Genesis 7:1  “…you and all your household…you are righteous before Me in this generation”
How sad that of all the people on the earth, mankind had corrupted himself to the point that only Noah and his family were considered righteous before God.  How merciful is God that He would choose to save just one if that is all that is there.  Whosoever.

2-3  “…seven each of every clean animal…two each of animals that are unclean…seven each of birds of the air…”
Why more of the clean animals and birds?  I can see he would need some to offer as sacrifices before the others had a chance to reproduce.  Commentary suggests it was to speed their reproduction as they would be used as sacrifices, food, or other service.  God took care of all details.

4  “…after seven more days I will cause it to rain…”
Noah had been working for at least one hundred years on the ark.  The time had finally come.  I’m sure waiting for him was no more pleasant than it is for us.  But the time God had said did come.  What God says will come to pass.  He doesn’t change His mind.  He may tarry for His own reasons, but when the time comes He has chosen, it will happen.

6  “Noah was six hundred years old when the floodwaters were on the earth.”
According to the timeline, this would have been approximately year 1656 from creation or from the fall.  Hard to know when they started counting time since there was no aging, decay, or death until the fall.

11  “…all the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened”
The earth’s crust was broken and water came up from below.  The water canopy also fell down.  We’re not told the percentage of dry land before the flood, nor are we given the topography.  The land could have been somewhat flat or flatter than now and close to sea level so a lot of water may not have been needed to cover it.

16  “…the LORD shut him in”
Interesting.  God shut the door.  He took personal action in securing Noah and his family.  Commentary also mentions what it meant to those outside.  Their time was up.  The parallel in scripture is to the return of Christ.  While we know from the book of Revelation there will be some who are saved out of the Tribulation, there are no guarantees.  God’s mercy essentially ends when Christ returns to gather His people.  The time to repent and accept Him is now.

17  “…flood was on the earth forty days…”
Refers to the rain coming down and the wellsprings coming up.  The actual flood of standing water lasted longer.

19-20  “…all the high hills under the whole heaven were covered…waters prevailed fifteen cubits upward, and the mountains were covered”
Here we’re told all the hills and mountains were covered.  Water apparently rose fifteen cubits or approximately twenty-two and a half feet above the highest mountain in order for the ark to float completely unhindered and to totally destroy any life on the highest points.  However, we’re not told how high those highest points were compared to the surrounding area.  It is during this time of the whole earth being covered with water that it is suggested the land mass separated and the continents migrated.  The earth’s crust had been broken up to release the water so such movement wouldn’t have been difficult.  With the settling of the crust due to the removal of much of the subterranean water and the collapse of the water canopy to the earth’s surface, it has been suggested the earth’s rotational speed would have increased.  This may account for the length of a revolution around the sun going from three hundred sixty days to three hundred sixty-five and a quarter days.  It has also been suggested that God tilted the earth on its axis at this time creating the seasons.  Seasons aren’t mentioned before the flood with regard to temperature variations such as summer and winter, just the passage of time, and with the removal of the water canopy, the earth’s surface would encounter greater extremes in temperature without an adjustment in received sunlight.

24  “…the waters prevailed on the earth one hundred and fifty days”
The rain had obviously stopped.  The springs had probably stopped erupting as well.  The water was just sitting there.  This is the time during which the continents would be moving, not only along the surface, but also vertically.  Great mountains and valleys would have been created.  The surface of the earth probably looked very different after the flood from what it was before.  God took His time.  Almost like recreating the planet.

I hope you enjoy reading and studying His word.  May it accomplish what He desires.  Please feel free to comment or post questions.  Thanks for reading!

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.