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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "//www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="//www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1" /><title>Genesis 8:3 The waters receded steadily from the earth, and after 150 days the waters had gone down.</title><link rel="canonical" href="https://biblehub.com/genesis/8-3.htm" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="/new9.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><meta property="og:image" content="https://biblehub.com/visuals/8/01_Gen_08_03.jpg" /><meta property="og:title" content="Genesis 8:3 - The Ark Rests on Ararat" /><meta property="og:site_name" content="Bible Hub" /><meta property="og:description" content="The waters receded steadily from the earth, and after 150 days the waters had gone down." /><script type="application/javascript" src="https://scripts.webcontentassessor.com/scripts/8a2459b64f9cac8122fc7f2eac4409c8555fac9383016db59c4c26e3d5b8b157"></script><script src='https://qd.admetricspro.com/js/biblehub/biblehub-layout-loader-revcatch.js'></script><script id='HyDgbd_1s' src='https://prebidads.revcatch.com/ads.js' type='text/javascript' async></script><script>(function(w,d,b,s,i){var cts=d.createElement(s);cts.async=true;cts.id='catchscript'; cts.dataset.appid=i;cts.src='https://app.protectsubrev.com/catch_rp.js?cb='+Math.random(); document.head.appendChild(cts); }) (window,document,'head','script','rc-anksrH');</script></head><body><div id="fx"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx2"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="30" scrolling="no" src="/vmenus/genesis/8-3.htm" align="left" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div><div id="blnk"></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable"><tr><td><div id="fx5"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx6"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="245" scrolling="no" src="/bmc/genesis/8-3.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable3"><tr><td><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center" id="announce"><tr><td><div id="l1"><div id="breadcrumbs"><a href="/">Bible</a> > <a href="/genesis/">Genesis</a> > <a href="/genesis/8.htm">Chapter 8</a> > Verse 3</div><div id="anc"><iframe src="/anc.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></div><div id="anc2"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><iframe src="/anc2.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></div><div id="ad1"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><iframe src="/ad3.htm" width="100%" height="48" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></td></tr></table><div id="movebox2"><table border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td><div id="topheading"><a href="/genesis/8-2.htm" title="Genesis 8:2">◄</a> Genesis 8:3 <a href="/genesis/8-4.htm" title="Genesis 8:4">►</a></div></tr></table></div><div align="center" class="maintable2"><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><div id="topverse"> <a href="#audio" class="clickchap2" title="Context and Audio Bible"> Audio </a> <a href="#crossref" class="clickchap2" title="Cross References"> Cross </a> <a href="#study" class="clickchap2" title="Study Bible"> Study </a> <a href="#commentary" class="clickchap2" title="Commentary"> Comm </a> <a href="#lexicon" class="clickchap2" title="Lexicon"> Heb </a> </div><div id="leftbox"><div class="padleft"><div class="vheadingv"><b>Verse</b><a href="/bsb/genesis/8.htm" class="clickchap" style="color:#001320" title="Click any translation name for full chapter">  (Click for Chapter)</a></div><div id="par"><span class="versiontext"><a href="/niv/genesis/8.htm">New International Version</a></span><br />The water receded steadily from the earth. At the end of the hundred and fifty days the water had gone down,<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nlt/genesis/8.htm">New Living Translation</a></span><br />So the floodwaters gradually receded from the earth. After 150 days,<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/esv/genesis/8.htm">English Standard Version</a></span><br />and the waters receded from the earth continually. At the end of 150 days the waters had abated,<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/bsb/genesis/8.htm">Berean Standard Bible</a></span><br />The waters receded steadily from the earth, and after 150 days the waters had gone down.