What year did Noah’s flood take place?

Dating the exact year of Noah’s flood is a challenging endeavor, as it requires navigating through various historical, archaeological, and biblical sources. To explore this topic, we’ll delve into the biblical narrative and examine relevant Bible references to shed light on the potential time frame of this significant event.

The Biblical Account of Noah’s Flood

The story of the flood is recounted in Genesis chapters 6 through 9. According to the biblical narrative, God decided to destroy the corrupt and wicked world with a flood but spared Noah and his family, instructing him to build an ark to preserve the animals and humanity.

Genesis 7:11-14 (NKJV): “In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened. And the rain was on the earth forty days and forty nights. On the very same day Noah and Noah’s sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth, and Noah’s wife and the three wives of his sons with them, entered the ark— they and every beast after its kind, all cattle after their kind, every creeping thing that creeps on the earth after its kind, and every bird after its kind, every bird of every sort.”

The Year of the Flood

To understand the year of Noah’s flood, we should take a close look at Old Testament chronology. The approximate time from creation to the flood can be calculated from Bible chronology. Starting with the creation of Adam and adding the information of how old he was when his son was born, the age of his son, etc,. gives an approximate timeline from creation to the flood.

The following is a list of the calculated biblical dates from creation:

Event	Passage	Total years
Creation	Genesis	1–2 0
Adam became the father of Seth at 130	Genesis 5:3	0 + 130 = 130
Seth became the father of Enosh at 105	Genesis 5:6	130 + 105 = 235
Enosh became the father of Kenan at 90	Genesis 5:9	235 + 90 = 325
Cainan became the father of Mahalalel at 70	Genesis 5:12	325 + 70 = 395
Mahalalel became the father of Jared at 65	Genesis 5:15	395 + 65 = 460
Jared became the father of Enoch at 162	Genesis 5:18	460 + 162 = 622
Enoch became the father of Methuselah at 65	Genesis 5:21	622 + 65 = 687
Methuselah became the father of Lamech at 187	Genesis 5:25	687 + 187 = 874
Lamech became the father of Noah at 182	Genesis 5:28	874 + 182 = 1056
The Flood started when Noah was 600	Genesis 7:6	1056 + 600 = 1656

The year in which the Flood took place was about 1656 AM (Anno Mundi).

Conclusion

Pinpointing the exact year of Noah’s flood involves interpreting ancient texts and understanding biblical chronology. Ultimately, the significance of Noah’s flood lies not only in its historicity but also in its theological and spiritual implications as a symbol of divine judgment, redemption, and renewal in the biblical narrative.

Check out our Bible Answers page for more information on a variety of topics.

In His service,
BibleAsk Team