What does Genesis 7:20 mean?
The water went up more than twenty feet above the tops of the mountains. Genesis 7:20 - Modern Text Bible
(The floodwaters are described as overwhelming, far above even the highest peaks.)
The water rose more than twenty feet above the highest mountains, leaving nothing untouched. The measurement "cubit" in Hebrew is amah, roughly the length from elbow to fingertip, about 18 inches. This detail underlines the thoroughness of the flood—there’s no safe high ground left. It challenges the belief that you can always find a place to escape trouble; sometimes, every hiding spot is swept away. For anyone who feels like there’s nowhere left to run, this verse is a stark acknowledgment that some situations truly overwhelm. But it also hints that survival isn’t about finding the highest ground—it’s about being in the right place, even if that means trusting something outside yourself.
Similar verses: Genesis 7:19, Genesis 8:4, Job 12:15