Noah’s Ark

Noah’s Ark (Hebrew: תֵּיבַת נֹחַ, Teyvat Noaḥ) was the large vessel built by Noah.

The Ark was a huge, rectangular vessel constructed according to God’s instructions. Its purpose was to shelter Noah, his family, and all the world’s land-dwelling creatures from a great flood that God sent to destroy a human race that had become utterly wicked. Noah’s family was spared because Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time (Genesis 6:9). The account states that Noah’s Ark took 120 years to build, and this story is recorded in the Old Testament Book of Genesis and the Quran.

The original Hebrew word for “ark” is the same as the word for the “basket” in which the baby Moses was hidden (Exodus 2:3). It was essentially a giant wooden box with rooms inside. It had a door on the side and possibly a window near the top for light and ventilation. Genesis 6:15 states that the Ark was 300 cubits long, 50 cubits wide, and 30 cubits high (a cubit is the distance from the elbow to the tip of the middle finger, about 45 centimeters). It was not built for sailing but as a place of refuge. The Ark prefigures Christ as our salvation.

When Noah was 600 years old, the floodwaters came upon the earth. All the springs of the great deep burst forth, and the floodgates of the heavens were opened. It rained on the earth for forty days and forty nights (Genesis 7:11-12). The waters rose greatly and covered all the high mountains under the entire heavens (Genesis 7:19). After 150 days, the water receded, and the Ark rested. The Bible records that on the seventeenth day of the seventh month, the Ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat (Genesis 8:4). This date is significant. The Jews have two calendars: one called the “civil calendar” and the other the “sacred calendar.” This seventeenth day of the seventh month on the civil calendar happens to be the seventeenth day of the first month on the sacred calendar. The seventeenth day of the first month is the third day after Passover, the very day the Lord Jesus was resurrected after His death. This also happens to be the day the Ark rested on the mountains of Ararat. The people in the Ark could finally rest assured, for they had the certainty of their salvation. The name “Ararat” itself has several different meanings from its root words. One meaning is “the curse is reversed,” and another is “creation.” These two meanings are profoundly significant in the context of salvation.

The flood of that time symbolized God’s judgment. Noah’s family being saved in the Ark represents believers being saved in Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ died for our sins and was resurrected on the third day, proving with power that He is the Son of God, thus accomplishing a perfect salvation. The Ark is a prefiguration of Christ’s salvation. In Christ, we become new creations.

(Compiled and edited based on the Chinese Union Version and a comprehensive biblical interpretation.)