Genesis 8:3 - Printer Friendly

ESV: and the waters receded from the earth continually. At the end of 150 days the waters had abated,

NIV: The water receded steadily from the earth. At the end of the hundred and fifty days the water had gone down,

NASB: and the water receded steadily from the earth, and at the end of 150 days the water decreased.

CSB: The water steadily receded from the earth, and by the end of 150 days the water had decreased significantly.

NLT: So the floodwaters gradually receded from the earth. After 150 days,

KJV: And the waters returned from off the earth continually: and after the end of the hundred and fifty days the waters were abated.

NKJV: And the waters receded continually from the earth. At the end of the hundred and fifty days the waters decreased.

The previous two verses described God's process for reversing the flood. First, He caused a great wind to blow across the planet. Next, He stopped the water from gushing up from below and from falling from the sky. The water level began to steadily drop. At its highest point, the flood covered the highest peaks of land by 15 cubits (22 feet or 7 meters). This is more than high enough to drown any land-dwelling creature, and enough depth to keep the bottom of the ark from dragging on the ground.

Now, 150 days after Noah was first told to board the ark (Genesis 7:7–9), the waters are said to have abated. They still have a long way to go, but the flood waters have dropped enough for the ark to find a landing place, as the next verse will reveal. In fact, the process of draining the flood waters is said to be continuous over this 150-day period, and beyond.

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 5/7/2024 2:00:14 PM