As we move now from Noah to the story of the Flood we discover that the author of Genesis, understood to be Moses, tells the story three times in this chapter, adding more detail with each telling. We note that this was a typical part of a verbal society. We also make note of the many references to 40 days in scripture and realize it is not to be understood as a literal number but a figure of speech. Given this destruction of the inhabitants of the earth God in mercy manages to save all who chose to be saved.