What width does Genesis assign to Noah’s Ark?

Genesis assigns Noah’s Ark a width of 50 cubits. Genesis 6:15 lists this measurement between the ark’s length of 300 cubits and height of 30 cubits.

The biblical dimensions produce a long, broad rectangular vessel rather than the sharply pointed shape of many modern ship illustrations. Using a commonly estimated cubit of about 45 centimetres, 50 cubits would be approximately 22.5 metres, although the ancient cubit did not have one universally fixed length.

A frequent mistake is to substitute the ark’s height for its width. The three Genesis measurements are 300 cubits long, 50 cubits wide, and 30 cubits high. Keeping those figures in their stated order helps distinguish the dimensions.

Genesis does not describe a keel, rudder, mast, or sails. The narrative presents the ark as a sealed survival vessel, and its proportions have prompted modern comparisons with barges and other stable floating structures, though those comparisons do not verify the story historically.