In the Genesis account, Noah was told to build the ark from gopher wood. Genesis 6:14 uses the Hebrew expression commonly transliterated as “gopher wood” or “gofer wood.”
The identity of this wood is uncertain. The Hebrew Bible does not explain whether “gopher” names a tree species, a type of timber, or a descriptive term. English translations therefore usually preserve the unusual word rather than confidently translating it as cedar, cypress, pine, or another known species.
Several proposals have been suggested over the centuries. Some connect the term with cypress or resinous wood, while others regard it as a scribal form or a general reference to prepared timber. None is established as the certain meaning of the original word.
This uncertainty makes “gopher wood” the safest canonical answer. Saying “cypress” as though Genesis explicitly names it goes beyond the text. The passage does, however, clearly pair the wood instruction with a command to coat the ark with pitch.