Genesis 7:11
In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, on the seventeenth day of the second month, all the fountains of the great deep burst forth, and the floodgates of the heavens were opened.
In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life,

Noah’s age places the Flood within the genealogy of Genesis 5 and records it as an event in real human history. The long lives of the antediluvian patriarchs underscore both the distinctive conditions of the world before the Flood and the patience of God, who delayed judgment while Noah prepared the ark and proclaimed righteousness (2 Peter 2:5).

Gen 5:32 After Noah was 500 years old, he became the father…
Gen 9:28-29 After the flood, Noah lived 350 years.…
2Pe 2:5 He did not spare the ancient world when He brought the flood…

on the seventeenth day of the second month,

The precise date gives solemn weight to the beginning of God’s judgment upon a corrupt world. God’s purposes unfold according to His appointed times; the Flood did not come as an uncontrolled disaster but as the execution of the warning He had given.

Gen 8:4 On the seventeenth day of the seventh month,…
Gen 8:14 By the twenty-seventh day of the second month, …
Num 1:1 On the first day of the second month of the second year…

all the fountains of the great deep burst forth,

Waters from beneath the earth were released with overwhelming force. The judgment came through creation itself, as the boundaries God had established for the waters were temporarily removed. The world that had been filled with violence was engulfed by waters from the deep.

Gen 8:2 The springs of the deep and the floodgates of the heavens…
Job 38:8-11 Who enclosed the sea behind doors when it burst forth…
2Pe 3:6 through which the world of that time perished in the flood.

and the floodgates of the heavens were opened.

Rain and waters from above joined the fountains of the deep, bringing a universal deluge from every direction. The imagery recalls Genesis 1, where God separated the waters and made dry land appear; in judgment, He allowed the ordered world to be overwhelmed as though returning to chaos. Yet God preserved Noah, his family, and the creatures in the ark. Their deliverance through water anticipates the salvation of those who are kept by God through judgment, ultimately fulfilled in Christ (1 Peter 3:20–21).

Isa 24:18 Whoever flees the sound of panic will fall into the pit,…
Mal 3:10 Bring the full tithe into the storehouse…
Psa 78:23 Yet He commanded the clouds above, and opened the doors…

Persons / Places / Events
1. Noah
A righteous man chosen by God to survive the flood and preserve human and animal life. His obedience and faith are central to this account.

2. The Great Deep
Refers to the subterranean waters that burst forth, contributing to the flood. This emphasizes the cataclysmic nature of the event.

3. The Floodgates of the Heavens
Symbolizes the opening of the skies, allowing rain to pour down, which, combined with the waters from the deep, caused the flood.

4. The Flood
A divine judgment on a corrupt world, sparing only Noah, his family, and the animals on the ark.

5. The Ark
The vessel built by Noah under God's instructions to save his family and pairs of every kind of animal.
Teaching Points
God's Sovereignty and Judgment
The flood demonstrates God's control over creation and His righteous judgment against sin.

Obedience and Faith
Noah's life exemplifies the importance of obedience to God's commands, even when they seem incomprehensible.

Preparedness for God's Timing
Just as Noah prepared for the flood, believers are called to be ready for Christ's return.

The Reality of Divine Judgment
The flood serves as a historical reminder of the seriousness of sin and the reality of divine judgment.

God's Provision and Salvation
The ark is a symbol of God's provision for salvation, pointing to Christ as our ultimate refuge.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does Noah's obedience to God's command to build the ark challenge us in our daily walk with God?

2. In what ways does the flood account remind us of the importance of being prepared for Christ's return?

3. How can we see God's sovereignty in the events described in Genesis 7:11, and how does this impact our trust in Him?

4. What parallels can we draw between the ark as a means of salvation and Jesus Christ as our Savior?

5. How does the account of the flood encourage us to live righteously in a world that often mirrors the corruption of Noah's time?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Genesis 1:7
The separation of waters above and below during creation connects to the flood account, where these waters are unleashed in judgment.

Matthew 24:37-39
Jesus references the days of Noah to illustrate the suddenness of His return and the importance of being prepared.

2 Peter 3:5-6
Peter speaks of the world being deluged with water and destroyed, using the flood as a reminder of God's judgment and the future judgment by fire.

