Genesis 6:9-16: Instructions for Building the Ark

Read: Genesis 6:9-16

The difference between survival and destruction often comes down to one thing: listening to God. Noah listened when God spoke, and his obedience led to salvation, foreshadowing a greater rescue yet to come. Genesis 6:9 marks a new section in the text, similar to the other “headings” found in 5:1, 2:4, and 1:1, detailing the flood account in the book of Genesis. The end of Chapter 5 introduced Noah and showed God’s concern for the growing evil in the world, while Genesis 6 zooms in on that, and details where God reveals to Noah his concerns for the rising evil in the world (v13) and then gives instructions how to build the ark.

The ark is unique among boats from the Ancient Near East. Early vessels were designed for the relatively calm and shallow waters of marshes or riverbanks rather than the open sea for fishing and hunting and were no more than 10 feet. In Mesopotamia, the Sumerians, and later the Akkadians, Babylonians, and Assyrians, developed maritime technology around the Persian Gulf and the Tigris-Euphrates river system. They constructed both riverine and sea-going vessels, enabling trade with the civilizations of the Indus Valley, Oman, and possibly further. These boats varied in size and design, from small rafts and barges for river transport to larger ships capable of venturing into the Persian Gulf. As technology progressed, ships were around 170 feet around 2500 B.C. The Ugaritic civilization (spanning from 1600 to 1200 B.C.) and the Phoenicians (around 1000 to 500 B.C.) were renowned for their maritime prowess and extensive trading networks.

But the ark described in Genesis would have dwarfed anything in the Ancient Near East. The ark is described with specific dimensions, being 300 cubits long, 50 cubits wide, and 30 cubits high (450×75×45 ft). This gave it a rectangular shape, more like a large sea-going vessel. The Genesis account mentions three decks ("lower, second, and third stories," Genesis 6:16) and specifies the use of "gopher wood" to construct the ark, with pitch for waterproofing inside and out. What this is referring to is unknown. It might have been cedar, which was a prized wood for ship making. Compared to the boat built in the Epic of Gilgamesh, Noah’s ark would be seen as smaller. The boat there was cube shaped at 180 feet on each side. That boat had six decks divided into seven and nine compartments, making it multi-storied and compartmentalized, likely to accommodate various species of animals, as well as supplies. That ark was constructed of reeds, wood, and bitumen (used for waterproofing). These were abundant natural resources in the Mesopotamian region.

In the Epic of Gilgamesh, the instructions for building the ark come from the god Ea (also known as Enki in Sumerian mythology), who secretly warns Utnapishtim about the gods' plan to send a great flood to destroy humanity. Ea in the Epic of Gilgamesh was in a way conspiring against the gods who wanted to wipe out humans without warning. In the Genesis account, God finds favor with a man, Noah, and that man preached his message even though the people of his day would not listen. The Genesis story presents a more monolithic divine will, accentuating God's sovereignty and the importance of obedience and faithfulness. The latter half of the chapter gets into the covenantal aspects the relationship between God and Noah, but the last verse (v. 22) concludes with a commentary saying, “Thus Noah did; according to all that God had commanded him, so he did.” The emphasis here is on obedience to God, and Noah was one who was willing to do this even though the world around would have nothing to with him.

In a world increasingly hostile to God’s truth, Noah stands as a model of faithfulness in the face of rejection. He obeyed God’s commands despite the ridicule and disbelief of his generation. Likewise, Christians are called to remain steadfast in their faith, even when society dismisses or opposes biblical teachings. The ark, which provided salvation from the flood, serves as a foreshadowing of Christ, who is the ultimate refuge from judgment.

Lord, help me to obey your commands even when the world rejects your truth.

Strengthen my faith to remain steadfast in you.