During the time of Noah, God got angry with humankind and decided to destroy all the people and animals on earth. However, He chose to save Noah and his family, as he was the only good man of this time and lived in the fellowship of God.
Before he destroyed the earth, God instructed him to build an ark and live in it until the floods he was to send were over. This brings us to the primary question, “How long was Noah in the ark?
According to Genesis 7:6 and Genesis 8:13, the scripture suggests that Noah was in the ark for over a year, as Genesis 7:11 says Noah was 600 years old when he entered the ark and turned 601 years while still in the ark according to Genesis 8:13.
So, how long did the flood last? Did Noah get on the ark before the flood? How long after the flood did Noah stay on the ark? Why do religious scholars disagree on the number of days Noah remained on the ark?
Keep reading to learn the answers to these questions.
How long did the flood last?
There has yet to be an agreed date or duration for the flood. Some scholars imply that the flood lasted 370 days, while others suggest it lasted 371 days.
However, let us dig into the events from when Noah entered the ark to the last day God commanded him to get out of the ark.
In Genesis 7:11-13, Noah gets into the ark after the rain starts to fall. “When Noah was 600 years old, on the seventeenth day of the second month, all the outlets of the vast body of water beneath the earth burst open, all the floodgates in the sky were opened, and rain fell on the earth for 40 days and nights. Noah and his wife went into the boat that same day with their three sons, Shem, Ham, Japheth, and their wives”.
From the scripture above, it rainedfor 40 days and nights after Noah entered the ark. After God shut Noah’s ark, the floods continued, killing every living creature and covering all the highest mountains.
The rain kept on pouring for another 150 days as.
Genesis 7:24 says, “the water did not start going down for 150 days”.
The scripture tells us that God did not abandon Noah as he had stayed in the ark for several days. God then sent a wind that blew and caused the water to start subsiding.
The water went down, and Noah could see the tops of the mountains on the first day of the tenth month. Genesis 8:5 “the water kept going down, and on the first day of the tenth month, the top of the mountains appeared”.
Forty days after Noah saw the top of the mountains, he sent out a raven, but it did not come back and kept flying around until the water was completely gone.
After seven days, Noah sent a dove to see if the water had gone down. However, the bird did not find a place to land and returned to the ark.
Genesis 8:9 “but since the water still covered all the land, the dove did not find a place to alight. It flew back to the boat, and Noah reached out and took it in”.
Noah had to wait for seven days and sent out the dove again. This time, the dove returned with a fresh olive leaf in its beak, and Noah knew that the water had subsided.
He did not leave the ark immediately and waited for another seven days, which he sent out the dove one more time, and it did not come back, as recorded in Genesis 8:12, “then he waited another seven days and sent out the dove once more, this time it did not come back.”
After this, the scripture states that Noah had turned 601 years on the first day of the first month when the water was gone.
The Bible does not specify the duration Noah waited to remove the covering of the ark and the exact time God commanded him to leave the ark. However, it says that the earth was parched by the 27th day of the second month.
Genesis 8:14 says, “By the 27th day of the second month, the earth was parched.” However, some bible scholars argue that Noah spent another 29 days before he removed the ark covering and another 57 days before God commanded him to leave the ark.
This table shows how the 370 and 371 days were reached.
