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D/ / D+8/ 0c/ D/i1 01 06f2 02 0:3 0^3 0<<4 1ex4U64U>5U*Q5 1u{5 725 0c"6 0 6 0 D7UaNT77]"\<} ^ B6lgSlU0zU 2z{ Z  }%ћUG@NUCNU2U@hU@fU2UNU0&* `(CG TimesScalable* `(CG TimesScalable P7P!|($\\ps591947\P1,,,,,,0!L/ ee[{EQ›.Pages(U(() Z(Times New Roman *+ (_2623  ..*G+G (_25   /%` ` hp x /23  ../%` ` hp x /   *8+8 (_24  ," hp x ,23  ..," hp x ,  *5+5 (_23 ` ) hp x )23  ..) hp x ) ` *2+2 (_22  &hhp x &23  ..&hhp x &  */+/ (_21  #p x #23  ..#p x #  *,+, (_20 h  p x 23  .. p x h *)+) (_19  pp x 23  ..pp x   *&+& (_18   x 23  .. x   *AA (_17  5+ ` hp x 523  Ԁ5+ ` hp x 5  *GG (_16   /%` ` hp x /23  Ԁ/%` ` hp x /   *88 (_15  ," hp x ,23  Ԁ," hp x ,  *55 (_14 ` ) hp x )23  Ԁ) hp x ) ` *22 (_13  &hhp x &23  Ԁ&hhp x &  *// (_12  #p x #23  Ԁ#p x #  *,, (_11 h  p x 23  Ԁ p x h *)) (_10  pp x 23  Ԁpp x   (&& &_9   x 23  Ԁ x   (AA &_8  5+ ` hp x 523  5+ ` hp x 5  (GG &_7   /%` ` hp x /23  /%` ` hp x /   (88 &_6  ," hp x ,23  ," hp x ,  (55 &_5 ` ) hp x )23  ) hp x ) ` (22 &_4  &hhp x &23  &hhp x &  (// &_3  #p x #23  #p x #  (,, &_2 h  p x 23   p x h ()) &_1  pp x 23  pp x   &&& $_   x 23   x   0AA.Normal  5+ ` hp x 55+ ` hp x 5  <AA:Definition T  5+ ` hp x 55+ ` hp x 5  <AA:Definition L , 5+ ` hp x 5  5+ ` hp x 586Definition(hh&H1  5+ ` hp x 5      5+ ` hp x 5  (]]&H2  5+ ` hp x 5  5+ ` hp x 5  (]]&H3  5+ ` hp x 5  5+ ` hp x 5  (]]&H4  5+ ` hp x 5 XXX 5+ ` hp x 5  (]]&H5  5+ ` hp x 5  5+ ` hp x 5  (]]&H6  5+ ` hp x 5  5+ ` hp x 5  2DD0Address  5+ ` hp x 55+ ` hp x 5  8MM6Blockquote , , 5+ ` hp x 5   5+ ` hp x 5,*CITE,dl*CODEKJ<6X9`(Courier NewKSK\  `&Times New RomanS42Emphasis64Hyperlink    <:FollowedHype    4go2Keyboard KJ<6X9`(Courier NewKSK\  `&Times New RomanS <:Preformatted  /%  ,Kk %#/KJ<6X9`(Courier NewKSK\  `&Times New RomanS/%  ,Kk %#/  <:zBottom of 7?(X7    5+ ` hp x 5?L%2A`Arial?  SK\  `&Times New RomanS7@(X75+ ` hp x 5  &  d d>)1dxd'dxd<:zTop of For7B(X7    5+ ` hp x 5?L%2A`Arial?  SK\  `&Times New RomanS7@(X75+ ` hp x 5  >)2dxd0KS.SampleKJ<6X9`(Courier NewKSK\  `&Times New RomanS0.Strong 8dl6TypewriterKJ<6X9`(Courier NewKSK\  `&Times New RomanS42Variable: 8HTML MarkupB      2 0CommentB   35;AGMSY_11.1.1.1.1.1.1.1.<6X9`(Courier New\  `&Times New Roman%2A`Arial3#37=CIQYag1.a.i.(1)(a)(i)1)a)Mi)(;3$2#  0  .3  0  (;(2$ !  &l%    0  (#$  0  (9 Z6Times New Roman Regular  P$&rT%    2    _XFiX%&rTIbrieflyremindoftheglobalscopeofthecreationlanguageofGen1(SeeDavidson  2003,3536).ThroughoutGen1,thenumerousreferencesthescopeofGodscreationtothe x  earththatwasformlessandempty,andthedarkness uponthefaceofthedeep(vs.2),the @ dividingofthelightanddarkness(vs.3),thedividingofwatersfromwaters(vs.6),the X gatheringofthewatersinto Seas(vs.10),themakingofthe greaterlightandthe lesser   lightto givelightontheearth(vss.1418),thecreationofthebirds toflyacrosstheface  ofthefirmamentoftheheavens(vs.20),thecreationoflandanimals,andhumansto be `  fruitfulandfilltheearth,andhavedominionover...everythingthatmovesupontheearth ( x (vss.2628)alltheseareundeniablyglobalintheirscope.#&rT%XXFir# S" P$&rT%    5    _ThefourtermsareR&1%%&rTRXX1%R&)h$ dd8#XFiXXRX##&rT%XXFi#ayyR&1%%&rT  beast/livingcreature(or)h$ \\4#&rT%1%R&)#ayyR&1%%&rT#&rT%1%R&ײ#R&1%%&rTt#&rT%1%R&#R&1%%&rT=#&rT%1%R&;#R&1%%&rTԄere#&rT%1%R&ׁ#R&1%%&rT)s$ HH4Ԁ beastoftheearth#&rT%1%R&#R&1%%&rT),=#&rT%1%R&E#R&1%%&rTp   birds#&rT%1%R&ו#R&1%%&rT,b#&rT%1%R&#R&1%%&rTh#&rT%1%R&I#Y&rT%%&rTo#&rT%%Y&rT#R&1%%&rTԀ#&rT%1%R&#R&1%%&rTm  cattle,#&rT%1%R&#R&1%%&rTand#&rT%1%R&o#remeR&1%%&rT#&rT%1%R&# creepingthings.Genesis1usesthislistwithseveralvariations. x Indepictingthecreationonthefifthday,vs.22mentionsthebirds,whilethedepictiononthesixth 4 day(vss.2425)referstoR&1%%&rTRXX1%R&)h$ dd8#XFiXXRX##&rT%XXFi$#ayyR&1%%&rT #&rT%1%R&צ#Ԁ beastfirstasageneralcategorymeaning livingcreature,andthen < comesthebreakdownintothreecategories:R&1%%&rTb#&rT%1%R&׃#R&1%%&rTh#&rT%1%R&#Y&rT%%&rTo#&rT%%Y&rT #R&1%%&rTԀ#&rT%1%R&S #R&1%%&rTm  cattle,#&rT%1%R&ז #R&1%%&rT#&rT%1%R& #R&1%%&rTreme#&rT%1%R&: #R&1%%&rT#&rT%1%R&׀ #R&1%%&rT creepingthings,and#&rT%1%R& #ԀR&1%%&rT)h$ \\4#&rT%1%R&) #ayyR&1%%&rT#&rT%1%R&׋ #tR&1%%&rT=#&rT%1%R& #Ԅ  ereR&1%%&rT)s$ HH4Ԁ beastoftheearth.Invs.26,humansaregivendominionoveronlythreecategoriesofterrestrial p animals: birdsoftheair, cattle(b#&rT%1%R&5 #R&1%%&rTh#&rT%1%R&P #Y&rT%%&rTo#&rT%%Y&rT #R&1%%&rTԀ#&rT%1%R& #R&1%%&rTm #&rT%1%R&#),and creepingthings(remeR&1%%&rT#&rT%1%R&׋#);thereisnomentionof , | theR&1%%&rTRXX1%R&)h$ dd8#XFiXXRX ##&rT%XXFi(#ayyR&1%%&rT#&rT%1%R&ת#R&1%%&rTt#&rT%1%R&#R&1%%&rT=#&rT%1%R&3#R&1%%&rTԄere#&rT%1%R&y#R&1%%&rT)s$ HH4Ԁ#&rT%1%R&#(unlessthereadingoftheSyriacisaccepted,whichisfarfromcertain).Invs.28,  8 humanitysdominionoverterrestrialanimalsissummarizedbyonlytwocategories: birdsoftheair,   and everylivingthing[R&1%%&rTRXX1%R&)h$ dd8#XFiXXRX1##&rT%XXFiP#ayyR&1%%&rT #&rT%1%R&#]thatmoves[rmR&1%%&rT#&rT%1%R&+#,Qalparticiple]ontheearth.Finally,invs.30,in h   describingthefoodfortheterrestrialanimals,threecategoriesarementioned: beastoftheearth 0   (R&1%%&rT)h$ \\4#&rT%1%R&E#ayyR&1%%&rT#&rT%1%R&ק#R&1%%&rTt#&rT%1%R&#R&1%%&rT=#&rT%1%R&0#R&1%%&rTԄere#&rT%1%R&v#R&1%%&rT)s$ HH4#&rT%1%R&#), birdoftheair,andeverythingthatcreeps[rmR&1%%&rT#&rT%1%R&\#,Qalparticiple]ontheearth;and  8  thisisfurthersummarizedbyindicatingthatitincludeseverythingonlandinwhichisthe breathof    life(nepeR&1%%&rT)h$ \\4#&rT%1%R&q#ayyR&1%%&rT #&rT%1%R&#R&1%%&rT).#&rT%1%R&!#InGen6:1920,allfourofthebasictermsarefoundasenteringtheark,andall \  fourappearagaininthelistofGen7:14.ItistruethatGenesis6and7donotusethefullphrase h   beastoftheearth()h$ \\0ayyR&1%%&rT#&rT%1%R&ׅ#R&1%%&rTt#&rT%1%R&#R&1%%&rT=#&rT%1%R&#R&1%%&rTԄere#&rT%1%R&T#R&1%%&rT)s$ HH4)torefertoanimalsthatenteredtheark,butthisphraseisclearlyused   inGen9:910toindicatewhatwasinthearkwithNoah: Behold,IestablishMycovenantwithyou..   .andwitheverylivingcreaturethatiswithyou:thebirds,thecattle,andeverybeastoftheearth[)h$ \\4#&rT%1%R&מ#ayyR&1%%&rT#&rT%1%R&b#R&1%%&rTt#&rT%1%R&ר#R&1%%&rT=#&rT%1%R&#R&1%%&rTԄ D  ere#&rT%1%R&1#R&1%%&rT)s$ HH4#&rT%1%R&א#R&1%%&rT]withyou,ofallthatgooutoftheark,everybeastoftheearth.Johnsmissesthisfourthterminhis P  analysisbecauseofhistoolimitedresearchmethodologywhichonlyexaminedthetermsfortheanimals  enteringthearkappearingintheaccountofthebeginningoftheFlood,andneglectingtoexaminetheterms p forthesesameanimalsinthedescriptionoftheirexitfromthearkaftertheFlood.ItisclearthatinGen6 (x and7theFloodnarrativeutilizesanabbreviatedlistoftheterrestrialairbreathinganimals,suchasfound 0 inGen1:26,andtherecordinGen9:910addstheadditionaltermmissinginpreviouschaptersofthe  narrative.Furthermore,accompanyinginclusivelanguage(seethenextfootnotebelow)leavesnodoubt P thatallterrestrialairbreathinganimalsareintended,bothasrepresentedwithintheark,andaswhattotally X perishedoutsidetheark.#&rT%1%R&#Ԁ s P$&rT%    6    _GodcouldnotmakeanyclearerHisintentiontodestroyallterrestrialairbreathinganimalson  theglobeoutsidethearkthanthestatementinGen6:17: Andbehold,IMyselfambringingtheflood h ofwatersontheearth,todestroyfromunderheavenallfleshinwhichisthebreathoflife;everything  p thatisontheearthshalldie.Gen7:4isjustasclear: Iwilldestroyfromoffthefaceoftheearthall ( livingthingsthatIhavemade.Theactualdescriptionoftheuniversaldestructionofterrestrialair  breathinganimalsoutsideofthearkisequallyclear: Andallfleshdiedthatmovedontheearth... H allinwhosenostrilswasthebreathofthespiritoflife,allthatwasonthedryland,died.SoHe  P destroyedalllivingthingswhichwereonthefaceoftheground....OnlyNoahandthosewhowere   withhiminthearkremainedalive(Gen7:2123).Wehavealreadyexaminedtheuniversalinclusive p  Hebrewterminologyinthesestatements,andshowntheiruniversal/globalconnotationsinthecontext ( x  oftheworldwidecreationlanguagetowhichtheyallude.  0    Godalsocouldnotmakeanyclearerthatrepresentativesofalltheterrestrialairbreathing    animalsthatHecreatedwerebroughtontheark,thanthestatementinGen6:19: Andofeveryliving P   thingofallfleshyoushallbringtwoofeverysortintotheark,tokeepthemalivewithyou;theyshall X  bemaleandfemale.LaterGodclarifiesthatof everycleananimalandof eachofthebirdsofthe   airNoahwastotakesevenpairs(Gen7:2).InobediencetoGodscommand, ofcleanbeasts,of x  beaststhatareunclean,ofbirds,andofeverythingthatcreepsontheearth,twobytwotheywentinto 0  theark,maleandfemale(Gen7:9).Gen7:1315emphaticallyrepeatstheuniversalinclusive 8  statement: OntheverysamedayNoahandNoahssons...enteredtheark!theyandeverybeast   afteritskind,allcattleaftertheirkind,everycreepingthingthatcreepsontheearthafteritskind,and X  everybirdafteritskind,everybirdofeverysort....twobytwo,ofallfleshinwhichisthebreathof ` life.ThissamecomprehensivelistisrepeatedtwicemoreinGen8:17,19ascomingoutoftheark,  andGen9:10explicitlyaddsthephrase)h$ \\0ayyR&1%%&rT#&rT%1%R&Y #R&1%%&rTt#&rT%1%R&ן #R&1%%&rT=#&rT%1%R& #R&1%%&rTԄere#&rT%1%R&( #R&1%%&rT)s$ HH4#&rT%1%R&r #Ԁ everybeastoftheearth(commonlyinterpreted  aswildanimals)asoneofthebasiccategoriesofanimalsthatcameoutoftheark. d ] P$&rT%    8    _TheHebrewphraseinGen7:19iskolhehY&rT%%&rT]r#&rT%%Y&rT#R&1%%&rT3mhaggb#&rT%1%R&#X&rT%%&rTh#&rT%%X&rT5#R&1%%&rTRXX1%R&3#XFiXXRX|##&rT%XXFi#X&rT%%&rTm#&rT%%X&rT#R&1%%&rTԀ allthehighmountains,withthe  keyterms#&rT%1%R&J#kolR&1%%&rTԀ all/every,#&rT%1%R&#hY&rT%%&rT]r#&rT%%Y&rT7#R&1%%&rT3m#&rT%1%R&~#R&1%%&rTԀ mountains,andgb#&rT%1%R&#X&rT%%&rTh#&rT%%X&rT,#R&1%%&rTRXX1%R&3#XFiXXRXs##&rT%XXFi#X&rT%%&rTm#&rT%%X&rT#R&1%%&rTԀ high.