In Genesis, Noah’s Ark was to be built from gopher wood.
Genesis 6:14 gives the construction instruction in the phrase commonly translated “Make yourself an ark of gopher wood.” The Hebrew term is unique in the Bible, so its exact botanical meaning is uncertain. “Gopher wood” is therefore a traditional transliteration rather than a securely identified modern tree species.
Some English translations use “cypress wood,” “resinous wood,” or similar wording. These alternatives reflect attempts to interpret the unusual Hebrew word, not a separate event in the story. The text also says that the Ark was to be divided into compartments and coated with pitch inside and outside.
The Ark’s specified dimensions are given in cubits, making its length much greater than its height. Later Jewish, Christian, and Islamic traditions discuss its materials differently, but the Genesis account itself preserves “gopher wood” as the familiar English term.