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

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

Genesis 6:14 instructs Noah to make the Ark from “gopher wood” and to cover it inside and outside with pitch. The Hebrew expression is unusual and appears only in this passage, which is why translators have preserved the phrase rather than agreeing on a specific modern tree species.

Some Bible translations render the material as cypress wood or another type of timber, but “gopher wood” is the traditional English wording and the answer most directly matching the familiar King James Version text. The passage does not identify a botanical species with modern scientific certainty.

The pitch served as waterproofing, sealing the structure against the Flood waters. The account also mentions rooms, a door in the side, and a window, making the construction description more detailed than the brief phrase about the wood alone.