The noun denotes a catastrophic deluge that sweeps everything before it. In the Septuagint it is the standard word for the Flood of Genesis 6–9, setting it apart from terms for ordinary rivers or rains. Classical Greek sometimes used the same term for mythical inundations, yet in Scripture it is firmly anchored to the historic event in Noah’s day. That anchoring gives the word a moral and theological weight: it always involves divine response to entrenched human wickedness and a simultaneous act of preservation for the righteous.

Occurrences in the New Testament

Matthew 24:38–39; Luke 17:27; 2 Peter 2:5. Each reference looks back to Genesis in order to look forward. The deluge is never treated as mere history; it is a lens through which God’s future dealings with humanity are interpreted.

The Flood as Historical Event

Jesus and Peter speak of the Flood as fact, not legend. Its reality validates the early chapters of Genesis and affirms that the Creator intervenes dramatically in human affairs. By grounding later teaching in a real past event, the New Testament writers underscore the unity of Scripture and the continuity of God’s purposes.

The Flood as Paradigm of Divine Judgment

In every occurrence the word is tied to judgment. “He did not spare the ancient world when He brought the flood on its ungodly people” (2 Peter 2:5). The deluge serves as precedent: God observes, evaluates, warns, and finally acts. The moral condition that invited the ancient judgment—unrestrained violence and corruption—becomes a warning template for every generation.

Eschatological Teaching in the Synoptic Gospels

Both Matthew and Luke present the Flood in an eschatological discourse. The emphasis is not on water but on suddenness and unpreparedness:
• “For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark” (Matthew 24:38).
• “Then the flood came and destroyed them all” (Luke 17:27).

Daily routines lulled Noah’s contemporaries into false security; likewise the world will be caught unready at the return of the Son of Man. The parallel warns disciples to cultivate vigilance, holiness, and readiness rather than presume upon delay.

Typology and Theology

1. Salvation through Judgment: The same waters that judged the world buoyed the ark. Thus the word carries a dual nuance—wrath and rescue.
2. Preaching of Righteousness: Peter calls Noah a “preacher of righteousness,” making the Flood an example of God’s patience before judgment and of human responsibility to heed proclaimed truth.
3. Foreshadowing Final Consummation: Just as the Flood cleansed the earth for a renewed creation, so the final judgment will purge and restore, ushering in “new heavens and a new earth” (2 Peter 3:13). The earlier deluge guarantees the latter event; past faithfulness assures future fulfillment.

Pastoral Implications and Ministry Application

• Urgency of the Gospel: The certainty and suddenness of divine intervention compel evangelism.
• Call to Holy Living: Because routine can mask approaching judgment, believers are exhorted to sober, watchful lives.
• Comfort in Preservation: God knows how to “rescue the godly” (2 Peter 2:9). The Flood narrative assures the faithful that judgment will never swallow those who trust Him.
• Confidence in Scriptural Authority: New Testament reliance on the historic Flood supports the reliability of Genesis and reinforces a whole-Bible worldview in preaching and teaching.

Summary

Strong’s 2627 consistently points to the Noahic Flood as a real, global, divinely ordained catastrophe that functions as prototype for future judgment and deliverance. It urges remembrance of God’s past acts, readiness for His future intervention, and steadfast proclamation of righteousness in the present age.