Estimated Date: c. 2350 B.C. (exactly 1656 years after creation; information on date calculation can be found here)
Place: It is unknown where the Ark was built, due to the land there being flooded, however the Ark landed in the mountains of Ararat, which are in modern-day eastern Turkey.
Major Characters: God, Noah
Biblical Text: Genesis 6:1-9:17
"The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the Lord regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart." (Genesis 6:5-6)
Many generations later, humanity's sin, which started with Adam and Eve, has gone out of control. It is to the point that only one man is considered righteous in God's eyes, Noah. God then expresses sorrow over humanity's sin. He decides to essentially start over with Noah and his family, wiping out the rest of humanity. God very specifically instructs Noah to build a gargantuan ship called the Ark, even giving measurements: 300 cubits long, 50 cubits wide, and 30 cubits wide. In modern day measuring units, these translate to 450 feet or 138 meters long, 75 feet or 23 meters wide, and 45 feet or 13.8 meters high. However, it's unlikely that the Ark was actually a box-shaped boat, so these measurements are probably for the longest, widest, and highest parts of the Ark, respectively. It takes Noah 120 years to finish the Ark with the help of his family. It''s likely that during this time, Noah warned people of the coming judgment, but they did not believe him. Instead, they ridiculed him for being so foolish as to build a gargantuan boat on dry land. God gave the people 120 years to change their ways and avoid the judgment, but they did not. Once the Ark is finished, God instructs Noah to bring one male and one female of each type of animal onto the Ark, so that they can be repopulated after the flood.
After all was prepared, water began to fall from the sky-- the first rain. It quickly turned into a ferocious storm which lasted for forty days and nights. The storm then ends, but the entire earth has been flooded. After about 110 more days, the Ark comes to rest in the mountains of Ararat. Two and a half months later, other mountain peaks become visible. After yet another forty days, Noah releases a dove from the Ark to see if it can find dry land. It finds no land on its first trip and returns to the Ark. A week later, Noah sends the dove out again, but this time it returns with a fresh olive branch in its beak. After another week, Noah releases the dove a third time. This time, it does not return, meaning it has found enough land to live off of.
Finally, approximately 315 days after the flood began, God tells Noah it is safe to leave the Ark and release the animals. He had delivered them from His judgment. He commands them to "be fruitful and multiply, and repopulate the earth" (Genesis 9:7). He promises in Genesis 9:11 that He will never again flood the whole earth. The world's first rainbow then appears as a sign of this promise, or covenant.
After all was prepared, water began to fall from the sky-- the first rain. It quickly turned into a ferocious storm which lasted for forty days and nights. The storm then ends, but the entire earth has been flooded. After about 110 more days, the Ark comes to rest in the mountains of Ararat. Two and a half months later, other mountain peaks become visible. After yet another forty days, Noah releases a dove from the Ark to see if it can find dry land. It finds no land on its first trip and returns to the Ark. A week later, Noah sends the dove out again, but this time it returns with a fresh olive branch in its beak. After another week, Noah releases the dove a third time. This time, it does not return, meaning it has found enough land to live off of.
Finally, approximately 315 days after the flood began, God tells Noah it is safe to leave the Ark and release the animals. He had delivered them from His judgment. He commands them to "be fruitful and multiply, and repopulate the earth" (Genesis 9:7). He promises in Genesis 9:11 that He will never again flood the whole earth. The world's first rainbow then appears as a sign of this promise, or covenant.
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