Preface: In Genesis 8, the rain stops, and after enough time has passed, Noah and his family and all of the animals exit the ark.

This should be the most extensive examination of Genesis 8 available, where you will be able to examine in depth every word of the original text.

Outline of Chapter 8:

Introduction

         vv.     1–5           The Rain and Water Stop and then Begin to Decrease on the Earth

         vv.     6–12         Noah Sends Out Birds to Check for a Drying Earth

         vv.    13–19         God Tells Noah to Exit the Ark with His Family and Animals and They Do

         vv.    20–22         Burnt Offerings to God/A Promise from God

Addendum

Charts, Graphics and Short Doctrines:

         v.       1              The Omniscience of God

         v.       4              Map of Armenia

         v.      14              The Deluge Time Frame

         v.      17              A Photo of Gilchrist after Hurricane Ike

         v.      20              The Priesthoods

         v.      22              Waxing Eloquently About the Fall (by H. Macmillan, D. D.)

         v.      22              Associating Continental Drift, the Tilting of the Earth’s Axis and the Great Flood

         v.      22              Axis-Shift Addendum

         Summary            Chapter Summary

         Summary            An Abbreviated Exegesis of Genesis 3

         Addendum          The Organization of Genesis 6–8 (from Robert Dean)

         Addendum          Noah—The True Story (a graphic)

         Addendum          Galatians 2:15–17a as a Chiasmos

         Addendum          The Flood Timetable

         Addendum          Flood Timetable (A Chart)

         Addendum          Other Charts and Timetables of the Flood

         Addendum          Josephus’ History of this Time Period

         Addendum          Edersheim Summarizes Genesis 8

         Addendum          Edersheim on The Chaldean Narrative of the Deluge

         Addendum          A Complete Translation of Genesis 8

         Addendum          Doctrinal Teachers Who Have Taught Genesis 8

         Addendum          Word Cloud from the Kukis Paraphrase of Genesis 8

         Addendum          Word Cloud from Exegesis of Genesis 8

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An Introduction to Genesis 8

I ntroduction: Genesis 8 is about the second half of the flood, where the waters begin to subside to a point where Noah and his family and the animals are able to exit the ark. The person who recorded this information in the first place continues to keep us abreast of the days and the time of the month that these various events take place.

In the previous chapter [Genesis 7 (HTML) (PDF) (WPD)], we briefly examined some of the flood myths which have come down to us from dozens of cultures and peoples, and we saw some of the similarities and differences between the Noahic flood and the other flood traditions. However, what we also observed is, in those myths, there was also some oddball information, such as one boat which was a perfect cube (not really ideal for flood conditions); and worldwide floods where it only rained for 7 days. So, we would expect for many different cultures and traditions to have a recollection of a flood; we would also expect for these traditions to have been corrupted, which appears to be the case.

In the lessons previous to that, we examined the record of the Genesis flood in fairly great detail. Genesis 7 was about Noah and his family entering into the ark; Genesis 8 will have them exiting the ark. Genesis 7 was about the great war between the earth and the sea, where the sea continued to prevail; Genesis 8 is about the subsidence of the flood waters, where, finally, land will dominate the seas.

One of the fascinating aspects of the flood narrative is how it is organized. Genesis 7–8 can be combined into a chiasmos format, which is quite amazing (and something which often occurs in the Bible). More than likely, you will have to see this and read it in order to fully appreciate it.

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The Rain and Water Stop and then Begin to Decrease on the Earth

Here is how others have translated this verse:

Ancient texts:                       Note: I compare the Hebrew text to English translations of the Latin, Syriac and Greek texts, using the Douay-Rheims translation; George Lamsa’s translation, and Sir Lancelot Charles Lee Brenton’s translation as revised and edited by Paul W. Esposito, respectively. I often update these texts with non-substantive changes (e.g., you for thou, etc.). I often use the text of the Complete Apostles’ Bible instead of Brenton’s translation, because it updates the English text.

The Septuagint was the earliest known translation of a book (circa 200 b.c.). Since this translation was made before the textual criticism had been developed into a science and because different books appear to be translated by different men, the Greek translation can sometimes be very uneven.

When there are serious disparities between my translation and Brenton’s (or the text of the Complete Apostles’ Bible), I look at the Greek text of the Septuagint (the LXX) to see if a substantive difference actually exists (and I reflect these changes in the English rendering of the Greek text). I use the Greek LXX with Strong’s numbers and morphology available for e-sword. The only problem with this resource (which is a problem for similar resources) is, there is no way to further explore Greek verbs which are not found in the New Testament. Although I usually quote the Complete Apostles’ Bible here, I have begun to make changes in the translation when their translation conflicts with the Greek and note what those changes are.

The Masoretic text is the Hebrew text with all of the vowels (vowel points) inserted (the original Hebrew text lacked vowels). We take the Masoretic text to be the text closest to the original. However, differences between the Masoretic text and the Greek, Latin and Syriac are worth noting and, once in a great while, represent a more accurate text possessed by those other ancient translators.

In general, the Latin text is an outstanding translation from the Hebrew text into Latin and very trustworthy (I say this as a non-Catholic). Unfortunately, I do not read Latin—apart from some very obvious words—so I am dependent upon the English translation of the Latin (principally, the Douay-Rheims translation).

Underlined words indicate differences in the text.

Bracketed portions of the Dead Sea Scrolls are words, letters and phrases lost in the scroll due to various types of damage. Underlined words or phrases are those in the Dead Sea Scrolls but not in the Masoretic text.

The Targum of Onkelos is actually the Pentateuchal Targumim, which are The Targums of Onkelos and Jonathan Ben Uzziel. On the Pentateuch With The Fragments of the Jerusalem Targum From the Chaldee by J. W. Etheridge, M.A. Take from http://targum.info/targumic-texts/pentateuchal-targumim/ and first published in 1862.

Targum of Onkelos                And the Lord in His Word remembered Noah, and all the animals and the cattle which were with him in the ark; and the Lord caused the wind of mercies to pass over the earth, and the waters were dried.

Jerusalem targum                  And He remembered in His mercies the good which was with Noah. And the Lord caused the wind of mercies.

Latin Vulgate                          And God remembered Noe, and all the living creatures, and all the cattle which were with him in the ark, and brought a wind upon the earth, and the waters were abated.

Masoretic Text (Hebrew)        And so remembers Elohim Noah, and all the life and all the livestock that [are] with him in the ark. And so causes to pass over Elohim a wind over the earth; and so subside the waters.

Peshitta (Syriac)                    AND God remembered Noah and every living thing and all the animals and all the fowls that were with him in the ark; and God made a wind to blow over the earth, and the waters became calm.

Septuagint (Greek)                And God remembered Noah, and all the wild beasts, and all the cattle, and all the birds, and all the reptiles that creep, as many as were with him in the ark, and God brought a wind upon the earth, and the water subsided.

Significant differences: 

Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:

Common English Bible           God remembered Noah, all those alive, and all the animals with him in the ark. God sent a wind over the earth so that the waters receded.

Contemporary English V.       God did not forget about Noah and the animals with him in the boat. So God made a wind blow, and the water started going down.

