John Gill Commentary Genesis 7:19

"And the waters prevailed exceedingly upon the earth; and all the high mountains that were under the whole heaven were covered." — Genesis 7:19 (ASV)

And the waters prevailed exceedingly on the earth
Yet more and more, so that the people without the ark were obliged to remove, not only from the lower to the higher rooms in their houses, and to the tops of them, but to the highest trees; and when these were bore down, to the highest hills and mountains; and to those it was in vain to fly, by what follows:

and all the high hills that were under the whole heaven were
covered :
from which it appears there were hills before the flood, and that these were not caused by it, and that the deluge was universal, since there was not a hill under the whole heaven but what was covered with it. In Deucalion's flood all men are said to perish, except a few who fled to the high mountains ^F14 ; which story seems to be hammered out of this account.

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FOOTNOTES:

• F14: Apollodorus, de Deor. Origin. l. 1. p. 19.