Wow, have I just stumbled onto proof that the flood in Noah's time may not have been world wide?

Question

I just asked another question and quoted this scripture.

It's Genesis 6:4.

"There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown."

And something caught my eye. It says the giants were on the earth before AND AFTER the flood. If they were on the earth AFTER the flood, too, then not everyone was killed by the flood which would mean that when the writer of this book (probably Moses) wrote "whole world" he may have thought that his part of the world WAS the whole world. What do you think?

Ronin, I hate to tell you but ....... I'm not a boy. lol

Answer 1

Hi, the ancient peoples refered to there Known part of the world in this manner, in the Gospel narrative the Roman governor called a sensus of the whole world which was in reality a sensus of all Roman occupied areas, also the Jews used this term also to describe Israel.

Answer 2

Good Thinking.

Back in ancient days their world was the world that they could reach. If they could not get there by horse, chariot, buggy, or by their feet then it did not exist.

But a good principal here is: If the Flood took place only in one section of the world like the Middle East, then why did he get Noah to load two of every animal on the Ark? There was a reason for this and it was probably because he needed them to reproduce when he covered the world with water. What other reason would there be? If he only covered a section of the world with water would he still need to save two of each animal?

Remember, the bible was written by MAN with GODs guidance. But man used his own words and own thoughts to create it. It was just the same as writing a History Book at that time except that God gave them the wisdom.

Out of this passage or Noah and the Arc it is less important on whether you believe the whole world was flooded and more as to the reason it was flooded? The past repeats itself, that is how we learn and our souls grow.

Answer 3

nope

notice the double all... all the high mountian under all the heavens were covered to about Goliath's height
if Goliath was standing on the highest mountain, he was gunna drown

also

if it was not global... you dont need a boat to be built over 100 years and to float for about a year ... a migration is more appropriate. Neither a flood in the Black sea nor the mediteranian nor the tigris valley would require a boat to save animals and people and a migration would work... and would certainly not leave you on top of moutains in Turkey in the Ararat region...

the giants before the flood and after were not necessarily related
the giants aftwer could be form the normal genetic variation of the people on the ark...

Answer 4

It's a definite possibility. I've actually thought the same thing for quite awhile now. It doesn't really have any impact on the validity of anything in the bible, it just impacts the interpretation of this event in the minds of modern-day believers, IMO.

Of course, this interpretation could be way off. Perhaps "giants" were just another term for "large men" or "mighty warriors" or something like that. It's very difficult to speculate on such a topic based upon a few translated words...

Interesting stuff though! :-)

Answer 5

4 The Nephilim were on the earth in those days—and also afterward—when the sons of God went to the daughters of men and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown.

They were there, and also AFTER they had children with them. It does not mention the flood. Any English student can easily explain this does not mean AFTER the flood. Basically, they stuck around after the started mating.

Answer 6

NO the flood was worldwide. I dont think that quote means what you think it means. Here is my reasoning:

God would not have commanded Moses to take all the birds if it was not a world wide flood. Otherwise the birds would have simply migrated somewhere else.

God bless
Shane

Answer 7

Genesis 6:17
For behold, I will bring a flood of waters upon the earth to destroy all flesh in which is the breath of life under heaven. Everything that is on the earth shall die.


-EVERYTHING on the earth shall die. Yes the whole earth was flooded.

Answer 8

Maimonides, an early Jewish authority, advised, in his Guide for the Perplexed, not to take the first 11 chapters of Genesis as literal history. That includes the Noah story, which is borrowed from the Epic of Gilgamesh.

Bible passages can't prove anything about anything. Here's better evidence that there was no suc h world-wide flood: According to the text, the rain fell and the world was covered with water up to the highest mountain. That would be Everest, at over 29000 feet. In order for the water to get that high in 40 days, it would be necessary for it to rain over six inches ... per MINUTE! Now a 2 inch rain in a day is a hard rain, but six inches a minute? There isn't enough water in the whole world to flood the Earth as it says. The story is fundamentally ridiculous in this and many other ways ... IF you take it literally, as Maimonides warned not to.

Answer 9

The flood was not world-wide. It was just today's Black Sea, which was once a populated fertile valley, lower than sea-level like today's Death Valley, but over a larger area. About 5-6000 years ago, an earthquale opened up the channel through today's Istanbul, flooding the valley, not the world.

Answer 10

The great flood was contained in the Mediteranean sea