In the Genesis Noah's Ark account, Noah was instructed to build the ark from gopher wood.
Genesis 6:14 gives the Hebrew term usually translated in English as “gopher wood.” The passage does not identify a modern botanical species, so the phrase is best treated as the traditional name of the construction material rather than a securely identified tree.
This uncertainty has led translators and commentators to propose alternatives, including resinous or cypress-like wood. None of those proposals is established as the definitive meaning. “Gopher wood” remains the standard English wording in many Bible translations and the conventional answer in summaries of the story.
The same instruction tells Noah to make rooms in the ark and cover it inside and outside with pitch, a waterproofing substance. Thus, the text gives both a named wood and a sealing method, but it does not provide an archaeological identification of the timber.