Genesis 7:4
“For yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights; and every living substance that I have made will I destroy from off the face of the earth.”
KJV
Read in Genesis 7Meaning
A seven-day interval remains before forty days and nights of rain begin and judgment overtakes land-dwelling life.
Read carefully
The forty days describe the rain period, while later verses describe waters prevailing for 150 days; the durations are not interchangeable.
Reflection
The warning has a defined horizon, making Noah's obedience urgent rather than merely theoretical.