Genesis 8:5

ESV 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.

NIV The waters continued to recede until the tenth month, and on the first day of the tenth month the tops of the mountains became visible.

NASB And the water decreased steadily until the tenth month; in the tenth month, on the first day of the month, the tops of the mountains became visible.

CSB The water 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.

NLT Two and a half months later, as the waters continued to go down, other mountain peaks became visible.

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

NKJV 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.

What does Genesis 8:5 mean?

The previous verse told us that the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat on a specific date: the seventeenth day of the seventh month of Noah's 600th year. The waters continued to steadily drain from the earth, but it still took until the first day of the tenth month for the tops of the mountains to become visible. That's about another two and a half months, or ten weeks.

This is the third specific date given in the story of the flood. The date that land finally began to appear above the waters was significant enough to include in the official timeline. One important reason for including these specific dates and locations in the story of the flood is to let readers know that this was an historical event. The writer is clearly of the opinion that these events happened to real people in the real world. It wasn't meant to be understood as a myth that happened in times before memory, or as a mere parable in some fantasy world. God intended for the story of the flood to be believed and taken seriously.

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Context Summary
Genesis 8:1–19 describes the process of God drying out the earth following the flood. Noah and his family and the animals wait for the waters to recede. Noah uses birds as a test to see if any land is nearby. When the time is finally right, a full year after they entered, God commands Noah, his family, and all the animals to leave the ark. Their mission from God is to swarm over the earth, multiply, and begin again.

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Chapter Context
Even as all other life was being destroyed, God didn't forget Noah and the animals. He stops the deluge of water flowing from above and below and causes a great wind to blow to begin drying out the earth. The ark comes to rest on the mountains of Ararat. There, its occupants wait for the flood waters to go down. After a full year aboard, Noah and his family and the animals finally disembark. Noah builds an altar in worship to God and offers animal sacrifices. God commits to never curse the earth as He had through the flood, and to never again strike down all life on earth.

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