The story of Noah and the Great Flood

As described in the Bible, in Genesis 6–9, story has deep roots in ancient Near Eastern flood mythology. This account, in which Noah is chosen by God to build an ark and preserve a remnant of humanity and animal life during a cataclysmic flood, shares notable similarities with older flood myths from Mesopotamian traditions.

    Genesis 6–9 in the Bible tells the story of how the world had become corrupt, and God decided to cleanse it with a flood.

    Noah, described as a righteous man, is commanded by God to build an ark to save his family and pairs of every kind of animal.

    The floodwaters rise, covering the earth and destroying all living creatures, except those preserved in the ark.

    After the flood subsides, Noah sends out a dove and a raven to check for dry land. When the dove returns with an olive branch, Noah knows the flood has receded.

    God makes a covenant with Noah, symbolized by a rainbow, promising never to destroy the earth by a flood again.

The biblical story of Noah has strong parallels with earlier Mesopotamian flood myths, particularly the Epic of Gilgamesh and the Atra-Hasis epic.

Epic of Gilgamesh

    The Epic of Gilgamesh, dating back to the 18th century BCE, contains one of the oldest known flood myths, where a character named Utnapishtim survives a great flood.

    Utnapishtim is warned by the god Ea (or Enki) of the gods' decision to flood the earth to cleanse humanity. He is instructed to build a boat, similar to Noah’s ark, and to bring his family and pairs of animals aboard.

    After the flood, Utnapishtim sends out birds (a dove, a swallow, and a raven) to find dry land, much like Noah's action in Genesis.

    As a reward for his survival, Utnapishtim is granted immortality by the gods.

Atra-Hasis

    The Atra-Hasis epic, also a Mesopotamian text, predates the Noah story and tells of the god Enlil growing angry with the noise of humanity and deciding to flood the earth.

    The god Enki (Ea) warns the hero Atra-Hasis to build a boat and save himself, his family, and animals.

    The story ends with the flood waters receding and the gods making a compromise regarding human population growth.

    Flood myths are widespread across many cultures, which suggests that the biblical flood story was part of a broader mythological tradition. Other cultures with flood stories include:

    Sumerian myths (earliest form of the flood story)

    Babylonian accounts, where the flood is a divine punishment

    Indian mythology (the story of Manu and the fish)

    Greek mythology (the flood of Deucalion)

    Some scholars, using the documentary hypothesis, suggest that the Noah story in Genesis might be a combination of two separate sources, often referred to as the J (Yahwist) and P (Priestly) sources. These sources were later combined into a unified narrative.

        In the J source, the flood lasts 40 days, and Noah sends out a dove three times.

        In the P source, the flood lasts 150 days, and Noah sends out a raven.

    Scholars generally believe that the biblical authors were influenced by older Mesopotamian flood stories, adapting them to fit the theological framework of Israelite monotheism. The similarities suggest that the biblical authors were familiar with the wider Mesopotamian cultural and literary tradition, but they reworked the story to convey unique theological messages about God’s relationship with humanity.