Easy English                          People begin to live on the earth again, 8:1-22

But God remembered Noah. And God remembered all the wild animals and *cattle that were with Noah. They were with Noah in the *ark. And God made a wind blow over the earth. And the waters went down.

Easy-to-Read Version            But God did not forget about Noah. God remembered Noah and all the animals that were with him in the boat. God made a wind blow over the earth. And all the water began to disappear.

Good News Bible (TEV)         God had not forgotten Noah and all the animals with him in the boat; he caused a wind to blow, and the water started going down.

The Message                         Then God turned his attention to Noah and all the wild animals and farm animals with him on the ship. God caused the wind to blow and the floodwaters began to go down.

New Berkeley Version           But God kept Noah in mind with all the animals and all the livestock with him in the ark; God caused a wind to blow over the erath until the waters subsided.

New Life Bible                                                    The Flood Ends

But God remembered Noah and all the wild animals and all the cattle that were with him in the large boat. Then God made a wind blow over the earth until the water went down.

New Living Translation           The Flood Recedes

But God remembered Noah and all the wild animals and livestock with him in the boat. He sent a wind to blow across the earth, and the floodwaters began to recede.

Partially literal and partially paraphrased translations:

American English Bible          But God didn't forget Noah or any of the wild animals, cattle, winged creatures, or crawling, slithering animals that were inside the chest. So God sent a wind to the earth that stopped the water...

Beck’s American Translation The Flood Ends

²⁴ When the waters had risen on the earth for 150 days, ¹ God thought of Noah and every wild and tame animal with im in the ark, and so God made a wind blow over the earth, and the water went down. The final verse of the previous chapter is added for context.

Christian Community Bible     ²⁴ The waters flooded the earth for one hundred and fifty days. ¹ Then God remembered Noah and all the animals and cattle that were with him in the ark. God made a wind blow over the earth and the waters subsided. The verse from the previous chapter is included in Genesis 8 by the CCB.

God’s Word™                         God remembered Noah and all the wild and domestic animals with him in the ship. So God made a wind blow over the earth, and the water started to go down.

New American Bible              God remembered Noah and all the animals, wild and tame, that were with him in the ark. So God made a wind sweep over the earth, and the waters began to subside.

NIRV                                      But God showed concern for Noah. He also showed concern for all of the wild animals and livestock that were with Noah in the ark.

So God sent a wind over the earth. And the waters began to go down.

New Jerusalem Bible             But God had Noah in mind, and all the wild animals and all the cattle that were with him in the ark. God sent a wind across the earth and the waters began to subside.

New Simplified Bible              God remembered Noah and all the wild animals and the livestock that were with him in the ark. He sent a wind over the earth, and the waters receded.

Revised English Bible            ²⁴ When the water had increased over the earth for a hundred and fifty days, ¹ God took thought for Noah and all the beasts and cattle with him in the ark, and he caused a wind to blow over the earth, so that the water began to subside. The last verse from the previous chapter is added for context.

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

Ancient Roots Translinear      God remembered Noah, and all the life, and all the animals with him in the box. God passed the spirit-wind over the land and the waters abated.

Bible in Basic English             And God kept Noah in mind, and all the living things and the cattle which were with him in the ark: and God sent a wind over the earth, and the waters went down.

Complete Jewish Bible           God remembered Noach, every living thing and all the livestock with him in the ark; so God caused a wind to pass over the earth, and the water began to go down.

HCSB                                     God remembered Noah, as well as all the wildlife and all the livestock that were with him in the ark. God caused a wind to pass over the earth, and the water began to subside.

JPS (Tanakh—1985)               ²⁴ And when the waters had swelled on the earth one hundred and fifty days, ¹ God remembered Noah and all the beasts and all the cattle that were with him in the ark, and God caused a wind to blow across the earth, and the waters subsided. The last verse of the previous chapter is added for context.

Judaica Press Complete T.    And God remembered Noah and all the beasts and all the cattle that were with him in the ark, and God caused a spirit to pass over the earth, and the waters subsided.

NET Bible®                             But God remembered [The Hebrew word translated "remembered" often carries the sense of acting in accordance with what is remembered, i.e., fulfilling covenant promises (see B. S. Childs, Memory and Tradition in Israel [SBT], especially p. 34)] Noah and all the wild animals and domestic animals that were with him in the ark. God caused a wind to blow over [Heb "to pass over."]the earth and the waters receded. When it comes to making an actual material change to the text, the NET Bible® is pretty good about indicating this. Since most of these corrections will be clear in the more literal translations below and within the Hebrew exegesis itself, I will not continue to list every NET Bible® footnote.

Limited Vocabulary Translations:

International Standard V        .

Catholic Bibles (those having the Imprimatur):

The Heritage Bible                 .

Jewish/Hebrew Names Bibles:

Kaplan Translation                 .

Expanded/Embellished Bibles:

Kretzmann’s Commentary    .

Lexham English Bible            .

Translation for Translators     .

The Voice                               .

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

The Amplified Bible                And God [earnestly] remembered Noah and every living thing and all the animals that were with him in the ark; and God made a wind blow over the land, and the waters sank down and abated.

Concordant Literal Version    Now mindful is the Elohim of Noah and every living animal and every beast and every flyer and every moving animal which is with him in the ark. And the Elohim is causing a wind to pass over the earth, and subsiding are the waters.

English Standard Version      But God remembered Noah and all the beasts and all the livestock that were with him in the ark. And God made a wind blow over the earth, and the waters subsided.

The Geneva Bible                  And God remembered [Not that God forgets his at any time, but when he sends comfort then he shows that he remembers them. ] Noah, and every living thing [If God remembered every brute beast, that ought also to assure his children. ], and all the cattle that [was] with him in the ark: and God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters asswaged.

LTHB                                     And God remembered Noah and every living thing, and all the cattle which were with him in the ark. And God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters subsided.

Syndein/Thieme                     {And when the waters swelled on the earth one hundred and fifty days . . .} the Elohiym/Godhead remembered Noah, and every living creature {chay} and all the cattle that were with him in the ark, and the Elohiym/Godhead caused a wind {ruwach} to blow across the earth, and the waters subsided. {Note: Chapter 7 Verse 24 is continued in Chapter 8 Verse 1 so the complete sentence is presented here. In Chapter 7, we saw the 'breath of life' was 'ruwach chay'. Here we have both Hebrew words again where this time ruwach means wind. }.

Third Millennium Bible            And God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the cattle that were with him in the ark; and God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters were assuaged.

Webster Bible                        And God remembered Noah, and every living animal, and all the cattle that [were] with him in the ark: and God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters were checked..

World English Bible                God remembered Noah, all the animals, and all the cattle that were with him in the ark; and God made a wind to pass over the earth. The waters subsided.

Young’s Updated LT             And God remembers Noah, and every living thing, and all the cattle which are with him in the ark, and God causes a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters subside.

The gist of this verse:          God remembers Noah and the animals in the ark with him. He causes the water to stop rising an blows over it with a wind.

The exegesis of Genesis 7:24 and the explanation its inclusion with this verse is found in the complete examination of Genesis 7:24 in Genesis 7 (HTML) (PDF) (WPD). However, the short explanation is, we simply have 3 wâw consecutives followed by 3 imperfect verbs, setting up a simple chronological and/or logical narrative. It is reasonable to take the time frame in Genesis 7:24 and tied it to what happened next.

