Timeline Of The Flood
Bodie Hodge, M.Sc., B.Sc., PEI
Biblical Authority Ministries, March 17, 2025
What
was the duration of the Flood you might ask? The Bible gives us the answer. It
was from the 2nd month, the 17th day of the month, of Noah’s 600th year until
the next year (Noah’s 601st year) on the 2nd month, the 27th day of the month.
So it was one year and 10 days, by Noah’s calendar year. So how many total days
was that? That will depend on what calendar Noah was using!
What Calendar?
Obviously,
Noah was not using our modern Gregorian calendar that came into effect in its
present form in ad 1582. No one
used the 365-day year until the Egyptians, according to ancient historian Herodotus
[in book 2, line 4]. Prior to this, the Egyptians used a 360-day calendar with
an intercalary month thrown in from time to time to bring it back to where it
should be.
The
Egyptians were descendants of Noah’s grandson Mizraim, so this was well after
the Flood.[1]
Most early ancient calendars used a 360-day year with an intercalary month
every few years — from Egypt to the Mayans. This may have been a carryover from
Noah through Babel.
It
is possible that the Flood account used the calendar that Moses was accustomed to
since he was the one that gave us the inspired text of Genesis (likely from
pre-existing texts and by the power of the Holy Spirit).[2]
If so, that would mean that the dates had to be translated from Noah’s system
of timekeeping to the one Moses and the Israelites used before the captivity — which
was a Canaanite calendar. It makes sense that they used a Canaanite calendar,
as it was surely a carryover from the sojourn of his ancestors Abraham, Isaac,
and Israel in Canaan, though Moses was surely familiar with the ancient
Egyptian calendar that had 360 days too, since he was educated in Egypt’s elite
royal house.
Much later, the Israelites adopted the Babylonian calendar upon their captivity beginning with Nebuchadnezzar (e.g., the month of Tammuz is in the Jewish calendar is named for the Babylonian “god” Tammuz). The Canaanite month names used in Scripture prior to the captivity (with their roughly corresponding Babylonian names) are:
- · Abib (Exodus 13:4[3], 23:15[4], 34:18[5], and Deuteronomy 16:1[6]) was later called Nisan, 30 days
- · Ziv (1 Kings 6:1[7], 6:37[8], 29 days) was later called Iyyar
- · Ethanim (1 Kings 8:2[9], 30 days) which was later called Tishri
- ·
Bul
(1 Kings 6:38,[10] usually
29 days) which
was later called Marcheshvan or
simply Cheshvan or Heshvan
If
we look at the text of Scripture, the Flood account in Genesis 6–8 never uses
month names that Moses and other Israelites used later (Canaanite or Babylonian
names). Instead, Moses chose not to
insert names from the Canaanite calendar but left them numbered (first month,
second month, etc.). Since the dates are referenced to Noah’s age, it makes the
most sense that Moses kept the dating system that was utilized on the ark while
penning Genesis 7–8.
Keep
in mind that the later Israelite calendar (i.e., the Babylonian calendar) was
lunar.[11]
The months alternated with 29 or 30 days. In the Bible, we find that 150 days
was equivalent to 5 months based on the context in the Flood account (Genesis
7:24–8:4[12]). This
would yield month-lengths of 30 days each, not 29 and 30 days alternating for 5
months (as in a lunar calendar).
