Re: Animals on the ark
Posted: Sun Feb 05, 2017 11:57 pm
TK,
I do not believe we find enough information in the Genesis account to form dogmatic conclusions about how the animals or Noah and his family survived after the flood . The story isn't detailed enough. We find the ark at rest on Mount Ararat in the seventh month (8:4) and in the next verse "the tops of the mountains became visible. Then after 40 days Noah sent out a raven that did not return. Apparently it found a place in the mountains. Next he sends out a dove which finds no resting place because the "face of the earth" (lowlands?) was still flooded. A week later the dove returns with a fresh olive leaf. Apparently the olive tree was under water and a week later was leafed out? How did it survive that long under water? Or did it sprout from a seed? We are not told. And only the unclean animals on the ark were restricted to pairs. There was no limit on the clean animals. Perhaps there were many milk providing animals. Perhaps God "multiplied" the milk. We do not know.
Much is said for our benefit; the whole event implies many miracles. For another puzzler a bit further along we read of the rainbow being a covenant sign to us that there will never again be a flood event like this one. And it will also be a remembrance to God of the covenant. Are we to think God might forget? Seems to me the truth is presented in simple words for simple people.
I do not believe we find enough information in the Genesis account to form dogmatic conclusions about how the animals or Noah and his family survived after the flood . The story isn't detailed enough. We find the ark at rest on Mount Ararat in the seventh month (8:4) and in the next verse "the tops of the mountains became visible. Then after 40 days Noah sent out a raven that did not return. Apparently it found a place in the mountains. Next he sends out a dove which finds no resting place because the "face of the earth" (lowlands?) was still flooded. A week later the dove returns with a fresh olive leaf. Apparently the olive tree was under water and a week later was leafed out? How did it survive that long under water? Or did it sprout from a seed? We are not told. And only the unclean animals on the ark were restricted to pairs. There was no limit on the clean animals. Perhaps there were many milk providing animals. Perhaps God "multiplied" the milk. We do not know.
Much is said for our benefit; the whole event implies many miracles. For another puzzler a bit further along we read of the rainbow being a covenant sign to us that there will never again be a flood event like this one. And it will also be a remembrance to God of the covenant. Are we to think God might forget? Seems to me the truth is presented in simple words for simple people.