Genesis 8:4 kjv
And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat.
Genesis 8:4 nkjv
Then the ark rested in the seventh month, the seventeenth day of the month, on the mountains of Ararat.
Genesis 8:4 niv
and on the seventeenth day of the seventh month the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat.
Genesis 8:4 esv
and in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat.
Genesis 8:4 nlt
exactly five months from the time the flood began, the boat came to rest on the mountains of Ararat.
Genesis 8 4 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Gen 7:11 | In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep burst forth... | Marks the beginning of the flood on a specific date, paralleling the specific end. |
| Gen 8:1 | But God remembered Noah and all the wild animals and all the livestock... God made a wind blow over the earth, and the waters receded. | God's remembrance initiates the receding of the waters, leading to the ark's rest. |
| Gen 8:5 | The waters continued to recede until the tenth month. On the first day of the tenth month the tops of the mountains became visible. | Further receding of waters, making mountaintops visible. |
| Gen 2:2 | And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. | God's rest after creation, echoing the ark's "rest" from its turbulent journey. |
| Heb 4:1-11 | There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God... Whoever enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from his. | Theological concept of divine rest, to which Noah's rest can be a precursor. |
| Exod 12:6 | ...and you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month... | Preparation for Passover, leading to liberation; numerical link to redemption. |
| Exod 12:13 | The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are... I will pass over you. | The Passover Lamb leading to salvation from judgment, paralleling ark's salvation. |
| Exod 23:16 | ...and the Feast of Ingathering at the year's end, when you gather in from the field the fruit of your labor. | Possible calendrical connection to Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles), a time of dwelling/rest. |
| Lev 23:39-43 | "‘On the fifteenth day of the seventh month... you are to celebrate the Lord’s Festival of Tabernacles for seven days..." | The Feast of Tabernacles falls in the seventh month, a season of joy and dwelling. |
| 1 Cor 15:20 | But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. | Christ's resurrection, often associated with the 17th of Nisan (Firstfruits), typifies new life after judgment. |
| 1 Pet 3:20-21 | ...who disobeyed long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water, and this water symbolizes baptism... | The ark and flood are a type of salvation through water, pointing to Christian baptism. |
| Heb 11:7 | By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith. | Noah's obedient faith in building the ark, which then brought rest and salvation. |
| Matt 24:37-39 | As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark... | The days of Noah as a prophetic type for the End Times and coming judgment/deliverance. |
| Job 38:8-11 | “Who shut up the sea behind doors when it burst forth from the womb, when I made the clouds its garment and wrapped it in thick darkness, when I fixed limits for it and set its doors and bars in place, when I said, ‘This far you may come and no farther; here is where your proud waves halt’?" | God's sovereign control over the waters, demonstrated here as He makes them recede. |
| Psa 37:5 | Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this. | God's faithfulness ensures ultimate rest and guidance, as seen with Noah. |
| Psa 121:1-2 | I lift up my eyes to the mountains—where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. | Mountains as places of refuge and from where help comes from the Lord. |
| Isa 65:17 | “See, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind." | A future new creation and restoration after judgment, echoed in Noah's new start. |
| Rev 21:1 | Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. | The ultimate new beginning in God's eternal plan, drawing parallels with the post-flood world. |
| Psa 105:8 | He remembers his covenant forever, the promise he made, for a thousand generations. | Reiteration of God's remembrance and faithfulness to His covenant, as He remembered Noah. |
| Jer 23:6 | In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. This is the name by which he will be called: The Lord Our Righteous Savior. | The promise of future salvation and secure dwelling, an ultimate rest. |
| Deut 8:2 | Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years... | God's guidance through wilderness to a promised land of rest, similar to ark's journey to Ararat. |
| Josh 3:15-17 | ...when the priests who carried the ark of the covenant came to the Jordan, and as soon as their feet touched the water’s edge, the water from upstream stopped flowing... | The ark bringing a stop to waters, allowing passage, symbolic of divine control over chaos. |
Genesis 8 verses
Genesis 8 4 Meaning
Genesis 8:4 states that the ark came to a complete halt and settled in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of that month, upon the mountains of Ararat. This marks a pivotal moment in the flood narrative, signifying the abatement of the divine judgment and the beginning of a new phase toward redemption and new life on earth. It pinpoints the precise timing and location of the ark's final resting place after the devastating floodwaters had begun to recede.
Genesis 8 4 Context
Genesis 8:4 is situated at the crucial turning point within the larger narrative of the biblical flood. Chapter 7 described the onset and peak of the flood, culminating in the complete inundation of the earth for 150 days (Gen 7:24). Chapter 8 opens with God remembering Noah (Gen 8:1), a profound theological statement indicating God's active, personal involvement and His faithfulness despite judgment. A wind begins to blow, and the waters slowly recede. This verse, therefore, marks the precise moment—after 150 days of waters prevailing—when the ark's turbulent journey ceased and it settled upon the first visible landmasses. The ark's resting here precedes Noah's dispatching of birds to check the dryness of the earth, leading eventually to his family disembarking (Gen 8:5-19) and the establishment of God's covenant with Noah and all creation (Gen 9:1-17). Historically, the region of "Ararat" corresponds to the ancient kingdom of Urartu, a geographically grounded reference in the Ancient Near East, indicating that this universal flood occurred within a real-world setting. This specificity also counters common ancient pagan flood myths that often depicted chaotic, capricious gods and non-specific, often mythical, resting places.
