Genesis 7:17-18 NIV

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Genesis 7:17-20

We are here told, I. How long the flood was increasing?forty days, Gen. 7:17. The profane world, who believed not that it would come, probably when it came flattered themselves with hopes that it would soon abate and never come to extremity; but still it increased, it prevailed. Note, 1. When God judges he will overcome. If he begin, he will make an end; his way is perfect, both in judgment and mercy. 2. The gradual approaches and advances of God's judgments, which are designed to bring... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Genesis 7:17

And the flood was forty days upon the earth ,.... This is said with respect to what follows, and the meaning is, that when and after the flood had been upon the earth so long, then the waters increased, and bare up the ark, and it was lift up above the earth ; after this they were so many and so strong that they lifted up the ark from the place where it stood, and bore it up, that it touched not the earth; and Aben Ezra from hence infers, that the ark did not remove from its place after... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Genesis 7:18

And the waters prevailed, and were increased greatly upon the earth ,.... Still they became greater and more powerful, as to bear up the ark, so to cast down houses, trees, &c.; by the continual rains that fell, though perhaps they were not so violent as before, and by the constant eruptions of water out of the earth: and the ark went upon the face of the waters ; it floated about upon them, in an easy gentle manner; for there were no storms of wind or tempests raised, which might... read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Genesis 7:17

Verse 17 17.And the flood was forty days, etc. Moses copiously insists upon this fact, in order to show that the whole world was immersed in the waters. Moreover, it is to be regarded as the special design of this narrations that we should not ascribe to fortune, the flood by which the world perished; how ever customary it may be for men to cast some veil over the works of God, which may obscure either his goodness or his judgments manifested in them. But seeing it is plainly declared, that... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Genesis 7:17-19

And the flood was forty days upon the earth . Referring to the forty days' and nights' rain of Genesis 7:4 ( τεσσαρα ì κοντα η ̔ με ì ρας και Ì τεσσαρα ì κοντα νυ ì κτας , LXX .), during which the augmentation of the waters is described in a threefold degree. And the waters increased . Literally, grew great . The first degree of increase, marked by the floating of the ark. And bare up the ark, and it was lift up above the earth . Literally, it was... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Genesis 7:17-24

The prevalence of the waters. The forty days are now completed. And at the end of this period the ark had been afloat for a long time. It was drifted on the waters in the direction in which they were flowing, and toward what was formerly the higher ground.Genesis 7:19Upon the land. - The land is to be understood of the portion of the earth’s surface known to man. This, with an unknown margin beyond it, was covered with the waters. But this is all that Scripture warrants us to assert. Concerning... read more

Donald C. Fleming

Bridgeway Bible Commentary - Genesis 7:1-24

The flood (6:9-8:19)Amid the corruption, there was one man, Noah, who remained faithful to God. Therefore, God promised to preserve Noah, along with his family, so that when the former evil race had been destroyed, he could use Noah and his family to build a new people (9-12; cf. Hebrews 11:7; 2 Peter 2:4-5; 2 Peter 2:4-5).God’s means of destruction was a great flood. Besides preserving Noah and his family, God preserved a pair of each kind of animals in the region, thereby helping to maintain... read more

James Burton Coffman

Coffman Commentaries on the Bible - Genesis 7:17-20

"And the flood was forty days upon the earth; and the waters increased, and bare up the ark, and it was lifted up above the earth; And the waters prevailed and increased greatly upon the earth; and the ark went upon the face of the waters. And the waters prevailed exceedingly upon the earth; and all the high mountains that were under the whole heaven were covered. Fifteen cubits upward did the waters prevail; and the mountains were covered.""The waters increased, and bare up the ark..." "The... read more

Robert Jamieson; A. R. Fausset; David Brown

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible - Genesis 7:17

17. the waters increased, and bare up the ark—It seems to have been raised so gradually as to be scarcely perceptible to its occupants. read more

Thomas Constable

Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Genesis 7:11-24

The Flood proper 7:11-24There are two views among evangelicals as to the extent of the Flood.1. The flood was universal in that it covered the entire earth. Here is a summary of the evidence that supports this view.a. The purpose of the Flood (Genesis 6:5-7; Genesis 6:11-13).b. The need for an ark (Genesis 6:14).c. The size of the ark (Genesis 6:15-16).d. The universal terms used in the story (Genesis 6:17-21; Genesis 7:19; Genesis 7:21-23). Context must determine whether universal terms are... read more