In the Book of Genesis, what material was Noah’s Ark made from?

In the Book of Genesis, Noah’s Ark was made from gopher wood.

Genesis 6:14 instructs Noah to build the ark from “gopher wood,” but the biblical text does not identify a modern tree species with that name. As a result, translations sometimes retain “gopher wood,” while others use expressions such as “resinous wood” or “cypress wood.”

The ark’s construction instructions also mention rooms, waterproofing with pitch, and three decks. The pitch was intended to make the vessel watertight, although the text does not provide a detailed shipbuilding method or explain exactly how gopher wood was prepared.

A common mix-up is assuming that “gopher wood” means the wood of the animal called a gopher. That connection is not supported by the Hebrew wording. The term is unusual and remains uncertain, which is why “gopher wood” is the safest canonical answer for a question about the Genesis wording.