What wood does Genesis say Noah uses to build the Ark?

Genesis says Noah uses gopher wood to build the Ark. Genesis 6:14 gives the instruction in the phrase commonly translated as “make yourself an ark of gopher wood.”

The identity of gopher wood is uncertain. “Gopher” appears only in this biblical passage, and no surviving consensus identifies a particular tree species. Some translations retain the Hebrew-derived term, while others use broader wording such as “resinous wood” or “wood of cypress.” These renderings reflect translation choices rather than a settled botanical identification.

Because cypress and cedar were important woods in the ancient Near East, they are sometimes proposed in discussions of the Ark. They should not be treated as the definite answer to Genesis’ wording. The most direct traditional answer is gopher wood, while the exact material remains an unresolved translation and philological question.