1

. Durations are based on the Masoretic text. The Septuagint text has Noah in the Ark exactly one year. Other manuscripts of Genesis give slightly different times.

2

. “Burst open” is a loose translation of (qapf, which means a violent cleavage. Isaiah 34:15 and 59:5 uses it to describe the hatching or breaking forth from inside an egg, i.e., the breaking of a thin shell or crust. Numbers 16:31 uses it to describe the splitting open of the earth.  [See also Psalm 78:15.]

3

. M#e$g@E transliterates as geshem. It is the most violent rain. In Ezekiel 13:11–13, geshem rain destroyed mortared walls.

4

. “Greatly” is an understatement. “Greatly, greatly” would be a more accurate (although rougher) translation, because Hebrew uses the double superlative construction. This construction is used in only one other place in the Old Testament—in Genesis 17:2 where God makes a covenant with Abraham.

5

. Noah and the Ark certainly experienced high winds during the preceding five months. So, the wind that began on the 150th day must have been unusual and extreme.

Noah released a bird (a raven) from the Ark 114 days after the wind began. He probably did this to learn how far the waters had receded. Noah would not have done this if the extreme wind were still blowing, because it would have blown the raven from the Ark, and the raven would have had difficulty returning. Therefore, the wind was temporary.