According to Genesis 8:5, which mountain peaks became visible before Noah sent out the birds?

According to Genesis 8:5, the tops of the mountains became visible before Noah sent out the birds.

Genesis 8 describes the waters gradually decreasing after the Ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat. On the first day of the tenth month, the tops of the mountains appeared. After another interval, Noah opened the window and sent out a raven, followed by a dove, to test the condition of the land.

This sequence supplies a precise order: the Ark rests, the mountain tops become visible, and then Noah uses birds to investigate whether the ground has dried. The text does not say that Noah immediately saw a complete landscape or a particular named peak at this stage.

The wording is sometimes paraphrased as “the mountains appeared,” but the specific feature in Genesis 8:5 is their tops. It is also distinct from the later statement that Noah removed the Ark’s covering and saw that the surface of the ground was dry. The mountain tops therefore mark an earlier stage in the recession of the waters.