How Many Days did Noah and His Family Spend in the Ark?

The rain may have fallen for forty days, but Noah and his family actually spent about 370 days in the ark — more than a full year! They entered the ark and then waited for seven days before the flood began (Genesis 7:10). The flood began “in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month” (Genesis 7:11). Noah exited the ark “in the second month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month,” when the earth had dried out (Genesis 8:14). This means that Noah was in the ark for just over one calendar year. The “forty days and forty nights” comes from the verse that says how long it rained on the earth (Genesis 7:4; 7:17). Imagine spending more than one year cooped up in an ark with your family and so many stinky animals! Noah did not just display his faith and trust in the Lord by building the ark, but by remaining in the ark for the entire duration of when the flood was on the earth. He waited patiently for the Lord’s word to exit the ark. God calls us to uncomfortable situations. Sometimes, those situations can seem unbearable. But we are called, like Noah, to be patient. We are called to endure these times of frustration in obedience to God. And, just like He did with Noah’s family, God will keep His promises to us.