Genesis 8:2-5

8:2 The fountains of the deep and the floodgates of heaven were closed, ¹  and the rain stopped falling from the sky. 8:3 The waters kept receding steadily ²  from the earth, so that they ³  had gone down ⁴  by the end of the 150 days. 8:4 On the seventeenth day of the seventh month, the ark came to rest on one of the mountains of Ararat. ⁵  8:5 The waters kept on receding ⁶  until the tenth month. On the first day of the tenth month, the tops of the mountains became visible. ⁷ 

¹ tn Some (e.g., NIV) translate the preterite verb forms in this verse as past perfects (e.g., “had been closed”), for it seems likely that the sources of the water would have stopped before the waters receded.

² tn The construction combines a Qal preterite from שׁוּב (shuv) with its infinitive absolute to indicate continuous action. The infinitive absolute from הָלָךְ (halakh) is included for emphasis: “the waters returned…going and returning.”

³ tn Heb “the waters.” The pronoun (“they”) has been employed in the translation for stylistic reasons.

⁴ tn The vav (ו) consecutive with the preterite here describes the consequence of the preceding action.

³ tn Heb “on the mountains of Ararat.” Obviously a boat (even one as large as the ark) cannot rest on multiple mountains. Perhaps (1) the preposition should be translated “among,” or (2) the plural “mountains” should be understood in the sense of “mountain range” (see E. A. Speiser, Genesis [AB], 53). A more probable option (3) is that the plural indicates an indefinite singular, translated “one of the mountains” (see GKC 400 §124.o).

⁴ tn Heb “the waters were going and lessening.” The perfect verb form הָיָה (hayah) is used as an auxiliary verb with the infinitive absolute חָסוֹר (khasor, “lessening”), while the infinitive absolute הָלוֹךְ (halokh) indicates continuous action.

⁵ tn Or “could be seen.”