In the Genesis flood story, Noah is instructed to coat the Ark with pitch inside and outside. The coating is presented as part of the vessel’s construction, helping make the wooden structure watertight.
Pitch is a broad ancient term for a waterproofing substance, commonly associated with bitumen, tar, or resinous material. The Hebrew wording does not identify a modern industrial product, so translating it simply as “pitch” preserves the traditional description without claiming a precise chemical formula.
Pitch is distinct from the Ark’s building material. Genesis names gopher wood for construction and pitch for sealing. It is also different from the animals, dimensions, and flood dates specified elsewhere in the account. Ancient boatbuilding across the Near East used waterproofing substances, making the instruction recognizable within the technological setting of the story.