Epic Of Gilgamesh Comparison Essay

In both Gilgamesh and Noah and the Flood, man’s wickedness leads to death, destruction, and rebirth all caused by billions of gallons of water sweeping the earth’s surface. The flood in both stories destroys most of mankind. The floods represent rebirth and a new beginning for mankind, as well as the gods and God’s wrath. In Gilgamesh the gods decide to destroy mankind by flooding the earth for six days and nights. Utnapishtim is chosen to build a boat in order to restart mankind after the flood. In the Bible God also decides to flood the earth due to the increase in wickedness. God chooses Noah to build an ark and store seven pairs of every clean animal and two of every other kind of animal on it

Noah and his family entered the ark as God had commanded. After seven days, the waters of the flood were over the earth. All the wellsprings of the great deep burst and the casements of the heavens were opened. (Genesis pg 32) It rained for forty

Everything on earth will perish. 18 But I will establish my covenant with you, and you will enter the ark—you and your sons and your wife and your sons’ wives with you. 19 You are to bring into the ark two of all living creatures, male and female, to keep them alive with you. 20 Two of every kind of bird, of every kind of animal and of every kind of creature that moves along the ground will come to you to be kept alive. 21 You are to take every kind of food that is to be eaten and store it away as food for you and for them.” 22 Noah did everything just as God commanded him.” This was God’s command to Noah, unlike Utnapishtim who was told the secret of the flood by one of the gods.

At the time of this story God saw how the thoughts of mankind were evil and he decided to destroy what he had created with a great flood intending to drown the earth. He chose Noah and his family to build an ark big enough to contain two of every animal to repopulate the earth. The world was flooded for a hundred and fifty days until the water subsided back into land.

Sadly, the Bible reports that nearly all of Adam’s descendents “had corrupted their way upon the earth and lost their true direction” (Gen. 6:12 Amplified Bible), and, as a result of this intolerable situation, God told Noah that He had determined “to make an end of all flesh [as well as] destroy … the land … by [bringing] a flood of waters upon the earth” (Gen. 6:13, 17). After the Holy Creator had uttered this apocalyptic intent, He proceeded to provide Noah with instructions on how he was to build an ark, which included information on a list of vital materials (Gen. 6:14), some details on the manner they were to be used (Gen. 6:14), basic blueprints of its structure (Gen. 6:14, 16), and, what measurements the floating vehicle was to have when it was completed, which Scriptures report was to be 300 cubits long, 50 cubits wide, and 30 cubits high (Gen. 6:15).

Both Gilgamesh and Noah build arks because of an impending devastation of the earth by rain and flooding. Shamash had warned, "In the evening, when the rider of the storm sends down the destroying rain, enter the boat and batten her down." (p. 147) God told Noah, "For in seven days' time I will make it rain upon the earth, forty days and forty nights, and I will blot out from the earth all existence that I created." (p. 172) Both boats were built to detailed specifications in order to withstand the torrents of rain. Following the cessation of the rain, both Noah and Gilgamesh send out birds as a test of the recession of the waters so that they can safely exit onto the land. Gilgamesh sends first a dove, then a swallow, and then a raven, who, "…saw that the waters had retreated, she ate, she flew around, she cawed, and she did not come back." (p. 148) Noah first sends a raven which, "…went to and fro until the waters had dried up from the earth. " (p. 173) He then sends a dove that returns to the ark having found no resting place. After seven days Noah again sends the dove which returns with an olive leaf in its bill. "Then Noah knew that the waters had decreased on the earth. He waited still another seven days and sent the dove forth; and it did not return to him any more." (p. 173) Both Noah and Gilgamesh, immediately upon leaving their boats, make a sacrifice. Gilgamesh says, "Then I threw everything open to