Translation: After the water had prevailed over the earth [for] 150 days, Elohim remembered Noah...

As was done in several of the translations given above, it appears as though this verse may actually be a continuation of the final verse of the previous chapter. There were no verse or chapter divisions in the original Hebrew; so the addition of such is not inspired. When we complete this verse, we will go back and add in v. 24 from Genesis 7 to show how they fit together.

God did not forget that Noah was in the ark and that it had rained on the earth for 40 days and nights. God did not get involved in bookkeeping or racket ball, and then suddenly recall that He has this whole Noah/flood thing going on, on earth. This is an anthropopathism where a characteristic of man is applied to God in order for us to understand God. It may have seemed as if God had completely forgotten about Noah, because it did rain for a very long time.

Genesis 8:1 is the center of this narrative—a narrative which we will later see is very carefully structured to make v. 1 its center.

Genesis 8:1 indicates that during this storm; during this 150 days, there was no direct contact between God and Noah. The anthropopathism God remembered Noah indicates the lack of contact during that time.

Translation: ...and all of the living creatures and all the animals that [were] with him in the ark.

All that would populate the earth was with Noah in the ark. God is said to remember these creatures as well.

Now let’s add in v. 24 from the previous chapter: ²⁴ When the waters prevailed over the earth 150 days, ¹ Elohim remembered Noah, and all of the living creatures and all the animals that [were] with him in the ark.

Genesis 7:24–8:1b After the water had prevailed over the earth [for] 150 days, Elohim remembered Noah and all of the living creatures and all the animals that [were] with him in the ark. (Kukis mostly literal translation)

We have discussed anthropopathisms before, which is the assignment of human feelings or passions or human limitations to God. The Bible reads: And God remembered Noah. God was not busy making a sandwich one day, and then suddenly said to Himself, “Oh, crap, I forgot all about Noah. I had better go check up on him. Hope he is okay” However, we have the verb to remember here used, ascribing to God a characteristic which He does not actually possess; God does not need to remember something. God knows all that is going on.

A fair question would be, how do we know that this is a anthropopathism? How do we know to take one part of the Bible literally, and then, when we come to this verse, we determine, its an anthropopathism?

However, the idea is, Noah is in this ark for a year with his family and all of those animals, and I am sure that even he begins to wonder when he will see land again, and if God remembers that he and his family are floating around in the ark.

This word remember is often used when God delivers someone from judgment or answers a petition made to Him (Genesis 19:29 30:22 Exodus 2:24). God has perfect timing. Often when we pray for something, we want it right then or awhile ago. However, if God answers yes to that prayer, that does not mean that He gives this to us right then and there. When God grants us a petition, He gives it to us on His Own time, which is perfect timing.

Essentially, God is remembering His covenant with Noah, which is Genesis 6:13–21. He told Noah exactly what to do, and now God must fulfill His part of the covenant, to ultimately deliver Noah, his family and the animals to a land which has been both cleansed and devastated (not unlike the implied devastation between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2). We know that, by this time, everything that lived on dry land and breathes air has died (Genesis 7:22–23). Now God has to prepare the world for Noah and all that is in his ark.

Translation: Consequently, Elohim caused a wind to pass over the earth.

Just as water can be powerful beyond belief, so can a great wind from God. God was using this wind to distribute the water where He wanted, which would be above, on and below the earth.

The first verb is the Hiphil imperfect (causative extended or future action) of ʿâbar (עָבַר) [pronounced ģaw^b-VAHR], which means to pass over, to pass through, to pass on, to pass, to go over. In the causative stem, it means to cause [make] to pass over, to cause [allow] to pass through, to bring [over, to]; to transmit, to send over. Strong’s #5674 BDB #716. What God causes to pass over is rûwach (רוּחַ) [pronounced ROO-ahkh], which means wind, breath, spirit, apparition. This is the word used to refer both to the Holy Spirit and to the spirit of man, as well as to wind and breath. Strong’s #7307 BDB #924. You cannot see the wind (or the spirit), but its affects are clearly seen.

Translation: ...and the waters subsided.

Just as God has a place for everything, He has determined where the water would go. Some would find its way deep into the ground; most would remain on the surface; and much would be held in the atmosphere.

Gen 8:1c–d And God made a wind [or, a Spirit] to pass over the earth, and the waters subsided.

Genesis 8:1c-d Consequently, Elohim caused a wind to pass over the earth and the waters subsided. (Kukis mostly literal translation)

Having lived in Texas for the past 30 or so years, I have experienced the wind. If memory serves, I have been in at least 4 hurricanes, some of which were at full force (for this far inland) and some of which were petering out by the time they got to my house. I have never seen the wind, but I sincerely and adamantly believe in it. One of the most amazing sights I have seen, and I am sorry I did not take a photo of this, is a 70–80 ft. pine tree which had been picked up and laid end-to-end length-wise along the very top of a house, with the roots hanging over one end of the house and the crown of the tree hanging over the other end of the house, perfectly balanced across the roof. I became a firm believer in the wind after seeing that with my own eyes (I did not see the process, but only the end result). Even if I had been there at the time, I would not have been able to see the wind which caused this event—which uprooted a huge pine tree, lifted it up 25' or more in the air, and then laid it gently upon this house, all along the very crest of the roof. But I believe in that wind; I know it was real, even though I did not see that wind and have never seen wind before. At best, I can see the effects of the wind, but the wind itself is invisible (which explains why the Hebrews used the same word to describe both the wind and the Holy Spirit).

John Morris suggests that one effect of the wind would be to dry out the saturated earth. There would have been considerable water run off, as well as evaporation which would be taking place after 150 days (the length of time that the waters prevailed over the earth). Morris also suggests that this would have triggered a mini-ice age, which would not have seriously affected Noah and his family, who are near the equator. He writes A hot ocean (more evaporation)--coupled with cold continents (greater temperature differential, sending the moisture inland) and an atmosphere filled with volcanic debris (less snowmelt due to decreased sunlight)--would have triggered staggering storms and immense snow buildup.

The subsidence (abating or decreasing) of the waters was a process which took time. Whether it is the Holy Spirit or the wind being involved in this abatement is open for debate. However, given the parallels between this passage and Genesis 1, I would maintain that this is God the Holy Spirit.

Now let’s add in v. 24 from the previous chapter: ²⁴ When the waters prevailed over the earth 150 days, ¹ Elohim remembered Noah, and all of the living creatures and all the animals that [were] with him in the ark. Consequently, Elohim caused a wind to pass over the earth and the waters subsided.

God apparently caused these waters to dissipate with a tremendous wind and scattered the water about the world. It is during this time that the mountains and valleys became more pronounced. Psalm 104:8 reads: The mountains rose; the valleys sank down to the place which you appointed for them. Obviously, does not correspond with geology which holds that these things were done billions of years ago.

