Noah’s Ark

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.

What Did Noah’s Ark Look Like?

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.

How Many People Built the Ark?

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.

How Many Animals Were On Noah’s 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.

Could Noah’s Family Care for All the Animals?

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.

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