Genesis 8 4 Word analysis
- And the ark rested (וַתָּ֤נַח הַתֵּבָה֙ - vat-tā-naḥ hat-tê-ḇāh):
- וַתָּ֤נַח (vat-tā-naḥ): From the Hebrew root נוּחַ (nuach), meaning "to rest, settle down, remain, repose, alight, descend." It signifies a cessation of motion and a stable coming to a standstill after turmoil. This word is the very root from which Noah's name (נוֹחַ - Noach) is derived, linking Noah himself to "rest" or "comfort" (Gen 5:29). This is fitting for Noah, who brought rest from the earth's toil.
- הַתֵּבָה֙ (hat-tê-ḇāh): "The ark." This specific, divinely ordained vessel for salvation, unique in its construction and purpose. The same word is used for the basket in which baby Moses was placed (Exod 2:3), highlighting its role as a container of divine preservation through water. Its resting is symbolic of God's finished work of preserving a remnant.
- in the seventh month (בַּחֹ֣דֶשׁ הַשְּׁבִיעִ֗י - ba-ḥō-ḏeš haš-šə-ḇî-‘î):
- הַשְּׁבִיעִ֗י (haš-šə-ḇî-‘î): "The seventh." The number seven is consistently significant in biblical narratives, often associated with completion, perfection, divine fullness, and covenant. Here, it signifies the culmination of the initial judgment period and the shift towards restoration.
- on the seventeenth day of the month (בְּשִׁבְעָה־עָשָׂר֙ יוֹם֙ לַחֹ֔דֶשׁ - bə-šiḇ-‘āh-‘ā-śār yōm la-ḥōḏeš):
- בְּשִׁבְעָה־עָשָׂר֙ (bə-šiḇ-‘āh-‘ā-śār): "On the seventeenth." This precise detail provides an exact timeline. The numbering of months here is generally understood as the civil calendar (starting in the autumn), not the later sacred calendar (starting in Nisan/spring). Thus, this "seventh month" corresponds to Tishrei. However, the exact "17th day" has attracted significant typological interest from various biblical scholars, suggesting connections to redemptive events, particularly Christ's resurrection (which is often understood to occur on Nisan 17, Firstfruits, after Passover).
- upon the mountains of Ararat (הָרֵ֣י אֲרָרָֽט - hā-rê ’ă-rā-rāṭ):
- הָרֵ֣י (hā-rê): "Mountains of." Note the plural form, suggesting a mountain range or region, not a single peak. This implies a gradual settling within a broader mountainous area, emphasizing God's careful guiding of the ark rather than a dramatic, sudden impact on a solitary summit.
- אֲרָרָֽט (’ă-rā-rāṭ): "Ararat." This is an ancient kingdom known as Urartu, located in what is now eastern Turkey, near the modern Armenian border. It was a well-known geopolitical entity in the ancient world, mentioned elsewhere in Scripture (2 Kgs 19:37; Isa 37:38; Jer 51:27). Its specification anchors the narrative geographically and historically, setting the global flood within a discernible earthly context. This is also significant in contrast to the mythical, unspecified resting places of flood narratives found in other Ancient Near Eastern texts.
Genesis 8 4 Bonus section
- Calendrical Ambiguity and Typology: The biblical text uses the first type of calendar which is understood in the Old Testament to be the Civil calendar. So, the "seventh month" corresponds to Tishrei, the month of the Feast of Trumpets (Rosh Hashanah), the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), and the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot). If Noah's calendar aligns with these future Israelite feasts, the ark's resting during Tishrei (Feast of Tabernacles season, 15th-21st Tishrei) could symbolize God "tabernacling" or "dwelling" among His remnant in the post-flood world.
- Significance of the 17th: The seventeenth day holds profound significance for some interpreters. If one considers the Sacred Calendar (starting in Nisan), Nisan 17th is associated with Firstfruits, the day after the Sabbath of Passover week. This day became extremely significant for Christians as the believed day of Christ's resurrection (1 Cor 15:20), indicating new life and the inauguration of a new creation after death and judgment. While the text specifies the civil calendar, the numerical echo hints at a broader divine pattern of redemption after suffering.
- Polemics against Paganism: The account in Genesis, with its precise dates and clear theological motivations for the flood (human wickedness) and God's remembrance and precise control (ark's landing), contrasts sharply with ancient Mesopotamian flood myths like the Epic of Gilgamesh. In those narratives, the gods cause the flood whimsically, they are terrified by it, and the hero's boat lands randomly or by chance. Genesis shows Yahweh as sovereign, omniscient, and deliberate. The specific landing on "Ararat" further roots this monotheistic account in reality, differentiating it from myth.
Genesis 8 4 Commentary
Genesis 8:4 serves as the chronological and geographical pivot of the flood account. The verb "rested" (nuach) holds profound theological weight, echoing the concept of God's rest on the seventh day of creation and anticipating the rest God promises His people. After 150 days of violent waters and turbulent journeying, the ark, carrying the remnant of creation, finally found stable ground. This divine intervention in guiding the ark precisely to the "mountains of Ararat" is a testament to God's continued sovereignty, memory (Gen 8:1), and meticulous providence. The specific date—the seventeenth day of the seventh month—while seemingly an arbitrary detail, highlights the precise and ordered nature of God's timing, particularly after the chaotic period of judgment. Many biblical traditions and commentaries identify numerical parallels, finding rich typological connections to future redemptive events, such as the timing of the resurrection of Christ. This is an underlying theme of new life arising out of the cessation of judgment. The ark’s resting place not on a mythical, obscure mountain but on "Ararat," a known ancient kingdom, roots the biblical narrative in a historical and geographical reality, affirming the truth of God’s dealings with humanity in time and space.