| Days | Duration | Month/Day | Description | Reference |
| 0 | This is the initial reference point | 17th day of the second month…Noah was 600 years | “When Noah was 600 years old, on the seventeenth day of the second month, all the outlets of the vast body of water beneath the earth burst open, all the floodgates of the sky were opened, and rain fell on the on the earth for 40 days and nights”. | Genesis 7:11 |
| 40 | 40 days and nights | 3rd-month 27th day of the month | “The flood continued for 40 days, and the water became deep enough for the ark to float”. | Genesis 7:17 |
| 150 | This includes the 40 days that it rained days and nights | 17th day of the 7th month | “The outlets of the water beneath the earth and the floodgates of the sky were closed. The rain stopped, and the water gradually went down for 150 days”. | Genesis 8:2-3 |
| 224 days= 150+74 | 74 days | 17th day of the 7th month to the 1st day of the 10th month | “On the seventeenth day of the seventh month, the ark came to rest on a mountain in the Ararat range. The water kept going down, and the tops of the mountains appeared on the first day of the tenth month”. | Genesis 8:4-5 |
| 264= 224+40 | 40 days | “After 40 days, Noah opened a window and sent out a raven”. | Genesis 8:6-7 | |
| 285= 264+7+7+7 | 21 | The three times Noah sent out the dove | “Meanwhile, Noah sent out a dove to see if the water had gone down, but the dove did not find a place to descend since the water still covered all the land. It flew back to the ark, and Noah reached out and took it in. He waited another seven days and sent out the dove again. It returned to him in the evening with a fresh olive leaf in its beak. So, Noah knew that the water had gone down. Then he waited another seven days and sent out the dove once more. This time it did not come back”. | Genesis 8:8-12 |
| 314= 285+29 | 29 days | 601st year of Noah’s life: 1st month, 1st day of the month | “When Noah was 601 years old, on the first day of the month, the water was gone. Noah removed the covering of the ark, looked round, and saw that the ground was getting dry”. | Genesis 8:13 |
| 370/371 | 56/57 days. God commanded Noah to leave the boat 57 days after the floods ended. However, it is unclear if he left on the 57th or spent one more day and left on the 58th day. | From the 1st day of the 1st month to the 27th day of the second month | “When Noah was 601 years old, the water was gone on the first day of the first month. Noah removed the covering of the ark, looked around, and saw that the ground was getting dry. By the 27th day of the second month, the earth was completely” dry.” | Genesis 8:13-14 |
Did Noah get on the ark before the flood?
At the start of Genesis chapter seven, God invites Noah, his family, and two of all living creatures, male and female, to enter the ark. He then says he will send the rain that will fall for forty days and nights to destroy humankind.
However, if you read on in Genesis 7:11-16, it indicates that the rain started falling on the same day that Noah entered the ark, alongside all the others he had been instructed to take along.
Genesis 7:11-16 says, “when Noah was 600 years old, on the seventeenth day of the second month, all the outlets of the vast body of water beneath the earth burst open, all the floodgates of the sky were opened, and rain fell on the earth for 40 days and nights. Noah and his wife went into the boat on the same day with their three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth, and their wives. With them went every kind of animal, domestic and wild, large and small, and every kind of bird. A male and a female of each kind of living being went into the boat with Noah, as God had commanded. Then the lord shut the door behind Noah”.
How long after the flood did Noah stay on the ark?
The scripture implies that Noah stayed on the ark for 57 days after the flood before God commanded him to leave the ark.
Genesis 8:13, the scripture states that Noah removed the ark covering on the first day of the first month after the water had reduced. “When Noah was 601 years old, on the first day of the month, the water was gone. Noah removed the covering of the boat, looked around, and saw that the ground was getting dry“.
Although the floods were no more, Noah stayed in the ark for the rest of the first month, until the 27th of the second month, before coming out.
Genesis 8:14-17 “By the 27th day of the second month the earth was parched. God said to Noah, go out of the boat with your wife, your sons, and their wives. Take all the birds and animals out with you so they may reproduce and spread over all the earth”.
When you add the first days of the first month to the 27th day of the second month, it brings you to the 57 days Noah spent in the ark after the floods had ended.
Why do religious scholars disagree on the number of days Noah stayed on the ark?
Religious scholars majorly disagree on the number of days Noah stayed on the ark, as some argue that Noah left the ark on the 370th day, while others say that Noah left stayed on the boat one more day and left on the 371st day.
References
- What were the duration of the flood
- Noah’s story and the ark in the Bible
- What are some of the most common questions about Noah’s ark
- how long did Noah and his family spend in the ark before the lord asked them to come out and fill the earth?
- Questions about Noah’s ark: How long did it take Noah to build the ark? How long was Noah on the ark?
As a devout Christian, I have always been passionate about the Christian faith. This inspired me to pursue a degree in Religious studies and a Masters in Theology in college. I have also been privileged to teach 4 Christian courses in a college and university. Since I am dedicated to spreading the word of God, I am actively involved in the Church. Additionally, I share his word online and cover diverse topics on the Christian faith through my platform. You can read more about me on the about us page.