Hebrews 11:7
Highlights Noah's faith in building the ark, serving as an example of righteousness through faith.
Realized SalvationR.A. Redford Genesis 7:7-16
An Important and Eventful DayJ. S. Exell, M. A.Genesis 7:11-15
Chaldean Narrative of the DelugeGenesis 7:11-15
Flood Traditions in AmericaC. Geikie, D. D.Genesis 7:11-15
Greek TraditionsM. M. Kalisch, Ph. D.Genesis 7:11-15
Indian TraditionM. M. Kalisch, Ph. D.Genesis 7:11-15
The DelugeJ. Burns, D. D.Genesis 7:11-15
The Deluge; Or, the Judgments of God Upon the Sin of ManJ. S. Exell, M. A.Genesis 7:11-15
The Extent of the FloodC. Geikie, D. D.Genesis 7:11-15
The FloodG. Gilfillan.Genesis 7:11-15
People
Ham, Japheth, Noah, Shem
Places
Flood
Topics
Broken, Burst, Bursting, Deep, Floodgates, Forth, Fountains, Heaven, Heavens, Hundredth, Month, Net-work, Noah, Noah's, Open, Opened, Seventeenth, Six, Sky, Sky's, Springs, Windows
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Genesis 7:11

     4227   deep, the

Genesis 7:1-24

     7203   ark, Noah's

Genesis 7:11-12

     4293   water
     4855   weather, God's judgment

Genesis 7:11-24

     7227   flood, the

Library
On Gen. vii. 6
On Gen. vii. 6 Hippolytus, the Syrian expositor of the Targum, has said: We find in an ancient Hebrew copy that God commanded Noah to range the wild beasts in order in the lower floor or storey, and to separate the males from the females by putting wooden stakes between them. And thus, too, he did with all the cattle, and also with the birds in the middle storey. And God ordered the males thus to be separated from the females for the sake of decency and purity, lest they should perchance get intermingled
Hippolytus—The Extant Works and Fragments of Hippolytus

An Exposition on the First Ten Chapters of Genesis, and Part of the Eleventh
An unfinished commentary on the Bible, found among the author's papers after his death, in his own handwriting; and published in 1691, by Charles Doe, in a folio volume of the works of John Bunyan. ADVERTISEMENT BY THE EDITOR Being in company with an enlightened society of Protestant dissenters of the Baptist denomination, I observed to a doctor of divinity, who was advancing towards his seventieth year, that my time had been delightfully engaged with John Bunyan's commentary on Genesis. "What,"
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3

Mosaic Cosmogony.
ON the revival of science in the 16th century, some of the earliest conclusions at which philosophers arrived were found to be at variance with popular and long-established belief. The Ptolemaic system of astronomy, which had then full possession of the minds of men, contemplated the whole visible universe from the earth as the immovable centre of things. Copernicus changed the point of view, and placing the beholder in the sun, at once reduced the earth to an inconspicuous globule, a merely subordinate
Frederick Temple—Essays and Reviews: The Education of the World

Tithing
"Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in Mine house, and prove Me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it" (Mal. 3:10). Down deep in the heart of every Christian there is undoubtedly the conviction that he ought to tithe. There is an uneasy feeling that this is a duty which has been neglected, or, if you prefer it, a privilege that has not been
Arthur W. Pink—Tithing

Exhortations to those who are Called
IF, after searching you find that you are effectually called, I have three exhortations to you. 1. Admire and adore God's free grace in calling you -- that God should pass over so many, that He should pass by the wise and noble, and that the lot of free grace should fall upon you! That He should take you out of a state of vassalage, from grinding the devil's mill, and should set you above the princes of the earth, and call you to inherit the throne of glory! Fall upon your knees, break forth into
Thomas Watson—A Divine Cordial

Journey to Jerusalem. Ten Lepers. Concerning the Kingdom.
(Borders of Samaria and Galilee.) ^C Luke XVII. 11-37. ^c 11 And it came to pass, as they were on their way to Jerusalem, that he was passing along the borders of Samaria and Galilee. [If our chronology is correct, Jesus passed northward from Ephraim about forty miles, crossing Samaria (here mentioned first), and coming to the border of Galilee. He then turned eastward along that border down the wady Bethshean which separates the two provinces, and crossed the Jordan into Peræa, where we soon
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

Appendix ii. Philo of Alexandria and Rabbinic Theology.
(Ad. vol. i. p. 42, note 4.) In comparing the allegorical Canons of Philo with those of Jewish traditionalism, we think first of all of the seven exegetical canons which are ascribed to Hillel. These bear chiefly the character of logical deductions, and as such were largely applied in the Halakhah. These seven canons were next expanded by R. Ishmael (in the first century) into thirteen, by the analysis of one of them (the 5th) into six, and the addition of this sound exegetical rule, that where two
Alfred Edersheim—The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah

Genesis
The Old Testament opens very impressively. In measured and dignified language it introduces the story of Israel's origin and settlement upon the land of Canaan (Gen.--Josh.) by the story of creation, i.-ii. 4a, and thus suggests, at the very beginning, the far-reaching purpose and the world-wide significance of the people and religion of Israel. The narrative has not travelled far till it becomes apparent that its dominant interests are to be religious and moral; for, after a pictorial sketch of
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

Links
Genesis 7:11 NIV
Genesis 7:11 NLT
Genesis 7:11 ESV
Genesis 7:11 NASB
Genesis 7:11 KJV

Genesis 7:11 Commentaries

Bible Hub
Genesis 7:10
Top of Page
Top of Page