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/kjv/genesis/8.htm">King James Bible</a></span><br />And the waters returned from off the earth continually: and after the end of the hundred and fifty days the waters were abated.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nkjv/genesis/8.htm">New King James Version</a></span><br />And the waters receded continually from the earth. At the end of the hundred and fifty days the waters decreased.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb_/genesis/8.htm">New American Standard Bible</a></span><br />and the water receded steadily from the earth, and at the end of 150 days the water decreased.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb/genesis/8.htm">NASB 1995</a></span><br />and the water receded steadily from the earth, and at the end of one hundred and fifty days the water decreased.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb77/genesis/8.htm">NASB 1977 </a></span><br />and the water receded steadily from the earth, and at the end of one hundred and fifty days the water decreased.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lsb/genesis/8.htm">Legacy Standard Bible </a></span><br />and the water receded from the earth, going <i>forth</i> and returning, and at the end of 150 days the water decreased.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/amp/genesis/8.htm">Amplified Bible</a></span><br />and the waters receded steadily from the earth. At the end of a hundred and fifty days the waters had diminished.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/csb/genesis/8.htm">Christian Standard Bible</a></span><br />The water steadily receded from the earth, and by the end of 150 days the water had decreased significantly.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/hcsb/genesis/8.htm">Holman Christian Standard Bible</a></span><br />The water steadily receded from the earth, and by the end of 150 days the waters had decreased significantly.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/asv/genesis/8.htm">American Standard Version</a></span><br />and the waters returned from off the earth continually: and after the end of a hundred and fifty days the waters decreased.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/cev/genesis/8.htm">Contemporary English Version</a></span><br />For 150 days the water slowly went down. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/erv/genesis/8.htm">English Revised Version</a></span><br />and the waters returned from off the earth continually: and after the end of an hundred and fifty days the waters decreased.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/gwt/genesis/8.htm">GOD'S WORD® Translation</a></span><br />The water began to recede from the land. At the end of 150 days the water had decreased.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/gnt/genesis/8.htm">Good News Translation</a></span><br />and the water gradually went down for 150 days. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/isv/genesis/8.htm">International Standard Version</a></span><br />Then the flood waters steadily receded, diminishing completely by the end of the 150 days. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/msb/genesis/8.htm">Majority Standard Bible</a></span><br />The waters receded steadily from the earth, and after 150 days the waters had gone down.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/net/genesis/8.htm">NET Bible</a></span><br />The waters kept receding steadily from the earth, so that they had gone down by the end of the 150 days.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nheb/genesis/8.htm">New Heart English Bible</a></span><br />And the waters receded steadily from the land. And after the end of one hundred fifty days the waters had decreased significantly.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/wbt/genesis/8.htm">Webster's Bible Translation</a></span><br />And the waters returned from off the earth continually: and after the end of the hundred and fifty days the waters were abated.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/web/genesis/8.htm">World English Bible</a></span><br />The waters continually receded from the earth. After the end of one hundred fifty days the waters receded. <div class="vheading2"><b>Literal Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lsv/genesis/8.htm">Literal Standard Version</a></span><br />And the waters return from off the earth, going on and returning; and the waters are lacking at the end of one hundred and fifty days.