#&rT%1%R&A#R&1%%&rTԀTheallegedparallelpassagesinthe x Prophets(FormerandLatterintheHebrewBible;ProphetsandHistoricalBooksintheEnglishBible @ arrangementofthecanon)whichrefertoidolatroushighplacesinclude:#&rT%1%R&ב#Deut12:2;1Ki4:23;2Ki H 16:4=2Chron28:4;2Ki17:10;Jer2:20;4:24;17:2;Eze6:13;20:28;34:6,14;Hos4:13.Manyof  thesehavethetermkol all/every,butnotoneofthesepassagescontainsbothhY&rT%%&rT]r#&rT%%Y&rT#R&1%%&rT3m#&rT%1%R&%#R&1%%&rTԀ mountainsand l gb#&rT%1%R&o#X&rT%%&rTh#&rT%%X&rT#R&1%%&rTRXX1%R&3#XFiXXRX- ##&rT%XXFiL #X&rT%%&rTm#&rT%%X&rT #R&1%%&rTԀ high.NointertextualrelationshipcanbeestablishedbetweenthesepassagesandtheFlood ( x narrativeintheabsenceofmorecompleteterminologicallinkage.#&rT%1%R& #R&1%%&rTԀ#&rT%1%R& #R&1%%&rTԀTheonlypassageintheProphetsthat  @ hasallthreeofthesetermsisIsa30:25,butthereferentofthispassageisnotidolatroushighplacesbutthe    abundantverdureofanewcreation.#&rT%1%R&: #ԀIdonotdenythatEzekielutilizedimageryfromtheFlood  narrative(amongotherOTnarratives)indescribingboththesin( corruptionand violence)andthe l punishment( wipedout, floodingrains,etc.)ofJudah,asJohnspointsout,butthereisno $t intertextualhintinEzekielthatthe highmountainsoftheFloodnarrativearetobeinterpretedas , idolatrouscultichighplaces.(`  ZCG Times(`  ZCG Times   P$&rT%    7    _ObviouslyboththeFloodnarrativeandthebookofEzekielcontainamessageofdivine  judgment,andthereforesomeofthesametermsappear,describingthewickednessofthepeopleand h thecertaintyandseverityofjudgment.Thereisevenmentionof floodingrainasoneoftheagents  p ofjudgmentinEzekiel(Eze38:22),asJohnspointsout.Unfortunately,hefailstopointoutinthe ( sameverseotheragentsofjudgmentthatwill raindownuponthewicked,harkingbacktoother  earlieractsofdivinejudgment: greathailstones,fire,andbrimstone.Theselatteragentsof H judgmentmaywellalludetothetimeoftheExodus,andthedestructionofSodomandGomorrah,  P eventsthatcertainlydidnotfocusuponidolatroushighplaces.Theonlyostensiblystronglinkage   betweenEzekielandallegedculticpracticesintheFloodnarrativeisthementionofthe high p  mountains,butaswepointoutinthenextfootnote,thisterminologicalparallelismdoesnotholdup ( x  intheHebreworiginal.JohnshasmistakenlysuggestedthatEzekielprovidestheinspiredintertextual  0  keytounderstandingtheFloodnarrative,whereastheintertextualityactuallyworkstheotherway:the    Floodnarrative,aswellasothernarrativessuchastheExodusandSodomandGomorrah,providethe P   intertextualkeystoEzekiel,asmodelsofjudgmenttowhichEzekielalludes. P$&rT%    4    _Johnsclaimsthatnoneofthethreeoccurrencesof&1%%&rTtkh=mrabb]h#&rT%1%&ר#Ԁ( greatdeep)inScripture  outsideofGen7:11referstotheoceanwaters.Butinfact,twoofthesethreeoccurrencesmost l probablydorefertooceandepths.JohnsquotesonlythelasthalfofPs36:6,butthewholeverse $t clearlycontraststhehighestpointsonearth(themountains)withthedepthsoftheoceans(thegreat , deep).TheNLTcapturestheflowofthisverse: Yourrighteousnessislikethemightymountains,  yourjusticeliketheoceandepths.Isa51:10specificallyplaces&1%%&rTtkh=mrabb]h#&rT%1%&s#Ԁ greatdeepin L synonymouspoeticparallelismwithyY&rT%%&rT]#&rT%%Y&rT+#m sea: AreYounottheOnewhodriedupthesea[yY&rT%%&rT]#&rT%%Y&rT#m],the  X watersofthegreatdeep[&1%%&rTtkh=mrabb]h#&rT%1%&7#];thatmadethedepthsoftheseaaroadfortheredeemedto   crossover?(Fordiscussionandsupportoftheconclusionthatthis seawasnotmerelythefresh |  waterswampylandoftheBitterLakesnorthwestofSuez,asJohnsclaims,butactuallytheRedSea 4   (GulfofSuez)itself,seeSDABC1:544;_SDABD_Ԁ351;andPP283284.Exod14:1statesthatthe  <  Israelitescamped betweenMigdolandtheSea,oppositeBaalZephon.BaalZephonwasprobablya    mountain,namedafterMt.ZaphonoftheUgariticmythology,andtherearenomountainsnorthofthe \   GulfofSuezintheareaoftheBitterLakes.ThebestcandidateforthismountainisJebelAtaqa,just d  southofthepresentdaycityofSuez,theruggedheightsofwhichextenddowntotheveryedgeofthe   GulfofSuez,blockinganyfurtherpassageoftheIsraelitestoescapefromthepursuingEgyptians.) P$&rT%    1    _Gen2:4;5:1;6:9;10:1,32;11:10,27;28:1213;25:19;36:1,9;37:2. mabbElmayimhamabbElhamayimlemabbElkataklysmoskataklyzm+ Noazeremkabb3r3mrabb3mn]h]rnehar=rahabibble eehydrFrazerJacobsenAtrahasisMillardHeidelBerossusCassuto n]am ]ab ]atLeupoldpistisonsadd3qt]m3mh]lakHithpaelqoeschatonbr3t]arSalvifict=ld=tbegettingsbringingsy]ladtoled=thBathraSDABCBoardmanCustanceKidner RammRehwinkelWhitcomb pn+Gommorohad]m]hhayqEm taath]]m]yim Kgs kolyenotth=mrabb]htkh=m NLT y]mMigdolZephonZaphonJebelAtaqa yblSarnaTikvaKenskyWestermannUmberto bouleversementBlenkinsoppuncreationmerismuncreatorOjewoleDelitzschFilby ayy=p bhomreme rm Qalnepeayyt=postdiluvial Ezeheh]r3mhaggbh3mh]r3mgbh3mKiesclation NJBhapantaspantaskosmosMachpelahIshmael EsauAbimelechLabanHaranHamorShechemTamarPotiphardescendentsManassehEphraimTsumura edsWinonaEisenbrauns)A!'Elwell KeilWmEerdmansMalachiInglis LtsFishbaneVetusTestamentumFrymerAchtemeierThorkildTyndaleWisemanBroadmanHolmanAfolarinPlantingaMcMullinPennockCatastrophismSailhamerGaebeleinStithFolktalesExemplaFabiauxYoungblood  P$&rT%    3    _Foralocalizedcontextfortheterm uponthefaceofalltheearth(Cal_p&1%%&rT#&rT%1%&#n_Ԁ_kol_Ԅh)a\\0D)a\\0re) sl.|HH0),see,  e.g.,Deut11:25;1Sam30:16;2Sam18:8;Dan8:5;andperhapsZech5:3.Foruseoftheshortened l term"alltheearth"(_kol_Ԅh)a\\0D)a\\0re) sl.|HH0)inalessthanglobalcontext,seee.g.,Gen41:57;Exod10:5,15; $t Num22:5,11;1_Ki_Ԁ4:34;10:24;and2Chron36:23. s% P$d&rT%    5    _Thefourtermsaree&1%%&rTeXX1%R&)h$ dd8#dXFiXXRX##d&rT%XXFi#_ayye&1%%&rT _Ԁ beast/livingcreature(or)h$ \\4#d&rT%1%R&9#_ayye&1%%&rT#d&rT%1%R&#e&1%%&rTt#d&rT%1%R&(#e&1%%&rT=_#d&rT%1%R&k#e&1%%&rTԄere#d&rT%1%R&#e&1%%&rT)s$ HH4Ԁ beastoftheearth#d&rT%1%R& #e&1%%&rT),_=#d&rT%1%R&ׅ#e&1%%&rTp_   birds#d&rT%1%R&#e&1%%&rT,_b#d&rT%1%R&]#e&1%%&rTh#d&rT%1%R&׹#f&rT%%&rTo_#d&rT%%Y&rT#e&1%%&rTԀ#d&rT%1%R&R#e&1%%&rT_m _Ԁ cattle,#d&rT%1%R&ו#e&1%%&rTand#d&rT%1%R&#_remee&1%%&rT_Ԁ#d&rT%1%R&p# creepingthings.Genesis1usesthislistwithseveralvariations. x Indepictingthecreationonthefifthday,vs.22mentionsthebirds,whilethedepictiononthesixth 4 day(vss.2425)referstoe&1%%&rTeXX1%R&)h$ dd8#dXFiXXRX##d&rT%XXFi#_ayye&1%%&rT _#d&rT%1%R&v#Ԁ beastfirstasageneralcategorymeaning livingcreature,andthen < comesthebreakdownintothreecategories:e&1%%&rT_b#d&rT%1%R&c #e&1%%&rTh#d&rT%1%R&׺ #f&rT%%&rTo_#d&rT%%Y&rT #e&1%%&rTԀ#d&rT%1%R&S #e&1%%&rT_m _Ԁ cattle,#d&rT%1%R&ז #e&1%%&rT#d&rT%1%R& #e&1%%&rT_reme#d&rT%1%R&Z #e&1%%&rT_Ԁ#d&rT%1%R&װ #e&1%%&rT creepingthings,and#d&rT%1%R& #Ԁe&1%%&rT)h$ \\4#d&rT%1%R&i #ayye&1%%&rT#d&rT%1%R& #te&1%%&rT=#d&rT%1%R& #Ԅ  eree&1%%&rT)s$ HH4Ԁ beastoftheearth.Invs.26,humansaregivendominionoveronlythreecategoriesofterrestrial p animals: birdsoftheair, cattle(_b#d&rT%1%R&u #e&1%%&rTh#d&rT%1%R&נ#f&rT%%&rTo_#d&rT%%Y&rT#e&1%%&rTԀ#d&rT%1%R&9#e&1%%&rT_m _Ԁ#d&rT%1%R&|#),and creepingthings(_remee&1%%&rT_#d&rT%1%R&#);thereisnomentionof , | thee&1%%&rTeXX1%R&)h$ dd8#dXFiXXRX##d&rT%XXFi#_ayye&1%%&rT#d&rT%1%R&Z#e&1%%&rTt#d&rT%1%R&נ#e&1%%&rT=_#d&rT%1%R&#e&1%%&rTԄere#d&rT%1%R&9#e&1%%&rT)s$ HH4Ԁ#d&rT%1%R&׃#(unlessthereadingofthe_Syriac_Ԁisaccepted,whichisfarfromcertain).Invs.28,  8 humanitysdominionoverterrestrialanimalsissummarizedbyonlytwocategories: birdsoftheair,   and everylivingthing[e&1%%&rTeXX1%R&)h$ dd8#dXFiXXRX##d&rT%XXFi0#_ayye&1%%&rT _#d&rT%1%R&#]thatmoves[_rme&1%%&rT_#d&rT%1%R&;#,_Qal_Ԁparticiple]ontheearth.Finally,invs.30,in h   describingthefoodfortheterrestrialanimals,threecategoriesarementioned: beastoftheearth 0   (e&1%%&rT)h$ \\4#d&rT%1%R&ׅ#_ayye&1%%&rT#d&rT%1%R&#e&1%%&rTt#d&rT%1%R&=#e&1%%&rT=_#d&rT%1%R&׀#e&1%%&rTԄere#d&rT%1%R&#e&1%%&rT)s$ HH4#d&rT%1%R& #), birdoftheair,andeverythingthatcreeps[_rme&1%%&rT_#d&rT%1%R&#,_Qal_Ԁparticiple]ontheearth;and  8  thisisfurthersummarizedbyindicatingthatitincludeseverythingonlandinwhichisthe breathof    life(_nepee&1%%&rT_)h$ \\4#d&rT%1%R&!#_ayye&1%%&rT _#d&rT%1%R&׫#e&1%%&rT).