Genesis 7:24–8:1 After the water had prevailed over the earth [for] 150 days, Elohim remembered Noah and all of the living creatures and all the animals that [were] with him in the ark. Consequently, Elohim caused a wind to pass over the earth and the waters subsided. (Kukis mostly literal translation)

Genesis 7:24–8:1 After the waters prevailed over the earth for another 150 days, God remembered Noah in the ark with all of the animals aboard. Consequently, God caused a great wind to pass over the earth. (Kukis paraphrase)

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Here is how others have translated this verse:

Ancient texts:

Targum of Onkelos                And the fountains of the deep were shut up, and the windows of heaven, and the rain was forbidden to descend from heaven. And the waters returned from being on the earth, going and returning.

Latin Vulgate                          The fountains also of the deep, and the floodgates of heaven, were shut up, and the rain from heaven was restrained.

Masoretic Text (Hebrew)        And so are shut up springs of the ocean depth and windows of heaven. And so is restrained the rain from the [two] heavens.

Peshitta (Syriac)                    The fountains of the deep and the windows of heaven were closed, and the rain from the sky was restrained.

Septuagint (Greek)                And the fountains of the deep were closed up, and the flood gates of heaven, and the rain from heaven was withheld.

Significant differences: 

Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:

Common English Bible           The springs of the deep sea and the skies[a] closed up. The skies held back the rain.

Contemporary English V.       God stopped up the places where the water had been gushing out from under the earth. He also closed up the sky, and the rain stopped.

Easy English                          God stopped the waters that were rushing up from the seas. He stopped the waters that were pouring down from the sky. He stopped the rain.

Easy-to-Read Version            Rain stopped falling from the sky. And water stopped flowing from under the earth.

Good News Bible (TEV)         The outlets of the water beneath the earth and the floodgates of the sky were closed. The rain stopped,....

The Message                         The underground springs were shut off, the windows of Heaven closed and the rain quit.

New Berkeley Version           Besides, the fountains of the deep and the sluices of heaven were closed and the gushing rains from heaven were checked.

New Century Version             The underground springs stopped flowing, and the clouds in the sky stopped pouring down rain.

New Living Translation           The underground waters stopped flowing, and the torrential rains from the sky were stopped.

Partially literal and partially paraphrased translations:

American English Bible          ...the springs that were under the ground closed and the floodgates of the skies and the rain from the skies were held back.

Christian Community Bible     Then the fountains of the deep and the floodgates of the heavens were closed and the downpour from the heavens held back.

God’s Word™                         The deep springs and the sky had been shut, and the rain had stopped pouring.

New American Bible              The fountains of the abyss and the floodgates of the sky were closed, and the downpour from the sky was held back.

New Jerusalem Bible             The springs of the deep and the sluices of heaven were stopped up and the heavy rain from heaven was held back.

New Simplified Bible              The springs of the deep and the floodgates of the skies were closed. So the rain stopped falling from the sky.

Revised English Bible            The springs of the deep and the windows of the heavens were stopped up, the downpour from the skies was checked.

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

Ancient Roots Translinear      The fountains of the abyss and the vents of heaven locked and contained the showers from heaven.

Bible in Basic English             And the fountains of the deep and the windows of heaven were shut, and the rain from heaven was stopped.

Ferar-Fenton Bible                 ...and He restrained the outpourings from the Deep, and the belts of the skies, and stopped the torrents from the skies,...

HCSB                                     The sources of the watery depths and the floodgates of the sky were closed, and the rain from the sky stopped.

JPS (Tanakh—1985)               The fountains of the deep and the floodgates of there sky were stopped up, and the rain from the sky was held back;...

Judaica Press Complete T.    And the springs of the deep were closed, and the windows of the heavens, and the rain from the heavens was withheld.

NET Bible®                             The fountains of the deep and the floodgates of heaven were closed [Some (e.g., NIV) translate the preterite verb forms in this verse as past perfects (e.g., "had been closed"), for it seems likely that the sources of the water would have stopped before the waters receded], and the rain stopped falling from the sky.

NIV – UK                                Now the springs of the deep and the floodgates of the heavens had been closed, and the rain had stopped falling from the sky.

Limited Vocabulary Translations:

International Standard V        .

Catholic Bibles (those having the Imprimatur):

The Heritage Bible                 .

Jewish/Hebrew Names Bibles:

Kaplan Translation                 .

Expanded/Embellished Bibles:

Kretzmann’s Commentary    .

Lexham English Bible            .

Translation for Translators     .

The Voice                               .

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

American KJV                        The fountains also of the deep and the windows of heaven were stopped, and the rain from heaven was restrained.

The Amplified Bible                Also the fountains of the deep and the windows of the heavens were closed, the gushing rain from the sky was checked,.

Concordant Literal Version    And being held in check are the springs of the submerged chaos and the crevices of the heavens, and being shut up is the downpour from the heavens.

Context Group Version          ...the fountains also of the deep and the windows of the skies { or heavens } were stopped, and the rain from the skies { or heavens } was restrained;...

Darby Translation                  And the fountains of the deep and the windows of heaven were closed, and the pour of rain from heaven was stopped.

Emphasized Bible                  ...and the fountains of the roaring-deep were shut, and the windows of the heavens,—and the heavy rain was restrained from the heavens;...

LTHB                                     And the fountains of the deep and the windows of the heavens were stopped, and the rain from the heavens was restrained.

NASB                                     Also the fountains of the deep and the floodgates [Or windows of the heavens] of the sky were closed, and the rain from the sky was restrained;...

World English Bible                The deep's fountains and the sky's windows were also stopped, and the rain from the sky was restrained.

Young's Updated LT              And He closed are the fountains of the deep and the net-work of the heavens, and restrained is the shower from the heavens.

The gist of this verse:          There was a stop to water coming from below the ground, and an end to the rain from above.

Translation: Therefore, the fountains of the oceand epths and the windows of heaven are closed down...

There were two great sources of water: water came from underground and it came from the skies. God shut down both of these sources of water.

Translation: ...and the rain from the heavens is restrained [as well].

God stopped the rain from falling.

Gen 8:2 Also the fountains of the deep and the windows of heaven were stopped, and rain from heaven was restrained.

What we have here is a parallel to Genesis 1:1–2 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was chaotic and desolate. Darkness was on the surface of the deep. God's Spirit was hovering over the surface of the waters. The earth cannot be inhabited because it is chaotic and desolate (tohu waw bohu), so that God sends the Holy Spirit to restore the earth so that it can be inhabited once again. You will recall that we theorized then that the earth was encased in ice, and here, it is covered with water. In both cases, the earth is uninhabitable. We know the evil which preceded the flood; we have theorized the evil which preceded the earth being incased in ice. In both cases, there was a temporary cleansing of the earth.

What events are associated with the stopping of the waters from below and above are not explained in any detail. God made a wind [or, a Spirit] to pass over the earth, and the waters subsided. Also the fountains of the deep and the windows of heaven were stopped, and rain from heaven was restrained. Being stopped means, the water from above and below stopped coming; and restrained means that it did not start up again. As we have studied before, the Holy Spirit functions as the power or the energy of God

V. 2 marks the end of day 40. In vv. 3–5, the author will talk about what has happened to the waters.

Genesis 8:2 Therefore, the fountains of the ocean depths and the windows of heaven are closed down and the rain from the heavens is restrained [as well]. (Kukis mostly literal translation)

Genesis 8:2 Therefore, God shut down the fountains of the ocean depths and He closed down the windows of heaven, so that the rain is restrained from falling. (Kukis paraphrase)

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Here is how others have translated this verse:

Ancient texts:

Targum of Onkelos                And the waters were minished at the end of a hundred and fifty days.

