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Summary
- Genesis dates Noah by ages, not years: he was born when Lamech was 182 (Genesis 5:28), and the flood came in his 600th year (Genesis 7:11).
- In the Hebrew text the flood falls 1,656 years after creation; the Samaritan text gives 1,307 years and the Greek Septuagint 2,242.
- James Ussher’s Annals of the World (1650; English 1658) puts Noah’s birth in 2948 BC, the flood in 2349 BC and Noah’s death in 1998 BC.
- Answers in Genesis gives 2348 BC for the flood, the Institute for Creation Research about 2472 BC, and the Associates for Biblical Research, on preliminary study, no earlier than about 3300 BC.
- Reasons to Believe reads the genealogies as having gaps and suggests a regional flood perhaps 50,000 to 40,000 years ago; BioLogos holds that the date is not important to the meaning of Genesis.
- Flood deposits at Kish and Shuruppak in ancient Sumer date to about 3000 BC; no inscription names Noah.
- From the flood to Abram’s birth the Hebrew text gives 292 or 352 years, as Terah was 70 or 130 at Abram’s birth, so Noah either died when Abram was 58 or two years before he was born.
Bibliography (Click to show)
- The Holy Bible, King James Version: Genesis 2:8; 5:28; 7:6; 7:11; 8:4; 9:20; 9:28–29; 10:10; 11:2; 11:10; 11:26; 11:32; 12:4; Exodus 12:40; Acts 7:4; Galatians 3:17; Hebrews 11:7–8. Text from Bible Gateway.
- James Ussher, The Annals of the World (Latin 1650; English, London, 1658), the first and second ages of the world, 1658 text keyboarded by the Text Creation Partnership. First age, second age, Early English Books Online, University of Michigan Library.
- John D. Morris, “Can the Ussher Chronology Be Trusted?”, Institute for Creation Research, Acts & Facts, 1 December 2003. icr.org
- Brian Thomas, “When Did Noah’s Flood Happen?”, Institute for Creation Research, 28 February 2018. icr.org
- Brian Thomas, “Did Someone Really Find Noah’s Ark?”, Institute for Creation Research, Acts & Facts, September 2020. icr.org
- David Wright, “Timeline for the Flood”, Answers in Genesis, 9 March 2012. answersingenesis.org
- Ken Ham, “Is It ‘100% Confirmed’ That Noah’s Ark Has Been Found?”, Answers in Genesis, 6 October 2026. answersingenesis.org
- Associates for Biblical Research, “Statement on Ancient Near Eastern and Biblical Chronologies”, 7 June 2019. biblearchaeology.org
- Rodger C. Young, “Book Review: From Abraham to Paul: A Biblical Chronology: Part II”, Associates for Biblical Research, 12 July 2012. biblearchaeology.org
- Reasons to Believe, “The Flood of Noah: What Does Science Say?”, 21 January 2026. reasons.org
- Hugh Henry and Daniel J. Dyke, “Does the Tower of Babel Confirm Genealogical Gaps in Genesis 11?”, Reasons to Believe, 9 February 2018. reasons.org
- BioLogos, “How Should We Interpret the Genesis Flood Account?”, last updated 20 November 2023. biologos.org
- New American Bible, Revised Edition, with notes: Genesis 5, 8 and 11. United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Genesis 5, Genesis 8, Genesis 11.
- James Howlett, “Biblical Chronology”, The Catholic Encyclopedia, vol. 3 (1908). New Advent
- Augustine, The City of God, books 15 and 16, trans. Marcus Dods. Book 15, Book 16, New Advent.
- The Septuagint in English, trans. Lancelot C. L. Brenton: Genesis 5 and 11. Genesis 5, Genesis 11, eBible.org.
- Orthodox Church in America, “Septuagint (LXX) numbering of the Psalms”. oca.org
- Jimmy Akin, “How to understand the ‘Christmas Proclamation’”, National Catholic Register, 25 December 2012. ncregister.com
- “The Christmas Proclamation”, comparison of translations, Catholic Resources (Felix Just, S.J.). catholic-resources.org
- Samuel Noah Kramer, “Reflections on the Mesopotamian Flood: The Cuneiform Data New and Old”, Expedition 9, no. 4 (July 1967), Penn Museum. archived copy
- “Pit F (‘Flood Pit’)”, Ur Online, Penn Museum and British Museum. ur.iaas.upenn.edu
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