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/ylt/genesis/8.htm">Young's Literal Translation</a></span><br /> And turn back do the waters from off the earth, going on and returning; and the waters are lacking at the end of a hundred and fifty days.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/slt/genesis/8.htm">Smith's Literal Translation</a></span><br />And the waters shall turn back from over the earth, going and turning back, and the waters shall fail from the end of fifty and one hundred days.<div class="vheading2"><b>Catholic Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/drb/genesis/8.htm">Douay-Rheims Bible</a></span><br />And the waters returned from off the earth going and coming: and they began to be abated after a hundred and fifty days. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/cpdv/genesis/8.htm">Catholic Public Domain Version</a></span><br />And the waters were restored to their coming and going from the earth. And they began to diminish after one hundred and fifty days.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nabre/genesis/8.htm">New American Bible</a></span><br />Gradually the waters receded from the earth. At the end of one hundred and fifty days, the waters had so diminished<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nrsvce/genesis/8.htm">New Revised Standard Version</a></span><br />and the waters gradually receded from the earth. At the end of one hundred fifty days the waters had abated;<div class="vheading2"><b>Translations from Aramaic</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lamsa/genesis/8.htm">Lamsa Bible</a></span><br />And the waters receded from the earth gradually; and after the end of a hundred and fifty clays the waters abated.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/hpbt/genesis/8.htm">Peshitta Holy Bible Translated</a></span><br />And the waters returned from the Earth; they were going and were returning, and the waters decreased after a hundred and fifty days.<div class="vheading2"><b>OT Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/jps/genesis/8.htm">JPS Tanakh 1917</a></span><br />And the waters returned from off the earth continually; and after the end of a hundred and fifty days the waters decreased.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/sep/genesis/8.htm">Brenton Septuagint Translation</a></span><br />And the water subsided, and went off the earth, and after an hundred and fifty days the water was diminished, and the ark rested in the seventh month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, on the mountains of Ararat.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/parallel/genesis/8-3.htm">Additional Translations ...</a></span></div></div></div><div id="centbox"><div class="padcent"><a name="audio" id="audio"></a><div class="vheadingv"><b>Audio Bible</b></div><iframe width="100%" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7ehevn8iSgc?start=1666" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe><span class="p"><br /><br /><br /></span><div class="vheadingv"><b>Context</b></div><span class="hdg"><a href="/bsb/genesis/8.htm">The Ark Rests on Ararat</a></span><br>…<span class="reftext">2</span>The springs of the deep and the floodgates of the heavens were closed, and the rain from the sky was restrained. <span class="reftext">3</span><span class="highl"><a href="/hebrew/4325.htm" title="4325: ham·ma·yim (Art:: N-mp) -- Waters, water. Dual of a primitive noun; water; figuratively, juice; by euphemism, urine, semen.">The waters</a> <a href="/hebrew/7725.htm" title="7725: way·yā·šu·ḇū (Conj-w:: V-Qal-ConsecImperf-3mp) -- A primitive root; to turn back transitively or intransitively, literally or figuratively; generally to retreat; often adverbial, again.">receded</a> <a href="/hebrew/1980.htm" title="1980: hā·lō·wḵ (V-Qal-InfAbs) -- To go, come, walk. Akin to yalak; a primitive root; to walk.">steadily</a> <a href="/hebrew/7725.htm" title="7725: wā·šō·wḇ (Conj-w:: V-Qal-InfAbs) -- A primitive root; to turn back transitively or intransitively, literally or figuratively; generally to retreat; often adverbial, again."