Latin Vulgate                          And the waters returned from off the earth going and coming: and they began to be abated after a hundred and fifty days.

Masoretic Text (Hebrew)        And so return the waters from upon the earth, departing and returning. And so are decreasing the waters from an end of fifty and one hundred a day.

Peshitta (Syriac)                    And the waters receded from the earth gradually; and after the end of a hundred and fifty clays the waters abated.

Septuagint (Greek)                And the water subsided, and went off the earth, and after one 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. This appears to be vv. 3–4.

Significant differences: 

Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:

Common English Bible           The waters receded gradually from the earth. After one hundred fifty days, the waters decreased;...

Contemporary English V.       For one hundred fifty days the water slowly went down.

Easy English                          All the time, the waters were going down. After 150 days, the waters had gone down.

Good News Bible (TEV)         ...and the water gradually went down for 150 days.

The Message                          Inch by inch the water lowered. After 150 days the worst was over.

New Berkeley Version           Steadily the waters moved back from the earth, going down at the end of the 150 days.

New Century Version             The water that covered the earth began to go down. After one hundred fifty days it had gone down so much that the boat touched land again. It came to rest on one of the mountains of Ararat[a] on the seventeenth day of the seventh month. The NCV combines vv. 3–4.

New Life Bible                        The water kept moving away from the earth. At the end of 150 days the water was less.

New Living Translation           So the floodwaters gradually receded from the earth. After 150 days,...

Partially literal and partially paraphrased translations:

American English Bible          Then the water level started to drop, flowing off the ground. And after a hundred and fifty days, the flood was pretty well over, and the chest came to rest on Mount Ararat on the twenty-seventh day of the seventh month. Since the AEB is taken from the Septuagint, it also has an extended verse here.

Beck’s American Translation Little by little the waters continued to leave the earth, so that at the end of the 150 days...

God’s Word™                         The water began to recede from the land. At the end of 150 days the water had decreased.

New American Bible              Gradually the waters receded from the earth. At the end of one hundred and fifty days, the waters had so diminished...

NIRV                                      The water continued to go down from the earth. At the end of the 150 days the water had gone down.

New Jerusalem Bible             Little by little, the waters ebbed from the earth. After a hundred and fifty days the waters fell...

Revised English Bible            Gradually the water receded from the earth, and by the end of a hundred and fifty days it had abated.

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

Ancient Roots Translinear      The waters ||returned|| from going over the land. At the end of the hundred and fifty days, the waters decreased.

Bible in Basic English             And the waters went slowly back from the earth, and at the end of a hundred and fifty days the waters were lower.

Complete Jewish Bible           ...and the water came back from completely covering the earth. It was after 150 days that the water went down.

Ferar-Fenton Bible                 ...and stayed the waters from going on to the earth; and so the waters retired and diminished from the period of one hundred and fifty days.

HCSB                                     The water steadily receded from the earth, and by the end of 150 days the waters had decreased significantly.

JPS (Tanakh—1985)               ² The fountains of the deep and the floodgates of the sky were stopped up, and the rain from the sky was held back; ³ the waters then receded steadily from the earth. At the end of one hundred and fifty days the waters diminished, ⁴ so that in the seventeenth month, on the seventeenth day of the month, the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat. Vv. 2–4 are included here for context.

New Advent Bible                  And the waters returned from off the earth going and coming: and they began to be abated after a hundred and fifty days.

NET Bible®                             The waters kept receding steadily [The construction combines a Qal preterite from שוּב (shuv) with its infinitive absolute to indicate continuous action. The infinitive absolute from הָלָךְ (halakh) is included for emphasis: "the waters returned...going and returning."] from the earth, so that they [Heb "the waters." The pronoun ("they") has been employed in the translation for stylistic reasons.] had gone down [The vav (ו) consecutive with the preterite here describes the consequence of the preceding action] by the end of the 150 days.

Limited Vocabulary Translations:

International Standard V        .

Catholic Bibles (those having the Imprimatur):

The Heritage Bible                 .

Jewish/Hebrew Names Bibles:

Kaplan Translation                 .

Expanded/Embellished Bibles:

Kretzmann’s Commentary    .

Lexham English Bible            .

Translation for Translators     .

The Voice                               .

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

Concordant Literal Version    ...and returning are the waters off the earth, going and returning. And abating are the waters at the end of one hundred and fifty days.

A Conservative Version         And the waters returned from off the earth continually. And after the end of a hundred and fifty days the waters decreased.

Darby Translation                  And the waters retired from the earth, continually retiring; and in the course of a hundred and fifty days the waters abated.

Emphasized Bible                  ...and the waters returned from off the earth they went on returning,—and so the waters decreased at the end of a hundred and fifty days.

English Standard Version      ...and the waters receded from the earth continually. At the end of 150 days the waters had abated.

LTHB                                     And the waters retreated from the earth, going and retreating. And the waters diminished at the end of a hundred and fifty days.

New RSV                               ...and the waters gradually receded from the earth. At the end of one hundred and fifty days the waters had abated;...

A Voice in the Wilderness      And the waters receded from the earth, going out and coming back. At the end of the hundred and fifty days the waters were decreased.

World English Bible                The waters receded from off the earth continually. After the end of one hundred fifty days the waters decreased.

Young's Literal Translation     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.

The gist of this verse:          After 150 days there was a noticeable decrease of the waters over the land.

Translation: As a result [lit., and so], the waters returned from [being] upon the earth,...

The waters came from under the ground and from the rain, and covered the earth. However, they eventually returned to their origins.

Translation: ...departing and returning.

This was a gradual process, and the return of the waters into the ground went back and forth. That is, waters would seep into the ground, but then waters would come back out from under the ground. So this wasn’t as if the earth was a huge mouth that suddenly opened up and swallowed everything.

Translation: Therefore, the waters began to decrease at the end of 150 days.

After a period of 150 days, the water over the earth began to subside. This is not an additional 150 days being added on top of the days mentioned in Genesis 7:24, but it indicates that once 150 days were reached, then the waters began to recede.

A note on the translation: we have a series of wâw consecutives followed by imperfect verbs, which is the common way chronological narrative is presented in the Hebrew. What we have here is a logical order of events: the waters are returning to under the earth, so, logically, they would begin to decrease upon the earth. Since this does not occur all at once—it is a process, as is indicated by v. 3b—I have translated decreased as began to decrease.

Noah apparently recorded this information (or one of his sons did). It did not necessarily get recorded on paper, but was added to what was already known from the creation of the earth. This information was very likely memorized and known throughout much of the ancient world.

Gen 8:3 And the waters returned from off the earth continually. And after the end of 150 days the waters had gone down.

