Genesis 8:2 - Printer Friendly

ESV: The fountains of the deep and the windows of the heavens were closed, the rain from the heavens was restrained,

NIV: Now the springs of the deep and the floodgates of the heavens had been closed, and the rain had stopped falling from the sky.

NASB: Also the fountains of the deep and the floodgates of the sky were closed, and the rain from the sky was restrained;

CSB: The sources of the watery depths and the floodgates of the sky were closed, and the rain from the sky stopped.

NLT: The underground waters stopped flowing, and the torrential rains from the sky were stopped.

KJV: The fountains also of the deep and the windows of heaven were stopped, and the rain from heaven was restrained;

NKJV: The fountains of the deep and the windows of heaven were also stopped, and the rain from heaven was restrained.

In the previous verse, God started the process of drying out the earth, causing a great wind to blow over the planet. Here, we're told that He also turns the incoming deluge of water off, closing the gushing "fountains of the deep" and shutting the "windows of the heavens." The destructive rainfall of the flood lasted for 40 days (Genesis 7:12), but it's possible that a lighter rain has continued until this point in time. Those rains are "restrained," not necessarily "prevented," meaning a normal cycle of rain might have begun at this point.

With no new water entering the system and a strong wind blowing, the water level begins to decrease. From the moment Noah was told to enter the ark (Genesis 7:7–9), until the ark will finally touch solid ground again (Genesis 8:4), 150 days will have passed. The land won't be ready for Noah and the animals to leave at that point, but this was probably a very welcome feeling after several months bobbing on the sea.

Genesis 8:1–19 describes the process of God drying out the earth following the flood. Noah and his family and the animals wait for the waters to recede. Noah uses birds as a test to see if any land is nearby. When the time is finally right, a full year after they entered, God commands Noah, his family, and all the animals to leave the ark. Their mission from God is to swarm over the earth, multiply, and begin again.

Even as all other life was being destroyed, God didn't forget Noah and the animals. He stops the deluge of water flowing from above and below and causes a great wind to blow to begin drying out the earth. The ark comes to rest on the mountains of Ararat. There, its occupants wait for the flood waters to go down. After a full year aboard, Noah and his family and the animals finally disembark. Noah builds an altar in worship to God and offers animal sacrifices. God commits to never curse the earth as He had through the flood, and to never again strike down all life on earth.

Genesis 6 and 7 explain the events leading up to the flood, and the actual catastrophe itself. After the devastation and destruction are over, God begins to dry out the earth in Genesis 8. The waters recede, Noah and the animals finally leave after a year aboard, and Noah offers animal sacrifices in worship to God. God commits to never again strike down all life on earth at once. As long as the earth remains, living things will enjoy the cycles of day, night, and seasons. The following chapters describe the re-population of earth by mankind, leading up to another instance of God's intervention, at the Tower of Babel (Genesis 11).

The book of Genesis establishes fundamental truths about God. Among these are His role as the Creator, His holiness, His hatred of sin, His love for mankind, and His willingness to provide for our redemption. We learn not only where mankind has come from, but why the world is in its present form. The book also presents the establishment of Israel, God's chosen people. Many of the principles given in other parts of Scripture depend on the basic ideas presented here in the book of Genesis. Within the framework of the Bible, Genesis explains the bare-bones history of the universe leading up to the captivity of Israel in Egypt, setting the stage for the book of Exodus.

Accessed 5/3/2024 1:24:52 PM