></a> <a href="/hebrew/5921.htm" title="5921: mê·‘al (Prep-m) -- Properly, the same as al used as a preposition; above, over, upon, or against in a great variety of applications.">from</a> <a href="/hebrew/776.htm" title="776: hā·’ā·reṣ (Art:: N-fs) -- Earth, land. From an unused root probably meaning to be firm; the earth.">the earth,</a> <a href="/hebrew/7097.htm" title="7097: miq·ṣêh (Prep-m:: N-msc) -- End, extremity. Or qetseh; from qatsah; an extremity.">and after</a> <a href="/hebrew/3967.htm" title="3967: ū·mə·’aṯ (Conj-w:: Number-fsc) -- Hundred. Or metyah; properly, a primitive numeral; a hundred; also as a multiplicative and a fraction.">150</a> <a href="/hebrew/2572.htm" title="2572: ḥă·miš·šîm (Number-cp) -- Fifty. Multiple of chamesh; fifty."></a> <a href="/hebrew/3117.htm" title="3117: yō·wm (N-ms) -- Day. From an unused root meaning to be hot; a day, whether literal, or figurative.">days</a> <a href="/hebrew/4325.htm" title="4325: ham·ma·yim (Art:: N-mp) -- Waters, water. Dual of a primitive noun; water; figuratively, juice; by euphemism, urine, semen.">the waters</a> <a href="/hebrew/2637.htm" title="2637: way·yaḥ·sə·rū (Conj-w:: V-Qal-ConsecImperf-3mp) -- To lack, need, be lacking, decrease. A primitive root; to lack; by implication, to fail, want, lessen.">had gone down.</a> </span><span class="reftext">4</span>On the seventeenth day of the seventh month, the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat.…<div class="cred"><a href="//berean.bible">Berean Standard Bible</a> · <a href="//berean.bible/downloads.htm">Download</a></div><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a name="crossref" id="crossref"></a><div class="vheading">Cross References</div><div id="crf"><span class="crossverse"><a href="/genesis/7-24.htm">Genesis 7:24</a></span><br />And the waters prevailed upon the earth for 150 days.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/genesis/1-9.htm">Genesis 1:9</a></span><br />And God said, “Let the waters under the sky be gathered into one place, so that the dry land may appear.” And it was so.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/exodus/14-21.htm">Exodus 14:21-22</a></span><br />Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the LORD drove back the sea with a strong east wind that turned it into dry land. So the waters were divided, / and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with walls of water on their right and on their left.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/psalms/104-6.htm">Psalm 104:6-9</a></span><br />You covered it with the deep like a garment; the waters stood above the mountains. / At Your rebuke the waters fled; at the sound of Your thunder they hurried away— / the mountains rose and the valleys sank to the place You assigned for them— ...<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/job/38-8.htm">Job 38:8-11</a></span><br />Who enclosed the sea behind doors when it burst forth from the womb, / when I made the clouds its garment and thick darkness its blanket, / when I fixed its boundaries and set in place its bars and doors, ...<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/isaiah/54-9.htm">Isaiah 54:9</a></span><br />“For to Me this is like the days of Noah, when I swore that the waters of Noah would never again cover the earth. So I have sworn that I will not be angry with you or rebuke you.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/2_peter/3-6.htm">2 Peter 3:6</a></span><br />through which the world of that time perished in the flood.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/matthew/24-37.htm">Matthew 24:37-39</a></span><br />As it was in the days of Noah, so will it 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. / And they were oblivious until the flood came and swept them all away. So will it be at the coming of the Son of Man.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/luke/17-26.htm">Luke 17:26-27</a></span><br />Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man: / People were eating and drinking, marrying and being given in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/hebrews/11-7.htm">Hebrews 11:7</a></span><br />By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in godly fear built an ark to save his family. By faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/1_peter/3-20.htm">1 Peter 3:20</a></span><br />who disobeyed long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In the ark a few people, only eight souls, were saved through water.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/revelation/22-1.htm">Revelation 22:1-2</a></span><br />Then the angel showed me a river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb / down the middle of the main street of the city. On either side of the river stood a tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit and yielding a fresh crop for each month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/psalms/29-10.htm">Psalm 29:10</a></span><br />The LORD sits enthroned over the flood; the LORD is enthroned as King forever.