Genesis 7:11-12
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The text doesn't just describe rain; it speaks of two distinct sources for the deluge: "fountains of the great deep" bursting forth and the "windows of the heavens" opening. This dual origin suggests a profound cosmic upheaval, where the very foundations of the earth and the sky were violently rearranged. This wasn't merely a storm, but a fundamental unmaking and remaking of the world's water systems.
In 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. And rain fell upon the earth forty days and forty nights.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This verse marks the dramatic beginning of the Great Flood. After Noah and his family had entered the ark and the Lord sealed them inside, the heavens and the earth themselves unleashed their waters. This wasn't just rain; it was the catastrophic bursting forth of subterranean reservoirs and the opening of the sky's floodgates, signifying a total inversion of the created order.
The Bible describes the floodwaters as coming from two distinct places. What were they, and why is this important?
Genesis 7:11 points to two primary sources for the catastrophic flood:
The Fountains of the Great Deep
This phrase likely refers to vast underground reservoirs of water. Scholars suggest these might have been immense subterranean oceans or lakes that were released when the earth's crust fractured or opened up.
The Windows of the Heavens
This imagery depicts the release of water stored in the atmosphere. It's not just rain as we know it, but a complete opening of the sky's floodgates, releasing an unprecedented amount of water from above.
Together, these two sources illustrate the overwhelming and comprehensive nature of God's judgment. It wasn't a localized event but a global inundation originating from both beneath the earth and above the sky.
The Bible gives an incredibly specific date for the start of the flood. Why the exactness, and what might it signify?
Genesis 7:11 pinpoints the start of the flood to "the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month." This precision is significant for several reasons:
Historical Anchoring
It grounds the event in a specific historical moment, emphasizing that this was a real event, not a myth. This exactness lends credibility to the narrative.
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Divine Order Amidst Chaos
While the world was descending into chaos and judgment, God's timing was precise and divinely ordained. The specific date highlights God's sovereign control, even in destructive acts. It shows that judgment, though terrifying, was executed according to a divine plan.
Contrast with Worldly Indifference
This detailed account stands in stark contrast to the likely indifference of the antediluvian world. While the exact calculation of months can be debated (whether it was March/April or October/November based on different Jewish year beginnings), the clear specificity underscores that God was acting at a set time, while humanity was perhaps unaware or unconcerned.
Understand the original words
tehom · Hebrew Noun
The vast subterranean waters believed by the ancient Israelites to be beneath the earth, which God unleashed to bring judgment upon the world during the Flood. It represents the chaotic, unbridled power of nature held in check by God's decree.
arubbah · Hebrew Noun
A metaphor for the celestial portals or floodgates through which God releases rain upon the earth, signifying both divine judgment and the provision of water.
The precise dating of this cataclysmic event highlights the extraordinary nature of God's judgment and deliverance, emphasizing that the breaking open of the 'great deep' and 'windows of heaven' was a direct, miraculous intervention beyond natural explanation.
~10,000 BC
Creation of the World
God creates the world and establishes natural laws, including the separation of waters above and below the firmament.
~1100 BC
Tower of Babel and Dispersion
Humanity's attempt to build a tower to heaven leads to the confusion of languages and the scattering of people across the earth.
c. 2950 BC
Life of Noah
Noah lives during a time of extreme human wickedness and corruption.
c. 2350 BC
Construction of the Ark Begins
God commands Noah to build an ark to save him, his family, and pairs of animals from an impending flood.
c. 2350 BC
Divine Warning and Delay
After Noah enters the ark, God grants a further seven days before the flood begins, offering a final, ignored chance for repentance.
c. 2350 BC— this verse
The Great Flood Begins
The catastrophic deluge commences with the breaking open of subterranean waters and the opening of the heavens.
c. 2349 BC
Ark Lands on Ararat
After 150 days of prevailing waters, the ark comes to rest on the mountains of Ararat.
This psalm poetically describes the creation account, mentioning God setting boundaries for the waters, distinguishing between the 'great deep' and the oceans, and then how the waters obeyed His command to retreat and form dry land, directly paralleling the idea of the 'fountains of the great deep' being broken up and the waters being contained.
Isaiah 51:9-10This prophetic passage directly references the event of the flood, asking if it was the arm that 'cut Rahab in pieces' and 'wounded the dragon,' which refers to God's power over the waters during creation and the flood, highlighting the 'great deep' and the 'waters of the mighty deep' as forces God controls.
Luke 17:26-27Jesus likens His coming to the days of Noah, specifically mentioning that 'in the days of Noah... the flood came and destroyed them all.' This links the catastrophic event of the flood directly to Jesus' own warning about His return and the suddenness of judgment, emphasizing the same theme of widespread destruction.
2 Peter 3:5-6The apostle Peter explicitly uses the Genesis flood as an example of God's judgment, stating that the world 'perished when it was deluged with water.' This passage reinforces the historical and theological significance of the flood as a divinely ordained event of destruction.
gillGenesis 7:11: "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."
In the six hundredth year of Noah's life,.... Not complete, but current, for otherwise Noah would have lived after the flood three hundred and fifty one years, whereas he lived but three hundred and fifty; Genesis 9:28 . in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month: as the…
clarkeGenesis 7:11: "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."
In the six hundredth year, etc. - This must have been in the beginning of the six hundredth year of his life; for he was a year in the ark, Genesis 8:13 ; and lived three hundred and fifty years after the flood, and died nine hundred and fifty years old, Genesis 9:29 ; so it is evi…
The text doesn't just describe rain; it speaks of two distinct sources for the deluge: "fountains of the great deep" bursting forth and the "windows of the heavens" opening. This dual origin suggests a profound cosmic upheaval, where the very foundations of the earth and the sky were violently rearranged. This wasn't merely a storm, but a fundamental unmaking and remaking of the world's water systems.
This verse marks the dramatic beginning of the Great Flood. After Noah and his family had entered the ark and the Lord sealed them inside, the heavens and the earth themselves unleashed their waters. This wasn't just rain; it was the catastrophic bursting forth of subterranean reservoirs and the opening of the sky's floodgates, signifying a total inversion of the created order.
This verse marks the dramatic beginning of the Great Flood. After Noah and his family had entered the ark and the Lord sealed them inside, the heavens and the earth themselves unleashed their waters. This wasn't just rain; it was the catastrophic bursting forth of subterranean reservoirs and the opening of the sky's floodgates, signifying a total inversion of the created order.
"In 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. And rain fell upon the earth forty…" — The text doesn't just describe rain; it speaks of two distinct sources for the deluge: "fountains of the great deep" bursting forth and the "windows of the heavens" opening. This dual origin suggests…
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Last reviewed October 2026
