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Genesis 8:4

EOB (Eastern / Greek Orthodox Bible):

The ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat on the seventeenth day of the seventh month.

EOB Footnote:

The MT specifies “the mountains of Ararat” while the LXX reads “the mountains of Ararat” (substantial agreement). The MT includes the definite article with “ark” where the LXX also has the article (agreement). No significant textual variants exist between the major LXX witnesses (Alexandrinus, Vaticanus, Sinaiticus) for this verse. No DSS manuscript witness exists for Genesis 8:4.

Other Translations:

KJV (King James Version):

And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat.

WEB (World English Bible):

The ship rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on Ararat’s mountains.

Benton LXX (Vaticanus):

And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, on the mountains of Ararat.

Douai-Rheims (Vulgate):

And the ark rested in the seventh month, the seven and twentieth day of the month, upon the mountains of Armenia.

Apostoliki Diakonia (LXX):

The ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat on the seventeenth day of the seventh month.

YLT (Young Literal Translation )(MT):

And the ark rests, in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on the mountains of Ararat.

BBE (Bible in Basic English):

And on the seventeenth day of the seventh month the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat.

EOB COMMENTARY:

EOB Commentary:

The Resting Place of the Ark

Genesis 8:4 records the ark coming to rest upon the mountains of Ararat on the seventeenth day of the seventh month. This verse, while seemingly a simple geographical and chronological notation, carries profound typological significance within the Orthodox theological tradition.

Typological Connection to Christ’s Resurrection

The Church Fathers recognized a remarkable correspondence between this date and the resurrection of Christ. Saint Augustine and other patristic commentators observed that the seventeenth day of the seventh month, when calculated according to the later Hebrew calendar where the seventh month became the first month (Nisan), corresponds precisely to the period of Pascha. Christ rose on the seventeenth of Nisan—three days after Passover on the fourteenth. Thus the ark finding rest after the waters of judgment subsided prefigures Christ’s victory over death and His emergence from the tomb. Just as the ark rested upon solid ground after passing through the waters of destruction, so Christ rested in the tomb and rose to establish the new creation.

The Ark as Type of the Church and Theotokos

The resting of the ark also points to the Church finding her stability and foundation in Christ. The faithful who are preserved through the waters of baptism—prefigured by the flood—find their rest in the risen Lord. Additionally, Orthodox hymnography and patristic reflection see in the ark a type of the Theotokos, who bore within herself the Author of life. As the ark contained the seeds of renewed creation, so Mary carried in her womb the One through whom all things would be made new.

Ararat and Sacred Geography

The mountains of Ararat hold significance in Orthodox tradition as the place where humanity’s renewal began after judgment. This sacred geography reminds the faithful that God establishes concrete, physical locations as sites of salvation history. The Church honors such places, recognizing that the material world participates in divine redemption.

Liturgical Resonance

The theme of finding rest after tribulation echoes throughout Orthodox liturgical life. The prayers for the departed speak of a place of rest, a place of refreshment, where there is no pain, sorrow, or sighing. The ark’s rest prefigures the eternal rest promised to the faithful who pass through the trials of this life preserved by God’s mercy.

Spiritual Application

For the Orthodox Christian, this verse offers consolation: the floods of temptation, suffering, and spiritual warfare will not endure forever. God establishes a time and place of rest for those who remain within the ark of the Church, trusting in His providence through every storm.

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