Science & Scripture · Geology

The sea once rose up and completely submerged the ancient city of Babylon under ocean waves.

Geology 25 passages in this field

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What current science says

Babylon was located in modern-day Iraq, roughly 500 km from the nearest coastline (the Persian Gulf). Its elevation is about 32 meters above sea level. For the sea to reach Babylon, water would need to travel 500 km inland and rise over all the terrain in between — a flooding event that would make Noah's flood look like a puddle. The city eventually fell to the Persians in 539 BCE and slowly declined over centuries, but it was conquered by armies, not waves. Babylon's ruins are still very much dry today.

What the text says

This comes from Jeremiah 51:42. 'The sea is come up upon Babylon: she is covered with the multitude of the waves thereof' — while likely a metaphor for invading armies, the literal text claims Babylon was engulfed by the ocean. Babylon was located 500 km inland in modern-day Iraq.

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