In Hebrew tradition, Noah’s Ark is called a tevah.
The Hebrew noun tevah is used for Noah’s vessel in Genesis. It is commonly translated as “ark,” but it does not mean a conventional ship in the modern nautical sense. The same Hebrew word is also used for the basket in which the infant Moses is placed in Exodus, creating an interesting link between two stories about a vulnerable child or family being preserved in a container on water.
English “ark” comes through Latin arca, meaning a chest or box. That translation can obscure the fact that the biblical Hebrew term is unusual and appears in only those two major biblical contexts. The word’s semantic range supports the image of a protective container rather than a standard sailing vessel.
This term should not be confused with the Ark of the Covenant. English uses “ark” for both, but the Hebrew words differ: Noah’s vessel is tevah, while the Covenant object is commonly called aron. They are separate objects in separate narratives.