#d&rT%1%R&#InGen6:1920,allfourofthebasictermsarefoundasenteringtheark,andall \  fourappearagaininthelistofGen7:14.ItistruethatGenesis6and7donotusethefullphrase h   beastoftheearth()h$ \\0_ayye&1%%&rT#d&rT%1%R&u#e&1%%&rTt#d&rT%1%R&׻#e&1%%&rT=_#d&rT%1%R&#e&1%%&rTԄere#d&rT%1%R&T#e&1%%&rT)s$ HH4)torefertoanimalsthatenteredtheark,butthisphraseisclearlyused   inGen9:910toindicatewhatwasinthearkwithNoah: Behold,IestablishMycovenantwithyou..   .andwitheverylivingcreaturethatiswithyou:thebirds,thecattle,andeverybeastoftheearth[)h$ \\4#d&rT%1%R&מ#_ayye&1%%&rT#d&rT%1%R&r#e&1%%&rTt#d&rT%1%R&׸#e&1%%&rT=_#d&rT%1%R&#e&1%%&rTԄ D  ere#d&rT%1%R&Q #e&1%%&rT)s$ HH4#d&rT%1%R&װ #e&1%%&rT]withyou,ofallthatgooutoftheark,everybeastoftheearth.Johnsmissesthisfourthterminhis P  analysisbecauseofhistoolimitedresearchmethodologywhichonlyexaminedthetermsfortheanimals  enteringthearkappearingintheaccountofthebeginningoftheFlood,andneglectingtoexaminetheterms p forthesesameanimalsinthedescriptionoftheirexitfromthearkaftertheFlood.ItisclearthatinGen6 (x and7theFloodnarrativeutilizesanabbreviatedlistoftheterrestrialairbreathinganimals,suchasfound 0 inGen1:26,andtherecordinGen9:910addstheadditionaltermmissinginpreviouschaptersofthe  narrative.Furthermore,accompanyinginclusivelanguage(seethenextfootnotebelow)leavesnodoubt P thatallterrestrialairbreathinganimalsareintended,bothasrepresentedwithintheark,andaswhattotally X perishedoutsidetheark.#d&rT%1%R&!#Ԁ* `(CG TimesScalable(9 Z6Times New Roman Regular(`  ZCG Times   P$h&rT%    7    _ObviouslyboththeFloodnarrativeandthebookofEzekielcontainamessageofdivine  judgment,andthereforesomeofthesametermsappear,describingthewickednessofthepeopleand h thecertaintyandseverityofjudgment.Thereisevenmentionof floodingrainasoneoftheagents  p ofjudgmentinEzekiel(_Eze_Ԁ38:22),asJohnspointsout.Unfortunately,hefailstopointoutinthe ( sameverseotheragentsofjudgmentthatwill raindownuponthewicked,harkingbacktoother  earlieractsofdivinejudgment: greathailstones,fire,andbrimstone.Theselatteragentsof H judgmentmaywellalludetothetimeoftheExodus,andthedestructionofSodomand_Gomorroh_,  P eventsthatcertainlydidnotfocusuponidolatroushighplaces.Theonlyostensiblystronglinkage   betweenEzekielandallegedculticpracticesintheFloodnarrativeisthementionofthe high p  mountains,butaswepointoutinthenextfootnote,thisterminologicalparallelismdoesnotholdup ( x  intheHebreworiginal.JohnshasmistakenlysuggestedthatEzekielprovidestheinspired_intertextual_  0  keytounderstandingtheFloodnarrative,whereasthe_intertextuality_Ԁactuallyworkstheotherway:the    Floodnarrative,aswellasothernarrativessuchastheExodusandSodomand_Gomorroh_,providethe P   _intertextual_ԀkeystoEzekiel,asmodelsofjudgmenttowhichEzekielalludes.* `(CG TimesScalable ^ P$j&rT%    8    _TheHebrewphraseinGen7:19is_kol_Ԁ_hehk&rT%%&rT]r#j&rT%%Y&rT#l&1%%&rT3m_Ԁ_haggb#j&rT%1%R&#m&rT%%&rTh#j&rT%%X&rT#l&1%%&rTlXX1%R&3#jXFiXXRX##j&rT%XXFi#m&rT%%&rTm_#j&rT%%X&rTT#l&1%%&rTԀ allthehighmountains,withthe  keyterms#j&rT%1%R&ת#_kol_l&1%%&rTԀ all/every,#j&rT%1%R&]#_hk&rT%%&rT]r#j&rT%%Y&rT#l&1%%&rT3m_#j&rT%1%R&#l&1%%&rTԀ mountains,and_gb#j&rT%1%R&h#m&rT%%&rTh#j&rT%%X&rT#l&1%%&rTlXX1%R&3#jXFiXXRX###j&rT%XXFiB#m&rT%%&rTm_#j&rT%%X&rT#l&1%%&rTԀ high.#j&rT%1%R&#l&1%%&rTԀTheallegedparallelpassagesinthe x Prophets(FormerandLatterintheHebrewBible;ProphetsandHistoricalBooksintheEnglishBible @ arrangementofthecanon)whichrefertoidolatroushighplacesinclude:#j&rT%1%R&Q#Deut12:2;1_Ki_Ԁ4:23;2_Ki_ H 16:4=2Chron28:4;2_Ki_Ԁ17:10;Jer2:20;4:24;17:2;_Eze_Ԁ6:13;20:28;34:6,14;Hos4:13.Manyof  thesehavetheterm_kol_ all/every,butnotoneofthesepassagescontainsboth_hk&rT%%&rT]r#j&rT%%Y&rTN #l&1%%&rT3m_#j&rT%1%R&ו #l&1%%&rTԀ mountainsand l _gb#j&rT%1%R& #m&rT%%&rTh#j&rT%%X&rTv #l&1%%&rTlXX1%R&3#jXFiXXRX ##j&rT%XXFi #m&rT%%&rTm_#j&rT%%X&rTE #l&1%%&rTԀ high.No_intertextual_ԀrelationshipcanbeestablishedbetweenthesepassagesandtheFlood ( x narrativeintheabsenceofmorecompleteterminologicallinkage.#j&rT%1%R&כ #l&1%%&rTԀ#j&rT%1%R&׷ #l&1%%&rTԀTheonlypassageintheProphetsthat  @ hasallthreeofthesetermsisIsa30:25,butthe_referrent_Ԁofthispassageisnotidolatroushighplacesbut    theabundantverdureofanewcreation.#j&rT%1%R& #ԀIdonotdenythatEzekielutilizedimageryfromtheFlood  narrative(amongotherOTnarratives)indescribingboththesin( corruptionand violence)andthe l punishment( wipedout, floodingrains,etc.)ofJudah,asJohnspointsout,butthereisno $t _intertextual_ԀhintinEzekielthatthe highmountainsoftheFloodnarrativearetobeinterpretedas , idolatrouscultichighplaces.* `(CG TimesScalable(`  ZCG Times (9 Z6Times New Roman Regular(`  ZCG Times !  _      8FiXXdd8XX@& &  TheGenesisFloodNarrative:BasicIssuesintheCurrentDebate   @RichardM.Davidson @ @ScienceandReligionConference X @GlacierViewRanch,Ward,CO   @August2003   @FFAbstract   @   Thispaperdealsbrieflywithsevenmajorinterrelatedissuesincurrentdiscussionofthe    biblicalFloodnarrativeinGen69:(1)uniqueterminologyfortheFloodofGen69;(2)extra H   biblical,ancientNearEasternparallelstotheGenesisFloodnarrative;(3)theunityofGen69; `  (4)thetheologyoftheFloodnarrative;(5)theliterarygenreoftheFloodnarrativevisvisthe (  restofGenesis;(6)therelationshipbetweentheologyandhistoryintheFloodnarrative;and(7)   theextentoftheFloodaccordingtothebiblicalnarrative.ItisconcludedthatwhiletheGenesis h  Floodnarrativecontainsanumberofsimilaritiestotheextrabiblicalfloodstories,thereare 0  crucialdifferences.ThereisarichtheologyintheunifiedbiblicalFloodnarrative,butinasmuchas H  theliterarygenreofthisnarrativeunderscoresthehistoricalnatureoftheeventsnarrated,the  theologyofthenarrativecannotbedivorcedfrom(andinfactisrootedin)thehistoricityofthe  Floodaccount.Numerouslinesofbiblicalevidence"includingterminological,thematic, P contextual,grammaticalsyntactical,literarystructural,logicalconceptual,theological,canonical, h andtypological"convergeinsupportoftheconclusionthatthebiblicalFloodnarrativedescribes 0 aworldwide,globalDeluge,andnotalimited,localizedflood.  ?   ` @XXI.Terminology P    TheGenesisFloodisdenotedintheOTbythetechnicalHebrewtermmabbEl.All  thirteenOToccurrencesofthiswordrefertotheGenesisFlood;allareinGenesisexceptPs  p 29:10.OccurrencesofmabbElintheGenesisFloodnarrativeareusuallyassociatedwithmayim   "waters"[hamabbElmayim,mhamabbEl,hamayimlemabbEl]).Wewillexaminelaterthe @" etymology,meaningofmabbElandtheimplicationsofusingthisuniqueHebrewtermwith  $ referencetotheGenesisFlood. `"&   TheLXXandtheNTreflectthetechnicalmeaningoftheHebrewmabbElandconsistently #@( employtheGreektermkataklysmos("flood,deluge")onlywithreferencetotheGenesisFlood(4 % * timesinNT,plusonceusingtherelatedverbkataklyz["flood,inundate"],2Pet3:6). '`",   BesidesthecertainallusiontotheGenesisFloodinthephrasemNoa) hl.|dd8"watersofNoah" (#. (Isa54:9),manyotherpossibleOTallusionstotheNoahicDelugeutilizeavarietyofHebrew 0*%0 expressions:zerem"inundation,flood"(Isa28:2);mayimkabb3r3m"mightywaters"(Isa28:2), +'2 mayimrabb3m"greatwaters"(Ps18:17[Eng.vs.16]),orsimplymayim"waters"(Isa43:2;Job  12:15;Ps124:4);n]h]r/nehar=)t_dd8"floods,streams"(Ps93:3);rahab"storm,Rahab"(Job26:12); @ ibble)t_dd8"flood,flowingstream"(Ps69:3,16[Eng.vss.2,15]);ande) tl.|888e) pl.|dd8"overflowing,flood"   (Dan9:26;Nah1:8;Ps32:6).NTallusionstotheGenesisFloodemploytheGreeknounhydr `  "water"(1Pet3:20;2Pet3:6).  @   @II.ExtrabiblicalParallels  `    Ancientfloodstoriesarealmostuniversal;upto230differentstoriesareknown(Frazer   1918,1:105361;Nelson1931).Afloodisbyfarthemostfrequentlygivencauseforpastworld 0  calamitiesinthefolkliteratureofantiquity(Thompson1955,1:182194).Thestoriesnearestto  theareaoftheDispersionatBabelaretheclosestindetailtothebiblicalaccount. P   FourmainfloodstoriesarefoundinMesopotamiansources:TheSumerianEriduGenesis 0 (ca.1600B.C.,seeJacobsen1981),theOldBabylonianAtrahasisEpic(ca.1600B.C.,see p LambertandMillard1969),theGilgameshEpic(NeoAssyrianversion,ca.8th7thCent.B.C., P seeHeidel1946),andBerossus'account(Babylon,3rdcent.B.C.,seeLambertandMillard1969,  134137).WewillpointoutsignificantsimilaritiesanddifferencesbetweenthebiblicalFlood  p narrativeandtheotherANEaccountsinourdiscussionofthetheologyoftheFlood.    @ III.TheUnityoftheGenesisFloodAccount   $   ThedetailedchiasticliterarystructureofGen69arguesfortheunityoftheFlood `"& narrativeinsteadofsmalltextualunits(JandP)assuggestedbytheDocumentaryHypothesis #@( (Cassuto1964,3034;Shea1979!seemyAppendixA).AclosereadingoftheFloodnarrative % * asacoherentliterarywhole,withparticularattentiontothechiasticstructure,resolvesapparent '`", discrepanciesintheGenesisaccount(Wenham1978;Shea1979;Hasel1980,4950,150151). (#.   +'2 @z z IV.TheologyoftheGenesisFloodNarrative     ThetheologyoftheGenesisFloodnarrativemaybesummarizedundereightheadings: @   A.TheMotiveorTheologicalCauseoftheFlood  `    IncontrastwiththeancientNearEasternfloodstories,inwhichnocauseofthefloodis  @ given(GilgameshEpic)orthegodsdecidetowipeouttheirhumanslavesbecausetheyare    makingtoomuchnoise(AtrahasisEpicandEriduGenesis),thebiblicalaccountprovidesa `  profoundtheologicalmotivationfortheFlood:humankind'smoraldepravityandsinfulness,the   allpervadingcorruptionandviolenceofalllivingbeings("allflesh")onearth(Gen6:18,1112), 0  whichdemandsdivinepunishment.   