In Genesis, what kind of opening did Noah’s Ark have near its top?

The story behind the answer

In Genesis, Noah’s Ark had a window near its top.

Genesis 6:16 instructs Noah to make a “window” for the Ark and to finish it to a measurement of one cubit. English translations differ slightly in how they describe this feature. Some use “window,” while others translate or explain the underlying Hebrew as an opening, light-admitting structure, or roof-related feature.

The passage separately mentions a door in the Ark’s side, so the window was not the vessel’s entrance. The text also describes the Ark as having compartments and three levels, although the number of levels is not the answer to this question.

The window later becomes important in the narrative because Noah opens it after the waters recede and sends out birds to test whether the land has dried. That episode is separate from the construction instruction itself.

Source: Wikipedia · fact-checked Sept. 2026

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