Had it ever rained before the Flood in Noah’s day?

Response

Some interpretations of Hebrews 11:7 suggest that it had never rained before the Flood: “By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.” Rain could be the correct interpretation of “things not yet seen,” or it could be referring to the Flood in general.

Genesis 2:6 states, “But streams came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground.” Prior to the Flood (Genesis chapters 6-9), the earth may have been surrounded by a “firmament” or canopy of water, creating a greenhouse effect on the earth’s climate. These waters would have been what God released, leading to the Flood. It appears that before the Flood, dew and an ample water supply were sufficient to keep the land watered. The Bible does not explicitly state whether it rained before the Flood. Noah seemed to comprehend what rain was when God mentioned it to him (Genesis 7:4-5). Genesis 2:4-6 notes that God did not send rain on the earth until after creating Adam and Eve. It is possible that it rained before the Flood, but once again, the Bible does not definitively confirm this.