B.TheGodoftheFlood(Theodicy)  0   Thetheologicalmotivationprovidesadivinejustification(theodicy)forbringingthe p Flood.IncontrasttotheotherancientNearEasternstories,inwhichthegodsarearbitrary, P actingoutofunreasoninganger,selfishness,andcaprice,seekingtodeceivethepeopleandnot  informthemoftheimpendingflood,thebiblicalpictureoftheGodoftheFloodisfardifferent.  p Godextendsaprobationaryperiodof120yearsduringwhichHisSpiritisstrivingwithhumanity   torepent(Gen6:3)andGodiswarningtheantediluvianworldthroughNoah,the"preacherof @" righteousness"(2Pet2:5;cf.1Pet3:1920).  $   GodHimselfmakesprovisionforthesavingofhumankind(Gen6:1416).He"repents" `"& (n]) hl.|dd8am),i.e."issorry,movedtopity,havingcompassion,sufferinggrief"(Gen6:6).God #@( "grieves"(C]) sl.|LL8ab),thesameHebrewrootusedofthewoman's"pain"andAdam's"anguish"inthe % * divinejudgmentofGen3;theimplicationisthatGodHimselftakesuphumanity'spainand '`", anguish(Gen6:6;cf.3:16,17).Thedivineactofdestructionisnotarbitrary.God"destroys" (#. (]) hl.|dd8at,vs.13)whathumanityhadalreadyruinedorcorrupted(]) hl.|dd8at,vss.1112);Hesimply 0*%0 mercifullybringstocompletiontheruinalreadywroughtbyhumankind. +'2   TheGodofthebiblicalFloodisnotonlyjustandmerciful;Heisalsofreetoactaccording  toHisdivinewill,andHepossessessovereignpowerandfullcontrolovertheforcesofnature(in @ contrasttotheweaknessandfrightofthegodsduringtheFlood,accordingtoancientNear   Easternstories).Yahweh'somnipotentsovereigntyseemstobethetheologicalthrustofPs `  29:10,theonlybiblicalreferenceoutsideGenesisemployingthetermmabbEl:"Yahwehsat  @ enthronedattheFlood[mabbEl]."      ThechoiceofdivinenamesthroughouttheFloodnarrative,insteadofindicatingseparate `  sources,seemstohighlightdifferentaspectsofGod'scharacter:thegenericElohimwhenHis   universal,transcendentsovereigntyorjudicialauthorityisemphasized;andthecovenantname 0  YahwehwhenHispersonal,ethicaldealingswithNoahandhumankindareinview(Cassuto1961,  3536;Leupold1956,280281). P  C.HumanMoralResponsibility  p   Theportrayalofhumanity'smoraldepravityasthecauseofthefloodhighlightshuman P responsibilityforsin.TheFloodcomesaboutasaresultofcorruptionandviolenceonthepartof  humankind.Atthesametime,Noah'sresponseoffaith/faithfulness(pistis,Heb11:7)  p underscoresthataccountabilitytoGodisnotonlycorporatebutindividual:Noahfound"favor"   () hl.|dd8on)inGod'ssight,hewas"righteous"(sadd3q),"blameless"(t]m3m)and"walkedtogether" @" (h]lak,Hithpael)inpersonalrelationshipwithGod(Gen6:89);herespondedinimplicit  $ obediencetoHiscommands(Gen6:22;7:5,9;cf.Ezek14:14,20). `"&  D.EschatologicalJudgment  % *   WhenGodsaid,"Ihavedeterminedtomakeanend[qo) sl.|LL8]ofallflesh"(Gen6:13),he '`", introducedthe"eschatological"termqo) sl.|LL8whichinlaterScripturebecameatechnicaltermforthe (#. eschaton.Thedivinejudgmentinvolvedaperiodofprobation(Gen6:3),followedbyajudicial 0*%0 investigation("TheLordsaw..."Gen6:5;"Ihavedetermined,"Gen6:13RSV;Cassuto1964, +'2 5657),thesentence(Gen6:7)anditsexecution(thebringingoftheFlood,Gen7:1124).The  NTrecognizesthedivinejudgmentoftheGenesisFloodasatypologicalforeshadowingofthe @ finaleschatologicaljudgment(seeFloodtypology,below).    E.TheNoahicCovenant  @    Thewordbr3t"covenant"firstappearsinScriptureinconnectionwiththeFlood(Gen    6:18;9:817),andthecovenantmotifisanintegralpartoftheFloodnarrative.TheNoahic `  covenantcomesatGod'sinitiative,anddemonstratesHisconcern,faithfulness,anddependability.   HecovenantsneveragaintosendaFloodtodestroytheearth.Thiscovenantpromiseflowsfrom 0  thepropitiatoryanimalsacrificeofferedbyNoah(Gen8:2022;Wenham1987,189190).    Unliketheotherbiblicalcovenants,theNoahiccovenantismadenotonlywithhumankind P butwiththewholeearth(Gen9:13)includingeverylivingcreature(Gen9:10,12,15,16),andis 0 thuscompletelyunilateralandunconditionalupontheresponseoftheearthanditsinhabitants. p Thesignofthiseverlastingcovenantistherainbow,whichisnotprimarilyforhumankind,butfor P Godtoseeand"remember"thecovenantHehasmadewiththeearth(Gen9:16).    F.TheFloodRemnant      TheFloodnarrativecontainsthefirstmentioninthebiblicalcanonofthemotifand @" terminologyofremnant,Gen7:23:"OnlyNoahandthosewhowerewithhiminthearkremained  $ []Dar]."TheremnantwhosurvivedthecosmiccatastropheoftheFloodwereconstitutedthus `"& becauseoftheirrightrelationshipoffaithandobediencetoGod,notbecauseofcapriceorthe #@( favoritismofthegods,asintheextrabiblicalancientNearEasternfloodstories. % *  G.SalvificGrace  (#.   God'sgraceisrevealedalreadybeforetheFloodinthe120yearsofprobationgrantedthe 0*%0 antediluvianworld(Gen6:3)andinhisdirectionsforthebuildingofthearktosavethosefaithful +'2 toHim(Gen6:1421);andagainaftertheFloodinHiscovenant/promiseneveragaintodestroy  theearthwithaFlood,eventhoughhumannatureremainedevil(Gen8:2022;9:817). @   Butthetheological(andliterary,chiastic)heartoftheFloodaccountisfoundinthephrase   "GodrememberedNoah"(Gen8:1;Anderson1978,38;Shea1979!SeemyAppendixA).The `  memorytheologyofScripturedoesnotimplythatGodhasliterallyforgotten;forGodto  @ "remember"istoactindeliverance(seeExod6:5).ThestructuralpositioningofGod's    "remembering"atthecenterofthenarrativeindicatesthattheapexofFloodtheologyisnot `  punitivejudgmentbutdivinesalvificgrace.     NumerousthematicandverbalparallelsbetweentheaccountsofNoah'ssalvationand 0  Israel'sExodusdeliverancerevealtheauthor'sintenttoemphasizetheirsimilarity(seeSailhamer  1990,89).VariousreferencesinthePsalmstoGod'sgraciousdeliveranceoftherighteousfrom P the"greatwaters"oftribulation,maycontainallusionstotheGenesisFlood(Ps18:16[Hebrew 0 vs.17];32:6;65:58[Hebrewvss.69];69:2[Hebrewvs.3];89:9[Hebrewvs.10];93:3;and p 124:4). P  H.FloodTypology   p   ThetypologicalnatureoftheFloodaccountisalreadyimplicitinGenesis.Gage(1984,7   16)hasshownhowGenesis17ispresentedbytheauthorasaparadigmforthehistoryofthe @" world;thereduplicationofthemotifsinGenesisonlycarriesthroughthefourthnarrative,  $ implyingthatthefifth(universaljudgment)willbefulfilledintheeschatologicalcosmicjudgment. `"& IsaiahprovidesanexplicitverbalindicatorthattheFloodisatypeofcovenantaleschatology(Isa #@( 54:9),alongwithseveralpossibleallusionstotheFloodinhisdescriptionsoftheeschatological % * salvationofIsrael(the"floodofmightywatersoverflowing,"Isa28:2;"thewaters...shallnot '`", overwhelm,"Isa43:2;God's"overflowingwrath,"Isa54:8;andthe"windowsofheaven,"Isa (#. 24:18).TheprophetsNahum(1:8)andDaniel(9:26)depicttheeschatologicaljudgmentin 0*%0 languageprobablyalludingtotheGenesisFlood. +'2   TheNTwritersrecognizethetypologicalconnectionbetweenFloodandeschatology.  ThesalvationofNoahandhisfamilyinthearkthroughthewatersoftheFloodfindsits @ antitypicalcounterpartinNTeschatologicalsalvationconnectedwithwaterbaptism(1Pet3:18   22;seeDavidson1981,316336).TheFloodisalsoatypeofthefinaleschatologicaljudgmentat `  theendoftheworld,andtheconditionsofpreFloodmoralityprovidesignsoftheendtime(Matt  @ 24:3739;Luke17:2627;2Pet2:5,9;3:57).     @RRV.TheLiteraryGenreoftheGenesisFloodNarrativewithintheBookofGenesis     ItiswidelyrecognizedthatthewholebookofGenesisisstructuredbytheword 0   generations(t=ld=t)inconnectionwitheachsectionofthebook(13x).\ Q#  1      ׀TheauthorofGenesis  hasthussuppliedpreciseterminologytoindicatetheoverarchingliterarygenreoftheentirebook: P t=ld=t, generations,account,history.Thisisatermusedinthesettingofgenealogies 0 concernedwiththeaccurateaccountoftimeandhistory.Itmeansliterally begettingsor p  bringingsforth(fromtheverby]lad tobringforth,beget)andimpliesthatGenesisisthe P  history/accountofbeginnings(Doukhan1978,167220;Mathews1996,2641). XFiXXXԀWalter  KaiserhascarefullyanalyzedtheliteraryformofGenesis111,inlightofthis#XXXXFi)I#t=ld=tXFiXXX (x structure,andconcludedthatthiswholesectionofGenesismustbetakenas"historical   narrativeprose"(Kaiser1970).