Genesis 8:3 As a result [lit., and so], the waters returned from [being] upon the earth, departing and returning. Therefore, the waters began to decrease at the end of 150 days. (Kukis mostly literal translation)

Genesis 8:3 As a result, the waters began to steadily recede from being upon the earth, starting to decrease at the end of this 150 days. (Kukis paraphrase)

I live in a place where we occasionally get a lot of rain, and the results of a heavy rain continue for days after the rain itself. After a heavy rain, this rain moves toward the streams and rivers, and that water starts moving downstream; the end result is, we can have flooding days after torrential rains have stopped.

At this juncture in Genesis, we are looking at the aftermath of the great worldwide flood. Many of the waters are returning into the earth, back to the underground streams and rivers which are there.

My semi-educated guess would be, there are earthquakes and volcanos, both of which open up caverns underground, into which these waters are pulled. The force of the moving waters underground would have carved out underground rivers as well as moved debris for great distances.

The cold water entering into a very warm earth must have also caused more unsettling in the earth, all of this occurring beneath the surface of the waters.

Genesis 8:2–3 Therefore, the fountains of the ocean depths and the windows of heaven are closed down and the rain from the heavens is restrained [as well]. As a result [lit., and so], the waters returned from [being] upon the earth, departing and returning. Therefore, the waters began to decrease at the end of 150 days. (Kukis mostly literal translation)

Shûwb (שוּב) [pronounced shoo^bv] is in the Qal imperfect and it means to retreat, to return, to turn back. It is a very common word in the Hebrew, given several pages in Brown Driver Briggs. The waters from under the ground returned to beneath the surface of the earth. kâlâʾ (כָּלָא) [pronounced kaw-LAW] means to shut up, to restrain, to withhold. It is in the Niphal imperfect, which is the simple passive stem in the Hebrew. God caused the rain to stop and caused the waters from below to stop. châçêr (חָסֵר) [pronounced khaw-SEHR] means to lack, lacking, to need as well as to decrease. With respect to water, it means to disappear. This refers to the evaporation of the water as well as to the water flowing back into underground streams and river. Since the water does not decrease or dissipate all in one day, began to has been inserted into the translation.

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Here is how others have translated this verse:

Ancient texts:

Targum of Onkelos                And the ark rested in the seventh month, which is the month of Nisan, in the seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of Qadron; the name of the one mountain is Qardania, and the name of the other mountain Irmenia; and there was builded the city of Armenia in the land of the east.

Latin Vulgate                          And the ark rested in the seventh month, the seven and twentieth day of the month, upon the mountains of Armenia.

Masoretic Text (Hebrew)        And so rests the ark in the month the seventh in a seven-ten day to the month, upon mountains of Ararat .

Peshitta (Syriac)                    And in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, the ark rested upon the mountains of Kardo.

Septuagint (Greek)                And the water continued to decrease until the tenth month. The rest of this verse is combined with v. 3.

Significant differences: 

Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:

Contemporary English V.       Then on the seventeenth day of the seventh month of the year, the boat came to rest somewhere in the Ararat mountains.

Easy English                          On the 17th day in the 7th month, the *ark rested.

Good News Bible (TEV)         On the seventeenth day of the seventh month the boat came to rest on a mountain in the Ararat range.

The Message                         On the seventeenth day of the seventh month, the ship landed on the Ararat mountain range.

New Century Version             The water that covered the earth began to go down. After one hundred fifty days it had gone down so much that the boat touched land again. It came to rest on one of the mountains of Ararat[ [The ancient land of Urartu, an area in Eastern Turkey.]on the seventeenth day of the seventh month. The NCV combines vv. 3–4.

New Life Bible                        And in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, the large boat came to rest on Mount Ararat.

New Living Translation           ...exactly five months from the time the flood began,[a] the boat came to rest on the mountains of Ararat.

Partially literal and partially paraphrased translations:

American English Bible          ...and the chest came to rest on Mount Ararat on the twenty-seventh day of the seventh month. ⁴ Well, the water levels kept dropping through the tenth month,... Because the AEB follows the Septuagint, v. 4 is actually a part of v. 3.

God’s Word™                         On the seventeenth day of the seventh month, the ship came to rest in the mountains of Ararat.

New American Bible              ...that, in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat. The mountains of Ararat: the mountain country of ancient Arartu in northwest Iraq, which was the highest part of the world to the biblical writer. There is no Mount Ararat in the Bible.

Revised English Bible            On the seventeenth day of the seventh month the ark grounded on the mountains of Ararat.

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

Ancient Roots Translinear      The box settled in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, over Mount Ararat.

Ferar-Fenton Bible                 The Ark then rested on the seventeen day of the seventh month upon the Peaks of the High Hills;...

New Advent Bible                  And the ark rested in the seventh month, the seven and twentieth day of the month, upon the mountains of Armenia.

NET Bible®                             On the seventeenth day of the seventh month, the ark came to rest on one of the mountains of Ararat. Heb "on the mountains of Ararat." Obviously a boat (even one as large as the ark) cannot rest on multiple mountains. Perhaps (1) the preposition should be translated "among," or (2) the plural "mountains" should be understood in the sense of "mountain range" (see E. A. Speiser, Genesis [AB], 53). A more probable option (3) is that the plural indicates an indefinite singular, translated "one of the mountains" (see GKC 400 §124.o). Ararat is the Hebrew name for Urartu, the name of a mountainous region located north of Mesopotamia in modern day eastern Turkey. See E. M. Yamauchi, Foes from the Northern Frontier (SBA), 29-32; G. J. Wenham, Genesis (WBC), 1:184-85; C. Westermann, Genesis, 1:443-44.

Limited Vocabulary Translations:

International Standard V        .

Catholic Bibles (those having the Imprimatur):

The Heritage Bible                 .

Jewish/Hebrew Names Bibles:

Kaplan Translation                 .

Expanded/Embellished Bibles:

Kretzmann’s Commentary    .

Lexham English Bible            .

Translation for Translators     .

The Voice                               .

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

The Amplified Bible                On the seventeenth day of the seventh month the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat [in Armenia].

English Standard Version      ...and in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat.

The Geneva Bible                  And the ark rested in the seventh month [Part of September and part of October], on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat.

Syndein                                  So that in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat {a range on edge of Armenia - highest peak roughly 16,000 feet}.

Third Millennium Bible            And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat.

World English Bible                The ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on Ararat's mountains.

Young’s Updated LT             And the ark rests in the seventh month, in the seventeenth day of the month, on mountains of Ararat.

The gist of this verse:          The ark is grounded on the mountain range of Ararat on the 17^th day of the 7^th month.

Translation: The ark came to rest, in the seventh month on the 17^th day of the month,...

What apparently told the occupants of the ark that the water had gone down is, the ark comes to a rest. Throughout the entire time, the ark has been tossed about in these great waves. Well, not only is this tossing about abated, but it is apparent that the ark is now caught upon something.

There is careful attention given to the time. For people caught inside an ark during such a great storm, we would expect this. The exact days are given to us.

Translation: ...upon the mountains of Ararat.

Personally, I think that the entire landscape changed dramatically because of the flood, and that the names of places from hereon in, are names given after the flood to topology which did not necessarily exist before.

