Why Noah Sent the Dove a Second Time After Seven Days

The Midrash of Philo 10:1

Curated by Arthur·Told by Maggid·March 24, 2026

Why did he, after waiting yet seven other days, send forth the dove a second time? (Genesis 8:10).

Themes

Creation Holidays Adam Eve Animals Noah

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Seder Olam RabbahThe Flood Was All of Twelve Months,1rThe Flood was all of twelve months,1R. Eliyahu from Vilna explains that according to Seder Olam a year about which no details are given is a simple, regular yea Targum OnkelosThe Flood Through Onkelos's Aramaic LensThe Hebrew Bible says God "shut him in" the ark (Genesis 7:16), a strangely intimate image of the Creator personally closing Noah's door. Targum Onkelos renders Bereshit RabbahEven the Animals Sinned Before the FloodThe animals? Did they really deserve to be wiped out along with everyone else? Well, the rabbis of old had some thoughts on that. Rabbi Azarya, quoting Rabbi Ye 2 EnochHow Light And Darkness Were Created2 Enoch turns to How Light And Darkness Were Created. Before anything we can see existed, there were only invisible things. Then God, in His infinite wisdom, de 3 EnochThe Place Of The StarsThere is a place called the Place of the Stars, far more wondrous than any observatory. A realm where the stars aren't just distant objects, but beings of fiery Sefer HaZichronotThe Darkness That Existed Before CreationSefer HaZichronot turns to The Darkness That Existed Before Creation. So, what do we make of that? Is it simply an absence of light, like the "unformed and void