Genesis 7:19

19 And the waters had mastery greatly on [the] earth (And the waters had great mastery over the earth), and all [the] high hills under all (of) heaven were covered;

Genesis 7:19 Meaning and Commentary

Genesis 7:19

And the waters prevailed exceedingly on the earth
Yet more and more, so that the people without the ark were obliged to remove, not only from the lower to the higher rooms in their houses, and to the tops of them, but to the highest trees; and when these were bore down, to the highest hills and mountains; and to those it was in vain to fly, by what follows:

and all the high hills that were under the whole heaven were
covered:
whence it appears there were hills before the flood, and that these were not caused by it, and that the deluge was universal, since there was not a hill under the whole heaven but what was covered with it. In Deucalion's flood all men are said to perish, except a few who fled to the high mountains ^F14; which story seems to be hammered out of this account.

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FOOTNOTES:

F14 Apollodorus, de Deor. Origin. l. 1. p. 19.

Genesis 7:19 In-Context

17 And the great flood was made (for) forty days and forty nights on [the] earth, and the waters were multiplied, and raised (up) the ship on high from the earth.

18 The waters flowed greatly, and filled all things in the face of the earth (And the waters greatly flowed, and filled up all the things that were on the face of the earth). Forsooth the ship was borne on the waters.

19 And the waters had mastery greatly on [the] earth (And the waters had great mastery over the earth), and all [the] high hills under all (of) heaven were covered;

20 (yea,) the water was higher, by fifteen cubits, over (all) the hills which it covered.

21 And each flesh was wasted that moved on [the] earth, of birds, of living beasts, of unreasonable beasts, and of all reptiles/all creeping beasts that creep on [the] earth. (And all flesh that moved on the earth was destroyed, yea, birds, and living beasts, and unreasoning beasts, and all the reptiles that creep on the earth.)