The Waters Cover the Earth
And the waters prevailed exceedingly on the earth, and all the high hills under the whole heaven were covered.
This verse teaches us that the Genesis Flood was a worldwide flood that literally covered the entire earth with water. Some Bible critics claim that this was a local flood that only flooded the Levant (the geographical area where most of the Bible is set). The Bible clearly teaches that this was a worldwide flood. Many of the natural landforms we currently see on this planet were likely formed as a result of the Flood.
The Flood covered “all the high hills.” “Hills” is a translation of the Hebrew word har, which includes mountains. So the waters rose so high that no piece of land was visible. Currently, the highest point on earth is Mount Everest, which stands 29,029 feet above sea level. Genesis 7:20 tells us that the waters rose 15 cubits (22.5 feet) above the highest mountain. If Mount Everest were the same size at the time of the Flood, the waters would have risen to 29,051.5 feet above sea level. This extra depth above the tallest mountain may have been to ensure that the peaks of the earth’s mountains would not scrape the bottom of the ark—which could have had the same effect that an iceberg had on the Titanic in 1912.
To learn more about the book of Genesis, read our article introducing Genesis.
Tomorrow on the Daily Bible Verse Blog: “The Result of the Flood.”
