The flood lasted about one year and ten days, from the 17th day of the second month of Noah's 600th year to the 27th day of the second month of his 601st year.
Genesis records 40 days and 40 nights of rain, but the waters did not disappear then. The waters 'prevailed upon the earth an hundred and fifty days,' and the ark did not rest until the seventh month. Les Feldick repeatedly corrects the common notion that the flood lasted only 40 days, emphasizing that the waters remained at their deepest for about five months before the earth began to dry.
Genesis 7:11 — Gives the exact starting date of the flood and the sudden breaking open of the fountains of the great deep and the windows of heaven.
Genesis 7:24 — States that the waters prevailed on the earth for 150 days, directly addressing the flood's duration.
Genesis 8:4 — Records the ark resting on Ararat, showing the flood continued for months beyond the 40 days of rain.
Genesis 8:14 — Gives the final drying of the earth, showing the whole flood event spanned well over a year.
Genesis places the beginning of the flood in Noah's 600th year, second month, on the 17th day: 'In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.' The rain itself fell for 40 days and 40 nights: 'And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights.' The same account records that 'the waters prevailed upon the earth an hundred and fifty days.' In the seventh month, on the 17th day, 'the ark rested... upon the mountains of Ararat.' The following year, on the 27th day of the second month, 'was the earth dried.' So the full flood event, from the opening of the fountains to the drying of the earth, lasted more than a full year.
Les Feldick emphasizes that most people reduce the flood to just 'the 40 days of rain.' He points to Genesis 7:11's 'same day' — the breaking up of the fountains of the great deep and the opening of the windows of heaven — to show that the flood began with a sudden, catastrophic bursting rather than an ordinary rainstorm. He notes that the water stayed at its very deepest for five months, or 150 days, a period that reshaped the whole planet. Les describes the flood as an instantaneous judgment that continued for months, not hours, while the whole planet convulsed from volcanic eruptions and earthquakes. The ark, he explains, was not a little rowboat but an enclosed rectangular box built to withstand the awful rigors of the flood for that long period.
Les says that 99 out of 100 people who think about Noah's flood think only of the 40 days of rain. But the flood began with the fountains of the great deep breaking up and the windows of heaven being opened on the same day, and the waters remained at their deepest for 150 days. So while the rain lasted 40 days, the flood event continued for months.
Les teaches that the ark was not a little rowboat with a shed in the middle and animals' heads sticking out. It was an enclosed rectangular box. It was not built to sail across the sea or go anywhere, but to withstand the awful rigors of the flood for the many months that the waters covered the earth.
Les places the flood at about 2400 B.C., roughly 1,600 years from Adam's creation. He also notes that about 200 years separated the flood, when Noah and his three sons came out of the ark, and the gathering at the Tower of Babel.
Les teaches that the flood was universal, not just part of the Middle East being inundated. The water covered what was at that time the highest point on the planet, and it stayed at its very deepest for about five months, or 150 days.
The Hidden Meaning of "Pitch" in Noah's Ark | Genesis 6 Bible Study
And what'd Noah do? He built the ark. Now this is the perfect lesson then of the obedience of faith throughout all Scripture. When God told Cain and Abel to bring me a blood sacrifice, what did Abel do? He brought a blood sacrifice. Cain, disobedient, destitute of faith, said, I'll take something else.
Start of the Flood
Les points to Genesis 7:11's date — Noah's 600th year, second month, 17th day — as the moment the fountains of the great deep broke open and the windows of heaven opened, marking the flood's beginning.
150 Days at Deepest
Les emphasizes that the waters stayed at their very deepest for about five months, or 150 days, showing the flood was a long-lasting, worldwide event.
Time of the Flood
Les places Noah's flood around 2400 B.C., about 1,600 years after Adam, giving historical context for the flood's duration.
Correcting the 40-Day Misconception
Les challenges the popular idea that the flood was only 40 days of rain, explaining that the ark had to endure a far longer catastrophe.
Sudden Judgment
Les reminds readers that the flood was an instantaneous destruction, not a slow rising of water, yet it continued for many months.
Biblical Timeline
Les again places the flood at about 2400 B.C. and connects it to the later Tower of Babel and Abraham's call.
Months of Convulsions
Les describes the flood as instantaneous judgment that continued for months as the planet convulsed from eruptions and earthquakes.
Genesis 7:11: In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.
This verse gives the exact date the flood began.
Genesis 7:12: And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights.
This is the source of the common '40 days' association.
Genesis 7:17: And the flood was forty days upon the earth; and the waters increased, and bare up the ark, and it was lift up above the earth.
The floodwaters continued to rise even after the 40 days of rain.
Genesis 7:24: And the waters prevailed upon the earth an hundred and fifty days.
This directly states how long the waters covered the earth.
Genesis 8:3: And the waters returned from off the earth continually: and after the end of the hundred and fifty days the waters were abated.
The waters began to recede only after the 150 days ended.
Genesis 8:4: And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat.
The ark came to rest months after the flood began, showing it was not just a 40-day event.
Genesis 8:14: And in the second month, on the seven and twentieth day of the month, was the earth dried.
This marks the end of the flood in the following year, showing the total span was more than a year.
No. Scripture says the rain lasted 40 days, but the waters prevailed upon the earth for 150 days, and the ark did not rest until more than five months had passed. Les Feldick emphasizes that the flood event lasted months, not just 40 days.
Genesis 7:24 says the waters prevailed on the earth for 150 days. Les Feldick explains that these five months were the period when the water was at its very deepest, covering the highest points of the planet.
The flood began in the 600th year of Noah's life, on the 17th day of the second month, when the fountains of the great deep broke up and the windows of heaven were opened. Les points to this date in Genesis 7:11 as the starting point.
Watch the Teaching: The Hidden Meaning of "Pitch" in Noah's Ark | Genesis 6 Bible Study