Note: This post should not be confused with a similar attack by the skeptic of How long was the ark afloat?
For today’s post we will tackle the question the Skeptic Annotated Bible asked: How long did the flood last?
Here are the answers which the skeptic believes indicate a Bible contradiction:
The flood lasted 40 days.
“Then the flood came upon the earth for forty days, and the water increased and lifted up the ark, so that it rose above the earth.” (Genesis 7:17)
The flood lasted 150 days.
“The water prevailed upon the earth for 150 days.” (Genesis 7:24)
“and the water receded steadily from the earth, and at the end of 150 days the water decreased.” (Genesis 8:3)
(All Scriptural quotation comes from the New American Standard Bible)
Here’s a closer look at whether or not there is a contradiction:
- When dealing with skeptics’ claim of Bible contradictions it seems one can never be reminded enough of what exactly is a contradiction. A contradiction occurs when two or more claims conflict with one another so that they cannot simultaneously be true in the same sense and at the same time. To put it another way, a Bible contradiction exists when there are claims within the Bible that are mutually exclusive in the same sense and at the same time.
- One should be skeptical of whether this is a Bible contradiction given the Skeptic Annotated Bible’s track record of inaccurately handling the Bible. See the many examples of their error which we have responded to in this post: Collection of Posts Responding to Bible Contradictions. Of course that does not take away the need to respond to this claim of a contradiction, which is what the remainder of this post will do. But this observation should caution us to slow down and look more closely at the passages cited by the Skeptic Annotated Bible to see if they interpreted the passages properly to support their conclusion that it is a Bible contradiction.
- The skeptic tries to pit Genesis 7:17 as affirming the claim “The flood lasted 40 days” against both Genesis 7:24 and Genesis 8:3 as affirming “The flood lasted 150 days.”
- Keep in mind that flooding can be the case when it is raining and also after it rained since it can takes time for the floodwater to drain and decrease the water level.
- One must always ask if the skeptics interpret each verses properly. Here in Genesis 7:17 it seems to be describing flooding when it was still raining because of the following reasons:
- The water level was still increasing. Note how the second half of the verse stated “and the water increased.” That increase water level makes sense in light of it still raining.
- The emphasis of it still raining is further reinforced when the verse goes on to say “and lifted up the ark, so that it rose above the earth.” For the ark to rise that means the water level is still rising and thus there is still raining.
- The mention of “forty days” in the first half of the verse should remind us of Genesis 7:12 earlier which tells us it rained for forty days: “The rain fell upon the earth for forty days and forty nights.”
- Thus Genesis 7:17 describes the flood while it was raining of how specifically the flood was increasing during those forty days. Keep this in mind for later on.
- One must always ask if the skeptics interpreted both Genesis 7:24 and Genesis 8:3 properly. These two verses seems to describe the duration of the flood DURING THE RAIN and AFTER it stopped raining before the ark struck land because of the following reasons:
- Instead of focusing on the water level rising, Genesis 7:24 focuses on the water no longer increasing when it says “The water prevailed.” That is, it focuses on how much longer there still be flooding.
- Genesis 8:3 is even more more explicit in telling us that the passage is talking about the flood water decreasing. Notice it says “thee water receded steadily” and “the water decreased.“
- Also 150 days (40 days of flood wit rain + 110 days of flood without rain) fits the timing of the date given in Genesis 7-8. If a month consists of 30 days then that means 150 days was 5 months long. Genesis 7:11 tells us the flood began on the “second month, on the seventeenth day of the month,” while Genesis 8:4 tells us the ark landed on a mountain “in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month.” That’s five months.
- The skeptic is incorrect to try to pit Genesis 7:17 against both Genesis 7:24 and Genesis 8:3. The skeptic is wrong to claim Genesis 7:17 is claiming “The flood lasted 40 days” when the passage is telling us how long was the flood were “rain days” (that is, how long did the flooding increased water level). The skeptic were also wrong to claim both Genesis 7:24 and Genesis 8:3 is claiming “The flood lasted 150 days” when the two verses was actually telling readers how long the days since the flooding began before the ark struck land.
- There is no contradiction here. Seems the skeptic needs to learn of How to Handle Bible Contradictions.
- We shouldn’t miss that worldviews are at play even with the skeptic’s objection to Christianity. The worldview of the author of the Skeptic Annotated Bible actually doesn’t even allow for such a thing as the law of non-contradiction to be meaningful and intelligible. In other words for him to try to disprove the Bible by pointing out that there’s a Bible contradiction doesn’t even make sense within his own worldview. Check out our post “Skeptic Annotated Bible Author’s Self-Defeating Worldview.”
