Local or Global Flood?

(2 Pet 3:6 NIV) By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed.

We should keep in mind that when we are reading the Genesis flood account that we are reading it through the filter of time, culture, translation, language and interpretation, not to mention the author's original intent (see Resolving Conflicts between the Bible and Science. on-site). I am speaking as a scientist who regards God works as important and as a Christian who regards God's word as important.

Now I think it is reasonably clear from our English translation of the bible that the destruction by the flood of the whole earth is implied. It certainly seems that all mankind is wiped out, but that does not necessarily imply a world wide flood because man might not have spread throughout the world by then. After the flood men stayed in the same area (see Gen 11:4), until their languages were confused and they were scattered over the earth (11:9). While the main purpose of the flood was to wipe out mankind and start again, the animals were affected otherwise why have the ark, see Gen 6:13, 17 in which all animal life is wiped out. In Gen 7:2- the word 'mountain' (har) can be translated 'hill' as in the KJV. Gen 8:4 says that "the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat" again the word mountains, pleural, (har) can be translated hills so the ark could have landed on the foothills of the Ararat range which cover 100,000 sq miles. We should note that the dove (Gen 8:11) brought back an olive leaf and olive trees do not grow above 5,000 ft.

The words usually translated 'earth' adamah and erets do not necessarily mean this round globe called Earth, but can mean country, earth, ground, land and nation. While our English translation clearly states the destruction of the human race we should not rule out the likelihood that mankind lived in a small portion of the Earth and therefore the flood was local. The ark was required to replenish the local animal species, which could be used as food after the flood, see Gen 9:3. From the perspective of the writer it would be the whole known then earth. It should also be pointed out that Genesis was written to show the history of the line that would produce Abraham and his offspring through whom the whole earth would be blessed, Gen 12:3.

The New Testament mainly refers to the destruction of human life, however 2 Pet 3:3-7 compares the destruction of the earth by water to the future destruction of the heavens and the earth by fire. Although in 2 Pet 3:6 he qualifies the destruction of the flood by saying "the world of that time was deluged and destroyed".

The book by Hugh Ross The Genesis Question discusses the problem of local or global flood chap 18. The 1611 KJV was written about the same time as the Galileo incident with Rome. Columbus discovers the New world in 1492.

Old Testament view:

Definitions

• 776. 'erets, eh'-rets; from an unused root prob. mean. to be firm; the earth (at large, or partitively a land):-- X common, country, earth, field, ground, land, X nations, way, + wilderness, world.
• 127. 'adamah, ad-aw-maw'; from H119; soil (from its gen. redness):--country, earth, ground, husband [-man] (-ry), land.
• 2022. har, har; a short. form of H2042; a mountain or range of hills (sometimes used fig.):--hill (country), mount (-ain), X promotion.

In Gen 1:1 the word erets is used of the earth

(Gen 1:1 NIV) In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth ('erets:H776 ).

In Gen 1:10 erets is used of the dry land

(Gen 1:10 NIV) God called the dry ground "land," ('erets:H776 ) and the gathered waters he called "seas." And God saw that it was good.

In Gen 2:11 erets is used of the the locality of Havilah.

(Gen 2:11 NIV) The name of the first is the Pishon; it winds through the entire land ('erets:H776 ) of Havilah, where there is gold.

(Gen 6:7 NIV) So the LORD said, "I will wipe mankind, whom I have created, from the face of the earth ('adamah:H127 ) --men and animals, and creatures that move along the ground, and birds of the air--for I am grieved that I have made them."

(Gen 6:13 NIV) So God said to Noah, "I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth (erets) is filled with violence because of them. I am surely going to destroy both them and the earth ('erets:H776 ).

(Gen 6:17 NIV) I am going to bring floodwaters on the earth (erets) to destroy all life under the heavens, every creature that has the breath of life in it. Everything on earth ('adamah:H127 ) will perish.

(Gen 7:4 NIV) Seven days from now I will send rain on the earth (erets) for forty days and forty nights, and I will wipe from the face of the earth ('adamah:H127 ) every living creature I have made."

(Gen 7:18-23 NIV) The waters rose and increased greatly on the earth (erets), and the ark floated on the surface of the water. {19} They rose greatly on the earth, and all the high (gaboahh) mountains (har) under the entire heavens were covered. {20} The waters rose and covered the mountains (har:H2022 ) to a depth of more than twenty feet. {21} Every living thing that moved on the earth perished--birds, livestock, wild animals, all the creatures that swarm over the earth, and all mankind. {22} Everything on dry land that had the breath of life in its nostrils died. {23} Every living thing on the face of the earth ('adamah:H127 ) was wiped out; men and animals and the creatures that move along the ground and the birds of the air were wiped from the earth ('erets:H776 ). Only Noah was left, and those with him in the ark.

(Gen 8:4-9 NIV) and on the seventeenth day of the seventh month the ark came to rest on the mountains (har:H2022 ) of Ararat. {5} The waters continued to recede until the tenth month, and on the first day of the tenth month the tops of the mountains (har) became visible. {6} After forty days Noah opened the window he had made in the ark {7} and sent out a raven, and it kept flying back and forth until the water had dried up from the earth.(erets) {8} Then he sent out a dove to see if the water had receded from the surface of the ground. (adamah){9} But the dove could find no place to set its feet because there was water over all the surface of the earth (erets); so it returned to Noah in the ark. He reached out his hand and took the dove and brought it back to himself in the ark.

