Critical analysis by the story of the flood?

Answer 1

There is no contradiction in these verses at all. First of all, this poor translation reads "living substance" instead of "living creature" which solves the problem right there. Also, later in Genesis 7:22-23, more specification is given that the creatures that died were those who moved along the ground or flew in the air and had the breath of life in them. Again, this would not have applied to plants. Notice that the animals that would have lived in the oceans and seas would not have died either. The story makes note of this as well as just common sense.

Previous answer:

Genesis 7 verse 4 says For yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights; and every living substance that I have made will I destroy from off the face of the earth.

Chapter 8 verse 11 says And the dove came in to him in the evening; and, lo, in her mouth was an olive leaf pluckt off: so Noah knew that the waters were abated from off the earth.

Ch. 7 v 4 seems to contradict Ch. 8 v 11 when the Lord says "and every living substance".

So we ask ourselves how could the dove bring back an olive leaf? Are not plants living sunstances? Was not EVERYTHING destroyed?

The Olive tree can only grow at low altitudes, so the plant was not on a mountain. Where then did the leaf come from?

The answer to the question must include "The ways of God are a mystery to man".

Verse 20 "Fifteen cubits upward did the waters prevail; and the mountains were covered". A cubit is about 21 inches so that means about 26 feet of water covered the mountains and the earth. Does this mean in fact that 26 feet fell upon the mountains and then ran to lower ground, where at ground level the water remained at 26 feet. At this height above gound level the Olive Tree would have grown.

This is all guess work on my part, but it could be possible that this is how it happened.