THE GENESIS FLOOD: THE DURATION

(Message by Tanny Keng)

1. The Genesis Flood

a) The book of Genesis describes a great flood which destroyed the world. Only four women and four men survived. The four men were Noah, and his sons Shem, Ham, and Japheth, and the women were their wives. The question occasionally arises as to whether this flood was universal or local. Did it cover Planet Earth entirely, or the vicinity of Mesopotamia only?

b) Memories of a great flood are world-wide. Those originating in the vicinity of Mesopotamia are closest to the Genesis account (for example the second tablet of the Babylonian Epic of Gilmesh). It is moot as to whether a world-wide or local flood is indicated by these facts. We must rely on the Genesis account.

c) Various statements in the Genesis account show the flood to be universal. Here is one of the statements and see what light it sheds on the question.

2. The Duration  

a) The flood lasted a year. The deluge started in the second month one year, and the flood did not abate until the second month of the next year (Genesis 7:11, 8:13-14). It is hard to explain why a local flood would take so long to drain away. 

The End ...