When did Noah's flood happen?

Chronological Arrangement of Some Leading Persons and Events in Genesis B. C.

The creation of Adam 4004 The birth of Seth 3874 Enos born 3769 Cainan born 3679 Mahaleel born 3609 Jared born 3544 Enoch born 3382 Methuselah born 3317 Lamech born 3130 Adam's death 3074 Enoch's translation 3017 Noah's birth 2948 The Flood 2348 Peleg born 2247 Nahor born 2155 Terah's birth 2126 Noah's death 1998 Abraham's birth 1996 Abraham's call in Ur 1945 Terah's death 1921 Second call to Abraham 1921 Abraham in Egypt 1920 His return 1912 Abraham takes Hagar 1911 The birth of Ishmael 1910 The Covenant sign given 1897 Birth of Isaac 1896 Sarah's death 1859 Isaac's marriage 1856 Jacob born 1836 Abraham's death 1821 Marriage of Esau 1796 Death of Ishmael 1773 Jacob's flight 1759 His marriages 1752 Jacob's flight 1739 Meets his brother 1738 Jacob at Bethel 1731 Death of Rachel 1728 Joseph sold 1727 Joseph in Egypt 1717 Death of Isaac 1716 Joseph interprets dreams 1715 Egyptian famine 1707-01 Jacob's death 1689 Joseph's death 1635

To return to our dates. The most careful research into monuments compared with Berosus (whose chronology the monuments constantly confirm, and other chronological elements and dates) gives about two thousand two hundred and thirty-four years before Christ for the foundation of the first Chaldean kingdom. The common biblical chronology gives for the flood two thousand three hundred and forty-eight. It is alleged by German critics following Berosus (I say German, as freed from scripture authority), that there was a Median dynasty of eight kings, and this is conjecturally carried to 2458 B.C., one hundred and ten years before the ordinary Hebrew date of the flood. According to the Septuagint chronology, the flood was 3155 B.C., leaving six hundred and ninety-seven years between the flood and the first kingdom known to Berosus in Chaldea.

From the creation to the flood, when Noah was 600 years old (Gen. 5:3-29; 7:11) 1,656

From the flood to the birth of Terah (Gen. 11:10-25) 222

YEARS. 1656 … From Adam to the Flood … (Arrived at by adding the ages of the patriarchs, when the sons named were born.) 427 … From the Flood to the Call of Abraham … (This is found in the same manner, and putting Terah's age at 130 when Abraham … was born, that is, adding 60 years to Gen. 11:26: where only one date is given … for Terah's three sons. Abraham may not have been the eldest, and may have been … born long after. Compare Gen. 11:32; Gen. 12:4, with Acts 7:4.) 430 … From the Call of Abraham to the Exodus … (This is obtained from Ex. 12:40 and Gal. 3:17.) 479 … From the Exodus to the Temple … (This is stated in 1 Kings 6:1 as in the 480th year, or 479 complete years.) 37 … From the commencement of the Temple to the division of the kingdom … (Solomon reigned 40 years, 1 Kings 11:42 and the Temple was begun in his 4th year.) 388 … From the division of the kingdom to the destruction of Jerusalem … (Stated in Ezek. 4:4-6 to be 390 years, or 388 complete years.) 52 … From the destruction of Jerusalem to the return of the captives … (They were captives 70 years, Jer. 25:11-12; Jer. 29:10. This began in the 1st year … of Nebuchadnezzar, and Jerusalem was destroyed in his 19th year: 70 - 18 = 52.) … From the 1st year of Cyrus to the 20th year of Artaxerxes, 81 … when the 70 weeks of Daniel commenced … (Not given in scripture. Cyrus, 7 years; Cambyses, 7; Pseudo-smerdis, 1; … Darius, 36; Xerxes, 11; Artaxerxes, 19.) 454 … From the 20th of Artaxerxes to the Era A.D. … (From the 20th of Artaxerxes to the crucifixion is, according to Dan. 9, … 69 weeks = 483 years; from which deduct 29, the date of the crucifixion: … 483 - 29 = 454). See SEVENTY WEEKS. ____ 4004 TOTAL

Thus we have 2234 B.C. for the first Chaldean monarchy; 2348 B.C. according to the Hebrew chronology, the date of the flood; 3155 B.C. according to the Septuagint, when our review says 2234 for the first Median conquest of Babylon. It is very certainly an error of Bunsen's, or a blunder of Dr. Williams's. It is the date of the first Chaldean kingdom, which overthrew the Median — Berosus calls it Chaldean, at any rate; and the monuments, if not using the word Chaldean (which does not occur till the Assyrian inscriptions in the ninth century before Christ), confirm the fact of a series of kings reigning in the countries whence Abraham came called by Berosus Chaldean, or by scripture Ur of the Chaldees.