[…] How long did the flood last? […]
Very well researched and refuted as always. Thanks for your faithfulness in producing these.
Blessings from mighty King Jesus.
Thank you Pastor for addressing this alleged contradiction. GOD bless you, Nancy, and the kids!
You’re welcome! Thank you for reading this and showing your love and support! Hope you have a good sleep and a blessed Sunday tomorrow. Let me try this: Magandang Bi Po.
Ma/gan/dang Ga/bi po.
First of all, thank you for this thorough refutation of another of Steve/Stephen Wells’ alleged contradictions.
Second of all, I have to say, “C’mon, man!” to Wells. He’s once again so eager to chalk up another contradiction that he leapfrogs any kind of serious, objective analysis.
It’s currently snowing/sleeting in ROC. But we have electricity and heat today! How’s things going in SoCal?
I”m glad you got electricity and heat back. Wow snowing. Its cold here now and I was freezing writing this post till 4 AM but I’m sure its not as cold as where you live at! Perspective matters. What is it, 20-30 F? Also I had to laugh when you wrote “C’mon, man!” and I read that with Biden’s voice. I don’t know if that was intentional or not, but that was a good laugh, I needed it lol
Thanks! It was mid-30s today to it was rain mixed with snow.
RE: C’mon, man!
I actually didn’t have Biden in mind. I forgot he used that in one of the debates, but I’m glad you got a good laugh!! 😊
It never occurred to me that there was an inconsistency here. Sometimes I think these guys are just looking for problems.
I agree with you, Annie! They are looking for problems. What grieves me is that in some ways, they know the Word (eisgesis) better than some believers. If only they would stop looking for contradictions and just come, see and believe!
I know people like that, too. We should accept the challenge, to know the Bible at least as well as they do!
I think these guys are just looking for anything to say that the are rational in rejecting the Bible; but their agenda seems to be such a focus they don’t bother with actually looking at the passage accurately. I typed in “Noah Bible contradiction” on Twitter and I see so many skeptics being not original and cut-and-paste objections from the same ol’ skeptics website. If you can pray that these posts I write on the blog will continue to be found by those searching for answers on search engines…for the purpose of evangelism especially.
I pray that for my blog daily, and yes, I will pray that your posts get more than knee-jerk responses from those who have made up their minds before reading.
Interesting you searched for “Noah Bible contradiction” and you finding skeptics recycling what you find in typical atheist website. They prize themselves as free thinkers but are actually group thinkers. I think they are like silly teenagers who say they want to be different but then dress the same way as their peers. If only they looked into the passages themselves and notice how they are twisting the Scripture out of desperation
Excellent job with noting how many days it actually rained and how many days it took for the water to recede!! Amazing!!
Thanks for reading this Mandy! Appreciate your comment. Finished youth group and other errands just now. By the way would December 19th at 2 PM Eastern Standard Time work for you to share your testimony to our mini youth group? How is your weekend going so far?
Hey, Jim!!!! The 19th at 2 would be GREAT!!!! I am really looking forward to this!! If you want me to email you an outline so you can have an idea of what I will say, let me know! I was hoping to share about some childhood experiences that influenced me, how I came to faith and how God bent me even after my conversion, like what that process looked like.
[…] Bible Contradiction? How long did the flood last? […]
The cure to these skeptics attacking the Bible is to actually read the Bible and figure out what its saying in its context. I bet there’s skeptics out there that will find this and pretend they didn’t they didn’t see your answer
So easy yet they miss it by a long shot!
Thank you for sharing this post SlimJim ☺️. It is fascinating to learn about Noah and the flood.
[…] Note: This post should not be confused with a similar attack by the skeptic of How long did the flood last? […]
Thank you pastor Jim for your dedication and commitment refuting these alleged contradictions.
You’re welcome Crissy! I have been hearing things are pretty strict with COVID restrictions, hope you’re doing ok with all of that during this time
Here in NSW the government is easing restrictions. Today we were able to sing in church for the first time in almost 9 months.
Hope all is well in California,
Another dedicated discussion. God’s Word rings with the truth.
[…] 2.) Bible Contradiction? How long did the flood last? […]
Good work on bringing additional context to bear from Genesis 7:11, 7:12 and 8:4, thus supporting your interpretation and ultimately showing the passages are compatible and non-contradictory
Read this all. Helpful
Such a cool photo
[…] be solved, we can, with the proper education and mindset, prove the ‘contradictions’ false. Refer to Slim Jim at Veritas Domain. He usually debunks a ‘contradiction’ about once each week. But our faith is never truly […]
[…] How long did the flood last? […]