Genesis 7:18-20 - Where was the ark? (Part 5) - The mountains were covered, but not submerged!
In Genesis 7:18-20 - Where was the ark? (Part 4) - Dressing the Mountains of Ararat, we examined the word for “covered”. What we found is that in Hebrew, the word for covered has the connotation of being dressed, or covered enough so that your “hollows” are not showing. However, looking back, I see that I left something unaddressed. Look back at Genesis 8, which I quoted…
3 The water receded steadily from the earth. At the end of the hundred and fifty days the water had gone down, 4 and on the seventeenth day of the seventh month the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat. 5 The waters continued to recede until the tenth month, and on the first day of the tenth month the tops of the mountains became visible.
This is interesting, and some might say troublesome, given the meaning of covered, or “kacah”. If “kacah” does not require the tops of the mountains to be submerged, then why would Genesis 8:5 say that the mountains became visible? I believe it is because the mountain tops were covered in clouds. Why would I think that? Well first of all, that rain came from somewhere. In my opinion, it came from clouds, and they were enormous… large enough to cover the Mountains of Ararat and whatever other land was inhabited by Adam’s descendants. Just because God stopped the rains doesn’t mean the clouds were gone. At least at first, the clouds were still there, and it would seem that they enveloped the tops of the mountains; after all, it would seem they were not completely submerged.
Consider Genesis 9…
 12 And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: 13 I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. 14 Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, 15 I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life. 16 Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.”
Apparently, the clouds did not clear enough to show a rainbow until after Noah was off the ark. It that was the case, then it confirms that clouds could indeed have covered the tops of the mountains during the rains, and even for a while afterward.
Now, I have been appealing to Noah, and arguing for what it is that he saw. So, what did he see in regards to the mountains, and when did he see it?
Well, Noah could not have seen the mountains or the waters at all during the 40 days and nights. The rain was coming down too hard. Even if he did get the window open, all he would have seen is rain. So, any statement about the water covering the mountains must have been seen afterward, after the rain stopped. What do you suppose he saw?
After the rain stopped, I imagine that he looked out the window and looked into the fresh water… you know what he saw? Mountain hollows, 20 feet under the surface. Then suppose he looked into the distance… you know what he saw? Mountain tops sticking out of the water, but rising into obscurity within the clouds. It’s completely within the Hebrew meaning of the scripture. It’s consistent with scripture, and consistent with what is scientifically possible.
It means that the flood took place across a large area, larger than the mountains of Ararat, but that Noah himself was stuck within those mountains. He never left them, and exactly what he would have observed from there is exactly what the scripture records!