Noah Vs. Utnapishtim: Battle Of The Flood Stories

Noah V.S. Utnapishtim: Battle of the Flood Stories
The Biblical flood story in Genesis 6-9, and the flood story in the Gilgamesh Epic Tablet have a similar storyline. That being said, there aren’t many similarities in the details between the Genesis flood and the Gilgamesh flood stories either. Well yes, if people think in basic terms, there are several things that could be seen as similar traits. Both stories involve a god instructing a human with specific instructions to build an ark and save all species of animals. Each ark had only one door and both stories consist of birds being released as a test to find land.
If people were to get more specific though, and go deeper into the words of each story, they’ll encounter that some of those similarities can be viewed as differences. In the Genesis flood, Noah (meaning rest) was spoken to directly

from God about the flood, and his reason for building the ark was due to righteousness.

Utnapishtim (meaning finder of life), had it revealed to him in a dream by Ea, a god, and Utnapishtim’s reason for building the ark was to save himself. Ea is one of the gods that were sworn to secrecy concerning the flood, which also included the gods Anu, Enlil, Ennugi and Ninurta. This shows that the gods had no order since they obviously did not agree with each other. The reason for the flood in the Gilgamesh story is not specified, but God instructed the flood of Genesis due to the evil sinful ways of the people in the world. The ark God instructed Noah to build was 300 cubits long and 50 cubits wide, making it more of a rectangular shape. The ark Ea instructed Utnapishtim to build was both equal in width and length, making it more of a square shape. As a test to find land, Utnapishtim released first a dove, then a swallow, and then a raven. Noah in turn

released a raven, and then a dove three times to find land. In the Genesis story, the flood lasted more than 40 days and 40 nights where as in the Gilgamesh story, the flood only lasted 6 days and 7 nights, a great deal shorter. The blessing that each hero received after the flood were also quite different. Utnapishtim was granted eternal life, while Noah was to multiply and fill the earth, and have dominion over the animals. God also made a covenant to all life on Earth, promising a flood will never again destroy all life. God gave the world a rainbow as a symbol of His everlasting promise, which shows He is a God of grace.
Although these two stories are very different in their own respects, they share a common thread in that each hero was doing what was expected of them. The arks, each one built for a specific reason, were distinct for each man with specific instructions from the God/god. The fact that both men shared a communal view of surviving the flood, and the difference as to why each man did it, goes to show that their differences were just as polar in their similarities. Therefore, when comparing the Gilgamesh Epic Tablet flood story and the flood story in Genesis 6-9, both stories should be considered unique because each one tells a different story.