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Flood

Biblical
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

The overwhelming deluge through which Noah and his family are preserved.

Detailed Definition
The Flood is the catastrophic rain and rising water in Genesis, sent as judgment while Noah, his family, and selected living creatures survive within the ark. In poetic language, it can mean overwhelming grief, collective disaster, cleansing, or the erasure of a former world. Its strongest tension lies between destruction and renewal: waters cover everything, yet a remnant waits for dry ground. Rain, raven, dove, and rainbow allow the image to move from terror toward a fragile covenant of continuation.
Example
Example in poetry:
The Flood can symbolize overwhelming judgment, grief, or change; “After the Flood, we counted the roofs and the living” uses the story to frame survival; A poet may compare tears to a private Flood that washes away familiar certainties; The Biblical Flood can also represent renewal when the waters recede and a new covenant begins
Additional Notes
The Flood is the great deluge in Genesis through which Noah, his family, and the animals in the ark are preserved. It can symbolize judgment, cleansing, destruction, survival, and a new beginning. Biblical poetry may connect it with rain, waters of chaos, the rainbow covenant, and humanity’s fragile dependence on mercy.
Other Meanings of “Flood”
Also Known As
Great Flood Noah's Flood Deluge
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