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How Genesis 7 Follows the Sumerian Flood Tradition

Ancient Near East, Sumerian · Hebrew Bible

Summary

The Sumerian King List marks the flood with a terse statement that divides all of history into before and after. Genesis 7 describes the same world-destroying event in detail, with the waters overwhelming the earth and destroying all life.

Passages

Sumerian King List 1:11

Ancient Near East, Sumerian

When kingship had come down from heaven, kingship was at Eridu. At Eridu, Alulim was king; he reigned 28,800 years. Alalgar reigned 36,000 years. At Bad-tibira, Enmenluanna reigned 43,200 years. Enmengalanna reigned 28,800 years. The divine Dumuzi, the shepherd, reigned 36,000 years. At Larak, Ensipaziana reigned 28,800 years. At Sippar, Enmenduranna was king; he reigned 21,000 years. At Suruppak, Ubartutu was king; he reigned 18,600 years. Five cities; eight kings ruled 241,200 years. The flood swept over.

2100 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in the Sumerian King List

Genesis 7:17

Hebrew Bible

16 Those that entered were male and female, just as God commanded him. Then the Lord shut him in. 17 The flood engulfed the earth for 40 days. As the waters increased, they lifted the ark and raised it above the earth. 18 The waters completely overwhelmed the earth, and the ark floated on the surface of the waters. 19 The waters completely inundated the earth so that even all the high mountains under the entire sky were covered. 20 The waters rose more than 20 feet above the mountains. 21 And all living things that moved on the earth died, including the birds, domestic animals, wild animals, all the creatures that swarm over the earth, and all humankind. 22 Everything on dry land that had the breath of life in its nostrils died. 23 So the Lord destroyed every living thing that was on the surface of the ground, including people, animals, creatures that creep along the ground, and birds of the sky. They were wiped off the earth. Only Noah and those who were with him in the ark survived. 24 The waters prevailed over the earth for 150 days.

750–400 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Genesis

References

“… Now, it is quite clear that there is a superficial parallel between the Sumerian King List and Genesis 5–11. This parallel consists in a list of pre-Flood individuals who lived amazingly long lives. Then the Flood brings civilization to a halt. Next there appears a line of post-Flood persons whose life spans are considerably shorter. …”

Victor P. Hamilton, The Book of Genesis: Chapters 1-17 (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans, 1990), 157.

“… The flood also receives mention in the Sumerian King List, a text that describes kingship as a gift from heaven to the first city, Eridu, and then how kingship passed from city to city. Of interest to us is that the Sumerian King List splits its accounting of kingship into a preflood period and a postflood period. The flood, thus, is simply mentioned rather than presented as a story: “There are five cities, eight kings ruled them for 241,000 years. [Then] the Flood swept over [the earth]. After the Flood had swept over [the earth] . . .” …”

Tremper Longman III and John H. Walton, The Lost World of the Flood: Mythology, Theology, and the Deluge Debate (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2018), 37.

References are not endorsements of their contents. Read each reference in full to understand its author's intentions in using these texts.

How Genesis 7 Follows the Sumerian Flood Tradition

Summary

Passages

Sumerian King List 1:11

Genesis 7:17

References

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