So with this in mind, it makes the most sense to stick with the common 360-day calendar that many ancients used that had 30-day months. James Ussher states in The Epistle to the Reader of his treatise The Annals of the World:
- "Moreover, we find that the years of our forefathers, the years of the ancient Egyptians and Hebrews, were the same length as the Julian year. It consisted of twelve months containing thirty days each. (It cannot be proven that the Hebrews used lunar months before the Babylonian captivity.) Five days were added after the twelfth month each year. Every four years, six days were added after the twelfth month. {*Diod. Sic., l. 1. c. 50. s. 2. 1:177 } {*Strabo, l. 17. c. 1. s. 46. 8:125 } {*Strabo, l. 17. c. 1. s. 29. 8:85 } {*Herodotus, l. 2. c. 4. 1:279 } {#Ge 7:11,24 8:3-5,13,14 }." [13]
Furthermore,
applying any lunar calendar to the duration of the onset of the Flood until the
date that the ark struck the mountains of Ararat (the 2nd month, 17th day of
the month to the 7th month, 17th day of the month) would have the ark landing
in the mountains of Ararat two to three days before the waters receded, subsided, and the rain and great deep were
restrained (the Flood mechanisms). Based on the context and theological issues,
I humbly suggest that best calendar to use is the 360-day calendar, which was
often used in the Bible.[14]
Timeline of the Flood
The following tentative table utilizes a 360-day
calendar as most ancient calendars had in the Middle East (and elsewhere). This
understanding of the Flood is assumed to exclude
an intercalary month.
An
examination of the Flood account in Genesis 6–8 gives some time-related
milestones that form the overall structure in the progression of the yearlong
global Flood. Table 1 briefly summarizes these milestones that can help us
understand some of the geologic details of the Flood.
Table
1: Timeline of Flood Duration
|
Timeline (days) |
Duration |
Month/Day |
Description |
Bible reference[15] |
|
0 |
Initial reference point |
600th year of Noah’s life: 2nd month,
17th day of the month |
The fountains of the great deep broke
apart and the windows of heaven were opened; it began to rain. This happened
on the 17th day of the 2nd month. Noah actually entered the ark seven days
prior to this. |
Genesis 7:11 |
|
40 |
40 days and nights |
3rd month, 27th day of the month |
Rain fell for 40 days then it covered
the earth’s highest places (at that time) by over ~20 feet (15 cubits) and
began the stage of Flooding until the next milestone. [16]
At this time, the ark was lifted up. |
Genesis 7:11–12 Genesis 7:17–20 |
|
150 |
150 days (including the initial 40
days) |
7th month,17th day of the month |
The water rose to its highest level
(covering the whole earth) sometime between the 40th and 150th day, and the
end of these 150 days was the 17th day of the 7th month. The ark rested on
the mountains of Ararat. On the 150th day, the springs of the great deep were
shut off, and the rain from above ceased, and the water began continually
receding. |
Genesis 7:24–8:5 |
|
150 + 74 = 224 |
74 days |
10th month, 1st day of the month |
The tops of the mountains became
visible on the tenth month, first day.
|
Genesis 8:5 |
|
224 + 40 =
264 |
40 days |
11th month, 11th day |
After 40 more days, Noah sent out a
raven. |
Genesis 8:6 |
|
264 + 7 =
271 |
7 days |
11th month, 18th day of the month |
The dove was sent out seven days after
the raven. It had no resting place and returned to Noah. |
Genesis 8:6–12 |
|
271 + 7 =
278 |
7 days |
11th month, 25th day of the month |
After seven more days, Noah sent out
the dove again. It returned again, but this time with an olive leaf in its
beak. |
Genesis 8:10–11 |
|
278 + 7 =
285 |
7 days |
12th month, 2nd day of the month |
After seven more days, Noah sent out
the dove again, and it did not return. |
Genesis 8:12 |
|
314 |
29 days |
601st year of Noah’s life: 1st month, 1st
day of the month |
Noah removed the cover of the ark on
the first day of the first month. The surface
of the earth was dried up and Noah could verify this to the extent of what he
could see. |
Genesis 8:13 |
|
370 (371 if counting the first day and
last day as full days) |
56 days |
2nd month, 27th day of the month |
The earth
was dry and God commanded Noah’s family and the animals to come out of the ark.
From the first day of the year during the daylight portion there were 29.5
more days left in the month plus 26.5 more days left in the second month
until the exit. |
Genesis 8:14–17 Genesis 7:11 |
Because the biblical account is a reliable record of earth history, it is to be expected that these milestones would be significant in correlating the prominent geological features preserved in the rock record. For example, we are told that the onset of the Flood was triggered by the breaking up of the fountains of “the great deep.”
