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.

GENESIS 7:11KJV
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Genesis 7:11 (KJV)

What does Genesis 7:11 mean?

Genesis 7:11 describes the exact moment when the great flood began during Noah’s life, stating that all the underground springs burst open and the sky released heavy rain. This verse marks the start of the flood that covered the earth, giving a precise date and dramatic description of the event’s beginning.

The verse is part of the story where God brings a flood upon the earth because of human wickedness, with Noah and his family entering the ark as instructed. The language highlights both the breaking up of the "fountains of the great deep" and the opening of the "windows of heaven," showing that the floodwaters came from both below the earth and above, emphasizing the totality and suddenness of the disaster.

The Hebrew behind Genesis 7:11

  • "Fountains" (מַעְיְנוֹת, maʿyenot) refers to springs or sources of water, often understood as underground or deep sources. Here, it suggests that water erupted from beneath the earth, not just from rain.
  • "Great deep" (תְּהוֹם רַבָּה, tehom rabbah) means the vast depths or the primeval ocean. This phrase points to the ancient belief in a watery chaos beneath the earth, now unleashed.
  • "Windows" (אֲרֻבָּה, arubbah) literally means openings or sluice-gates. The idea is that the sky had "windows" that could be opened to let rain pour down, a vivid image for a sudden, overwhelming downpour.
  • "Broken up" (נִבְקְעוּ, nivqeʿu) means split open or burst apart, emphasizing the violent and unexpected nature of the flood’s beginning.

Why Genesis 7:11 matters

  • The verse clears up that the flood was not only caused by rain but also by water erupting from beneath the earth, making the event far more catastrophic than just heavy rainfall.
  • By giving a specific date in Noah’s life, the verse grounds the story in a concrete timeline, showing attention to detail and historical memory in the narrative.
  • The dramatic language connects this event to earlier themes in Genesis, like the creation story, where the "deep" was separated and controlled by God, now being unleashed as judgment.

Where else these words appear

“windows” Hebrew H699 · used in 9 verses

  • Genesis 8:2 The fountains also of the deep and the windows of heaven were stopped, and the rain from heaven was restrained;
  • 2 Kings 7:19 And that lord answered the man of God, and said, Now, behold, if the LORD should make windows in heaven, might such a thing be? And he said, Behold, thou shalt see it with thine eyes, but shalt not eat thereof.
  • Isaiah 60:8 Who are these that fly as a cloud, and as the doves to their windows?

“fountains” Hebrew H4599 · used in 23 verses

  • Genesis 8:2 The fountains also of the deep and the windows of heaven were stopped, and the rain from heaven was restrained;
  • 2 Chronicles 32:4 So there was gathered much people together, who stopped all the fountains, and the brook that ran through the midst of the land, saying, Why should the kings of Assyria come, and find much water?
  • Proverbs 8:24 When there were no depths, I was brought forth; when there were no fountains abounding with water.

“deep” Hebrew H8415 · used in 35 verses

  • Genesis 1:2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
  • Psalms 33:7 He gathereth the waters of the sea together as an heap: he layeth up the depth in storehouses.
  • Proverbs 3:20 By his knowledge the depths are broken up, and the clouds drop down the dew.

“same” Hebrew H2088 · used in 37 verses

  • Genesis 5:1 This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him;
  • Exodus 13:8 And thou shalt shew thy son in that day, saying, This is done because of that which the LORD did unto me when I came forth out of Egypt.
  • 1 Kings 17:24 And the woman said to Elijah, Now by this I know that thou art a man of God, and that the word of the LORD in thy mouth is truth.