In the biblical Book of Genesis, what wood was Noah's Ark made from?

The story behind the answer

The biblical Book of Genesis says Noah's Ark was made from gopher wood.

Genesis 6:14 instructs Noah to build the vessel from “gopher wood” and to make rooms inside it, coating it with pitch. The expression is traditionally treated as the name of a particular wood, although its exact botanical identity is unknown.

The term appears only in this passage of the Hebrew Bible, which is why translations handle it differently. Some preserve “gopher wood,” while others use wording such as “resinous wood” or “cypress wood.” These variations reflect uncertainty about the ancient Hebrew term rather than disagreement about the story's wording.

The Ark account also gives dimensions in cubits and describes a three-level structure. The wood specification is therefore one element in a broader set of building instructions attributed to the Genesis narrative.

Source: Wikipedia · fact-checked Oct. 2026

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