This
would imply a violent beginning to the Flood, as springs or fountains of water
burst forth to spew vast quantities of water and perhaps other material onto
the surface from deeper inside the earth. Furthermore, because this
subterranean water and other materials bursting forth is mentioned first in Genesis 7:11[17]
and 8:2[18],
this may suggest that the majority of the water for the Flood came from that
source and perhaps helped to supply the waters that are referred to as falling
through “the windows of heaven.”[19]
The
springs of the great deep was likely the trigger that ultimately resulted in continental
scale breaking up of the earth’s crust. The bursting forth of subterranean
waters would probably produce tsunamis (granting the ocean depth was
sufficient) and would therefore seem to also imply that the Flood began with
catastrophic means. Thus, this description of the onset of the Flood provides
clues as to where we should look in the geologic record for the pre-Flood/Flood
boundary.
Of
course the issue of pre-Flood sedimentation needs to be discussed. Rivers, such
as Hiddekel, Gihon, Tigris, and Euphrates, would have been carrying some
sediment for about 1,650 years. It is also possible for other smaller
catastrophes to have occurred during this time — e.g., volcanoes. So the
question really becomes, were these sediments disturbed and/or redistributed
during the Flood or were they buried in
situ?
Another
milestone with geological implications is day 150. At this stage of the Flood
we are told that the ark came to rest in the mountains of Ararat. This implies
that modern mountain building, at least in what we now call the Middle East,
had begun (see also Psalm 104:8–9).[20]
Furthermore,
if our current understanding of mountain building is correct, for the mountains
of Ararat to have been formed requires the Eurasian Plate, African Plate, and
Arabian Plate to be colliding with one another (perhaps with some contribution
from movement of the Indian Plate).
The
biblical account also indicates that on day 150 the springs of the great deep
were stopped and the windows of heaven were closed, so from then on the waters
began to steadily recede. We might therefore expect to see in the geologic
record evidence of a transition perhaps from larger scale sediment layers to
smaller scale geologic effects as well as higher concentration of basin,
abyssal plain, and continental shelf sedimentation.
Yet
another milestone is day 314 (see Table 1). By this time during the Flood event
the biblical account indicates that the water had receded from off the
continental land surfaces sufficiently for the surface of the landscape to
essentially be dry, at least in the areas as far as Noah could observe.
Then
finally, by day 370 the earth’s continental land surfaces were dry from the
Flood waters. Thus, it can be noted that the recessional stage of the Flood
(when the waters were receding) lasted about five and half months, while the
Flood’s inundatory stage (when the waters were rising) lasted exactly five
months. The recessional stage lasted almost the same length of time as it took
for the water to overtake the earth globally. The Flood event finished with
another two months needed to complete the drying process.
After
the Flood ended on day 370 (with the proclamation for Noah to exit the ark), it
would seem that the hydrological cycle had already been re-established with
renewed regularity, as indicated by the rain clouds through which Noah saw the
rainbow and the set times for seed time and harvest in accordance with the
seasonal cycle of rain (Genesis 8:22[21];
9:12–17). Other milestones throughout the Flood account could of course be
highlighted, but these are ones that are most related to geological and weather
processes and should suffice for this brief tentative overview.
[1] Bodie Hodge, The Tower of Babel (Green Forest, AR:
Master Books, 2013), p. 122–124.
[2] Terry Mortenson and
Bodie Hodge, “Did Moses Write Genesis?” in How
Do We Know the Bible Is True? Volume 1, Ken Ham and Bodie Hodge, gen. eds.
(Green Forest, AR: Master Books, 2011), p. 85–102.
[3] On this day you
are going out, in the month Abib.
[4] You shall keep the
Feast of Unleavened Bread (you shall eat unleavened bread seven days, as I
commanded you, at the time appointed in the month of Abib, for in it you came
out of Egypt; none shall appear before Me empty).
[5] The Feast of
Unleavened Bread you shall keep. Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, as
I commanded you, in the appointed time of the month of Abib; for in the month
of Abib you came out from Egypt.
[6] Observe the month
of Abib, and keep the Passover to the Lord
your God, for in the month of Abib the Lord
your God brought you out of Egypt by night.
[7] And it came to
pass in the four hundred and eightieth year after the children of Israel had
come out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon’s reign over
Israel, in the month of Ziv, which is the second month, that he began to build
the house of the Lord.
[8] In the fourth year
the foundation of the house of the Lord
was laid, in the month of Ziv.
[9] Therefore all the men of Israel assembled with King Solomon at the
feast in the month of Ethanim, which is the seventh month.
[10] And in the
eleventh year, in the month of Bul, which is the eighth month, the house was
finished in all its details and according to all its plans. So he was seven
years in building it.
[11] My friend and
astronomer Dr. Danny Faulkner prefers the lunar calendar to be applied to the
Flood account, though I respectfully disagree. But nonetheless, I encourage him
in his research. See: Danny Faulkner, How Long Did the Flood Last?, Answers Research Journal, 8
(2015):253–259, May 13, 2015, https://answersingenesis.org/the-flood/how-long-did-the-flood-last/.
[12] And the waters prevailed on the earth one hundred and fifty days.
Then God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the animals that were
with him in the ark. And God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters
subsided. The fountains of the deep and the windows of heaven were also
stopped, and the rain from heaven was restrained. And the waters receded
continually from the earth. At the end of the hundred and fifty days the waters
decreased. Then the ark rested in the seventh month, the seventeenth day of the
month, on the mountains of Ararat.
[13] James Ussher, The Annals of the World, revised and
updated by Larry and Marion Pierce (Green Forest, AR: Master Books, 2003), p.
9.
[14] For examples, the
Persians still used a 360-day calendar as witnessed in Esther 1:4 where a 180
days equated with a half year feast; John used 3 and half years as 42 months with
1260 days, which uses a 360-day calendar (Revelation 11:2-3, 12: 6, 13:5-7),
etc.
[15] References not listed
in the footnotes for the table — see chapter 2 for the text of the Flood
account.
[16] Some argue from the
Hebrew that the ark officially rose off the surface on the 40th day, e.g., William D. Barrick and Roger Sigler, “Hebrew and Geologic Analysis of the Chronology and Parallelism of the
Flood: Implications for the Interpretations of the Geologic Record,” in Proceedings of the Fifth International
Conference on Creationism, ed. Robert L. Ivey Jr., (Pittsburg, PA: Creation
Science Fellowship, 2003), p. 397–408.
[17] In the six
hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the
month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the
windows of heaven were opened.
[18] The fountains of
the deep and the windows of heaven were also stopped, and the rain from heaven
was restrained.
[19] A.A.
Snelling, “A Catastrophic Breakup: A Scientific Look at Catastrophic Plate
Tectonics,” Answers, 2:2 (2007), p.
44–48.
[20] Psalm
104 begins with a reference to the events of creation week and goes on to mention
ships (vs. 26) and Lebanon (vs. 16), which are near the time of the Psalmist. So
logically, other events in history since creation, such as the Flood, should be
expected within the Psalm as it continues. It should be obvious that vs. 6–9
are referring to the Flood since verse 9 specifically says the water will not return to cover the earth, which refers
to God’s post-Flood declarations in Genesis 9:11, 15 and Isaiah 54:9. Had
verses 6–9 been referring to creation week, then God would have erred since
water did return to cover the earth during the Flood. For these and other
reasons, Psalms 104:8a should be rendered from Hebrew into English as: “The
mountains rose and valleys sank down . . .”, which several
translations have concluded (e.g., Latin Vulgate a.d. 405, Geneva Bible a.d.
1599, Tyndale/Coverdale a.d. 1535,
New American Standard a.d. 1971
and 1995, English Standard Version a.d. 2001,
Holman Christian Standard Bible a.d. 2004,
etc.).
[21] While the earth
remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, winter and summer, and day and
night shall not cease.
