What was the name of the ship in the biblical story of Noah?

The ship in the biblical story of Noah is called the Ark.

In English, the vessel is conventionally called Noah’s Ark. Genesis uses the Hebrew word tebah, commonly translated as “ark.” The term identifies a large survival vessel built at divine instruction, rather than naming it like a later historical ship.

The ark is described as a covered structure with rooms, a door, a window, and three levels. Noah, his family, and representatives of animal life enter it before the floodwaters rise. After the waters recede, the ark comes to rest on the mountains of Ararat.

The word “ark” is also used in another important biblical expression, the Ark of the Covenant. These are different objects with different stories. Noah’s Ark is a flood vessel; the Ark of the Covenant is a sacred chest associated with the Israelites’ later wilderness and temple traditions. The shared English word can therefore cause confusion when reading biblical references.