#XXXXFiI# P"  @BBVI.Theology,LiteraryArtistry,andHistoryintheGenesisFloodNarrative  p"&   TheGenesisFloodnarrativedoesindeedpresentprofoundtheology,aswehaveseen $P( above.ButinHebrewthoughttheologyisnotopposedtohistory.Tothecontrary,biblical % * theologyisalwaysrootedinhistory.Anyattempttoseparatetheologyandhistoryinthebiblical  'p",  narrativesdoessobyimportinganexternalnorm,suchasGreekdualism,uponthetext.Readon ($. itsownterms,thebiblicalnarratives,includingtheFloodnarrative,defyattemptstoreadthemas  nonhistoricaltheology. @    Furthermore,narrativesthroughoutScripturearenowrecognizedtobeelegantlycrafted,   oftenplacedinanintricateandsymmetricalliteraryform,suchaschiasmorpanelwriting,to `  highlightimportanttheologicalpointsinthenarrative,yetwithoutdistortingthehistorythatis  @ described(Dorsey1999,1544).InthesettingofGenesis,note,forexample,thedetailed    chiasticstructureofthesecondhalfofthebook(Gen2550),whichpresentsthepatriarchal `  narrativesofJacobandJosephinacarefullycraftedliterarystructure,highlighting(and   contrasting)themoraldecisionsofJosephandJudahinthecentralchapters38and39,andyet 0  preservesthedetailedflowofhistoricaleventsintact(Johns,nodate;seemyAppendixB).In  thesameway,thedivinelyinspiredartistryoftheFloodnarratorhighlightsthetheologyofgrace P atthecenterofhischiasticstructure(asnotedabove),yetwithoutnegatingorviolatingthe 0 historicityoftheeventsthataredescribedindetail. p   IntheliterarystructureoftheFloodnarrative(seeShea1979andmyAppendixA)the P genealogicalframeorenvelopeconstruction(Gen5:32and9:2829)plusthesecondary  genealogies(Gen6:910and9:1819)actuallyprovidepowerfulindicatorsthattheaccountis  p intendedtobefactualhistory.Thegenealogicaltermt=ld=t("generations,""account"),whichis   usedastheheadingoftheFloodaccount(6:9),andwhichstructurestheentirebookofGenesis @" (asnotedabove),indicatesthattheauthorintendedthisnarrativetobeashistoricallyveraciousas  $ therestofGenesis(Doukhan1978,167220;Kaiser1970).Onecannotlogicallyacceptthatthe `"& authorofGenesisintendedonesectionoft=ld=ttobehistorical,suchastheaccountsofthe #@( patriarchs,andthenrejectanothersectionlabeledt=ld=t,suchastheFloodaccount,asonly % * theological.AsKennethMathewsaptlystates, '`", 0  Therecurringformulaictoled=thdevice[ofthebookofGenesis]showsthatthe (#. compositionwasarrangedtojointhehistoricalmooringsofIsraelwiththebeginningsof h)$/ thecosmos.InthiswaythecompositionformsanAdamNoahAbrahamcontinuumthat 0*%0 loopsthepatriarchalpromissoryblessingswiththeGodofcosmosandallhumanhistory. *H&1  ThetextdoesnotwelcomeadifferentreadingforGenesis111asmythversusthe +'2 patriarchalnarratives....[_I]f_Ԁtakenastheologicalstoryalone,theinterpreterisatodds  withthehistoricalintentionalityofGenesis.(Mathews1996,41,111).vWx(#(#    AlongwiththehistoricalnarrativeoftheFloodinthebookofGenesis,anumberof X referencesinthebookofJob(whichwasprobablywrittenbyMosesaboutthesametimeas  Genesis;seetheTalmudBabaBathra,14b,15a,andSDABC3:493496)mayalludetothethen ( x relativelyrecentFlood(Job9:58;12:1415;14:1112;22:1517;26:1014;27:2022;28:9;38:8    11;seeMorris1988,2630.)TheoccurrenceoftheFloodisanintegralpartofthe H   saving/judgingactsofGodinredemptivehistory,anditshistoricityisassumedandessentialtothe (  theologicalargumentsoflaterbiblicalwritersemployingFloodtypology(seeDavidson1981, h  326327). H    XFiXXXThusaccordingtothebiblicalwriters,farfrombeinganonhistoricalaccountwritten  onlytoteachtheologicaltruths,theFloodnarrativeisintendedtorecordartistically,and h accurately,thedetailsofareal,literal,historicalevent,andatthesametimetoaccentuatethe  profoundtheologicalimplicationsofthisevent. 8 #XXXXFi%^# @6 6 VII.TheExtentoftheFloodaccordingtotheGenesisNarrative  X XFiXXX  OneofthemostcontroversialaspectsoftheGenesisFloodnarrativeconcernsthe 8 extentoftheFlooddescribedinGen69.Threemajorpositionsaretaken:(1)thetraditional, x! whichassertstheuniversal,worldwide,globalnatureoftheDeluge;(2)limitedorlocalflood  X# theories,whichnarrowthescopeoftheFloodstorytoaparticulargeographicallocation !% (usuallyinMesopotamia);and(3)nonliteral(symbolicormythological)interpretation,which (#x' suggeststhattheFloodstoryisanonhistoricalaccountwrittentoteachtheologicaltruth. $ )   #XXXXFir`#Againstthethirdinterpretation,wehavealreadydiscussedthehistoricalnatureofthe H&!+ Flood(pointVIabove).XFiXXXԀForevangelicalChristianswhotakeseriouslythebiblicalrecordand '(#- acceptthehistoricityoftheFloodaccount,thequestionstillremainswhethertheevent p)$/ describedistobetakenasalocal,limitedfloodorauniversal,worldwide(global)cataclysm. +P&1   Thelimitedfloodtheoriesrestprimarilyonscientificargumentsthatpresentseemingly  difficultgeological,biological,andanthropologicalproblemsforauniversalflood.(See @ Boardman1990,212223;Custance1979,2858;Kidner1967,9395;Mitchell1982/1993;   Ramm1954,232249;Young1977,171210).Sincethescientificargumentationisnotthe `  subjectofthispaper,Icanonlysuggestthattheseproblemsarenotinsurmountablegiventhe  @ supernaturalnatureoftheFlood.Numerousrecentscientificstudiesprovideagrowingbody    ofevidencefordiluvialcatastrophisminsteadofuniformitarianism(seeCoffinandBrown `  1983;Rehwinkel1951;Roth1985,1986a,1988,1998,2000;Whitcomb1988;Whitcomband   Morris1961). 0    ThelocalFloodtheoriesfurtherassertthattheterminologyinthebiblicalnarrative  describingtheextentoftheFloodshouldbeinterpretedinarelativeandnotabsoluteuniversal P sense.Thevariousseeminglyuniversaltermsareregardedasimplyingonlyalimitedlocality; 0 theyareseentoindicateuniversalitywithinthewriter'sworldviewbutalimitedscopein p termsofourmodernworldview.(SeeBoardman1990,223226;Custance1979,1527; P Johns2003,118;Kidner1967,9395;Ramm1954,241242.)Wewilltakeupthisissue  shortly.  p   ThetraditionalconservativeunderstandingoftheFloodnarrativeisthatGen69   describesauniversal,worldwideDeluge.Itshouldbenotedthatthisisalsotheviewofthe @" majorityofliberalcriticalcommentatorsonGen69,althoughtheyregardthebiblicalviewas  $ borrowedfromtheANEaccountsandnothistorical.(SeeHasel1975,78andnote16for `"& bibliographyofrepresentativesofthisposition:Fohrer,Koehler,Noth,Procksch,Skinner, #@( Sarna,Speiser,vonRad,Vriezen,Zimmerli,etc.Someoftheseandothermorerecent % * representativesofthisviewarecitedlaterinthisarticle.)Forexample,therecentcritical '`", studyoftheGenesisFloodnarrativebyP.J.Harland(1996,3),isemphatic: Thestory[Gen (#. 69]isnottherecordofalocalflood.Thetextspeaksofauniversal,notapartialflood: 0*%0 6:17,7:4,21,23,8:21.Allfleshdied...InGen7:4thewriterwouldhardlyhavethought +'2 thateverythingwhichGodhadmadeincludedonlypartoftheworld.JamesBarr,the  eminentOldTestamentphilologist,statescategorically: @ #XXXXFic#8  ...sofarasIknowthereisnoprofessorofHebreworOldTestamentatany   worldclassuniversitywhodoesnotbelievethatthewriter(s)ofGenesis111  intendedtoconveytotheirreaderstheideasthat...Noahsfloodwasunderstood `  tobeworldwide,andtohaveextinguishedallhumanandlandanimallifeexcept ( x forthoseintheark(Plantinga2001,217). @   qXFiXXX  Ihavebecomeconvincedthatonlythetraditionalpositionofaliteral,universal,world H   wideFlooddoesfulljusticetothebiblicaldata,andthisuniversal/globalinterpretationis (  crucialforFloodtheologyinGenesisandforthetheologicalimplicationsdrawnbylater h  biblicalwriters. H   A.BiblicalTerminologyinGenesis69IndicatingaGlobalFlood  h   PerhapsthemostimportantkindofbiblicalevidenceforaglobalFloodisthespecific  allinclusiveterminologyfoundwithintheGenesisaccountitself.ThelateGerhardHaselhas 8 providedacarefultreatmentofthisterminologyinthreepenetratingstudiesinissuesof  Origins(Hasel1974,1975,1978),andthereforeIneednotgointodetailinthispaper.Eight X differenttermsorphrasesinGen69,mostechoingtheirintertextualcounterpartsinthe 8 worldwidecreationaccountofGen1,S Q#  2      ׀indicateuniversality. x!   BeforelookingatthespecificFloodterminology,Ifirstspotlightafoundational  X# hermeneuticalperspectiveofthenarratorthatiscrucialforoneconsiderinaresponsible !% interpretationofthisterminology.NumerousscholarshaverecognizedthattheFloodinGen (#x' 69ispresentedasacosmicundoingofthecreationdescribedinGen1.(Wewillelaborate,  withcitations,thistheologicalpointbelow.)Therefore,theFlood narrativeasawhole @ repeatedlyreachesbackforthelanguageofthefirstcreation(Mathews1996,378).Those   whoseealessthanglobalFloodinviewinGen69consistentlyoverlookthisintertextual `  perspectiveandseektointerpretthescopeoftheFloodterminologybymeansoflaterusagein  @ theHebrewBible,ratherthanrecognizethattheFloodterminologyisunmistakablyreferring    backtotheglobal,universallanguageinthecreationnarrative,andthattheusageofsuch `  terminologyinthecreationnarrativeisdeterminativeforthemeaningofsuchterminologyin   theFloodnarrative.Withthisintertextuallinkagetothecreationnarrativeinmind,letus 0  nowturntothespecificFloodterminologywhichhasabearingontheextentoftheFlood.    1. TheEarth. Thetermh)add4D)add4re) sl.|LL4"theearth,"occurring46timesintheFlood P narrative(Gen6:12,13,17,etc.),alwayswithoutanyaccompanyinggenitiveoflimitation, 0 clearlyparallels,andintertextuallyharksbackto,theusageofthesametermintheaccountof p worldwide,globalcreationinGen1:1,2,10.(Whilethetermmayattimeselsewheremay P beusedwithoutagenitiveandstillincontextbelimitedinscopetoacertain"land,"the  explicitintertextuallinktoglobalcreationintheFloodaccount[seeespeciallyGen6:6,7]is  p thehermeneuticalcontrolandclearlygivesaglobalcontextforitsusageinGen69.)     