Fountains of the great deep

[CWH]

Just trying to understand how the Great Flood occurred and what the Bible meant by "the fountains of the great deep". Raining forty days and forty nights would have no effect on the rise of the sea level of the earth because whatever amount of water that is evaporated to form rain clouds will be the same amount of water that will rained down. The purpose of raining 40 days and 40 nights was probably to maintain a layer of fresh water above the saltish sea water so that fresh water creatures could survived. Even if all the ice on the mountains and at the poles were to be melted, it will only raise the sea level by about 300 feet. Therefore, the main determinant that would flood the earth to above the mountain tops were the fountains of the deep. But what were the fountains of the deep? Today's English Version gives a much better interpretation: "all the outlets of the vast body of water beneath the earth...". Recently, scientists have discovered vast ocean beneath the surface of the earth, that would probably means that this/these vast ocean/s of water ("Fountains of the deep") burst forth from the earth crust at extreme pressure and thus raise the sea level of the earth to above the mountain tops:

http://www.livescience.com/environme...g_anomoly.html

"Scientists scanning the deep interior of Earth have found evidence of a vast water reservoir beneath eastern Asia that is at least the volume of the Arctic Ocean.

The discovery marks the first time such a large body of water has found in the planet’s deep mantle."


Genesis 7:11In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.
12And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights.
13In the selfsame day entered Noah, and Shem, and Ham, and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and Noah's wife, and the three wives of his sons with them, into the ark;
14They, and every beast after his kind, and all the cattle after their kind, and every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind, and every fowl after his kind, every bird of every sort.
15And they went in unto Noah into the ark, two and two of all flesh, wherein is the breath of life.
16And they that went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God had commanded him: and the LORD shut him in.
17And the flood was forty days upon the earth; and the waters increased, and bare up the ark, and it was lift up above the earth.
18And the waters prevailed, and were increased greatly upon the earth; and the ark went upon the face of the waters.
19And the waters prevailed exceedingly upon the earth; and all the high hills, that were under the whole heaven, were covered.
20Fifteen cubits upward did the waters prevail; and the mountains were covered.

Many Blessings

[CWH]

Were the fountains of the great deep, geysers?



Many Blessings,

[Richard Amiel McGough]

Were the fountains of the great deep, geysers?



Many Blessings,

That seems unlikely. Geysers are formed by water heated by geothermal energy. They don't put out much water. There would have had to have been an underground ocean to give enough water to make a difference in the flood.

Personally, I think the flood was either local or parabolic.

[CWH]

I think the fountains of the great deep were geysers. There is a big ocean underneath China and I think there are several other places also including Yellowstone. The definition, "Fountain of the great deep" is very appropriate as in geysers, water gush out from the great depths of the earth like fountains as the mantle of the earth boils the water and forces it out to the crust of the earth. See geyser:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geyser

Many Blessings.

[CWH]

i saw with interest from a website on the cause of the Great Flood. The rain and fountain of the great deep were causes of the Great Flood but also "the windows of the heavens were opened". What was "the windows of heaven"? From a website:

THE FLOOD: WHERE DID THE WATER COME FROM?

IN THE SIX HUNDREDTH YEAR OF NOAH’S LIFE, IN THE SECOND MONTH, THE SEVENTEENTH DAY OF THE MONTH, THE SAME DAY WERE ALL THE FOUNTAINS (or springs) OF THE GREAT DEEP BROKEN UP, AND THE WINDOWS OF HEAVEN WERE OPENED. AND THE RAIN WAS UPON THE EARTH FORTY DAYS AND FORTY NIGHTS-Gen 7:11,12. AND THE FLOOD WAS FORTY DAYS UPON THE EARTH; AND THE WATERS INCREASED, AND BARE UP THE ARK, AND IT WAS LIFT UP ABOVE THE EARTH. AND THE WATERS PREVAILED, AND WERE INCREASED GREATLY UPON THE EARTH; AND THE ARK WENT UPON THE FACE OF THE WATERS. AND THE WATERS PREVAILED EXCEEDINGLY UPON THE EARTH; AND ALL THE HIGH HILLS, THAT WERE UNDER THE WHOLE (or entire) HEAVEN, WERE COVERED-Gen 7:17-19.

We may note that not only did the waters come from the rain, but also it is written:
1. ALL THE FOUNTAINS (or springs) OF THE GREAT DEEP (were) BROKEN UP.
2. AND THE WINDOWS OF HEAVEN WERE OPENED. The fast rising waters did not only come through rain, but also by the subterranean waters, as a result of the springs of the great deep being broken up. Job 38:16 tells of the SPRINGS OF THE SEA. Job 38:30 says, THE WATERS ARE HID AS WITH A STONE, AND THE FACE OF THE DEEP IS FROZEN. Deut 8:7 tells of A LAND OF BROOKS OF WATER, OF FOUNTAINS AND DEPTHS THAT SPRING OUT OF VALLEYS AND HILLS. In Ps 33:7 we read, HE GATHERETH THE WATERS OF THE SEA TOGETHER AS AN HEAP: HE LAYETH UP THE DEPTH IN STOREHOUSES. The fast rising waters appear to have come from springs of the great deep being broken up. Consider the water of the oceans rising and gushing forth, as well as the rains coming down. We do not know the exact height of the tallest mountains in those days, but the Bible assures us that ALL THE HIGH HILLS THAT WERE UNDER THE WHOLE HEAVEN, WERE COVERED, and THE MOUNTAINS WERE COVERED, and ALL FLESH DIED THAT MOVED UPON THE EARTH. NOAH ONLY REMAINED ALIVE, AND THEY THAT WERE WITH HIM IN THE ARK-ref Gen 7:19-21,23.

Many Blessings.

[NumberX]

I think and know that one should not think like this: From matter to Biblical accounts, as if someone written in the Bible about a pure material occurrance happened first. That's why there is written that the female part of creation (mater-matter) has to follow the male part (what gives seed), not the other way around.

We know there are many who try to get to the Bible through digging things up in the ground :-) But there are so many accounts that this is not possible, like there are no traces from Moses and many others. Also the Bible itself reads about many occurancies that could not and can not take place in the material world.

So what is this 40 the Bible mentions so many times? 40, MeM, is time itself. We speak of a time wave, a sea of time. The hyroglyph of the mem, before it had the form of the mem, was a form of a wave (at sea). You can still see it, look at it: m, you sea? :-)

And what are mountains? In English I don't see a similarity, but in Dutch and German the word is bergen. And a verb from it is verBERGEN and means to hide. And opBERGEN means to store. Now the gods in Greek mythology live on a mountain, also Moses climbed on a mountain. The earth also has mountains, high and higher mountains. We all know that the earth has hidden things like who build the pyramids, some in Asia are below sea level now. And why? These are like hidden things to us. But first of course: The Bible, The Word, speaks of mountains. So the visible material earth has mountains. And so, from my point of view and in my language, the earth has things hidden. In the Flood story: covered with time. Still during the flood Noah opens a window :-)

The whole flood story draws a pyramid with a flat top, when taking account of the mentioned dates in the Bible story (it starts on the 17th of the 2nd month) and the mentioned rising of water and tebah etc.