141 Now learned men may discuss these dates. We have no objection, but we have data, not suggestive theories. Research into Egyptian chronology and history leads to the conclusion that the suggestive theories of Baron Bunsen fall before the facts. The attempt of Lepsius to set up the long period which Manetho's lists would make out, and on which Baron Bunsen greatly builds, has no foundation to rest upon. The whole is utterly superficial. Not only does Manetho speak of contemporary princes, but the stelae and tablet monuments give unequivocal proofs of the co-existence of kings of different dynasties, sometimes subordinate one to another. I need not enter now into the details with you. But the names are brought together of two and even of several dynasties on the same monument, so that the chronology founded on their being in succession one to another is a delusion from beginning to end. But, leaving all reference to scripture chronology out, the commencement of Egyptian history has been estimated at some two thousand six hundred and fifty years before Christ.

When we reach Noah, the tenth from Adam, the history again expands. To begin with, his father Lamech at his birth named him with prophetic insight. He acknowledged that the earth was under the curse of God and anticipated that his son would bring rest or comfort. This he did by building the ark at the command of God, thus carrying a few, that is, eight souls, into a new world. He lived apparently to the great age of 500 years before begetting his three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Shem is mentioned first, not because he was the oldest but because his was the line in which faith was preserved. He was apparently the second son, for Ham is called the "younger son" (Genesis 9:24), and Japheth is called "the elder" (Genesis 10:21).

We get a further example of this kind of thing when we come to Abraham, at the end of Genesis 11 and this leads us to remark that it is not safe to lay too much stress on chronologies deduced from the details given in our chapter as to the ages of these patriarchs. It is easy to do this, and to make the years from the creation of Adam to the flood to be 1,656. But then the version of the Old Testament in Greek, known as the Septuagint, made about a couple of centuries before the time of our Lord, and, we are told, often quoted by Him, differs from the Hebrew. Adam's age when Seth was born is given as 230, and his subsequent years as 700. The same feature marks the next four patriarchs and also Enoch, so this at once adds 600 years to the calculation. There is also a difference of six years in the case of Lamech the father of Noah, which brings up the total years according to the Septuagint, to 2,262.

The same thing appears when we come to the ages of the patriarchs after the flood in Genesis 11. Here the Septuagint version would add 650 years to the chronology we should deduce. This is the explanation of the difference between Usher's chronology, following the Hebrew, and that of Hales, following the Greek. Some of the earliest "Christian Fathers," asserted that the years were curtailed by the Jews in the Hebrew, in order to oppose the argument of Christians using the Septuagint, that the Messiah appeared in the sixth millennium from Adam, as their tradition had led them to expect.

Be that as it may, the one thing that seems certain is that we cannot arrive at absolute certainty as to these matters, hence it would seem to be rather a waste of time to give much thought as to them. It is quite possible that when the Apostle Paul warned Timothy about "endless genealogies, which minister questions, rather than godly edifying which is in faith," he had in mind such things as these. Had the exact number of years been of importance from a spiritual standpoint, it would have been made quite clear to us in the Scriptures.

In verse 11 God gives the date of the beginning of the flood in relation to the age of Noah, not only the general time, but the exact day, the 17th day of the second month, in Noah's 600th year. The many dates, names and places recorded in scripture are an invitation to anyone to check as he pleases as to the accuracy of the word of God. In this verse we are told however that, not only were the windows of heaven opened, but first that the fountains of the great deep were broken up. This must have involved a tremendous tidal wave, the seas throwing up such waters as to cover the whole habitable earth. For it is claimed that the skies above us would be absolutely full to saturation point it they contained enough water to cover the earth to a depth of only thirty feet. One scientist has written that if a planet, — Saturn for instance, — were to come into close proximity to the earth, and make two passes around the earth, it could cause a tidal wave that would cover the whole earth, lasting 150 days. Of course, God could use such means as this if He pleased, or He could accomplish what He did apart from such means. But to add to the awesome inundation, the rain fell for forty days and forty nights (v. 12).

As to the flood itself, the account given (Genesis 7:11 — Genesis 8:14) is quite explicit, both as to its duration and its dimensions. The tremendous rain lasted for 40 days and 40 nights. The waters prevailed from the 17th day of the 2nd month to the 17th day of the 7th month, when the ark grounded on the mountains of Ararat. On the 1st day of the 10th month the tops of the mountains were seen. On the 1st day of the 1st month of a new year the waters had vanished from the face of the earth. On the 27th day of the 2nd month the earth was sufficiently dry for the occupants of the ark to go forth from it — one year and 10 days having elapsed from the onset.

After probably nearly 1700 years of trial God had to sweep away the whole human race by a flood except one family.

Verse 10 starts the fifth paragraph or division of the book; Genesis 10 began the generations of the sons of Noah. We now come to the generations of Shem, one of the shortest of these divisions. It extends only to the end of verse 26, and gives us names and ages of the patriarchs descended from Shem up to the time of Abraham. As to these we have only two things to remark; the first being that, as before noted in connection with the ages of the patriarchs before the flood, there is again discrepancy between the Hebrew Scriptures and the Septuagint, as explained when we considered Genesis 5. Any chronology that may be deduced as to the lapse of time between Shem and Abraham is rendered doubtful to the extent of 650 years.