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/isaiah/11-9.htm">Isaiah 11:9</a></span><br />They will neither harm nor destroy on all My holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the sea is full of water.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/jeremiah/5-22.htm">Jeremiah 5:22</a></span><br />Do you not fear Me?” declares the LORD. “Do you not tremble before Me, the One who set the sand as the boundary for the sea, an enduring barrier it cannot cross? The waves surge, but they cannot prevail. They roar but cannot cross it.</div><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a name="tsk" id="tsk"><div class="vheading">Treasury of Scripture</div><p class="tsk2">And the waters returned from off the earth continually: and after the end of the hundred and fifty days the waters were abated.</p><p class="hdg">continually.</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/genesis/7-11.htm">Genesis 7:11,24</a></b></br> 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… </p><div class="vheading">Jump to Previous</div><a href="/esther/7-10.htm">Abated</a> <a href="/genesis/6-5.htm">Continually</a> <a href="/genesis/4-3.htm">Course</a> <a href="/jeremiah/30-19.htm">Decreased</a> <a href="/genesis/8-1.htm">Earth</a> <a href="/genesis/7-22.htm">End</a> <a href="/genesis/7-24.htm">Fifty</a> <a href="/genesis/7-24.htm">Hundred</a> <a href="/genesis/6-16.htm">Lower</a> <a href="/genesis/8-1.htm">Receded</a> <a href="/1_peter/3-9.htm">Returning</a> <a href="/acts/27-7.htm">Slowly</a> <a href="/2_corinthians/3-7.htm">Steadily</a> <a href="/revelation/11-6.htm">Turn</a> <a href="/genesis/8-1.htm">Water</a> <a href="/genesis/8-1.htm">Waters</a><div class="vheading2">Jump to Next</div><a href="/genesis/8-8.htm">Abated</a> <a href="/genesis/8-5.htm">Continually</a> <a href="/genesis/38-12.htm">Course</a> <a href="/genesis/8-5.htm">Decreased</a> <a href="/genesis/8-7.htm">Earth</a> <a href="/genesis/8-6.htm">End</a> <a href="/genesis/9-28.htm">Fifty</a> <a href="/genesis/8-13.htm">Hundred</a> <a href="/genesis/35-8.htm">Lower</a> <a href="/genesis/8-5.htm">Receded</a> <a href="/genesis/18-10.htm">Returning</a> <a href="/genesis/33-14.htm">Slowly</a> <a href="/genesis/8-5.htm">Steadily</a> <a href="/genesis/8-12.htm">Turn</a> <a href="/genesis/8-5.htm">Water</a> <a href="/genesis/8-5.htm">Waters</a><div class="vheading2">Genesis 8</div><span class="reftext">1. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/genesis/8-1.htm">God remembers Noah and calms the waters.</a></span><br><span class="reftext">4. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/genesis/8-4.htm">The ark rests on Ararat.</a></span><br><span class="reftext">6. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/genesis/8-6.htm">Noah sends forth a raven and then a dove.</a></span><br><span class="reftext">13. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/genesis/8-13.htm">Noah, being commanded, goes forth from the ark.</a></span><br><span class="reftext">20. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/genesis/8-20.htm">He builds an altar, and offers sacrifices,</a></span><br><span class="reftext">21. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/genesis/8-21.htm">which God accepts, and promises to curse the earth no more.</a></span><br></div></div><div id="mdd"><div align="center"><div class="bot2"><table align="center" width="100%"><tr><td><div align="center"> <script id="3d27ed63fc4348d5b062c4527ae09445"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=51ce25d5-1a8c-424a-8695-4bd48c750f35&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; </script> <script id="b817b7107f1d4a7997da1b3c33457e03"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=cb0edd8b-b416-47eb-8c6d-3cc96561f7e8&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; </script><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-2'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-0' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-3'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-1' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div><br /><br />  <div align="center" id='div-gpt-ad-1531425649696-0'> </div><br /><br /> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:inline-block;width:200px;height:200px" data-ad-client="ca-pub-3753401421161123" data-ad-slot="3592799687"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); </script> <br /><br /> </div> </td></tr></table></div></div></div><div id="combox"><div class="padcom"><a name="study" id="study"></a><div class="vheading"><table width="100%"><tr><td width="99%" valign="top"><a href="/study/genesis/8.htm">Study Bible</a></td><td width="1%" valign="top"><a href="/study/genesis/" title="Book Summary and Study">Book ◦</a> <a href="/study/chapters/genesis/8.htm" title="Chapter summary and Study">Chapter </a></tr></table></div><b>The waters receded steadily from the earth</b><br>This phrase indicates a gradual process of the floodwaters diminishing. The Hebrew word used here suggests a continual and consistent decrease. This reflects God's control over the natural world, as He orchestrates the retreat of the waters. The receding waters symbolize a return to order from chaos, reminiscent of the creation narrative where God separates the waters to create dry land (<a href="/genesis/1-9.htm">Genesis 1:9</a>). This event marks a new beginning for the earth, paralleling the new creation theme found throughout Scripture, such as in <a href="/isaiah/65-17.htm">Isaiah 65:17</a> and <a href="/revelation/21.htm">Revelation 21:1</a>.<p><b>and after 150 days</b><br>The specific mention of 150 days highlights the precision and orderliness of God's plan. This period includes the 40 days of rain and the subsequent time the waters prevailed before they began to recede. The number 150, being a multiple of 5 and 30, may symbolize completeness and divine order. This timeframe underscores the severity and totality of the flood, emphasizing the magnitude of God's judgment and the thoroughness of His cleansing of the earth.<p><b>the waters had gone down</b><br>The phrase indicates the completion of the recession process, preparing the earth for a new beginning. This mirrors the concept of redemption and restoration found throughout the Bible, where judgment is followed by renewal. The lowering of the waters sets the stage for Noah and his family to repopulate the earth, akin to a second creation. This anticipates the ultimate restoration through Christ, who brings new life and hope after judgment, as seen in passages like <a href="/2_corinthians/5-17.htm">2 Corinthians 5:17</a>.<div class="vheading2">Persons / Places / Events</div>1. <b><a href="/topical/n/noah.htm">Noah</a></b><br>A righteous man chosen by God to survive the flood and repopulate the earth. He is a central figure in the account of the flood.<br><br>2. <b><a href="/topical/t/the_flood.htm">The Flood</a></b><br>A cataclysmic event sent by God to cleanse the earth of its wickedness, sparing only Noah, his family, and the animals aboard the ark.<br><br>3. <b><a href="/topical/t/the_ark.htm">The Ark</a></b><br>The vessel built by Noah according to God's instructions to save his family and pairs of every kind of animal from the flood.<br><br>4. <b><a href="/topical/m/mountains_of_ararat.htm">Mountains of Ararat</a></b><br>The location where the ark came to rest as the waters receded, marking the beginning of a new chapter for humanity and creation.<br><br>5. <b><a href="/topical/g/god.htm">God</a></b><br>The sovereign Creator who judges the earth with the flood and shows mercy by preserving Noah and his family.<div class="vheading2">Teaching Points</div><b><a href="/topical/g/god's_sovereignty_and_control.htm">God's Sovereignty and Control</a></b><br>The receding waters remind us of God's ultimate control over nature and history. Just as He brought the flood, He also caused the waters to recede, demonstrating His power and authority.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/n/new_beginnings.htm">New Beginnings</a></b><br>The gradual receding of the waters symbolizes a fresh start for Noah and his family. In our lives, God often provides new beginnings after periods of trial and judgment.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/p/patience_and_trust.htm">Patience and Trust</a></b><br>Noah's experience teaches us the importance of patience and trust in God's timing. The waters did not recede immediately, but steadily, requiring Noah to wait on God's perfect plan.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/g/god's_faithfulness.htm">God's Faithfulness</a></b><br>The receding waters are a testament to God's faithfulness in fulfilling His promises. He promised to preserve Noah and his family, and He did so, reminding us that God is faithful to His word.