Bible Strands
Genesis 8:13
In Noah’s six hundred and first year, on the first day of the first month, the waters had dried up from the earth. So Noah removed the covering from the ark and saw that the surface of the ground was dry.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Noah observes the post-flood conditions in his six hundred and first year, following the dove's failure to return and preceding the earth's complete drying. The narrative marks a chronological milestone in the Genesis flood account.
The words — The text uses בָּֽרִאשׁוֹן (ba-ri.shon, "in the first") and בְּ/אֶחָ֣ד לַ/חֹ֔דֶשׁ (be-'e.Chad la-Cho.desh, "on [day] one of the month") to specify the calendar date. These terms combine with שָׁנָ֗ה (sha.Nah, "year") and מֵא֜וֹת (me.'ot, "hundred") to record the precise timing of the waters' recession.
The thread — This chronological marker parallels Genesis 7:11, which records the flood's onset in Noah’s six hundredth year, establishing a twelve-month cycle for the waters' departure and full drying (Genesis 8:14). The paired dates frame the duration of the flood narrative.
Why it lands — The verse demands recognition of the deliberate, measured timeline of the waters' retreat before any human action. It anchors the narrative in concrete chronology rather than vague recovery.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And it came to pass in the six hundredth and first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, the waters were dried up from off the earth: and Noah removed the covering of the ark, and looked, and, behold, the face of the ground was dry.
Cross-references
- Genesis 7:11 In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, on the seventeenth day of the second month, all the fountains of the great deep burst forth, and the floodgates of the heavens were opened.