In Genesis, how many days pass before Noah opens the Ark’s window?

In Genesis, Noah waits forty days before opening the Ark’s window.

Genesis 8:6 says that after forty days Noah opens the window of the Ark. He then sends out a raven, followed by repeated dove flights. This forty-day interval is distinct from the forty days and nights of rain described earlier in Genesis 7, even though both numbers appear in the same Flood narrative.

The timeline is difficult because Genesis reports several overlapping measurements: rain falls for forty days and nights, the waters prevail for 150 days, the Ark rests on the mountains of Ararat, and Noah later waits before opening the window. A concise retelling can make these periods seem like one continuous forty-day count.

The window in Genesis 8:6 should also be distinguished from the Ark’s overall construction instructions. Genesis 6:16 mentions a window or opening, a roof, and a side door. The later verse describes Noah using that opening to observe conditions after the waters begin to recede.