According to Genesis, Noah used pitch to seal Noah’s Ark.
Genesis 6:14 instructs Noah to make rooms in the Ark and cover it inside and outside with pitch. Pitch is a waterproofing substance, traditionally associated with bitumen or another tar-like material. Its purpose in the narrative is practical: it would help keep water from entering the wooden structure.
The Hebrew wording is commonly translated as “pitch,” although translations can differ in the precise English term used. The instruction to apply it both inside and outside emphasizes thorough waterproofing. This detail appears alongside the Ark’s dimensions and the instruction to construct it with rooms, a lower deck, a middle deck, and an upper deck.
Pitch is sometimes confused with the Ark’s wood because both occur in the same building instruction. They are separate materials with separate functions: wood forms the structure, while pitch seals it against water. The passage does not identify a modern chemical formula or specify exactly how the ancient substance was produced.