In Genesis, God told Noah to build an ark in order to survive the coming flood.
Genesis 6:14 begins the building instructions with the command to make an ark from gopher wood. The vessel is designed to preserve Noah, his family, and representatives of animal life through the flood. The Hebrew term used for the vessel is distinctive and is often understood as a box-like craft rather than a conventional ship.
The story later describes rooms, a door, a window, and a roof, along with the pitch coating that makes the structure watertight. It is therefore presented as a survival vessel, not as a craft intended for navigation or exploration.
The word “ark” in this story is also used in English for the basket carrying the infant Moses, though the two narratives are separate. Both vessels preserve a person from dangerous waters.