Genesis 7:18-20 - Where was the ark? (Part 4) - Dressing the Mountains of Ararat
So, what do we know so far about where Noah built the ark?
In Genesis 7:6-17 - Where was the ark? (Part 1) — The Earth and the Springs, we saw that the rain flooded more land than was populated by Adam’s descendants. However, scripture only requires it to rain on enough land to kill them. So how much more land than that was flooded? We have so far left this hanging, but given the archaeological evidence (which I have discussed in other posts) that other parts of the world were populated continuously through the time of Adam and Noah, we know this area was not the entire world. However, it was large enough to serve God’s will.
In Genesis 7:6-17 - Where was the ark? (Part 2) - Noah Watched the Springs Burst Forth, we saw that Noah built the ark in a place where he could see the springs burst forth, shortly before the rains began. We concluded that Noah must built the ark at a higher elevation than the source of the springs he saw, lest the ark or him be washed away.
Finally, in Genesis 7:6-17 - Where was the ark? (Part 3) - Only Noah’s Family Knew, we saw that wherever Noah built the ark, it was a secret to everyone but Noah and his family. Still, it was probably somewhat close by, because the flood was large enough to kill Adam’s descendants and float the ark.
So, where did he built it? What kind of location meets the requirements above?
- Somewhat close by the general population
- Near the source of springs
- Secret from the general population
- At a raised elevation
Before you jump ahead of me, let us look at scripture for some more clues…
18 The waters rose and increased greatly on the earth, and the ark floated on the surface of the water. 19 They rose greatly on the earth, and all the high mountains under the entire heavens were covered. 20 The waters rose and covered the mountains to a depth of more than twenty feet.
The clue here is the mere fact that this detail was passed down. Given the care Moses went to in writing no more than that what it seems Noah actually saw, it would seem then that Noah actually saw that the mountains were covered, and to a depth of over 20 feet. One can question the extent of this observation’s truth, but let us accept it as a real observation. It may not be literally true, but we will proceed as if it appeared true from Noah’s perspective. In that case, where was he?Â
It would seem that at some point, Noah was in a place where he could tell there were mountains 20 feet under the water. If this is true, then wasn’t the entire world covered in water? Not necessarily. Let us look ahead to Genesis 8, after the waters stopped and began to recede…
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.
In other words, Noah ended up upon the mountains of Ararat, suggesting that it was the Mountains of Ararat that he was describing in the facts recorded within verses 19 and 20 above.
Now, if science is correct, and there was no world-wide flood at this time, then how could the Mountains of Ararat be covered by water? Well, one possibility is that the mountains were covered, but not completely submerged. For that to be true, Noah would need to be inside the mountain range already, and the perimeter of the range would need to provide enough coverage to hold the ark within. But, is that what the scripture says? I think it does.
In Genesis 7:19,20 the word translated as “covered” is “kacah”. According to Strong’s, it means to be clothed or concealed. Its root suggests the filling up of hollows, by implication, to be dressed. It is the same word used to describe when Noah’s sons covered him to conceal his nakedness. In that case, Noah’s head was not concealed; only his body was concealed from view. Applied to a mountain, there is no reason to infer from the word that the entire mountain was submerged other than a preconceived notion that it was. What the word actually suggests is that the mountains’ hollows were concealed. To be clear, let us anthropomorphize the mountains for a moment… fill the mountains with floodwater enough to leave only the mountain range’s “head” showing, and that will be the literal fulfillment of the scripture! Leave the mountain range’s head showing, and the water within the range will be held in, while the water outside the range washes away!
It would seem therefore that the ark did not just land upon the Mountains of Ararat, it was already there!