Genesis 7:6-7
Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters came upon the earth. And Noah and his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives with him went into the ark to escape the waters of the flood.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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The mention of Noah's specific age, six hundred years old, highlights not just the immense duration of his obedience and faith in building the ark, but also underscores the sheer length of time humanity had persisted in its wickedness before this catastrophic judgment. It emphasizes that this wasn't a sudden, impulsive divine reaction, but a meticulously timed consequence following centuries of unheeded warnings and Noah's unwavering faithfulness.
The narrative has just established that God has seen Noah's righteousness amidst a deeply corrupt world and has commanded him to enter the ark with his family and pairs of animals to preserve life. This verse marks the precise moment the catastrophic flood began, signifying the culmination of God's judgment and the start of Noah's perilous journey within the ark.
Noah was 600 years old when the flood hit. That's a lot of life lived before such a drastic event. What does that number tell us about his journey?
The specific mention of Noah's age, six hundred years, isn't just a chronological marker. It emphasizes the incredible duration of Noah's faithfulness.
A Lifetime of Obedience
The floodwaters finally arrived when Noah was 600. What does this specific age signify about the timing and nature of God's judgment?
The number 600 is more than just an age; it's a marker of a divinely appointed moment for judgment to finally arrive.
A Fulfilled Appointment
Understand the original words
mabbul · Hebrew Noun
The Hebrew word for "flood" used here specifically refers to the cataclysmic Deluge, a unique judgment of God upon the world. It carries the sense of a divine destruction of life through water.
erets · Hebrew Noun
In Hebrew, this term refers to the entire planet or a specific landmass; in this context, it signifies the globe that was covered by the judgment of the waters.
tebah · Hebrew Noun
An ark (tebah) is a vessel or chest, notably used for Noah and the infant Moses. It signifies a place of divine protection and safety amidst a surrounding judgment or threat.
This verse pinpoints Noah's age at the very start of the Flood, emphasizing that this world-altering event occurred when he was an established adult, not a young man. It highlights the specific, measurable moment of divine judgment beginning.
c. 2948 BC— this verse
Noah's 600th Year: Flood Begins
Noah is 600 years old when the catastrophic flood begins, with the "fountains of the great deep" breaking open and the "windows of heaven" opening for rain. He and his family enter the ark.
c. 2948 BC
Forty Days of Rain
The rain falls relentlessly for forty days and forty nights, a period of intense divine judgment upon the earth.
c. 2948 BC
Waters Prevail for 150 Days
The floodwaters continue to rise and cover the earth, with the ark being lifted and floating for 150 days as the world below is utterly destroyed.
c. 2947 BC
Waters Begin to Recede
After 150 days, the waters start to recede, and the ark comes to rest on the mountains of Ararat.
This passage tells us Noah was 500 years old when he began to have children, meaning he was 600 when the flood began, as stated here, and his sons were already adults.
Genesis 8:13This verse provides the end point of the flood narrative, showing that Noah was 601 years old when he came out of the ark, thus highlighting the duration of this significant event in his 600th year.
1 Peter 3:20Peter directly references Noah and the flood, comparing the eight souls saved in the ark to baptism and highlighting that salvation came through water, which also brought destruction to the disobedient.
Luke 17:26-27Jesus compares the days of Noah to the days of His coming, emphasizing how people were living their ordinary lives, unaware of the impending judgment, just as they were in Noah's time when the flood came.
Hebrews 11:7This passage commends Noah's faith, stating that he built the ark and prepared for the flood out of obedience and faith in God's warning, which led to his salvation.
gillGenesis 7:6: "And Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters was upon the earth."
And Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters was upon the earth,.... When it began, for he was in his six hundred and first year when it ended, Genesis 8:13 his eldest son was now an hundred years old, since when Noah was five hundred years old he begat children, Genesis 5:32 .
calvinGenesis 7:1-24: "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."
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 anno sexcentesimo annorum vitae Noah, in mense secundo, in septimadecima die mensis, die ipsa, rupti sunt omnes fontes voraginis magnaaa…
The mention of Noah's specific age, six hundred years old, highlights not just the immense duration of his obedience and faith in building the ark, but also underscores the sheer length of time humanity had persisted in its wickedness before this catastrophic judgment. It emphasizes that this wasn't a sudden, impulsive divine reaction, but a meticulously timed consequence following centuries of unheeded warnings and Noah's unwavering faithfulness.
The narrative has just established that God has seen Noah's righteousness amidst a deeply corrupt world and has commanded him to enter the ark with his family and pairs of animals to preserve life. This verse marks the precise moment the catastrophic flood began, signifying the culmination of God's judgment and the start of Noah's perilous journey within the ark.
The narrative has just established that God has seen Noah's righteousness amidst a deeply corrupt world and has commanded him to enter the ark with his family and pairs of animals to preserve life. This verse marks the precise moment the catastrophic flood began, signifying the culmination of God's judgment and the start of Noah's perilous journey within the ark.
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c. 2947 BC
Earth Dries Out
The tops of the mountains appear, followed by the land drying out over many months. Noah sends out birds to check the conditions.
c. 2947 BC
Noah's 601st Year: Ark Departs
In his 601st year, Noah removes the covering of the ark and sees that the earth is dry. God commands Noah and his family to leave the ark and repopulate the earth.
"Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters came upon the earth. And Noah and his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives with him went into the ark to escape the waters of the flood." — The mention of Noah's specific age, six hundred years old, highlights not just the immense duration of his obedience and faith in building the ark, but also underscores the sheer length of time human…
