In the Genesis Flood story, seven days passed after Noah entered the Ark before the Flood began.
Genesis 7:10 says that after Noah, his family, and the animals entered, the Floodwaters came seven days later. Genesis 7:16 then says the Lord shut Noah in, describing the closure of the Ark’s entrance as part of the narrative. Together, these verses establish a seven-day interval surrounding Noah’s entry and the start of the catastrophe.
This detail is easily confused with the forty days and forty nights of rain. The forty-day period refers to rainfall, not the waiting time before the Flood began. It is also separate from the much longer period during which the waters covered the Earth and later receded. The seven-day interval is a precise chronology in Genesis 7, rather than a general statement that Noah waited a long time.