In the biblical Noah's Ark story, the ark was built from gopher wood. Genesis 6:14 gives Noah the instruction to make the ark from this named material and to coat it inside and outside with pitch, a waterproofing substance.
“Gopher wood” is an unusual expression because the Bible does not identify a modern tree species that definitely corresponds to it. The Hebrew term appears only in this passage, making exact botanical identification impossible. Suggestions have included cypress and other resinous woods, but none is established as certain.
This uncertainty is sometimes lost when retellings present gopher wood as a known species. The text is firm about the name used in the command, but not about its modern equivalent. The ark is also described as having rooms, a lower, second, and third deck, and a covering or opening, showing that the building instructions include more than just the wood choice.