(Gen 9:9-11 NIV) "I now establish my covenant with you and with your descendants after you {10} and with every living creature that was with you--the birds, the livestock and all the wild animals, all those that came out of the ark with you--every living creature on earth. {11} I establish my covenant with you: Never again will all life be cut off by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth."

If we use the word 'land' instead of 'earth' we get a somewhat different picture of what was happening.

The New Testament view:

(Mat 24:37-39 NIV) As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. {38} For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; {39} and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.

(Luke 17:26-27 NIV) "Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man. {27} People were eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all.

(Heb 11:7 NIV) By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.

(1 Pet 3:18-22 NIV) For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit, {19} through whom also he went and preached to the spirits in prison {20} who disobeyed long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water, {21} and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also--not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a good conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, {22} who has gone into heaven and is at God's right hand--with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him.

(2 Pet 2:5 NIV) if he did not spare the ancient world when he brought the flood on its ungodly people, but protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness, and seven others;

(2 Pet 3:3-7 NIV) First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. {4} They will say, "Where is this 'coming' he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation." {5} But they deliberately forget that long ago by God's word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water. {6} By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. {7} By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.

Links:

Local

1. The Flood: Local or Global? And Other Essays by Arthur C. Custance, PhD.....it is argued that a strict adherence to the literal wording of chapters 6 to 8 of Genesis leaves us with little alternative than to view the Flood as universal insofar as mankind was concerned since the human race was reduced to eight souls only, but local insofar as man was at that time still confined to a comparatively small geographical area.
2. The Waters of the Flood By Hugh Ross, Ph.D.
3. Chapter Eighteen The Flood: Global or Local? Genesis 7-8 From the Genesis Question by Hugh Ross
4. Noah's Flood: Global or Local? Donald Hochner
5. Facts About Noah’s Flood - non-christian
6. Problems with a Global Flood Second Edition Copyright © 1998 by Mark Isaak TalkOrigins
7. Why the Flood is not Global - Glenn R. Morton
8. Reasons You Can Trust The Bible - old universe, local flood - Wayne McKellips
9. Creation, Evolution and Adam - The Global Flood? - Ed
10. Noah's Flood Was Not World-wide Courtesy: The American Institute of Theology
11. Common Sense and Noah's Flood - Farrell Till (skeptic)
12. Why I think Noah's "erets" flood occurred around 9,600 BC and ended in Turkey.Wayne Mckellips.
13. The Global Flood?
14. The Genesis Flood Why the Bible Says It Must be Local Richard Deem

Global

1. ON THE GREAT FLOOD OF NOAH by Lambert Dolphin
2. FACTS ON NOAH'S ARK
3. A Response to Dr. Hugh Ross by Masami Usami
4. The Flood - Where? The Genesis account of the Flood describes in great detail a phenomenon which is sometimes regarded by theologians and scholars as a local flood.
5. Noah's Ark Truth or Myth? by Michael S. Cole, M.D.
6. Does the Bible claim that the Flood of Noah covered the entire Earth? - Christian Answers.Net
7. Did Noah's Flood Cover the Whole Earth? by John D. Morris, Ph.D.
8. Noah’s Ark: A Feasibility Study Jason D Browning
9. David Guzik Study Guide for Genesis Chapter 6 , Chapter 7 , Chapter 8
10. Repopulation after the Flood:
11. WAS NOAH'S FLOOD WORLDWIDE?

Others

1. THE WAY OF ESCAPE by Ray C. Stedman
2. As The Days of Noah Were Return of the Aliens? by Chuck Missler
3. Noah and The Flood From Ancient Jewish Writings Compiled By Glen W. Chapman June 1996
4. Concerning The Flood; And After What Manner Noah Was Saved In An Ark, With His Kindred, And Afterwards Dwelt In The Plain Of Shinar - Antiquities of the Jews by Flavius Josephus
5. THE QUESTION OF NOAH'S FLOOD: A DEBATE BETWEEN JOHN D. MORRIS, of the Institute For Creation Research AND FRANK R. ZINDLER, of the Ohio Chapter of American Atheists

Books:

1. The Genesis Question: Scientific Advances and the Accuracy of Genesis by Hugh Ross Hardcover (November 1998) Navpress; This includes a discussion of the extent of the flood.Amazon chap 18
2. The Genesis Flood, J C Whitcomb and H M Morris, Baker Book House. (Classic treatise on subject from creationist view) This is the book that triggered the modern revival in creationism.
3. Noah's Flood, Joshua's Long Day, & Lucifer's Fall: What Really Happened? by Ralph Woodrow
4. Noah's ark : a feasibility study by John Woodmorappe
5. Doorway Paper : Flood Local or Global? and Other Stories by Arthur C. Custance . OOP but worth getting hold of see The Flood: Local or Global?
6. The Origins Solution - An Answer in the Creation-Evolution Debate by Dick Fischer - Paperback (December 1996)