Where did the waters of the flood go?

The biblical account of Noah’s flood details a global event in which God cleansed the earth of wickedness by sending a deluge to engulf the world. For 40 days and nights, water poured from both above and below the earth’s surface. The waters covered the entire earth, rising to more than 22 feet above the highest mountain peaks (see Genesis 7:19–23, NLT). Every living, land-dwelling creature except those aboard the ark perished. After the flood, the water began to recede. The Bible does not explicitly state where the flood waters went. However, biblical insight and interpretation suggest that both divine intervention and natural processes explain where the waters went after the flood.

According to Genesis, the flood waters originated from two sources: the “fountains of the great deep” bursting forth and the “windows of the heavens” opening (see Genesis 7:11, ESV). The result was flooding from below and above. The waters increased on the earth for a period of 150 days, and then God initiated a reversal process.

First, the Bible states that God caused the waters to recede: “But God remembered Noah and all the wild animals and livestock with him in the boat. He sent a wind to blow across the earth, and the floodwaters began to recede” (Genesis 8:1, NLT).

This verse shows that God actively intervened by sending a wind to accelerate the evaporation and recession of the waters, signifying the beginning of the earth’s renewal. The original Hebrew word for “wind” (rūa) here is the same word used for “Spirit” in Genesis 1:2, suggesting a powerful, supernatural force at work.

Besides sending wind to dry out the land, God shut off the water sources. Genesis 8:2 explains, “The underground waters stopped flowing, and the torrential rains from the sky were stopped” (NLT). Once the flood had served its purpose, God closed the floodgates.

Even still, drying the earth was a gradual and deliberate process that took about seven months (see Genesis 8:3–14). The water didn’t just vanish but slowly returned to the oceans, seas, and underground reservoirs. Psalm 104:6–9 gives further insight:

Many scholars cite this poetic passage as evidence that reshaped the earth’s topography during the flood, raising mountains, lowering valleys, and creating new ocean basins and trenches to accommodate the water. Some of the flood waters settled into newly designated reservoirs while the rest returned to their previous places.

The scientific answer to the question, “Where did the waters of the flood go?” would involve the hydrological cycle of evaporation, condensation, and precipitation. In many ways, the receding described in Genesis parallels this natural process, with the excess water flowing down to fill large bodies of water.

Yet, the hand of God clearly intervenes in the narrative. At His command, the water fled; at the sound of His thunder, it hurried away (see Psalm 104:7). God gathered the water into newly demarcated oceans and seas (see Psalm 104:8–9), and eventually the earth dried out. Noah, his family, and the animals left the ark (Genesis 8:18–19), marking the completion of God’s judgment and the beginning of a renewed earth.

The disappearance of the flood waters holds symbolic meaning beyond the physical drying of the earth. It represents the purification of the world, a reset from corruption, and a fresh start for humanity. God illustrates His power over creation and mercy toward Noah and future generations through the drenching water and drying wind. Finally, the cleansing and renewal are marked by God’s covenant with Noah, as symbolized by the rainbow (see Genesis 8:20—9:17).

The question, “Where did the waters of the flood go?” and its answer remind us of God’s power, justice, mercy, and love. He judged the world for its sin (Genesis 6:5–7) but also preserved life and gave humanity a new beginning (Genesis 9:1).