Everyday words in Bible stories
Ark (Noah's) — Meaning in the Bible
The large wooden vessel God told Noah to build to keep his family and the animals alive through the flood.
This is a different ark from the ark of the covenant, the sacred chest kept in the tabernacle.
What it means
God told Noah to build it of gopher wood, with rooms, pitch inside and out, a roof, a door and three decks, 300 cubits long, 50 wide and 30 high. Genesis 6:14–16
Noah, his family and the animals went in, and the LORD shut them in. The ark floated on the waters and came to rest on the mountains of Ararat. Genesis 7:13–16Genesis 8:4
Key passages
- Genesis 6:14–22 — God's instructions for the ark
- Genesis 8:1–19 — Leaving the ark
- Hebrews 11:7 — Noah built it by faith
- 1 Peter 3:20 — Eight people saved through water
Original language
תֵּבָה te.vah
Hebrew · Strong’s H8392 · gloss: “ark”
The Hebrew word is used for Noah's vessel and for the basket in which baby Moses was laid. Genesis 6:14Exodus 2:3
A Strong’s number is a reference identifier, not a complete definition: what a word means in a passage depends on its context. Lexical data: STEPBible.org, based on work at Tyndale House Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).
How translations differ
- Many English Bibles say "ark". The World English Bible says "ship" in Genesis 6-9. Genesis 6:14
For children
The ark was a huge wooden boat God told Noah to build. It kept Noah's family and the animals safe during the flood. Genesis 6:14Genesis 7:1