The waters rose very high on the earth. All the high mountains that were under the whole sky were covered.
Parallel translations
- KJV And the waters prevailed exceedingly upon the earth; and all the high hills, that were under the whole heaven, were covered.
- BSB Finally, the waters completely inundated the earth, so that all the high mountains under all the heavens were covered.
- ESV And the waters prevailed so mightily on the earth that all the high mountains under the whole heaven were covered.
- NKJV And the waters prevailed exceedingly on the earth, and all the high hills under the whole heaven were covered.
- NASB And the water prevailed more and more upon the earth, so that all the high mountains everywhere under the heavens were covered.
- NLT Finally, the water covered even the highest mountains on the earth,
Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The waters rose so high that all the high mountains under the sky were covered. The judgment is portrayed as overwhelming and complete.
Overview
The language stresses the sweeping extent of the flood as God's thorough judgment on a corrupted world. Faithful Christians have debated whether the flood was global or covered the known world, but all agree it was a real, overwhelming judgment from God. Either way the text emphasizes the totality of the destruction and the wonder of the grace that spared Noah.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 5
- Ps 104:6–9You covered it with the deep as with a cloak. The waters stood above the mountains.
- 2 Pet 3:6by which means the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished.
- Jer 3:23Truly in vain is help from the hills, the tumult on the mountains. Truly the salvation of Israel is in Yahweh our God.
- Ps 46:2–3Therefore we won’t be afraid, though the earth changes, though the mountains are shaken into the heart of the seas;
- Job 12:15Behold, he withholds the waters, and they dry up. Again, he sends them out, and they overturn the earth.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Commentaries & study tools
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Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
From the first promise that the seed of the woman would crush the serpent (3:15), through Abraham's blessing to all nations and Judah's coming ruler, Genesis sows every seed that flowers in Christ — the true offspring, the better Adam, the ram caught for Isaac.
How Genesis 7:19 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.