:Seven, seven times, a week, an indefinite numberdayי֖וֹם(yō·wm)Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 3117:A dayof the secondהַשֵּׁנִ֔י(haš·šê·nî)Article | Number - ordinal masculine singular
Strong's 8145:Second (an ordinal number)month,בַּחֹ֙דֶשׁ֙(ba·ḥō·ḏeš)Preposition-b, Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 2320:The new moon, a monthallכָּֽל־(kāl-)Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 3605:The whole, all, any, everythe fountainsמַעְיְנֹת֙(ma‘·yə·nōṯ)Noun - masculine plural construct
Strong's 4599:A fountain, a sourceof the greatרַבָּ֔ה(rab·bāh)Adjective - feminine singular
Strong's 7227:Much, many, greatdeepתְּה֣וֹם(tə·hō·wm)Noun - common singular
Strong's 8415:An abyss, the deepburst forth,נִבְקְעוּ֙(niḇ·qə·‘ū)Verb - Nifal - Perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 1234:To cleave, to rend, break, rip, openandעָשָׂ֥ר(‘ā·śār)Number - masculine singular
Strong's 6240:Tenthe floodgatesוַאֲרֻבֹּ֥ת(wa·’ă·rub·bōṯ)Conjunctive waw | Noun - feminine plural construct
Strong's 699:A lattice, a window, dovecot, chimney, sluiceof the heavensהַשָּׁמַ֖יִם(haš·šā·ma·yim)Article | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 8064:Heaven, skywere opened.נִפְתָּֽחוּ׃(nip̄·tā·ḥū)Verb - Nifal - Perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 6605:To open wide, to loosen, begin, plough, carve
Links Genesis 7:11 NIVGenesis 7:11 NLTGenesis 7:11 ESVGenesis 7:11 NASBGenesis 7:11 KJV
Genesis 7:11 BibleApps.comGenesis 7:11 Biblia ParalelaGenesis 7:11 Chinese BibleGenesis 7:11 French BibleGenesis 7:11 Catholic Bible
OT Law: Genesis 7:11 In the six hundredth year of Noah's (Gen. Ge Gn) |