So, the occupants of the ark are not in there, and they hear their ark being caught upon something, and decide that they are in the mountains of Ararat. They kept track of where they came from (we will see their journey in the next couple chapters), and someone named the mountains where the ark had been caught, Ararat, which means the curse is reversed. When these mountains were named, we don’t know. However, the name given these mountains suggest that the occupants of the ark named them (or, someone familiar with the narrative of the flood and the ark and the geography).

Gen 8:4 And in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, the ark rested upon the mountains of Ararat.

Genesis 8:4 The ark came to rest, in the seventh month on the 17^th day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat. (Kukis mostly literal translation)

Genesis 8:4 The ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat on the 17^th day of the 7^th month. (Kukis paraphrase)

The ark, like all ships, is mostly under the water; so it is possible for this to come to rest on a mountain, and yet for no other mountains to be yet visible. The mountains upon which the ark is caught do not need to be the highest mountains in the region. This can occur, and yet other mountains can still not be seen. Furthermore, this seeing a far distance could have been prevented by the heavy evaporation and the tremendous fog and water vapor which would have been in the air at this time. However, they would have to be nearly the highest mountains in that immediate region.

It is likely that this referred to an area later known as Urarţu, which flourished during the Assyrian empire near Lake Van in Armenia. It is rendered both Armenia and Ararat in various translations and occurs but four times in the Old Testament.

This is occurring exactly 150 days after the rains began. The ark comes to rest on the mountain tops of Ararat. There are a number of theories as to where exactly this is; some place it between Kurdistan and Armenia. The proper noun translated Ararat here is translated Armenia elsewhere (2Kings 19:37 Isaiah 37:38).

Map of Armenia
The area where Armenia is, is also the location of ancient kingdom of Urartu in which is Mount Ararat. Many of the Semitic peoples (those descended from Shem, one of Noah’s sons) would have moved southward into Iraq, into what is known as the fertile crescent, which is one of the centers of ancient civilization.

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Here is how others have translated this verse:

Ancient texts:

Targum of Onkelos                And the waters went and diminished until the tenth month, the month Tammuz. In Tammuz, in the first of the month, the heads of the mountains were seen.

Latin Vulgate                          And the waters were going and decreasing until the tenth month: for in the tenth month, the first day of the month, the tops of the mountains appeared.

Masoretic Text (Hebrew)        And so the waters are going and returning until the month the tenth. In the tenth in a first to the month is seen heads of mountains.

Peshitta (Syriac)                    And the waters decreased gradually until the tenth month; on the first day of the tenth month, the tops of the mountains were seen.

Septuagint (Greek)                And in the tenth month, on the first day of the month, the heads of the mountains were seen.

Significant differences: 

Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:

Common English Bible           The waters decreased gradually until the tenth month, and on the first day of the tenth month the mountain peaks appeared.

Contemporary English V.       The water kept going down, and the mountain tops could be seen on the first day of the tenth month.

Easy English                          The waters were still going down until the 10th month. Then Noah could see the tops of the mountains. That was on the 1st day in the 10th month.

Easy-to-Read Version            The water continued to go down, and by the first day of the tenth month the tops of the mountains were above the water.

Good News Bible (TEV)         The water kept going down, and on the first day of the tenth month the tops of the mountains appeared.

The Message                         The water kept going down until the tenth month. On the first day of the tenth month the tops of the mountains came into view.

New Berkeley Version           ...and gradually the waters kept lowering until on the first of the tenth month the mountain-tops were seen.

New Century Version             The water continued to go down so that by the first day of the tenth month the tops of the mountains could be seen.

New Living Translation           Two and a half months later [Hebrew On the first day of the tenth month; see 7:11 and note on 8:4.], as the waters continued to go down, other mountain peaks became visible.

Partially literal and partially paraphrased translations:

American English Bible          ⁴ Well, the water levels kept dropping through the tenth month, ⁵ and on the first day of the tenth month, they could see the mountaintops. In order to make these passages match up, this is vv. 4 & 5 from the AEB.

Beck’s American Translation The waters got less and less till the 10^th month; on the first day of the 10^th month the tops of the mountains could be seen.

Christian Community Bible     The waters continued to recede until the tenth month. On the first day of the tenth month the mountaintops could be seen.

New American Bible              The waters continued to diminish until the tenth month, and on the first day of the tenth month the tops of the mountains appeared.

New Jerusalem Bible             The waters gradually fell until the tenth month when, on the first day of the tenth month, the mountain tops appeared.

Revised English Bible            The water continued to abate until the tenth month, and on the first day of the tenth month the tops of the mountains could be seen.

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

Bible in Basic English             And still the waters went on falling, till on the first day of the tenth month the tops of the mountains were seen.

Ferar-Fenton Bible                 ...and the waters were retreating and subsiding until the tenth month. In the eleventh month, the tops of the hills appeared.

HCSB                                     The waters continued to recede until the tenth month; in the tenth month, on the first day of the month, the tops of the mountains were visible.

JPS (Tanakh—1985)               The waters went on diminishing until the length month; in the tenth month, on the first of the month, the tops of the mountains became visible.

Judaica Press Complete T.    And the waters constantly diminished until the tenth month; in the tenth month, on the first of the month, the mountain peaks appeared.

New Advent Bible                  And the waters were going and decreasing until the tenth month: for in the tenth month, the first day of the month, the tops of the mountains appeared.

NET Bible®                             The waters kept on receding [Heb “the waters were going and lessening.” The perfect verb form הָיָה (hayah) is used as an auxiliary verb with the infinitive absolute חָסוֹר (khasor, “lessening”), while the infinitive absolute הָלוֹךְ (halokh) indicates continuous action.] until the tenth month. On the first day of the tenth month, the tops of the mountains became visible [Or "could be seen."].

The Scriptures 1998              And the waters decreased steadily until the tenth month. In the tenth month, on the first day of the month, the tops of the mountains became visible.

Limited Vocabulary Translations:

International Standard V        .

Catholic Bibles (those having the Imprimatur):

The Heritage Bible                 .

Jewish/Hebrew Names Bibles:

Kaplan Translation                 .

Expanded/Embellished Bibles:

Kretzmann’s Commentary    .

Lexham English Bible            .

Translation for Translators     .

The Voice                               .

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

Concordant Literal Version    And the waters came to go and abate until the tenth month. In the eleventh month, on day one of the month, appear the heads of the mountains.

A Conservative Version         And the waters decreased continually until the tenth month. In the tenth month, on the first day of the month, the tops of the mountains were seen.

English Standard Version      And the waters continued to abate until the tenth month; in the tenth month, on the first day of the month, the tops of the mountains were seen.

The Geneva Bible                  And the waters decreased continually until the tenth month [Which was the month of December. ]: in the tenth [month], on the first [day] of the month, were the tops of the mountains seen.

LTHB                                     And the waters were going and falling until the tenth month. In the tenth month, on the first of the month, the tops of the mountains were see.

Modern KJV                           And the waters decreased continually until the tenth month. And the tops of the mountains were seen in the tenth month on the first day of the month.

World English Bible                The waters receded continually until the tenth month. In the tenth month, on the first day of the month, the tops of the mountains were seen.

Young's Updated LT              And the waters have been going and becoming lacking till the tenth month; in the tenth [month], on the first of the month, appeared the heads of the mountains.

