When comparing the story of the flood according to what is mentioned in both Gilgamesh and the Bible, one could easily see how the two versions are closely related.
As much as each version of the story has a number of similarities and conceptual ideals as much as they have major differences that distinguishes each one for its own followers. The similarities one can note are the facts that the two versions agree on the fact that the flood was a punishment to human kind, they both mention the water pouring for a long time.Yet the bible was more specific in that matter, the two versions mention the commands each hero received from the God/ Gods in terms of gathering a male and a female animal from each kind, both characters were also required to build an arc, it is noticeable that the dimensions were different as in the Gilgamesh version the arc was “One full acre was her deck space, Ten dozen cubits , the height of each of her sides, Ten dozen cubits square, her outer dimensions” (Lawall, Thalmann, Patterson, James, & Spacks, 2006).As for the Biblical version of the story the measurements were “This is how you shall make it: three hundred cubits, the arc’s length; fifty cubits, its width; thirty cubits, its height” (Lawall, Thalmann, Patterson, James, & Spacks, 2006). The two men were commanded to gather the people who did good deeds in their lives and followed the teachings of god. The events of the flood were also depicted in each version very clearly but not much difference regarding how the flood started.
Since in both stories, it is mentioned that the water come from the heavens and from the seas. But in the Gilgamesh version of the story “At the first glimmer of dawn, A black cloud rose above the horizon. Inside it Adad was thundering, while the destroying gods Shullat and Hanish went in front, Moving as an advance force over hill and plain. Errakel tore out the mooring posts (of the world), Ninurta came and made the dikes overflow. ” (Lawall, Thalmann, Patterson, James, & Spacks, 2006).One might notice many names in this quote, reason for that is that the Gilgamesh version of the story was based not on one god but on the existence of many gods which was later followed by the Greek in having more than one god but a god for specialty.
Hence, Gilgamesh narrates the story of Utnapishtim’s survival as he saw a dream by Belet-ili (Goddess of birth) revealing the plans of the gods, which was later performed by Ea (God of fresh water) as mentioned above.This dream allowed Utnapishtim to be able to prepare for the flood by following the commands and instructions set forth to him in the dream. “I made Atrahasis have a dream and so he heard the secret of the gods. ” (Lawall, Thalmann, Patterson, James, & Spacks, 2006) As for the Biblical version the story tells how God felt regret for creating the human kind because of their foul deeds and so he decides to wipeout the human race off the face of the earth “I will wipe out the human race I created from the face of the earth, from human to cattle to crawling thing to the fowl of the heavens, for I regret that I have made them” (Lawall, Thalmann, Patterson, James, & Spacks, 2006).But God spared Noah’s life and his wife’s as well as his sons’ and his sons’ wives; due to the fact that Noah was a righteous man who followed god’s commandments and performed good deeds. So God commands Noah to build an arc and to take from every kind a male and a female on board with him “Make yourself an ark of cypress wood, with cells you shall make the ark, and caulk it inside and out with pitch….
and you shall enter the ark, you and your sons and your wife and the wives of your sons, with you. And from all that lives, from all flesh, two of each thing you shall bring to the ark to keep alive with you, male and female they shall be” (Lawall, Thalmann, Patterson, James, & Spacks, 2006).The end of the two versions is quite similar with minor discrepancies for example, both Noah and Utnapishtim sent a dove to see if the water receded or not and both doves came back the first time but the second time they didn’t and that was when the two men realized that it was safe to off board the arks. Both stories are affected by alterations that are very much clear in terms of events and narrating, but that is why history study existed to find out which was true and how it affected the generations later on.
