What is the meaning of Genesis 7:11?

In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life

• Scripture presents Noah’s age as genuine history, reinforcing the reliability of the genealogies in Genesis 5 (see Genesis 5:32; 7:6).

• God preserved Noah for six centuries, underscoring His long-suffering patience before judgment (compare 2 Peter 3:9).

• The verse reminds us that God’s timing is precise; judgment did not come a day early or late (Ecclesiastes 3:1).

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on the seventeenth day of the second month

• A specific calendar date anchors the event in real time, affirming that the Flood is not myth but factual (Luke 17:26–27).

• The detail highlights God’s sovereignty over seasons and dates (Psalm 104:19).

• This timestamp foreshadows how later redemptive events also occur on exact, God-ordained days, such as the Exodus (Exodus 12:41).

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all the fountains of the great deep burst forth

• The phrase points to subterranean waters suddenly erupting, supplying a massive share of the Flood’s volume.

• Job 38:16 echoes the idea of hidden “springs of the sea,” while Proverbs 8:28 mentions “the fountains of the deep” being established.

• The catastrophe reveals creation’s dependence on the Creator: when He removes restraint, the earth itself becomes an instrument of judgment (James 5:9).

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and the floodgates of the heavens were opened

• Torrential rains descended from above, joining the waters rising from below—total, global inundation (Genesis 7:19–20).

• The same heavens that previously watered Eden gently (Genesis 2:6) now unleash judgment, showing that blessings withheld become judgments rendered (Malachi 3:10–11, reverse principle).

• This dual source of water pictures both vertical and horizontal dimensions of judgment, paralleling the final judgment where earth and heaven flee (Revelation 20:11).

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summary

Genesis 7:11 records an exact date when God’s patience gave way to righteous judgment. Noah’s advanced age, the precise day and month, the eruption of subterranean waters, and the torrents from heaven combine to portray a literal, global Flood orchestrated by the Creator. The verse underscores God’s meticulous timing, total control over creation, and unwavering commitment to execute justice while keeping His word of deliverance to the faithful.