Noah’s Ark

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AStudying God’s Word

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Studying God’s Word

Introduction

In last week’s lesson, we talked about the global nature of the Genesis flood. We mentioned several lines of reasoning that all confirm that the flood did cover the entire globe. Flooding the whole earth is not an impossible task for a God who is omnipotent.

• • Write on the board, “What do pictures of Noah’s ark typically look like?”
  What is the most important piece of information we have when it comes to understanding the flood? The Bible.
• What about the text of Genesis 6–9 suggests the flood was global? A global flood seems obvious from the inclusive language that is used to describe what was covered by the waters and what died.
• How does the rainbow covenant confirm that the flood was global? If the flood was only local, then God has broken his promise to never again send a flood like the Genesis flood. There have been many local floods since then.
• How do the legends of floods from various cultures around the globe confirm what the Bible teaches about the flood of Noah’s day? The fact that many cultures have legends of a global flood with many of the biblical elements (e.g., a man and his family, building a boat, animals saved, etc.) is consistent with those people carrying the biblical account with them as they were dispersed from Babel.
  • Don’t forget! Review the Optional Supplements and determine where you can use them.
  In today’s lesson, we are going to take a closer look at the size of the ark and related issues. Many claim that the ark was too small to hold all of the species of animals on the planet, that dinosaurs and elephants would never fit, and that there has not been enough time for different species to develop after the flood. We are going to examine Scripture and some historical and scientific sources to help us arrive at a biblical understanding of these ideas. When we examine these issues through biblical glasses, we can make sense of them.

The Size of the Ark

The first issue we are going to look at today is the ark’s size. There are many misconceptions about the ark, and we want to look at the text to make sure our thinking lines up with God’s Word.

• When you see depictions of the ark, how is it typically portrayed? In most instances, the ark is shown looking like an overloaded bathtub with giraffes sticking out of the top, some pretty parrots on the roof, and a smiling lion standing beside Noah. Occasionally there are depictions of a large ark, but this is certainly less common.
  • Pass out the Ark Facts (PDF) worksheets to the students.
  So, let’s see how these depictions compare to what Scripture says. You can use this Ark Facts (PDF) worksheet to record some of the information we will be discussing today. Pass out the Ark Facts (PDF) worksheets.

Let’s read Genesis 6:13–16 together. Have someone read the passage aloud.

Now that we have read the text, let’s think about the ark’s size and how it was constructed as we ask questions.

• Who provided the “construction plans” for the ark? God.
• Who was to make the ark? Noah.
• What was the ark to be made of? Gopher wood.
• What was to cover the ark, inside and out? Pitch. This can be noted on the worksheet.
• What were the dimensions of the ark? 300 x 50 x 30 cubits.
• Were there to be doors and windows in the ark? Yes, there was to be a window a cubit high and a door in the side of the ark. These can be noted on the worksheet. The ESV has the word “roof” in verse 16, while many translations use the term “window.” The Hebrew is uncertain, but we know from Genesis 8:6 that there was a window.
• What other features of the ark does the text mention? It was to have rooms and to be divided into three decks.

Discover the Truth

Let’s examine some of the phrases in this passage to make sure that we are interpreting the construction of the ark properly.

The Hebrew word for ark is tebah, and it is used in reference to Noah’s ark (Genesis 6–9) and to the small reed basket used to carry the young baby Moses down the Nile (Exodus 2). It is not the same word that is used for the ark of the covenant. There is not a lot of other information about this word in Scripture, so we can only say that this is some kind of a boat. The dimensions vary greatly in the two accounts—I doubt Moses’ ark was 300 cubits long—and give us only a general idea about the shape. Some think this term refers to its purpose more than its shape—a lifeboat, if you will.

• The text gives the proportions of the ark in cubits. Does anyone know what a cubit is? One cubit is the distance from the elbow to the tip of the fingers.
  Slide #7
  So, depending on who makes the measurement, the size of the ark could vary. From ancient records and archaeological information, we know that there were different standards for the cubit at different times and in different regions. The range is from about 18 to 21 inches. Using a shorter cubit, the ark would have been 450 feet long, but the ark was probably built on a cubit that was 20.4 inches; this is called the Royal Cubit. This would have made the ark approximately 510 feet long, 85 feet wide, and 51 feet high. Have the students record these dimensions on the worksheet.
  • Show the video segment “Modeling the Ark.”
  If time allows, or to substitute for this section of teaching, show the video segment “Modeling the Ark.” This is a portion of the video Noah’s Ark: Thinking Outside the Box, which provides more details about the design and construction of the ark.

  The dimensions of the ark given to Noah are in rectangular proportions, but that is the only detail we are given about its shape. Many have suggested that the ark was just a rectangular box. The ark you see depicted on the Ark Facts (PDF) worksheet might look a little different than arks you are used to seeing. Many different groups have tested the strength and seaworthiness of a vessel of these proportions. Tests of models have been performed, attempts to simulate the conditions the ark might have faced during the year-long flood.

  In Genesis 7:18 we read that the ark moved about on the waters, and a globe-covering flood would not be a tranquil event. We also know from Genesis 8:1 that the ark had to handle winds, not to mention the wind that would have been generated from the storms that brought the rains in the early part of the flood. When we think of the ark, we should imagine it floating on a windy sea with significant waves for at least part of the 150 days before it landed on the mountains of Ararat.