The gist of this verse: 

Translation: The waters are going and returning until the tenth month.

There seems to be this constant ebb and flow of the waters, as they continue going down, most of them disappearing into the earth. Although the wording here can suggest that the waters have stopped receding; this can simply be a marker of time. So, in the tenth month, the waters continue to ebb and flow, always going down.

Translation: On the first day of the tenth month, the tops of mountains are seen.

This is an interesting statement, as the people are all inside the ark and Noah will open up a window 40 days hence. What is possibly the case is, Jesus, the revealed member of the Trinity, was able to see mountains at this point, and it became a part of the narrative. In the alternative, there were ways to see outside—just barely—and those inside were able to see mountains off in the distance.

Or, even a simpler solution. In the next verse, Noah opens a window which he made. Noah may have designed this window so that he could remove it at will. So he removes it when the ark suddenly stops moving, and mountains can be seen.

Became visible is the Hebrew word for to see, but it is in the Niphal perfect, which is the passive voice, completed action. They looked out of the ark and suddenly, there they were; some other mountains. Where they were, there was still no area of land to walk upon, since it was only the tops of these mountains which had become visible to them. Due to the receding water and to the decrease of some of the fog, these mountains had become visible to the inhabitants of the ark. In reading this, this makes me think that this was a diary kept by Noah (I should say a record or a ships's log) in which Noah recorded the events. It reads as though he would write one or two lines, tend to the animals on board, and then, a few days later (or even months later) add a few lines. This might account for many of the things being said twice. Noah was very impressed by the behavior of the animals and how they wandered up the ark ramp in twos, so he mentions this twice and alludes to it a third time. The tremendous rain is also mentioned twice and alluded to a couple of times.

It is not necessary for the ark to be caught on the highest peaks of the mountains of Ararat. So, it is possible that the mountains which could be seen are those of Ararat (although the mountains that can be seen are not named in this narrative).

Gen 8:5 And the waters decreased continually until the tenth month. And the tops of the mountains were seen in the tenth month on the first day of the month.

Genesis 8:5 The waters are going and returning until the tenth month. On the first day of the tenth month, the tops of mountains are seen. (Kukis mostly literal translation)

Genesis 8:5 The waters continued to ebb and flow until the tenth month. On the first day of the tenth month, the tops of mountains could be seen. (Kukis paraphrase)

Dry land could be observed in several places 240 days after the rain began. Since Noah’s ark is now caught on a mountain, he then has a place of reference. He can tell that he has stopped moving; they can look outside—something which I am sure that they did every single morning—to see anything off in the distance. At day 240, they get up, look out, and they can see mountain tops off in the distance.

Because the ark has stopped upon a mountain, and now, Noah can look out and see other mountains, this tells us that Noah is in a mountain range.

In the next verse, Noah is going to open a window, so how does he see mountains in this verse? What appears to be the case is, Noah built a roof for the ark and it came down to being within 18 inches from the top of the ark (Genesis 6:16). This would have been an opening around the ark, which would have provided ventilation. They certainly could have affixed a ladder to the side of the ark so that they could climb up and look out through this opening.

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Noah Sends Out Birds to Check for a Drying Earth

Here is how others have translated this verse:

Ancient texts:

Targum of Onkelos                And it was at the end of forty days, and Noah opened the aperture of the ark which he had made.

Latin Vulgate                          And after that forty days were passed, Noe opening the window of the ark, which he had made, sent forth a raven.

Masoretic Text (Hebrew)        And so he is from an end of forty a day and so opens Noah a window of the ark which he had made.

Peshitta (Syriac)                    And it came to pass at the end of forty days that Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made.

Septuagint (Greek)                And it came to pass after forty days, that Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made.

Significant differences: 

Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:

Contemporary English V.       Forty days later Noah opened a window to send out a raven, but it kept flying around until the water had dried up. This appears to have compiled vv.6–7.

Easy English                          After 40 days, Noah opened the window. That is, the window of the *ark that he had made.

Easy-to-Read Version            Forty days later, Noah opened the window he had made in the boat.

Good News Bible (TEV)         After forty days Noah opened a window ⁷ and sent out a raven.

The Message                         After forty days Noah opened the window that he had built into the ship.

New Berkeley Version           After another forty days Noah opened the window he had made in the ark ⁷ and released a raven... A portion of v. 7 is included for context.

New Life Bible                        At the end of forty days, Noah opened the window of the large boat which he had made.

New Living Translation           After another forty days, Noah opened the window he had made in the boat...

Partially literal and partially paraphrased translations:

American English Bible          Then after forty days, Noah opened the window that he had made in the chest,..

Beck’s American Translation After 40 days Noah opened the window he made in the ark, ⁷ and he let a crow fly out. A portion of v. 7 was added for context.

Christian Community Bible     At the end of the forty days Noah opened the window of the ark that he had built ⁷ and let the raven out. A portion of v. 7 was added for context.

God’s Word™                         After 40 more days Noah opened the window he had made in the ship...

New American Bible              At the end of forty days Noah opened the hatch of the ark that he had made, ...

New Simplified Bible              After forty days Noah opened the window he constructed in the ark.

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

Ancient Roots Translinear      In the end of forty days, Noah had opened the window of the box which he made..

Bible in Basic English             Then, after forty days, through the open window of the ark which he had made, ⁷ Noah sent out a raven, which went this way and that till the waters were gone from the earth. V. 7 was included for context.

JPS (Tanakh—1985)               At the end of forty days, Noah opened the window of the ark that he had made ⁷ and sent out the raven; it went to and fro until the waters had dried up from the earth. V. 7 was included for context.

New Advent Bible                  And after that forty days were passed, Noe opening the window of the ark, which he had made, sent forth a raven. The NAB places a portion of v. 7 with v. 6.

NET Bible®                             At the end of forty days [The introductory verbal form וַיְהִי (vayÿhi), traditionally rendered “and it came to pass,” serves as a temporal indicator and has not been translated here.], Noah opened the window he had made in the ark [Heb "opened the window in the ark which he had made." The perfect tense ("had made") refers to action preceding the opening of the window, and is therefore rendered as a past perfect. Since in English "had made" could refer to either the ark or the window, the order of the phrases was reversed in the translation to clarify that the window is the referent.]...

New Heart English Bible        It happened at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the window of the ship which he had made, ...

Limited Vocabulary Translations:

International Standard V        .

Catholic Bibles (those having the Imprimatur):

The Heritage Bible                 .

Jewish/Hebrew Names Bibles:

Kaplan Translation                 .

Expanded/Embellished Bibles:

Kretzmann’s Commentary    .

Lexham English Bible            .

Translation for Translators     .

The Voice                               .

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

The Amplified Bible                At the end of [another] forty days Noah opened a window of the ark which he had made... The Amplified Bible rarely continues one verse into another.

Concordant Literal Version    And it is coming, at the end of forty days, that opening is Noah a porthole of the ark which he had made...

NASB                                     Then it came about at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made; ⁷ and he sent out a raven,...

World English Bible                It happened at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made,...

Young's Updated LT              And it comes to pass, at the end of forty days, that Noah opens the window of the ark which he made.

The gist of this verse: