In Genesis, what wood was Noah instructed to use when building the Ark?

In Genesis, Noah was instructed to build the Ark from gopher wood.

Genesis 6:14 uses the Hebrew expression commonly transliterated as “gopher wood.” The passage does not identify a modern tree species, so translations generally preserve the term rather than equating it confidently with cedar, cypress, or another known timber. The Ark was also to be made watertight with pitch inside and outside.

The uncertainty surrounding the word has produced many proposed identifications. Some commentators have suggested cypress or other resinous woods, but no identification is universally accepted. “Gopher wood” is therefore the safest canonical answer when the question follows the wording of Genesis.

This detail belongs to the construction instructions given before the flood. The same passage specifies the Ark’s compartments, its covering, and its three-level structure, while later verses describe the animals and Noah’s family entering it.