According to Genesis, Noah was told to build the Ark from gopher wood.
The instruction appears in Genesis 6:14, where God tells Noah to make an ark of gopher wood and cover it inside and outside with pitch. The Hebrew term translated as “gopher wood” appears only once in the Bible, so its precise botanical meaning is uncertain.
Some translations retain the phrase “gopher wood,” while others interpret it more generally as resinous or cypress wood. Proposed identifications have included cypress, cedar, and other coniferous woods, but none is universally accepted.
The material is therefore a useful distinction from the Ark’s dimensions or waterproofing: gopher wood names the construction material, while pitch is the substance used to seal the vessel. Genesis does not identify a modern tree species with certainty.