Genesis 7:11Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Such a brief year (if it can indeed be termed a year by ancient standards) would lack months entirely, or if it included twelve months, each would have to consist of only three days. Why, then, does the text specify the second month on the twenty-seventh day unless it indicates that those months were akin to those we recognize today? If that were not the case, how could the Scripture affirm that the flood began on the twenty-seventh day of the second month?

Here, we will contemplate how the flood foreshadows the upcoming Last Judgment of God, which our Lord Christ spoke of in the Gospel, saying: "As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also at the coming of the Son of Man: they will eat and drink, they will marry and be given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all" (Matt. 24:37-39; Luke 17:26-27). The sight of the flood was truly terrifying! As the waters rose and inundated the weights, cities, trees, mountains, and tall structures, people scattered in panic. Those who were celebrating in weddings hastily abandoned their feasts, pale and fear-stricken, seeking any escape; the bride and groom hurriedly left their wedding scene, separating and running about in desperation to avoid the rising waters. Anxious mothers darted from place to place, cradling their infants, unsure of where to find refuge. Some climbed atop tall buildings, houses, pillars, and towers; others scrambled up trees, while many sought shelter on the highest mountains and hills; yet their efforts were futile, for no one could evade the great deluge. Even those who had sought safety in vessels perished, as the violent torrents capsized the boats and pulled them beneath the waves. Fear gripped the land; everywhere there was trembling and death loomed. Alas, how they regretted not heeding Noah, who proclaimed the impending flood; they had once mocked and scorned him! But in the midst of the flood, they lamented, "O Noah! How wise you were to prepare an ark for yourself! Woe unto us, the wicked! How foolish and thoughtless we have been to disregard your prophetic warning! Oh, if only we could enter your ark now! If only we could reside within it our entire lives, yearning to be enclosed in it! We could have, but we chose not to; now we desire it, yet it is beyond our reach!" As they expressed these sentiments, they fled in terror from the impending destruction, racing against one another to find higher ground, clinging to each other for solace. Oh, how immense was their dread and trepidation as they stood atop mountains and hills, witnessing the waters covering the earth, overturning all, consuming men and livestock, demolishing cities and defenses, engulfing heights, drawing near and drowning them, first to their knees, then to their waists, to their necks... Thus, humanity, perceive the grave nature of sin, which has brought such devastation upon the world. If the flood of water was such, consider what will occur through the flood of fire at the Second Coming of Christ! Ponder the dire nature of God’s judgment, who is currently merciful and forgiving! Then, for sinners, the paths will be constricted: the Judge will be visible in great wrath, fearsome, causing the heavens and earth to tremble; below, the dreadful abyss of Gehenna will be seen; on one side, sins will accuse you, accompanied by a multitude of demons, whose mere presence will be more horrifying than any torment; within, the conscience will torment you like burning fire, and outside, the entire world will be consumed in flames: "The heavens are burned and dissolved, the elements will melt with fervent heat" (2 Pet. 3:12). Woe to you, sinner! Surrounded by grave troubles and overwhelming fear, where will you flee? Can you find a hiding place?—it will be impossible. Will you stand before the face of God?—this will be unbearable due to His fierce wrath. If you inquire about who will accuse you, know that all creation will stand against you: when the Creator is angered, the entire creation will rise in fury against the one who has provoked Him.

Since the use of the ecclesiastical calendar is traced back only to the Exodus from Egypt, the civil calendar predominates during the earliest periods of the Mosaic accounts. Consequently, the initiation of the flood is best understood as occurring in the latter part of autumn, a season typically associated with increased rainfall in many regions. The reasons for the flood are rooted in natural phenomena: the springs of the deep were unleashed, and the windows of heaven were opened. The springs of the deep refer to the channels through which the waters, previously gathered during the earth's formation, could surge forth once more (Deuteronomy 8:7, Psalm 32:7). The opening of the windows of heaven signifies clouds releasing an unprecedented downpour, causing a deluge that overwhelms when the barriers long holding the waters back are suddenly removed (Malachi 3:10).

Thus, the second month during the flood corresponds to our months of October and November, with the 27th day being one of the days in November, though which specific day remains unknown due to the uncertainty of that year's new moon date.

The scripture states, “In that day all the springs of the abyss were opened, and the windows of heaven were opened.” The cause of the flood stemmed from an overwhelming surge of water from both above and below, inundating the earth. All the springs of the abyss were released—pathways for water to surge from vast underground reservoirs. The existence of such reservoirs is evidenced by cold volcanic eruptions often following earthquakes, and the sudden flooding of extensive areas by water emerging from the ground, as seen historically in the regions of Sodom and Gomorrah, and more recently around Baikal. Even artificially created wells yield water in arid regions, such as the Sahara. Naturalists have observed that these subterranean water sources are immense, dwarfing the total volume of all accessible water, much like the earth's landmass is negligible compared to the entirety of the globe. Such observations align with the creation narrative, which describes the earth as initially enveloped in water until dry land was revealed, as noted on the third day of creation, when waters were commanded to “gather ... into their assemblies” (Gen. 1:9). Given the magnitude of this primeval water sufficient to cover the world and its mountains, these “assemblies” cannot refer solely to the seas and rivers we know. Hence, the excess must have found refuge in underground caverns and chambers.

The Psalmist proclaims, “The Lord on the seas He founded the earth, and on the rivers He prepared the earth” (Psalm 23:1-2). In another instance, it is said, “Confess unto the Lord, who hath established the earth upon the waters” (Psalm 135:6). From these subterranean reservoirs, which contain vastly more water than any seen on the surface, the Lord, through His omnipotent will, summoned forth waters to engulf the earth as retribution for its inhabitants, just as they once obscured it during creation. The subterranean waters breached all sorts of passages beneath seas and rivers, augmenting the water’s height significantly. The narrative also speaks of the floodwaters descending from above: “and the windows of heaven were opened.” The heavens in this context symbolize the water stored in clouds and the Earth's atmosphere. Observations indicate that prior to the flood, the atmosphere held far greater amounts of moisture than it does today. Fossilized plants and animals discovered in polar regions suggest that the climate there was mild, akin to southern Russia or northern Italy, where even winters did not reach freezing temperatures. This temperate climate likely resulted from an atmosphere rich in moisture, leading to frequent rainfall.

In equatorial regions, even more significant moisture reserves existed. Thus, in the hands of the righteous Lord, the means for the earth’s deluge were readily accessible, not only from below in the springs of the abyss but also from the lower and upper layers of the atmosphere saturated with moisture. By divine wisdom, this moisture cascaded onto the earth, not merely as rain droplets and streams, but as torrents—forces comparable to water breaking through a dam, devastating everything in its path. This imagery is encapsulated in the phrase “the windows of heaven were opened,” signifying the release of trapped atmospheric waters, cascading down with the intensity of a great waterfall.