Every living creation perished, leaving Noah and the other occupants of the ark as the only remaining creatures on the earth. The waters cleansed the earth from all sin, giving the Lord a fresh start to a more awe-inspiring and passionate coexistence between future generations. After a year and seventeen days on the ark, the Lord instructed Noah and his family to bring the animals out onto the newly cleansed land so that they can be fruitful and increase in numbers. Once the task was complete, Noah set out on a task of building an altar and made a sacrificial burnt offering from some of the clean animals and presented it to the Lord. The Lord then proclaimed that never again would he curse the ground or destroy all living creatures due to the wickedness and evil that could once again fill the hearts of his living

They seem to view their gods in the same way. Gilgamesh and Noah both put their complete and utter faith in their gods when they decided to build the boats (pg.12-3). The gods think of humankind differently in the two societies. Noah was favored by God and when he was asked to build the boat, he knew that he and his family would survive (pg.13). When Gilgamesh was asked to build the boat, he was not promised his life. When he survived the flood, Enlil seemed angry that he had survived. I would venture to say that these stories do not seem to be derived from one or the other. They are very similar in nature, but the small, important details are very different. It is almost like two recollections, or sides, of the same event as if from two completely separated

In the Bible, God speaks to Noah, saying many times over that the world that he created has become

So God said to Noah, “I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. I am surely going to destroy both them and the earth.” (New International Version, Genesis 6.13) these words said by God in the book of Genesis led to one of the greatest disasters told by men all over the globe. The story about the flood that brought an end to all of mankind. In the story, God or a higher being chose a particular man to build an ark and take his loved ones, and all the animals on the ark to survive the imminent flood.

The destructive power of water and the flood are seen to wipe out everyone on earth except Noah and his animals he brought. God uses the flood in Genesis 8 to wipe out the sinful and corrupt people the earth is filled with. When the flood is over Noah has an earth to himself and his animals that is empty and pure again, “For the waters were still on the face of the whole earth. So he put out his hand and took it and brought it into the ark with him. He waited another seven days, and again he sent out the dove from the ark; and the dove came back to him in the evening, and there in its break was a freshly plucked olive leaf; so Noah knew that the waters had subsided from the earth.

Because of the rampant sin, God decided that it was time to wipe out all of creation, but spare Noah and his sons Shem, Ham, Japheth, and their wives because they had remained righteous in his sight. God instructed Noah to build an ark, which he did despite being mocked and ridiculed by the rest of the people on earth. When the time came, Noah collected his family and seven pairs of all clean animals, in order to repopulate the earth after the flood, inside the ark. Seven days after Noah had gotten everyone and everything safely inside the ark God sent rain for forty days and forty nights. After the rain

Noah and Utnapishtim were both righteous men. They were both told to build a boat and they both complained about it. The flood was a result of man’s wickedness. Utnapishtim said “the world teemed, the people multiplies, the world bellowed like a wild bull, and the great god was aroused by the clamour”. The noise was so harsh that they agreed to “exterminate mankind”. Genesis states that “the earth was filled with violence” and that the world was “corrupt” . So God told Noah that “the end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth”. The difference here is the way that the way the gods/Gods got the idea to destroy the Earth. Since man was sinning and making all

In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, on the seventeenth day of the second month – on that day all the springs of the great deep burst forth, and the floodgates of the heavens were opened. And rain fell on the earth forty days and forty nights. Pairs of all creatures that have the breath of life in them came to Noah and entered the ark. The animals going in were male and female of every living thing, as God had commanded Noah. Then the Lord shut him in. For forty days the flood kept coming on earth, and as the waters increased they lifted the ark high above the earth. The water rose and increased greatly on the earth, and the ark floated on the surface of the water. They rose greatly on the earth, and all the high mountains under the entire heavens were covered. The waters rose and covered the mountains to a depth of more than twenty feet. Every living thing on the face of the earth was wiped out; men and animals and the creatures that move along the ground and the birds of the air were wiped from the earth. Only Noah was left, and those with him in the ark.

so Noah knew he found land. Task 3: