Genesis 7:20 tells us that the floodwaters rose far enough to cover the tallest mountains, going about fifteen cubits (roughly twenty-two to twenty-seven feet) above them. It is a plain report of how complete the flood was, and it shows that the judgment reached every part of the land. The verse is part of the narrator’s account in the book of Genesis, describing what happened after God sent the flood in the days of Noah.
The waters rose fifteen cubits higher, and the mountains were covered.
Genesis 7:20 (WEB)
What Genesis 7:20 Means
The phrase “the waters rose fifteen cubits higher” is a measurement that moves the reader from the general idea of rising water to something specific. A cubit was roughly the length from the elbow to the fingertips, so the text gives the rise a concrete size. The waters did not stop at the foothills or the lower slopes. They kept climbing until they were above the peaks.
The words “the mountains were covered” describe the result. In the ancient Near Eastern world where Genesis was shaped, mountains were the highest and most secure places a person could go, and the verse says even those were submerged. The verse does not explain why the flood happened in this passage, since that is addressed in the chapters before it. What it does is show that no height offered escape on its own.
It is also worth noting what the verse does not promise. It does not describe the ark’s inner life, the feelings of the people in it, or how long the water stayed high. Those things come in the surrounding verses and chapters. Genesis 7:20 simply records the reach of the water.
The Context of Genesis 7:20
Genesis is the first book of the Torah, traditionally attributed to Moses, and it opens with creation and moves through the early history of humanity before focusing on Abraham’s family. The flood account belongs to the early section, where the narrative tracks how human violence grew and how God chose to preserve Noah and his family through a great judgment. The original audience was the people of Israel, who received these stories as part of their origins and as a record of God’s dealings with the world.
Verse 20 sits inside a short unit (Genesis 7:17-23) that describes the peak of the flood. The verses just before it report the waters increasing and lifting the ark, and the verses just after list the destruction of living things and the statement that only Noah and those with him in the ship were left. Read this way, the verse is the high point of the drama, the moment where the flood’s power is fully visible. That placement helps explain why the text is so concrete about the height and the mountains.
Key Phrases in Genesis 7:20
Genesis 7:23
Every living thing was destroyed that was on the surface of the ground, including man, livestock, creeping things, and birds of the sky. They were destroyed from the earth. Only Noah was left, and those who were with him in the ship.
(WEB)
This verse finishes the account of the flood’s destruction and states that Noah and those with him were the ones left. It shows the outcome of the verse you have been reading, where the waters covered everything, and it places the focus on the survivors in the ark.
Genesis 8:1
God remembered Noah, all the animals, and all the livestock that were with him in the ship; and God made a wind to pass over the earth. The waters subsided.
(WEB)
This verse marks the turning point, when God remembered Noah and the waters began to recede. It connects the high water of Genesis 7:20 to the hope of renewal that follows, showing that the flood was not the end of the story.
A Short Prayer From Genesis 7:20
Lord, some seasons feel like rising water, and I see how quickly the things I rely on can be covered. Help me admit where I am overwhelmed instead of pretending I can climb past it by myself. Show me the ways you have already provided a place of safety, whether through people, wisdom, or your steady presence. Teach me to trust that you remember those who call on you, even when the waters seem to rise higher. Amen.
