Make yourself an ark of gopher wood. Make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and out with pitch.
English Standard Version (ESV)
While "gopher wood" is a mystery, the emphasis on "rooms" and "pitching" inside and out reveals a focus on meticulous construction for preservation. This wasn't just a box; it was a carefully prepared, sealed environment, highlighting God's detailed instructions and Noah's diligent obedience in the face of overwhelming corruption.
Make yourself an ark of gopher wood. Make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and out with pitch.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The world has become so profoundly wicked that God is grieved and decides to destroy all living things. He chooses Noah, a righteous man who has found favor with Him, to survive this catastrophe. God instructs Noah to build a massive ark out of gopher wood, specifying its dimensions and internal structure, as a means of salvation for himself, his family, and pairs of all living creatures.
Why build a 'chest' rather than a 'ship' for a global flood? What does this tell us about the ark's purpose and design?
The Hebrew word used for the ark, 'tebah,' is unique. It appears only twice in Scripture: for Noah's ark and the basket that saved baby Moses. Unlike 'ship,' which implies sailing and navigation, 'tebah' suggests a floating container, a vessel designed to survive, not to travel.
This distinction is crucial. Noah wasn't building a vessel to navigate the floodwaters; he was building a sealed, buoyant refuge to endure them. The focus wasn't on steering or propulsion, but on containment and protection against the immense forces of water. This emphasizes God's direct provision for survival, not human ingenuity for seafaring.
What was 'gopher wood,' and why was the ark sealed with pitch? These details reveal God's practical design for protection.
The 'gopher wood' mentioned is a word unique to this passage, but scholars suggest it refers to a durable, resinous wood like cypress. Cypress was known for its resistance to decay and water, making it an excellent choice for a vessel meant to withstand a prolonged deluge.
Equally important is the instruction to 'pitch it within and without with pitch.' This refers to bitumen, a natural tar-like substance readily available in the region where the ark was likely built (the Mesopotamian Valley). Pitch would create a completely waterproof seal, essential for keeping the floodwaters out and the ark buoyant. This wasn't just a wooden box; it was a carefully engineered, sealed vessel, protected by both the right materials and God's specific instructions.
Ask a follow-up
Beyond being watertight, the ark needed internal divisions. What purpose did these 'rooms' or 'nests' serve?
The ark wasn't just a single large space. God instructed Noah to make 'rooms' (literally 'nests' or 'cells') within it. This detail is vital when considering the ark's immense cargo: pairs of every living creature, food stores, and Noah's family.
These internal divisions would have served multiple crucial functions:
This wasn't a crude raft but a complex structure designed with meticulous detail to house and sustain all life entrusted to it.
Understand the original words
tebah · Hebrew Noun
A vessel of deliverance built according to divine instructions; it serves as a symbol of salvation and protection from divine judgment.
kopher · Hebrew Noun
A substance used for waterproofing; metaphorically, it is associated with atonement, as the Hebrew word for 'cover' (kaphar) shares the same root as the word for 'pitch' (kopher).
c. 10,000 BC - 3000 BC— this verse
Pre-Diluvian Era
A period marked by extreme human wickedness and corruption, where violence permeated the earth. This era culminated in God's decision to cleanse the world through a great flood.
Unknown, Pre-Flood
Noah's Call and Ark Construction
God commands Noah to build a massive ark from gopher wood, instructing him on its specific dimensions and features, including rooms and pitch for waterproofing.
Unknown, Pre-Flood
God's Covenant with Noah
God establishes a covenant with Noah, promising to preserve him, his family, and pairs of all living creatures within the ark.
Unknown, Pre-Flood
Gathering of Animals and Provisions
Noah gathers pairs of every living creature and stores provisions, following God's instructions for survival within the ark.
This passage highlights Noah's faith in action, preparing the ark as God commanded, which directly connects to the building instructions in Genesis 6:14.
1 Peter 3:20This verse speaks of the ark as a means of salvation for Noah's family through faith, underscoring the importance and purpose of the vessel described in Genesis 6:14.
Exodus 2:3The word used for 'ark' (tebah) is the same as the one used for the basket in which Moses was placed as an infant, suggesting a theme of divine preservation through a specially prepared vessel.
Ezekiel 14:14This prophetic passage mentions Noah alongside Daniel and Job as righteous men who would deliver only themselves by their righteousness, emphasizing Noah's unique role and the ark's significance in saving him.
Luke 17:27Jesus refers to the days of Noah and the flood, highlighting the suddenness of the destruction and the ordinary life that was interrupted, which underscores the immense task and faith required by Noah to build the ark as instructed.
calvinGenesis 6:1-22: "And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them,"
There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.
Gigantes fuerunt in terra in diebus illis: et etiam postquam ingressi sunt filii Dei ad filias hominum, genuerunt eis: isti sunt potentes, qui a saec…
gillGenesis 6:14: "Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch."
Make thee an ark of Gopher wood,.... It is not called a ship, for it was not made for sailing to any distant parts, but an ark or chest, being like one, flat bottomed, and ridged and sloping upwards, and was made for floating on the waters for a little way. So Lucian (c), and other Heathen writers, call it "an ark" or "chest": this was made of "Gopher wood", whic…
While "gopher wood" is a mystery, the emphasis on "rooms" and "pitching" inside and out reveals a focus on meticulous construction for preservation. This wasn't just a box; it was a carefully prepared, sealed environment, highlighting God's detailed instructions and Noah's diligent obedience in the face of overwhelming corruption.
The world has become so profoundly wicked that God is grieved and decides to destroy all living things. He chooses Noah, a righteous man who has found favor with Him, to survive this catastrophe. God instructs Noah to build a massive ark out of gopher wood, specifying its dimensions and internal structure, as a means of salvation for himself, his family, and pairs of all living creatures.
The world has become so profoundly wicked that God is grieved and decides to destroy all living things. He chooses Noah, a righteous man who has found favor with Him, to survive this catastrophe. God instructs Noah to build a massive ark out of gopher wood, specifying its dimensions and internal structure, as a means of salvation for himself, his family, and pairs of all living creatures.
"Make yourself an ark of gopher wood. Make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and out with pitch." — While "gopher wood" is a mystery, the emphasis on "rooms" and "pitching" inside and out reveals a focus on meticulous construction for preservation. This wasn't just a box; it was a carefully prepare…
Get the original Greek and Hebrew, verse-by-verse context, and related passages inside the app.
Last reviewed October 2026