The Pulpit Commentary — Genesis — Section 194

EXPOSITION. Vers. 11, 12.-In the six hundredth year waters of the ocean (Job xx:xvi.i.i. 16, 30; of Noa.h's life, in the second month. Not (1) xli. 31 ; Ps. cvi. 9) and of subterranean of Noah's 600th year (Knobel); but either reservoirs (Job xxviii. 4, 10 ; Ps. :xxx:iii. 7 ; (2) of the theocratic year, which begn.n with Deut. viii. 7)-broken up. "By a metynomy, Nisan or Abib (Exod. xii. 2 ; xiii. 4 ; xxiii. because the earth and other obstructions were 15; xxxiv. 18; Deut. xvi. 1; Neh. ii. 1), broken up, and so a passage opened for the aithor in March or April (Rabbi Joshua, fountains" (Poole). "The niphal or passive Ambrose, Luther, Calvm, Mercerus, Haver- fonn of ll~f denotes violent changes in the nick, Kalisch, Alford, Wordsworth); or (3) depths of the sea, or in the action of the of the civil year, which commenced with earth-at o.11 events in the atmosphere" the autumnal equinox in the month Tisri, (Lange). And the windows of heaven were " called of old the first month, but now the opened. Arubboth, from arabh, to twine- seventh " (Chnldee Paraphrase ; Exod. xxiii. network or lattices; hence a ,vinuow, as 16; xxxiv. 22), corresponding to September being closed with lattice-work instead of or October (Josephus, Rabbi Jonathan·, glass (Eccles. xii 3) ; here the flood-gates of Kimchi, Rosenmiiller, Keil, Murphy, Bush, heaven, which are opened when it rains (cf. Ainsworth, 'Speaker's Commentary'). In eh. viii. 2 ; 2 Kings vii. 19 ; Isa. xxiv. 13 ; support of the former mlly be alleged the usual Mai. iii. 10). And the rain was-literall_y, Bibliclll mode of reckoning the sacred year by and there was (happeneu, came) violent rain; numbers, and in defence of the latter that the ecclesiastical year did not begin till the time c,~3, different from "1~~. which denotes of the Exodus. In the seventeenth da.y of any rain, and is applied to other things the month. " The careful statement of the which God pours down from heaven (Exod. chrouology, which marks with such exactness ix. 18 ; xvi. 4)-upon the earth forty day9 day and month in the course of this occur- and forty ni!fhts (cf. eh. vii. 4). Thougl1 rence, r,uts a.11 suspicion of the history to the language IS metapl1orical and optical, it 1hame ' (Havernick). The same d&f were clearly points to a change in the land level all the fountains of the great deep-?, e. the by which the ocean wiiters overflowed tho 118 'rHE DOOR OF GENESIS. Leu. vu, 11-24•