The Epic of Gilgamesh is a Mesopotamian poem that tells the story of a great flood. The Bible is a collection of religious texts from various authors, including the story of a great flood. Comparing the two flood stories can provide insights into the cultures from which they originated.
One similarity between the two stories is that both involve a deity deciding to destroy humankind with a flood. In The Epic of Gilgamesh, it is the god Enlil who decides to wipe out humanity. In The Bible, it is Yahweh who decides to flood the earth.
Another similarity is that both floods are said to be caused by human sinfulness. In The Epic of Gilgamesh, it is because humans have become too proud and arrogant. In The Bible, it is because of humanity’s wickedness.
There are also some differences between the two stories. One difference is that The Epic of Gilgamesh features a character, Utnapishtim, who is given special divine protection and is able to save himself and his family from the flood. The Bible does not mention any characters who are saved from the flood.
Another difference is that The Epic of Gilgamesh ends with a message of hope, while The Bible ends with a message of judgment. The Epic of Gilgamesh tells the story of how humans are eventually reborn after the flood, and it portrays the gods as being merciful. The Bible tells the story of how God punishes humanity for their sins, but it also offers the hope of redemption through Jesus Christ.
In both the Epic of Gilgamesh and the Bible, a flood occurs. The destruction of humanity in both tales is comparable. These floods are meant to be symbols. They represent rebirth and a new beginning for humans, as well as God’s wrath or fury. After six days and nights, the gods determined to destroy mankind by flooding earth for six days and nights in Gilgamesh’s epic. To restart humanity after the flood, Utnapishtim was chosen to construct a boat.
The Bible’s flood story is similar, but with a different reason for the flood. The Bible says that God decided to flood the earth because of man’s wickedness. Noah was chosen to build an ark and save his family and two of every animal. The similarity between these two stories is interesting. It shows that even though they were written thousands of years apart, people were still thinking about the same things. The flooding of the earth is a timeless symbol that has been interpreted in many ways.
In the Bible, God determined that there was too much evil in the world and decided to flood Earth for forty days and nights. God selected Noah to construct an ark to save two of each animal, as well as restart mankind after the flood. In both The Epic of Gilgamesh and the Bible, a tale about a massive flood occurs these tales compare and contrast in several important ways.
The most prominent way the stories compare is that they are both about a great flood, but they have different characters involved. The Bible has God and Noah while The Epic of Gilgamesh has Utnapishtim and his wife. The Bible also has a moral message that people should not do evil because God will punish them, while The Epic of Gilgamesh does not seem to have a moral lesson.
The main difference between the two Flood stories is that in The Bible, God punishes all of humanity for their sins, while in The Epic of Gilgamesh, Utnapishtim is given special favor by the gods. In the end, it is up to the reader to decide which story they believe contains the true version of events. The Bible and The Epic of Gilgamesh are both ancient stories that have been told for many years, and it is interesting to compare them to see how they differ.
In both tales, humanity was exterminated as a result of the increasing disorder. The reason for Enlil’s desire to destroy human beings in Gilgamesh was “mankind’s clamor is insufferable, and sleep is no longer possible.” The other gods concurred with this. God also noticed how mankind’s evil had corrupted the earth in the Bible.
The Bible says, “ The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. Genesis 6:11. The only difference between the two stories is that in The Epic of Gilgamesh, Enlil sent a flood to wipe out all of mankind while in The Bible, God decided to send a flood but warned Noah of it.
Some people believe that The Epic of Gilgamesh was based off The Bible. If this is true, than it could mean that The Epic of Gilgamesh is actually older than The Bible. This would mean that the story of Noah and the Ark was copied from The Epic of Gilgamesh. But even if this is not true, comparing the two stories can still be interesting. They both have the same message, which is that mankind is bad and deserves to be punished.
Because he was a true believer in the god Ea, who came to warn Utnapishtim about the deluge, Utnapishtim was chosen to survive the flood. Noah was the only man on Earth who pleased God, and he was truly good.
The Bible does not mention the height of Noah’s Ark, but it was three hundred cubits long, fifty wide, and thirty high. The floodwaters covered the earth for one hundred and fifty days. The Epic of Gilgamesh talks about a “rainstorm” that caused the flooding, while The Bible mentions God sending rain for forty days and nights.
When the floodwaters receded, Utnapishtim released a dove to see if the waters had subsided. If The Bible is referencing this event, then Noah also released a dove. The dove found no resting place and returned to the ark. After seven days, he released a raven, which did not return. The waters had dried up so Utnapishtim and his family left the boat. The Bible does not mention Utnapishtim’s release of the raven.
Both The Epic of Gilgamesh and The Bible end with a moral lesson. The Epic of Gilgamesh tells the story of a man who was granted eternal life, but lost it because he could not live without the love of a woman. The Bible teaches that it is only through God’s grace that humans can be saved.