According to Genesis, what was the Ark’s maximum number of decks?

According to Genesis, Noah’s Ark had three decks. Genesis 6:16 instructs Noah to make the vessel with lower, second, and third decks. The wording presents a multi-level structure designed to contain Noah’s household, animals, supplies, and other provisions.

The three levels are part of the same construction description that gives the Ark its dimensions, its roof, and its side door. Genesis does not provide a detailed floor plan, cabin arrangement, or precise allocation of animals among the decks. Later paintings, models, and children’s books therefore add architectural details not stated in the biblical passage.

The deck count is sometimes confused with the number of compartments or “rooms.” Genesis mentions rooms elsewhere in the instructions, but it does not give their total number. Three decks describes vertical levels, not three rooms or three separate boats.

Modern Ark replicas often use the three-deck description as a starting point, adapting it to contemporary materials and visitor access. Those reconstructions are interpretations rather than surviving evidence of the original vessel.