What type of vessel does Genesis call Noah’s ark in Hebrew tradition?

In Hebrew tradition, Genesis describes Noah’s ark with a word meaning a chest or box.

The Hebrew noun tebah is used for Noah’s vessel in Genesis and for the basket in which the infant Moses is placed in Exodus. This shared word suggests an object designed to preserve a life through dangerous waters rather than a ship intended for navigation. The narrative does not describe sails, oars, or a rudder.

English Bibles commonly translate tebah as “ark,” a word inherited through Latin and Greek traditions. In everyday modern English, “ark” sounds like a ship, but the underlying Hebrew term emphasizes a floating container. Genesis gives dimensions and a window or opening, yet it does not say that Noah steered the vessel.

This linguistic point explains why artistic reconstructions vary so widely. Some depict a ship with a pointed bow, while others portray a large rectangular box. Neither modern shape is directly mandated by the Hebrew word alone.