In the biblical Noah's Ark story, Noah built the ark after God commanded him to do so.
Genesis describes Noah as a righteous man who lived amid widespread violence and corruption. God told him to construct a large ark, enter it with his family, and preserve representatives of animal life from the coming flood. Noah followed the instructions and gathered his household aboard the vessel.
The name Noah comes from the Hebrew נֹחַ (Noach), commonly associated with rest or comfort. He is presented as the central human figure in the flood narrative, rather than as a king, warrior, or professional shipbuilder. The story says that Noah's wife, his three sons, and their wives also entered the ark.
Noah is also important in later Jewish, Christian, and Islamic traditions, although details differ among the texts. The Sumerian flood story has a different survivor, often called Ziusudra or Atrahasis, so those names should not be confused with Noah.