According to Genesis, how many people enter Noah’s Ark and survive the flood?
Answer
Eight people
According to Genesis, eight people enter Noah’s Ark and survive the flood.
Genesis 7:13 names Noah, his wife, his three sons, and the three wives of his sons as the people who enter the Ark. That group totals eight individuals. Genesis 8:18 then says that Noah, his sons, his wife, and his sons’ wives come out of the Ark after the waters recede.
The number is also reflected in the New Testament. First Peter 3:20 refers to “eight souls” being saved through water, confirming the traditional count in Christian interpretation. The Genesis account does not name Noah’s wife or the wives of his sons.
This figure refers to humans, not to the animals aboard the vessel. Genesis gives separate instructions about bringing animals and birds into the Ark, and later summaries can blur the distinction between the total human survivors and the complete population of people and creatures preserved.