Gen 8:13–14: the waters dried, the earth dry
Says 8:13 dates the drying בְּאַחַת וְשֵׁשׁ־מֵאוֹת שָׁנָה, "in the one and six hundredth year," בָּרִאשׁוֹן בְּאֶחָד לַחֹדֶשׁ, "in the first, on the first of the month": חָרְבוּ הַמַּיִם מֵעַל הָאָרֶץ, "the waters were dried from upon the earth." Noah removes אֶת־מִכְסֵה הַתֵּבָה, "the covering of the ark," and sees וְהִנֵּה חָרְבוּ פְּנֵי הָאֲדָמָה, "and behold, the face of the ground was dried."
Says 8:14 has another verb: וּבַחֹדֶשׁ הַשֵּׁנִי בְּשִׁבְעָה וְעֶשְׂרִים יוֹם לַחֹדֶשׁ יָבְשָׁה הָאָרֶץ, "and in the second month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, the earth was dry." The verb of 8:13 is kharav and that of 8:14 yavesh; the BSB marks the step as "dried up" and "fully dry." The preposition with the day is "on" ("By the twenty-seventh day," BSB).
Uncertain From 7:11 (second month, seventeenth day, year 600) to 8:14 (second month, twenty-seventh day, year 601) is a year and ten days in the MT's figures. Whether this is a lunar year plus ten days, so that the span equals a solar year, or simply a year and ten days, is debated. No lean is taken here.
Claims
- Says8:13 in year 601, first month, first day, the waters were dried; Noah removes the covering and sees the face of the ground dried.
- Says8:14 second month, twenty-seventh day, the earth was dry: two verbs (kharav, yavesh); the day is "on."
- UncertainWhether a year and ten days (7:11 to 8:14) is meant as a solar year; no lean.
Citations
- OSHB CC BY 4.0 Gen 8:13–14 (WLC/OSHB; morph HVqp3cp, HNcmsc, HVqp3fs)
- BSB public domain Gen 8:13–14
2026-11-11
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