SomehavearguedthatifMoseshadwishedtoindicatetheentireworld,hewouldhave @" usedtheHebrewtermtobol,whichmeanstheworldasawhole,ordrylandinthesenseof  $ continents.ThiswordisneverusedintheFloodnarrative.Butitshouldbepointedoutthat `"& tobolisneverusedintheentirePentateuch,includingthecreationaccount.Infact,theterm #@( appearsnowhereinthenarrativeportionsoftheHebrewBible,butonlyinpoetictexts(39 % * times)usuallyasapoeticsynonyminparallelwithh)add4D)add4re) sl.|LL4"theearth."Thusthisargument '`", fromsilencedoesnotadequatelyconsiderthecontextualandpoeticuseofterminology,and (#. carrieslittleweight.ItshouldbenotedthatinthepoeticProv8versionofcreation,which 0*%0 echoestheGenesisaccount,thetermh)add4D)add4re) sl.|LL4"theearth"isusedinpoeticparallelismwith +'2 #XXXXFis#XFiXXXindisputablyuniversaltermtobol#XXXXFic#XFiXXX globeinvs.26,thusprovidingfurtherevidencethatthe  Genesiscreationaccount,andtheFloodterminologyechoingthatcreationaccount,istobe @ takenasglobal,andnotlocalizedinextent.     2. Uponthefaceofalltheearth. Asecondexpression,"uponthefaceofallthe `  earth"Calp#XXXXFiن#XFiXXXnkolh)add4D)add4re) sl.|LL4(Gen7:3;8:9),alsoclearlyalludestothefirstoccurrenceofthe  @ samephraseintheuniversalcontextoftheglobalcreation(Gen1:29;cf.Gen1:2forarelated    universalexpression),andthusimpliesauniversalityofthesamedimensionasincreationalso h  here,i.e.,theentiresurfaceoftheglobalmass.Whiletheterm uponthefaceofallthe   earth(Calp#XXXXFï#XFiXXXnkolh)add4D)add4re) sl.|LL4#XXXXFif#XFiXXX),oritsshortenedterm"alltheearth"(kolh)add4D)add4re) sl.|LL4)mayhavea 8  limitedmeaningelsewhereinScripturewhenindicatedbytheimmediatecontext,b Q#  3      ׀itisthe   intertextuallinkagetothecreationaccount,andnotwordstudyonlaterusageintheHebrew ` Bible,thatmustbedeterminativeforunderstandingthescopeoftheexpressionintheFlood @ narrative.TheimmediatecontextoftheFloodstoryistheuniversalsinfulnessofhumankind  whomGodhadmadeandcreated(Gen6:6,7)tohavedominionover"alltheearth"(Gen ` 1:26),andthustheglobalcreationlanguageisdecisiveforunderstandingtheextentofthis  termintheFloodcontext.Furthermore,thesucceedingcontextistheuniversaldispersalof 0 manaftertheTowerofBabel"uponthefaceofalltheearth"(Gen11:4,8,9).Ineachofthe   fouroccurrencesofthephrase"uponthefaceofalltheearth"inGenesisoutsidetheFlood P" story(Gen1:29;11:4,8,9),itclearlyhastheuniversalsenseoftheentirelandsurfaceofthe  0$ globe,andthereisnothingintheFloodnarrativetoindicateanylessuniversality.(Itshould p"& bealsonotedthatthetwoplacesinGenesiswhereincontextasimilarphrase"uponallthe $P( faceoftheearth"isnotuniversal[thelandoftheplainofSodomandGommorohviewedby % * AbrahaminGen19:28,andthefaminementionedinGen41:56],theHebrewhasasignificant  'p", changeinwordorderfromelsewhereinGenesis[Calkolp#XXXXFi#XFiXXXnh)add4D)add4re) sl.|LL4].Thesetwoverses  speaklocallyof allthefaceoftheearth,notuniversallyof thefaceofalltheearth.) H   3. Thefaceoftheground. Thephrase"faceoftheground"p#XXXXFi#XFiXXXnh)add4Dad]m]h(five ( timesintheGenesisFloodnarrative,7:4,22,23;8:8,13),occursinparallelwithuniversal, p  globaltermswehavejustnoted,"theearth"(7:23)and"faceofalltheearth"(8:9),andthis  P phrase"faceoftheground"likewiseharksbacktoitsfirstusageintheglobalcontextof    creation(Gen2:6).  p    4. Allflesh. Thetermkolb]]r"allflesh"occurs12timesinGen69(Gen6:12,   13,17,19;7:16,21;8:17;9:11,15,16,17).Thewordkol"all"(whichcanoccasionally @  expresslessthantotalityifthecontextdemands),beforeanindeterminatenounwithnoarticle   orpossessivesuffix,ashereinGen69,indicatestotality.God'sannouncementtodestroy ` "allflesh"(Gen6:13,17)andthenarrator'scommentthat"allflesh"died(Gen7:2122), @ excepttheinhabitantsoftheark,indicatesuniversaldestruction.Theoneoccurrenceofkol  plusthedeterminatenounh]b]]r"alltheflesh"(inGen7:15)likewiseindicatestotalityas ` wellasunity.Theterm allfleshisaccompaniedbytheadditionalphrases inwhichisthe  breathoflife(Gen6:17and7:15),and allinwhosenostrilswasthebreathofthespiritof 0 life(Gen7:2122),and everylivingcreature(Gen9:1012),whichphrasesharkbackto   thecreationaccountofanimalsandman(Gen1:24,30;2:7).Theterm allfleshisalso P" linkedintheFloodaccountwiththeinclusiveexpression everylivingthing,towhichwe  0$ turnourattentionnext. p"&   5. Everylivingthingand Allexistence. Theexpression"everylivingthing" $P( (kolh]) hl.|dd4ay)ofallflesh(Gen6:19;9:16),isanotherexpressionoftotality;inGen7:4,23,the % * similartermkolhay#XXXXFi#XFiXXXqEmmeansliterally,"allexistence."Furtherevidencefortheglobal  'p", extentofthistermistheadditionoftheclauseharkingbacktocreation allexistencethatI ($. havemade"(7:4)andbytheexclusivestatement"OnlyNoahandthosewhowerewithhimin H*%0 thearkremainedalive"(7:23).AsHaselputsit,"Thereishardlyanystrongerwayin +('2 Hebrewtoemphasizetotaldestructionof'allexistence'ofhumanandanimallifeonearththan  thewayithasbeenexpressed.ThewriteroftheGenesisfloodnarratoremployed @ terminology,formulae,andsyntacticalstructuresofthetypethatcouldnotbemoreemphatic   andexplicitinexpressinghisconceptofauniversal,worldwideflood"(Hasel1975,86) `    6. Underthewholeheaven. Thephrase"underthewholeheaven"(ta) hl.|dd4atkol  @ h]]m]yim,Gen7:19),isusedsixtimesintheOToutsideoftheFloodnarrative,andalways    withauniversalmeaning(seeDeut2:25;4:19;Job28:24;37:3;41:11;Dan9:12).For `  example,thephraseisusedtodescribeGod'somniscience:"ForHelookstotheendsofthe   earthandseesunderthewholeheavens"(Job28:24).Again,itdepictsGod'ssovereignty: 0  "Whatsoeverisunderthewholeheavenismine"(Job41:11KJV).(Notethattheusagein  Deuteronomy2:25,describing"thenationsunderthewholeheaven,"isfurtherqualifiedand P limitedbythephrase"whoshallhearthereportofyou,"andthusispotentiallyuniversaland 0 notanexceptiontotheuniversalsense.) p   Theuniversalphrase"underthewholeheaven"or"underalltheheavens"also P globalizesthephrase"underheaven"(Gen6:17)inthissameFloodcontext.Theword  "heaven"alonecanhavealocalmeaning(e.g.,1Kgs18:45),butherethecontextisclearly  p global.Ecclesiastes,whichcontainsnumerousallusionstocreation,likewiseutilizestheterm   "underheaven"withauniversalintention(Eccl1:13;2:3;3:1;cf.theparalleluniversal, @" worldwideexpression"underthesun"inEccl1:3,9;2:11,17;etc.).Mathewscomments  $ specificallyontheinclusivelanguageofGen6:17: Thisinclusivelanguage[inGen6:17]as `"& elsewhereinthisaccount[See6:7,1213;7:4,19,2123;8:21;9:11,15;cf.2Pet3:6] #@( suggeststhatthecataclysmwasworldwideinscope....Thiskindofinclusivelanguagefor % * localeventsisattestedelsewhereinGenesis(e.g.,41:5457),buttheinsistenceofthe '`", narrativeontheencompassingcharacterofthefloodfavorstheliteralunderstandingofthe (#.  universalview(Mathews1996,365) 0*%0 #XXXXFi#XFiXXX  IntheFloodaccountthisphrase"underthewholeheaven"ispartoftwoforceful   versesdescribingtheextentoftheFlood:"andthewatersprevailedsomightilyupontheearth @ thatallthehighmountainsunderthewholeheavenwerecovered.Thewatersprevailedfifteen   cubitsupward,andthemountainswerecovered"(7:19,20).CriticalscholarJohnSkinner `  notesthat7:19,20"notonlyassertsits[theflood's]universality,butsotospeakprovesit,by  @ givingtheexactheightofthewatersabovethehighestmountains"(Skinner1930/1956,165).      TheBiblicallanguageheresimplycannotbeexplainedintermsofalocalsky,and `  certainlycannotrefertothelocalmountainsbeingcoveredbysnow,assomeproponentsofa   localfloodsuggest.H.C.Leupoldpointsoutthatthewriterofvs.19isnotcontentwitha 0  singleuseofkol("all")in"allthehighmountains,"but"since'all'isknowntobeusedina  relativesense,thewriterremovesallpossibleambiguitybyaddingthephrase'underallthe P heavens.'Adouble'all'(kol)cannotallowforsorelativeasense.Italmostconstitutesa 0 Hebrewsuperlative.Sowebelievethatthetextdisposesofthequestionoftheuniversalityof p theFlood"(Leupold1942,301302). P   7. TheDeep. Haseldevotedanentirescholarlyarticletothephrase"allthe  fountains[kolmaCyenot]oftheGreatDeep[t#XXXXFiҫ#XFiXXXh=mrabb]h]"(Gen7:11;8:2),andshowed  p howitislinkedwiththeuniversal"Deep"(t#XXXXFi#XFiXXXh=m)orworldoceaninGen1:2(cf.Ps104:6:   "Youcoveredit[theearth]withthedeep[t#XXXXFiͳ#XFiXXXh=m]aswithagarment;thewaterswerestanding P" abovethemountains").The"breakingup"and"burstingforth"(i.e.,geologicalfaulting)of  8$ notjustonesubterraneanwaterspringinMesopotamia,butofallthe"fountains"oftheGreat x"& Deep,coupledinthesameversewiththeopeningofthewindowsoftheheavens,far $X( transcendsalocalscene.Haselperceptivelyconcludesthat"theburstingforthofthewaters % * fromthefountainsofthe'greatdeep'referstothesplittingopenofspringsofsubterranean ('x", waterswithsuchmightandforcethattogetherwiththetorrentialdownpouringofwaters ($.  