The waters rose and covered the mountaintops to a depth of fifteen cubits.
Parallel translations
- WEB The waters rose fifteen cubits higher, and the mountains were covered.
- KJV Fifteen cubits upward did the waters prevail; and the mountains were covered.
- NKJV The waters prevailed fifteen cubits upward, and the mountains were covered.
- NASB The water prevailed fifteen cubits higher, and the mountains were covered.
- NLT rising more than twenty-two feet above the highest peaks.
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 fifteen cubits above the mountains, covering them. The depth of the flood is underscored.
Overview
The specific measurement emphasizes that the waters fully prevailed, leaving no refuge outside the ark. The detail reinforces the completeness of the judgment described in the previous verse. It magnifies the seriousness of sin and the singular safety found only in God's provided ark.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 2
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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 7:20 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.