<div class="vheading2">Lists and Questions</div><a href="/top10/lessons_from_genesis_8.htm">Top 10 Lessons from Genesis 8</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/how_do_lake_varves_form_over_millennia.htm">How do varves (annual sediment layers) in lakes form over thousands of years rather than a single flood event?</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/what_defines_progressive_creationism.htm">What defines Progressive Creationism?</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/how_do_sola_and_solo_scriptura_differ.htm">What was the duration of Noah's time on the ark?</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/how_does_water_disprove_a_global_flood.htm">Why do the properties of water contradict the idea of a global flood covering the whole Earth?</a><a name="commentary" id="commentary"></a><div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/ellicott/genesis/8.htm">Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers</a></div>(3) <span class= "bld">The waters returned from off the earth.</span>--This backward motion of the waters also seems to indicate that a vast wave from the sea had swept over the land, in addition to the forty days of rain.<p><span class= "bld">Were abated.</span>--Heb., <span class= "ital">decreased. </span>Those in the ark would notice the changing current, and would know, by their being aground, that the flood was diminishing. But it was not till the first day of the tenth month that the tops of the mountains were seen. This slow abatement of the waters and their stillness, described in <a href="/genesis/8-1.htm" title="And God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the cattle that was with him in the ark: and God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters assuaged;">Genesis 8:1</a>, makes it probable that the ark had grounded on some land-locked spot.<p><div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/pulpit/genesis/8.htm">Pulpit Commentary</a></div><span class="cmt_sub_title">Verse 3.</span> - <span class="cmt_word">And the waters returned from off the earth continually</span>. Literally, <span class="accented">going and returning</span>. "More and more" (Gesenius). The first verb expresses the continuance and self-increasing state of the action involved in the second; cf. <a href="/genesis/26-13.htm">Genesis 26:13</a>; <a href="/1_samuel/6-12.htm">1 Samuel 6:12</a>; <a href="/2_kings/2-11.htm">2 Kings 2:11</a> (Furst). Gradually (Murphy, Ewald). The expression "denotes the turning-point after the waters had become calm" (T. Lewis). May it not be an attempt to represent the undulatory motion of the waves in an ebbing tide, in which the water seems first to advance, but only to retire with greater vehemence, reversing the movement of a flowing tide, in which it first retires and then advances - in the one case returning to go, in the other going to return? The LXX., as usual, indicates the visible effect rather than the actual phenomenon: <span class="greek">καὶ</span> <span class="greek">ἐνεδίδου τὸ ὕδωρ πορεύομενον ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς</span>. <span class="cmt_word">And after the end of the hundred and fifty days the waters were abated.</span> Literally, were cut off, hence diminished; <span class="accented">imminsutae sunt</span> (Vulgate); <span class="greek">ἠλαττονοῦτο τὸ ὕδωρ</span> (LXX.). The first stage was the quieting of the waters; the second was the commencement of an ebbing or backward motion; the third was a perceptible diminution of the waters. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/commentaries/genesis/8-3.htm">Parallel Commentaries ...</a></span><span class="p"><br /><br /><br /></span><a name="lexicon" id="lexicon"></a><div class="vheading">Hebrew</div><span class="word">The waters</span><br /><span class="heb">הַמַּ֛יִם</span> <span class="translit">(ham·ma·yim)</span><br /><span class="parse">Article | Noun - masculine plural<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_4325.htm">Strong's 4325: </a> </span><span class="str2">Water, juice, urine, semen</span><br /><br /><span class="word">receded</span><br /><span class="heb">וַיָּשֻׁ֧בוּ</span> <span class="translit">(way·yā·šu·ḇū)</span><br /><span class="parse">Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_7725.htm">Strong's 7725: </a> </span><span class="str2">To turn back, in, to retreat, again</span><br /><br /><span class="word">steadily</span><br /><span class="heb">הָל֣וֹךְ</span> <span class="translit">(hā·lō·wḵ)</span><br /><span class="parse">Verb - Qal - Infinitive absolute<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_1980.htm">Strong's 1980: </a> </span><span class="str2">To go, come, walk</span><br /><br /><span class="word">from</span><br /><span class="heb">מֵעַ֥ל</span> <span class="translit">(mê·‘al)</span><br /><span class="parse">Preposition-m<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_5921.htm">Strong's 5921: </a> </span><span class="str2">Above, over, upon, against</span><br /><br /><span class="word">the earth,</span><br /><span class="heb">הָאָ֖רֶץ</span> <span class="translit">(hā·’ā·reṣ)</span><br /><span class="parse">Article | Noun - feminine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_776.htm">Strong's 776: </a> </span><span class="str2">Earth, land</span><br /><br /><span class="word">and after</span><br /><span class="heb">מִקְצֵ֕ה</span> <span class="translit">(miq·ṣêh)</span><br /><span class="parse">Preposition-m | Noun - masculine singular construct<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_7097.htm">Strong's 7097: </a> </span><span class="str2">End, extremity</span><br /><br /><span class="word">150</span><br /><span class="heb">וּמְאַ֖ת</span> <span class="translit">(ū·mə·’aṯ)</span><br /><span class="parse">Conjunctive waw | Number - feminine singular construct<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_3967.htm">Strong's 3967: </a> </span><span class="str2">A hundred</span><br /><br /><span class="word">days</span><br /><span class="heb">יֽוֹם׃</span> <span class="translit">(yō·wm)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_3117.htm">Strong's 3117: </a> </span><span class="str2">A day</span><br /><br /><span class="word">the waters</span><br /><span class="heb">הַמַּ֔יִם</span> <span class="translit">(ham·ma·yim)</span><br /><span class="parse">Article | Noun - masculine plural<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_4325.htm">Strong's 4325: </a> </span><span class="str2">Water, juice, urine, semen</span><br /><br /><span class="word">had gone down.</span><br /><span class="heb">וַיַּחְסְר֣וּ</span> <span class="translit">(way·yaḥ·sə·rū)</span><br /><span class="parse">Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_2637.htm">Strong's 2637: </a> </span><span class="str2">To lack, need, be lacking, decrease</span><br /><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><div class="vheading">Links</div><a href="/niv/genesis/8-3.htm">Genesis 8:3 NIV</a><br /><a href="/nlt/genesis/8-3.htm">Genesis 8:3 NLT</a><br /><a href="/esv/genesis/8-3.htm">Genesis 8:3 ESV</a><br /><a href="/nasb/genesis/8-3.htm">Genesis 8:3 NASB</a><br /><a href="/kjv/genesis/8-3.htm">Genesis 8:3 KJV</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="//bibleapps.com/genesis/8-3.htm">Genesis 8:3 BibleApps.com</a><br /><a href="//bibliaparalela.com/genesis/8-3.htm">Genesis 8:3 Biblia Paralela</a><br /><a href="//holybible.com.cn/genesis/8-3.htm">Genesis 8:3 Chinese Bible</a><br /><a href="//saintebible.com/genesis/8-3.htm">Genesis 8:3 French Bible</a><br /><a href="/catholic/genesis/8-3.htm">Genesis 8:3 Catholic Bible</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/genesis/8-3.htm">OT Law: Genesis 8:3 The waters receded from the earth continually (Gen. Ge Gn)</a></div></div></td></tr></table></div><div id="left"><a href="/genesis/8-2.htm" onmouseover='lft.src="/leftgif.png"' onmouseout='lft.src="/left.png"' title="Genesis 8:2"><img src="/left.png" name="lft" border="0" alt="Genesis 8:2" /></a></div><div id="right"><a href="/genesis/8-4.htm" onmouseover='rght.src="/rightgif.png"' onmouseout='rght.src="/right.png"' title="Genesis 8:4"><img src="/right.png" name="rght" border="0" alt="Genesis 8:4" /></a></div><div id="botleft"><a href="#" onmouseover='botleft.src="/botleftgif.png"' onmouseout='botleft.src="/botleft.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botleft.png" name="botleft" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="botright"><a href="#" onmouseover='botright.src="/botrightgif.png"' onmouseout='botright.src="/botright.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botright.png" name="botright" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="bot"><iframe width="100%" height="1500" scrolling="no" src="/botmenubhnew2.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></div></td></tr></table></div></body></html>