For how many days and nights does Genesis say rain falls during Noah’s Flood?

Genesis says rain falls for forty days and forty nights during Noah’s Flood.

In Genesis 7, rain begins after Noah, his family, and the animals enter the Ark. The text says that rain falls on the earth for forty days and forty nights, while the Flood waters rise and cover the land described in the narrative. This period refers to the continuing rainfall, not necessarily to the entire time that Noah remains aboard the Ark.

Genesis also gives other time markers, including the waters prevailing for 150 days and the Ark coming to rest in the seventh month. These figures can be confused because they describe different stages of the story: rainfall, rising waters, and the later recession of the Flood.

The number forty is significant in several biblical narratives, where it often marks a prolonged period of testing or transition. In the Ark account, however, the phrase specifically identifies the duration of the rain.