| The story of a great flood that destroyed the Earth appears in several civilizations of the early Middle East, and the version in Genesis is more familiar in the western world than the others. A local flood that actually occurred much earlier in the area may have provided an historical basis that was subsequently elaborated to mythological proportions in the various "epics." Nevertheless, the mythological deluge and innundation became an instrument in the conflict between gods and man in those early days. Below is a table comparing versions of the story from civilizations in the region. Ironically, the cause of the conflict in the Atrahasis epic and the reason to destroy the human race was the growing human population density and the environmental degradation that resulted. |
| Eridu Genesis | Atrahasis | Gilgameš | Bible | Berossus | Greece | Quran | |
| Date | 3d millennium BCE | c.1640 BCE | c.1100 BCE | c.1000-500 BCE | 278 BCE | c.700 BCE? | c.600 CE |
| Revolt | ? | lesser gods | ? | giants? | monsters? | giants | - |
| Hero | Ziusudra | Atrahasis | Ut-napištim | Noah | Xisuthrus | Deucalion | Nuh |
| Country | Šuruppuk | Šuruppak | Šuruppak | - | Sippar | Thessaly | - |
| Destroyer | Enlil | Enlil | Enlil | YHWH | Enlil | Zeus | Allah |
| Warning | Vision | Dream | Indirect order | Direct order | Dream | ? | Direct order |
| Reason | Noise? | Noise | ? | Sin, giants | ? | Sin, giants | Sin |
| Cause | Stormflood | Rain | Stormflood | Rain, fountains | - | Rain, waves | "from the valley" |
| Savior | Enki | Enki | Enki | YHWH | Enki | Prometheus | Allah |
| Period | 7 days | 7 days | 7 days | 150/40 days | "quickly" | 9 days | ? |
| Birds | ? | ? | raven, dove, swallow | doves/raven | "several" | none | - |
| Destination | ? | - | Nimuš | Ararat | Gordyene | Parnassus | Al-Gudi |
| Fate | Eternal life | Eternal life | Eternal life | Three sons | Eternal life | 3 grandsons | - |