In the book of Genesis, Noah’s ark is described as being a massive ship, built at God’s command, that saved Noah, his family, and two of every kind of land animal from the global flood that took place 4,350 years ago. It was 510 feet long, 85 feet wide, 51 feet high, and easily housed the several thousand animal kinds God brought to Noah.
In terms of history, almost every culture has a tradition of a global flood on earth which is one of the strongest lines of evidences for the biblical worldwide flood described in Genesis. And in a large majority of the flood accounts, a favored family is chosen to survive the flood.
Scripture does not elaborate about the shape of Noah’s ark beyond those superb, overall proportions—length, breadth, and depth. Since the Bible gives proportions consistent with those of a true cargo ship, it makes sense that it should look and act like a ship, too.
The Bible tells us how many people were on board the ark, but it does not tell us how many people were involved in building it. While we would not be dogmatic on this point, it is consistent with God’s Word to believe that more than eight people were involved in the ark’s construction. A possibility is that Noah hired people to help him build the ark.
Even without bacteria, fungi, plants, and sea creatures on the ark, lots of species remain to be accounted for. The key is to understand the word used in Scripture, kind (Hebrew min). The Bible does not say God brought every individual or every species to Noah. However, it does give us excellent clues on how many kinds of animals were on the ark.
It is not necessary—or required by Scripture—to appeal to miracles for the provision and daily care of the animals on the ark. Many solutions to seemingly insurmountable problems are rather straightforward.
Many websites buzz with the claim that Noah’s Ark has been found in Turkey, Armenia or Iran. Is there any true archaeological substance to these claims?
Modern science is giving us more windows into this enigma of antiquity. The more we learn about the origin of species, the more hints we gain into Noah’s vistas.
Was Noah Primitive?
Totally God, totally Noah, or somewhere between?
The Bible’s description of Noah’s ark stands out as a realistic vessel. Genesis 6:15 can tell us quite a lot about the accuracy and validity of the flood.
The size and nature of the waves during the deluge dictates the strength of the ark.
Skeptics claim that a wooden ship the size of Noah’s Ark couldn’t possibly stay afloat. Did God perform a miracle to keep it from sinking?
Despite multiple expeditions over many centuries, Noah’s Ark still has not been found. A geologist proposes one reason why.
Why would someone ask this question? Let’s back up and look at this from a big picture. Consider what the Bible says about the voyage of the ark.
Explore the origin of pre-flood “gopher wood” and possible identities of the wood used to build Noah’s ark.
There’s a biblical ark that rode out the Flood, and it was no bathtub. Noah built it somehow, with or without some mysterious ancient technology.
By studying the diversity of animals on Noah’s ship, we can understand how many creatures were destroyed in the flood and how so few animals repopulated the earth with the variety we enjoy today.
The estimated numbers, sizes, and types of ark animals impact nearly every aspect of the vessel’s interior operations.
How many of each kind of animal were on the Ark? Look at just about any popular depiction of Noah’s Ark and you’ll likely get the wrong impression.
The Bible gives us only a few details about the Ark’s appearance, but we can make some educated guesses based on basic principles of good shipbuilding.
Even if Noah could build a wooden Ark strong enough to survive a yearlong Flood, how could he house and feed all those animals?
Modern skeptics frequently assume that someone living in Noah’s time would have been incapable of building something as large and sophisticated as the Ark.
Beneath Noah’s Ark illustrations and toys is a faulty assumption that the creatures on Noah’s Ark looked like the ones we see today.
Even though there are mostly good germs, many tend to focus on only the bad germs. So skeptics question whether pathogens were present on the Ark.
Noah’s Ark has been a popular subject for artists throughout the centuries. However, it is not easy to adequately depict this vessel.
Since species are defined by traits and characteristics that are heritable, the origin of species is a fundamentally genetic question.
Careful reexamination of the first two chapters of Darwin’s seminal work, On the Origin of Species, leads to a surprising conclusion.
At a cost of $100 million, a life-size wooden Ark opens this summer. What’s behind such a massive project?
Thousands of hands have touched the new, full-size Ark replica. Building it took devoted artisans who believe real people originally made it happen.
After eight years of planning and almost two years of construction, the Ark Encounter will open its doors.
Today’s species are the link between the past and the present. The genetics of the species around us today contain the echo of the Ark.
After the animals Noah took on board the Ark survived the Flood and stepped off the ship around 4,500 years ago, where did they go? What was their fate?
Male and female animals were on board Noah’s Ark to reproduce after the Flood. This has profound ramifications for identifying what the kinds looked like.
The more we learn about the origin of species, the more we know about Noah’s Ark. The Flood reverberates to the present day in the form of genetics.
Misunderstandings are on full display when it comes to the biblical account of the Flood. Are you guilty of any of these ten common misconceptions?
Hundreds of thousands of people will soon flock to Williamstown, Kentucky, to visit the Ark Encounter, opening July 7, 2016.
As we prepare to open the Ark Encounter on July 7, many people have wondered if we will have dinosaurs at the attraction in Northern Kentucky.
The Bible gives us essential details on many things, like the size and proportions of Noah’s Ark, but does not necessarily specify the shape of this vessel.
The Bible explains that people were extremely corrupt and violent prior to the Flood.
I often think of how stunned Noah must have been when he first saw the awesome devastation and the breathtaking beauty of the transformed world.
At the Ark Encounter, we have been considering the family’s downtime while on the Ark, for we plan to depict each of the family members in various settings.
What are the first animals that come to mind when you think of Noah’s Ark?
Since people in Noah’s day had such long lifespans, think of the amount of knowledge and skills they could acquire.
We do not reject any evidence that is found, whether it is an ancient tool or fossilized bones. What we often reject are the interpretations of this data.
Have you ever thought about how much water Noah and his family would have needed onboard and how they would obtain it?
Noah’s Ark is an amazing object God designed to save Noah and his family from the Flood, but today we have an infinitely greater Ark—the Lord Jesus Christ!
Answers in Genesis is an apologetics ministry, dedicated to helping Christians defend their faith and proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ.