Genesis 8:3

The waters kept receding steadily ¹  from the earth, so that they ²  had gone down ³  by the end of the 150 days.

The water receded steadily from the earth. At the end of the hundred and fifty days the water had gone down,

and the water receded steadily from the earth, and at the end of one hundred and fifty days the water decreased.

So the flood gradually began to recede. After 150 days,

Inch by inch the water lowered. After 150 days the worst was over.

And the waters went slowly back from the earth, and at the end of a hundred and fifty days the waters were lower.

and the waters gradually receded from the earth. At the end of one hundred fifty days the waters had abated;

And the waters receded continually from the earth. At the end of the hundred and fifty days the waters decreased.

The waters kept receding steadily ¹  from the earth, so that they ²  had gone down ³  by the end of the 150 days.

¹ tn The construction combines a Qal preterite from שׁוּב (shuv) with its infinitive absolute to indicate continuous action. The infinitive absolute from הָלָךְ (halakh) is included for emphasis: “the waters returned…going and returning.”

² tn Heb “the waters.” The pronoun (“they”) has been employed in the translation for stylistic reasons.

³ tn The vav (ו) consecutive with the preterite here describes the consequence of the preceding action.