In Genesis, during whose 600th year of life did the floodwaters cover the earth?

In Genesis, the floodwaters covered the earth during Noah’s 600th year of life.

Genesis 7:6 states that Noah was 600 years old when the floodwaters came upon the earth. The chapter then gives a sequence of dates within Noah’s life: the flood began in the second month, and the waters later receded before Noah and his family left the ark.

The age is part of the narrative’s chronological framework. Genesis does not merely describe a timeless catastrophe; it places the flood within Noah’s genealogy and gives dates for several stages. That detail helps distinguish Noah’s age from the ages of his sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth, who are also mentioned in the story.

A common mix-up is to connect the 600-year figure with the length of the flood or with the age of the earth. In the text, it is Noah’s age at the beginning of the flood, not a measurement of either duration.