storedintheatmosphericheavensaworldwidefloodcomesabout"(Hasel1974,71). H*%0   Recentlyithasbeenarguedthattheterm greatdeep#XXXXFi#(tkh=mrabb]h)XFiXXXneverrefersto   theoceanwaters,andtheexpression fountainsofthegreatdeep(#XXXXFi#KXXXXmaCyenothtkh=mrabb]h#XXXKXm#) H inGen7:11and8:2denotessubterranean(fresh)waters;thereforetheFloodwaterswerenot 0 causedbyoceans, theoceanswerenotinvolvedintheFlood,theFloodislimitedto the p  terrestrialportionoftheearth,and accordingtothebestBiblicalevidence[theGenesisFlood]  P canbeconsideredtobevalleyfloodsperhapsscatteredallovertheglobe(Johns2003,57,10,    13).Inresponse,itmaybefirstnotedthatcontrarytothisanalysis,theterm greatdeep  p  (tkh=mrabb]h)elsewhereinScripturedoesindeedrefertooceanwaters._[ Q#  4      _ԀButonceagain,this   kindofwordstudymissesthepointofthenarratorthattheFloodisareversalofcreation,and @  thusfailstorecognizethatthedeterminativecontextforinterpretingGen7:11and8:2istheuse   oftheterm deep(rabb]h)astheworldoceaninGen1.Itisgrantedthattheoceansdidnot ` supplyanynewsourceofwaterfortheGenesisFlood:theoceanswerealreadyinplace.Butthe @ fountainsofthegreatdeep,whichmayindeedrefertofreshwatersubterraneanstreams(that  surgedupfromtheearthscrustthroughtheoceansaswellasburstoutofthedryland), ` combinedwiththetorrentialrainsfromabove,raisedthelevelofwatertocoverallthehigh  mountains(notcultichighplaces!seebelow),andthusinevitablyjoinedwiththeoceanwatersto 0 returntheearthtoitsstatedescribedinGen1:2,when darknesswasonthefaceofthedeep   [tkh=m]andtheSpiritofGodwashoveringoverthefaceofthewaters.Thedivinecreative P" workofseparatingthedrylandfromthewaters(thethirddayofcreationweek)andthewaters  abovefromthewatersbelowthefirmament(theseconddayofcreationweek),wasreversed @ duringtheFlood,andthesurfaceoftheentireglobewasonceagaincoveredbythetkh=mXFiXXX   (worldocean).P.J.Harland,inhisrecentscholarlymonographontheGenesisFlood `  narrative,summarizesitwell: Thefloodreturnedtheworldtotheprecreationstateofone  @ largeocean(Harland1996,92).#XXXXFi#XFiXXX h       8.ThemabbEl.#XXXXFi#XFiXXX Inanotherarticle,Hasel(1978)showshowtheHebrewBible `  reservedaspecialtermmabbElwhichinits13occurrencesrefersexclusivelytotheglobal   GenesisFlood(12occurrencesinGenesis,onceinPs29:10).Thiswordmaybederivedfrom 0  theHebrewrootybl"toflow,tostream."ThetermmabbEl,whichintheFloodnarrativeis  usuallyassociatedwithmayim"waters,"seemstohavebecome"atechnicaltermforwaters P flowingorstreamingforthandassuchdesignatestheflood(deluge)beingcausedby 0 waters....mabbElisintheOldTestamentatermconsistentlyemployedfortheflood p (deluge)whichwascausedbytorrentialrainsandtheburstingforthofsubterraneanwaters" P (Hasel1978,9293).ThistechnicaltermclearlysetstheGenesisDelugeapartfromalllocal  floods,andisutilizedinthePs29:10toillustrateYahweh'suniversalsovereigntyoverthe  p worldatthetimeoftheNoahicFlood:"TheLordsatenthronedattheFlood,andtheLordsits   asKingforever." @"   RegardingthetechnicalterminologyusedfortheextentoftheFloodinGen69,Hasel  $ summarizes:"TheGenesisfloodnarrativeprovidesampleevidenceofbeinganaccountwhich `"& istobeunderstoodasahistoricalnarrativeinprosestyle.Itexpectstobetakenliterally. #@( Thereisaconsistentandoverwhelmingamountofterminologyandformulae...#XXXXFii#XFiXXXwhichonthe % * basisofcontextandsyntaxhasuniformlyindicatedthatthefloodstorywantstobeunderstood '`", inauniversalsense:thewatersdestroyedallhumanandanimalplusbirdlifeontheentireland (#.  massoftheglobe.Toreaditotherwisemeanstoforceameaningonthecarefullywrittenand 0*%0 specificsyntacticalconstructionsoftheoriginallanguagewhichthetextitselfrejects"(Hasel  1975,87). @  B.OtherBiblicalEvidenceforaUniversalFlood  `    Manyadditionallinesofbiblicalevidenceconvergeinaffirmingtheuniversalextentof  @ theFloodandalsorevealthetheologicalsignificanceofthisconclusion.Wewillsummarize    fourteenpointsthatemergefromthebiblicaltext. `     1.TheFloodastheCosmicUndoingofCreation. Keytermsandmotifsthatwe   havealreadynotedinGen69convergetomakeamajortheologicalstatement:theNoahic 0  Floodisnothinglessthanthecosmicundoingorreversalofcreation.Numerousbiblical  scholarshaverecognizedthishighlysignificanttheologicalpointoftheFloodnarrative. P NahumSarnawritesthat"TheFloodisacosmiccatastrophethatisactuallytheundoingof 0 creation....Inotherwords,creationisbeingundone,andtheworldreturnedtochaos" p (Sarna,1989,48,85).Tikva_Frymer_ԄKenskydescribestheFloodas"theoriginal,cosmic P undoingofcreation"(_Frymer_ԄKensky,1983,410;cf._Frymer_ԄKensky,1985,312).Claus  Westermannspeaksofthe"invasionofchaosintothecreatedorder;thefloodassumedcosmic  p proportions"(Westermann,1974/1984,434).UmbertoCassutopointsoutthatatthehigh   pointoftheFlood,"Weseewatereverywhere,asthoughtheworldhadrevertedtoits @" primevalstateatthedawnofCreation,whenthewatersoftheDeepsubmergedeverything"  $ (Cassuto,1964,97).D.J.A.Clinesusestheapttermbouleversementor"reversal"of `"& creationtodepictthetheologicalsignificanceoftheFlood(Clines,197273,136).ForJoseph #@( Blenkinsopp,"thedelugeisanactofuncreation,undoingtheworkofseparationbyreturning % * everythingtotheprimeval,waterychaosfromwhichthecreatedorderfirstarose" '`", (Blenkinsopp,1992,83;cf.Blenkinsopp,1971,4647).Mathewsdescribestheuniversalun (#. creationintheFlood: NowtheLordsetsinmotiontheuncreationoftheworldbyreleasing 0*%0 thepowersthatalwaysstandreadytooverwhelmlife.Thewatersonceseparatedwillnowbe +'2 rejoinedforthepurposeofdestruction.Earthsdisruptioniscomprehensive;allthewaters  ofthegreatdeepcameforth.Theimmensefloodwatersinvolvetheflowofwatersfrom @ belowandfromabove,amerismindicatingthecompletetransformationoftheterrestrial   structures(Matthews,1996,376). `    GerhardvonRadvividlyunderscorestheuniversalimplicationsofthisundoingor  @ reversalofcreation:"wemustunderstandtheFlood,therefore,asacatastropheinvolvingthe    entirecosmos....Herethecatastrophe,therefore,concernsnotonlymenandbeasts...but `  theearth(chs.6.13;9.1)"indeed,theentirecosmos"(vonRad,1972,128).Harlanddevotes   anentirechapterofhismonographontheGenesisFloodtothemotifof creation,uncreation, 0  andrecreation,anddemonstrateshowtheFloodnarrativeisanundoingofcreation: The  storyofthefloodpresentsthereaderwithanalmostcompletereversaloftheaccountof P creationinGen12....GodaloneisthesovereignLordofallthatexistsandsinceheisthe 0 solecreator,sotoohecanbecometheuncreatoroftheworld....Thefloodreturnedthe p worldtotheprecreationstateofonelargeocean(Harland1996,89,92).Onlya P cosmic/universalFloodcantheologicallyencompassthecosmic/universalreversalorundoing  ofcreationdescribedinGen69.  p   2.TheCosmicReCreationaftertheFlood. Thecosmicreversalofcreationis   followedbyacosmicNewBeginning.AsClinesstatesit,"the'uncreation'whichGodhas @" workedwiththeFloodisnotfinal;creationhasnotbeenpermanentlyundone.Oldunitiesof  $ thenaturalworldarerestored(8:22),andtheoldordinancesofcreationarerenewed(9:17)" `"& (Clines,197273,138).JacquesDoukhanhasshownthepreciseliteraryparallelsbetweenthe #@( successivestagesof"recreation"intheaftermathoftheFlood(Gen89)andthesevendays % * ofcreationinGenesis1:22:3(Doukhan,1987,133134;cf.Gage,1984,1020):r^X:` hp x (#%'0*,.8135@8:<H?AXr '`",   1. : Thewindovertheearthandwaters.Gen.8:1;cf.Gen.1:2. (#.   2. : Divisionofwaters.Gen.8:15;cf.Gen.1:68. h)$/   3. : Appearanceofplants.Gen.8:612;cf.Gen.1:913. 0*%0   4. : Appearanceoflight.Gen.8:1314;cf.Gen.1:1419. *H&1    5. : Deliveranceofanimals.Gen.8:1517;cf.Gen.1:2023. +'2   6.0 : Animalstogetherwithmen,blessing,foodformen,imageofGod.Gen.8:189:7;   cf.Gen.1:2431.x:(#:(#   7. : Signofcovenant.Gen.9:817;cf.Gen.2:13. @ Thusintheoverarchingliterarystructureofthe"recreation"intheFloodnarrative,the   universaldimensionoftheFloodisunderscoredbydetailedparallelswiththeglobalcreation `  accountofGenesis1:32:3.  @ #XXXXFiS#  3.UniversalthemesinGenesis111. ThetrajectoryofmajorthemesinGen1    11"Creation,Fall,planofredemption,spreadofsin"isuniversalinscopeandcallsfora `  correspondinguniversaljudgment(Clines1994).Wehavealreadynotedinreferencetospecific   Floodterminologythenumerousallusionstotheuniversalcontextofcreation.Thecreationof 0  "theheavensandtheearth"certainlyisnotlocalinscopeaccordingtoGen1.    Likewise,theFallofhumanityinAdamandEveledtothesinfulconditionoftheentire P humanrace(_h]_D_]d]m_),notjusttheinhabitantsofMesopotamia(seeGen6:5,11;Rom3:19; 0 5:12).Again,the_Protoevangelium_Ԁ(firstGospelpromise)outlinedinGen3:15,involvesthe p universalmoralstrugglebetweenthespiritualdescendants(or"seed")oftheserpentandthe P spiritualdescendants("seed")ofthewoman,culminatinginthevictoryoftherepresentative  MessianicSeedovertheserpent(seeRobertson1980;Ojewole2001).Thisplanofredemptionis  p certainlyuniversalinscope.     InharmonywiththeuniversaldimensionsofprecedingthemesinGen15,thesinful @" conditionofhumankinddescribedatthetimeoftheFloodincludesmorethanthoselivinginthe  $ FertileCrescent.IftheFloodwereonlylocalinextent,itwouldbetheonlyrestrictedthemein `"& Gen111.FromGod'sperspective,notsimplyfromtheculturallyconditionedlocalviewofthe #@( narrator,wehavetheworldwideresultsofthedivineinvestigativejudgment:"AndGodsawthat % * thewickednessofman(_h]_D_]d]m_,humankind)wasgreatintheearth,andthateveryimagination '`", ofthethoughtsofhisheartwasonlyevilcontinually"(Gen6:5).Suchuniversalsinfulness (#.  naturallycallsforuniversaljudgment. 0*%0   4.TheuniversaldivinepurposeoftheFlood. Thedivinepurposegivenforthe   bringingoftheFloodmakesexplicititsuniversalscope:"AndtheLordsaid,'Iwilldestroyman @ [_h]_D_]d]m_,humanity]whomIhavecreatedfromthefaceoftheearth;bothman,andbeast,   creepingthingandbirdsoftheair,forIamsorrythatIhavemadethem"(Gen6:7).Nothingless `  thanacompletedestructionofthehumanrace(exceptforNoah,6:8)seemsenvisaged.Giventhe  @ lengthoftimefromcreation(over1650yearsminimum),thelongevityofthe_antediluvians_Ԁ(nearly    athousandyearsonaverage),andGod'scommandatcreationto"filltheearth"(Gen1:28),itis `  highlyunlikelythatthepreFloodpopulationwouldhavestayedonlyinMesopotamia.Thusthe   destructionofhumanitywouldnecessitatemorethanalocalFlood. 0    5.Theuniversalgenealogies. ThegenealogicallinesfrombothAdam(Gen4:1726;  5:131)andNoah(Gen10:132;11:19)areexclusiveinnature,indicatingthatasAdamwas P fatherofallpreFloodhumanity,soNoahwasfatherofallpostFloodhumanity.Fromthe 0 descendantsofNoah"thenationsspreadabroadontheearthaftertheflood"(Gen10:32),andthe p TowerofBabelexperiencespreadshumanityacrosstheglobe(Gen11:119). P   Strikingextrabiblicalevidencethatallhumanraces,andnotjustthenationsoftheFertile  Crescent,areincludedinthedescendantsofNoah,andretainmemoryoftheuniversalFlood,is  p foundintheamazingprevalenceofancientfloodstoriesthroughouttheworld.Over230   differentfloodstoriesareknownandoccuramongthemostdiversepeoplesoftheearth(see @" Frazer,1918,1:105361;Nelson,1931).Aworldwidefloodisbyfarthemostfrequentlygiven  $ causeforpastuniversallydestructivecalamitiesinthefolkliteratureofantiquity(Thompson, `"& 1955,1:182194). #@(   Aremarkablenumberoftheseoralandwrittentraditionsagreeuponthebasicpointsof % * thebiblicalaccount:allhumankindwasdestroyedbyagreatfloodasaresultofdivinejudgment '`", againsthumansin,andasinglemanandhisfamilyorafewfriendssurvivedthedelugeinashipor (#. otherseafaringvessel.ThestoriesnearesttotheareaoftheDispersionatBabelaretheclosest 0*%0 indetailtothebiblicalaccount(seeHeidel,1946;Jacobsen,1981;andLambertandMillard, +'2 1969).ThisvastbodyofancientwitnessestoaworldwideDelugeispowerfultestimonytothe  historicityanduniversalityofthebiblicalFlood. @   6.Theuniversaldivineblessing. Thesameinclusivedivineblessingtobefruitfuland   multiplyfilltheearthisgiventobothAdamandNoah(Gen1:28;9:1).Thisisanotherlinkage `  betweenuniversalcreationandtheFlood,betweentheoriginalbeginningandthe"new  @ beginning."AsthehumanraceatcreationflowsfromAdamandEve,sothepostdiluvial    humanityispopulatedthroughNoah. `    7.Theglobalcovenant. TheNoachiccovenant(Gen9:910)withitsrainbowsign(Gen   9:1217)isclearlylinkedtotheextentoftheFlood,andincludesthewholeglobe(Gen9:1317). 0  Iftherewasonlyalocalflood,thenthecovenantwouldbeonlyalimitedcovenant,andthe  rainbowsignof"theallembracinguniversalityoftheDivinemercy"(Delitzsch,1888/1976, P 1:289290)wouldbestrippedofitsmeaning. 0   8.Theuniversaldivinepromise. TheviabilityofGod'spromise(Gen9:15;cf.Isa p 54:9)andtheintegrityofGodinkeepingHispromiseiswrappedupintheworldwideextentof P theFlood.Thispointcannotbeunderscoredtooheavily:ifGen69describesonlyalocalflood,  thenGodhasbrokenHispromiseeverytimeanotherlocalfloodhashappened!Theonlyway  p God'spromisenottosendanotherfloodtodestroyeverylivingthing(Gen8:21)canbeseento   havebeenkeptisiftheFloodwasauniversaloneandthewholehumanraceoutsidethearkwas @" destroyed.  $   9.Thesize(andnecessity)oftheark. TheworldwideextentoftheFloodis `"& underscoredbytheenormoussizeofthearkdetailedinGen6:1415andthestatednecessityfor #@( savingallthespeciesofanimalsandplantsintheark(Gen6:1621;7:23).Amassivearkfilled % * withrepresentativesofallnonaquaticanimal/plantspecieswouldbeunnecessaryifthiswereonly '`", alocalflood,forthesespeciescouldhavebeenpreservedelsewhereintheworld.Yetthedivine (#. insistenceinthebibl_ical_Ԁrecordisthattheanimalswerebroughtintothearktopreserve 0*%0 representativesofallofthevariousspecies(Gen6:1920). +'2   SomehaveclaimedthattheFloodaccountdoesnotindicatethatrepresentativesofallair  breathingterrestrialanimalswentintotheark,butonlyofthedomesticatedanimals,andthat @ representativesofthewildanimalssurvivedoutsidetheark(seeFilby1970,8586;Johns2003,   15).ButsuchattemptshavemistakenlysoughttodefinethetermsforanimalsinGen69based `  uponlaterusageofthesetermsintheHebrewBible,andfailedtorecognizethattheFlood  @ accountisharkingbacktotheusageofthesesametermsinthecreationaccount.Thefactisthat    thefourtermsusedintheFloodnarrativetodescribetheanimalsbroughtonboardthearkarethe `  samefourtermsusedbythenarratorofGenesisforsummarizingallthevariouskindsof   terrestrialanimalscreatedbyGodinGen1.Tc Q#  5      ׀TheaccompanyinginclusivelanguageofGen69, 0   muchofwhichharksbacktoterminologyfromthecreationaccount,makesthepointevenclearer  thatrepresentativesofallairbreathingterrestrialcreaturescreatedbyGodwentontheark,and  thatnoneofthesecreaturessurvivedtheFloodoutsidetheark.U Q#  6      ׀ @    Furthermore,ifonlyalocalfloodwereinview,thebuildingofanyarkatall,evenfor   Noahandhisfamily,wouldhavebeensuperfluous"GodcouldsimplyhavewarnedNoahandhis `  familyintimetoescapefromthecomingjudgment,justashedidwithLotinSodom.Butthe  @ pointofthenarrativeconcerningthearkisthattherewasnootherescape;inthemidstofthe    Flood"onlyNoahandthosewhowerewithhiminthearkremained"(Gen7:23).ArtHill(2003, `  66)hasstatedthisargumentforauniversalfloodinaseriesofwrylyphrasedincisivequestions:   8  Ifthearkwaslocal,whyspend120yearsbuildinganark;whynotjustchasethe 0  cowsoverthehill?Orwhybotheratallsincemostofthespeciesalreadyexisted H  overthehill?Certainlymostofthebirdswouldbeabletoflytohigherground;  howhumiliatingfortheeaglestobecarriedoutofthevalleyinahouseboat!  Whataboutthepeoplethatlivedoverthehill;arewetoassumethateveryone P aliveontheearthatthetimeofthefloodlivedinMesopotamia;or,thatnoneof h theablebodiedpeopleinMesopotamiawereabletoclimbtohigherground?0     10.Thecoveringofallthehighmountains. Thecoveringof"allthehighmountains" p byatleast15cubits(Gen7:1920)couldnotinvolvesimplyalocalflood,sincewaterseeksits P ownlevelacrossthesurfaceoftheglobe.Evenonehighmountaincoveredinalocal  Mesopotamiansettingwouldrequirethatsameheightofwatereverywhereontheplanet's @ surface.     Inthisconnectionwenotethatitisnotnecessarytopostulatetheexistenceofmountains `  ashighasMt.EverestatthetimeoftheFlood,andthustorequirewaterscoveringtheearthtoa  @ depthofsixmiles,assomeproponentsofalocalfloodsuggestwouldbenecessary(seeRamm,    1954,242).Theantediluvianmountainswereverypossiblymuchlowerthanatpresent. `  PassagesinthebookofJobmaywellbereferringtotheprocessof_postdiluvian_Ԁmountainuplift   (seeJob9:5;28:9;Ps104:59probablyreferstocreationandnottopostdiluvialactivity,as 0  sometimesclaimed).    Alsointhisconnectionwemayaddresstheobjectionthatproponentsofalocalflood P oftenraise,namely,thataworldwideFloodwouldimply"thattheearth'ssurfacewascompletely 0 renovatedduringthefloodyear"andthus"_prediluvian_Ԁtopographywouldhavebeenexceedingly p differentfrom_postdiluvian_Ԁtopography."Thisimplication,theyclaim,isinconflictwithBiblical P evidencewhich"stronglysuggeststhat_prediluvian_Ԁgeographydidbasicallyresemble_postdiluvian_  geography"(Young,1977,210).Referenceismadeparticularlytothetopographicaldescriptions  p inconnectionwiththeGardenofEden:thelandsof_Havilah_Ԁand_Cush_,andthefourrivers,twoof   which(theTigrisandtheEuphrates)werefamiliartothereadersofGenesisinMoses'time. @"   Whatisnotrecognizedinthesearguments,however,isthatalthoughtherearesome  $ similaritiesbetweenthe_prediluvian_Ԁand_postdiluvian_Ԁtopography,therearemoredifferencesthan `"& similarities.TwooftheriversmentionedapparentlynolongerexistedinMoses'time:the_Pishon_ #@( and_Gihon_Ԁarementionedintermsofwheretheyusedtoflow,inthe_postdiluvian_Ԁareasof_Havilah_ % * and_Cush_Ԁrespectively.Theothertworivers"theTigrisandEuphrates"aredescribedascoming '`", fromacommonsourceintheGardenofEden,certainlyfardifferentfromtheirpresentcourses. (#. ThusthetopographicaldescriptionsintheearlychaptersofGenesisareinharmonywithaworld 0*%0 wideFlood. +'2   AfinalargumentofthelessthanglobalviewoftheFloodXFiXXXregardingthereferenceto  watercovering allthehighmountainsmustbebrieflyaddressed.Itisclaimedthatthe H referenceto allthehighmountainsbeingcovered(Gen7:19)actuallyalludestoidolatrous (  highplacessimilartothosementionedlaterintheProphetsintheircastigationofthe h  fertilitycults,andthere