Genesis 6:14

Genesis 6:14, in plain English

God commands Noah to build an ark made of gopher wood, with rooms inside, and to coat it with pitch to seal it completely.

Why it's here

Now the instructions begin. Noah isn't told why he needs the ark until the next verse—first, he's given specific dimensions and materials. Gopher wood was durable and suited for shipbuilding. The pitch would waterproof it. These are practical details that signal this is a real project with real specifications, not a metaphor. Noah has to actually do this work.

Who's speaking

God, giving Noah specific instructions

Where it sits in the story

This is the beginning of Noah's obedience. He's being asked to do something that makes no sense to anyone watching—build a massive boat when there's no sign of rain. This is faith in action, and it foreshadows what faith will look like for God's people throughout history.

The scholarly reading

God commands Noah to construct an ark of gopher wood, partitioned into rooms, and waterproofed inside and out with pitch.

Language and setting

The term תֵּבָה (tevah, 'ark') derives from Egyptian tbt, suggesting contact with Egyptian sources—significant given the Nile's role in Egyptian theology and possibly influencing the Flood narrative's formation. 'Gopher wood' (עֲצֵי־גֹפֶר, atsē-gopher) remains botanically uncertain; Greek and Aramaic versions read 'squared timber.' The interior partition (קִנִּים, qinnim, 'nests' or 'rooms') provides structural support and organizational capacity. The waterproofing material כֹּפֶר (kopher, 'pitch') derives from the same root as כִּפֶּר (kipper, 'atonement')—a phonetic association medieval exegetes exploited symbolically, reading the ark's sealing as atonement prefigurement. Rashi noted the practical engineering necessity: internal chambers distribute weight and maintain buoyancy.

Voice

God (Elohim), issuing specific architectural instructions to Noah

Significance

The Flood narrative shifts from judgment announcement to salvation mechanism: the ark becomes both instrument of preservation and symbol of God's grace providing escape from universal destruction.

12And God looked upon the earth and saw that it was corrupt; for all living creatures on the earth had corrupted their ways.

13Then God said to Noah, “The end of all living creatures has come before Me, because through them the earth is full of violence. Now behold, I will destroy both them and the earth.

14Make for yourself an ark of gopher wood; make rooms in the ark and coat it with pitch inside and out.

15And this is how you are to build it: The ark is to be 300 cubits long, 50 cubits wide, and 30 cubits high.

16You are to make a roof for the ark, finish its walls a cubit from the top, place a door in the side of the ark, and build lower, middle, and upper decks.

Read all of Genesis 6 — Violence fills the earth. God grieves over what humanity has become — and one man finds grace.