Genesis 7:11 Meaning and Explanation
“In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →On a specific date—the 17th day of the second month in Noah's 600th year—the flood's dual source bursts forth: the deep and the heavens.
The Context of Genesis 7:11
The flood erupts from both subterranean and atmospheric sources on a recorded date.
What Does Genesis 7:11 Mean?
The pinpoint chronology—year, month, day—emphasizes this is not myth but history with fixed temporal markers. The fountains of the great deep suggest subterranean waters released from beneath the earth, while windows of heaven point to torrential rain from above. The flood comes from two directions simultaneously, total and overwhelming.
This verse combines cosmic and geological drama. The earth's interior and the sky itself become instruments of judgment. The terminology—broken up for the deep and opened for heaven—conveys violent release, as if creation's structural integrity is undone. This is judgment on an unprecedented scale.
Genesis 7:11 in the Original Language
tehom (tehom), great deep — the primordial waters beneath the earth, representing both the waters of creation (Genesis 1:2) and the judgment now unleashed.
Frequently Asked Questions About Genesis 7:11
What does Genesis 7:11 mean?
On a specific date—the 17th day of the second month in Noah's 600th year—the flood's dual source bursts forth: the deep and the heavens.
What is the context of Genesis 7:11?
The flood erupts from both subterranean and atmospheric sources on a recorded date.