  The sail at the front would catch the wind and orient the ark into the wind and waves while the skeg (a fixed rudder) would catch the water and stabilize the rear of the vessel. This design is based on clues from the Genesis text, as well as ancient shipbuilding techniques, and it would give the ark a comfortable ride during its time afloat.

  Many people claim that the ark was much too long to hold together on rough seas, so the Bible can’t be an accurate account. But is that really the case? Ships in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries reached a maximum of 330 feet, but ancient wooden ships were much larger. Using special planking techniques, large vessels were built that withstood the seas. This type of building technique uses mortise and tenon joints and wooden pins to hold the structure together in multiple layers. This is a very labor-intensive technique, but remember that Noah had as many as seventy years to build the ark and could have hired people to help him. The task was large, but not impossible. He wasn’t concerned with building a ship as quickly and cheaply as possible so that he could secure more profit from its use, as would have been the case with the large commercial wooden ships in recent history.

  The ark is similar in shape and proportions to cargo ships we have today. If we think about the volume of the ark, we would compare it to a medium-sized cargo ship today. Or, it would be equivalent to over 500 semi-trailers in volume. You can see one 53-foot semi-trailer for scale on the worksheet.

• The text talks about coating the inside and out with pitch. What is pitch, and why was it used on the ark? This was a substance used as a waterproof coating. It is not entirely clear whether this was a plant-based or a mineral- or petroleum-based substance. The same is said of the ark Moses was placed in (Exodus 2:3).
• Does anyone know what gopher wood is? Nobody knows for sure, but some have suggested it may have been cypress or cedar. Even though we are not sure of the type of wood, we know that God gave Noah specific instructions for the type of wood to use.

  So, I hope that you can see that the ark was a truly massive vessel, not some tiny tugboat that would tumble with the first big wave.

Animals on the Ark

The next issue we will deal with involves the animals that were taken on the ark. This is another point of attack from those who do not believe the Bible’s account. You may have heard objections like “it would have been impossible to take two of every animal species on the planet onto the ark.” So, let’s think biblically about what animals were aboard the ark.

Let’s read Genesis 6:17–22 together. Have someone read the passage aloud.

Now that we have read the text, let’s identify what it says about the animals that were on the ark and the other cargo it carried.

• What was to be destroyed according to verse 17? Anything that lived on land and breathed air would be destroyed.
• What was the purpose of bringing the animals on the ark, according to verses 19–20? To keep them alive. This is repeated in 7:2–3.
• What three groups of animals are mentioned in verse 20? Birds, animals, and creeping things.
• What phrase is repeated in verse 20? According to its kind.
• How many of each kind were to come into the ark? Two of each kind, a male and a female.
• Did Noah have to go and get the animals? No, the text says they would come to him. God brought the animals to Noah.
• What does the text say about food for the voyage? Noah was to gather all types of food for his family and the animals to keep them alive.
• How did Noah respond to God’s directions? Noah did everything he was commanded to do.

Discover the Truth

In a past lesson, we described what perished in the flood. We used the phrase “land-dwelling, air-breathing animals” to describe what died. This applies to birds, animals, and creeping things.

• Slide #11
  In Hebrew, the word translated here as “birds” is owph and actually refers to anything that flies—winged creatures. What types of creatures would be included in the category “birds”? All flying creatures: bats, eagles, ravens, doves, pterosaurs, and any other creature that flies. Leviticus 11:13–19 puts bats in with other “birds.” These would have been the kinds of creatures created on day five.

• Slide #12

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  Look at Genesis 7:2–4. What additional information do we get about the pairs of animals? Seven paris of clean animals and seven pairs of birds were to board.
• What types of creatures would be included in the “animals” and “creeping things” that were taken on the ark? All of the creatures that were created on day six of creation week would be included here. From lizards to deer to horses to elephants to dinosaurs—anything that walked on the land is included. Genesis 7:14 restates this grouping as beasts, livestock, and creeping things—reminiscent of the description of the created animals in Genesis 1.

  Thinking back to our lessons on the creation week, we talked about animals being created “according to their kind.” That same idea is in view here. Many skeptics doubt the biblical account, suggesting there is no way Noah could have gathered representatives of every species of animals on the planet. Statements like these show the ignorance of those who make such claims.

  First, Noah didn’t have to collect the animals; God brought them to him. Second, the Bible does not speak of our modern concept of species, but kinds of animals. This is probably close to what scientists call families in today’s classification system. Third, only birds and land animals were represented. Noah didn’t have dolphins, fish, or walruses on the ark. When we look carefully at the text, we can show that many of the claims of the skeptics are based on ignorance, not fact.

  • Show the video segment “Rapid Speciation.”
  These animals were to repopulate the earth after the flood, but lions, tigers, leopards, cheetahs, and bobcats were not all on the ark. All of these modern animals would have been represented by two members of the cat kind. This video segment will explain that idea.

  Show the video segment “Rapid Speciation” to the class. This will explain how a representative pair of each kind populated the earth after the flood.

  A pair of each kind of bird, each kind of land animal, and each kind of creeping thing would have been aboard the ark. In chapter 7, we are given more detail about the number of clean animals that were to be taken. Whether this refers to seven individuals or seven pairs is unclear, but in Genesis 7:15 we read that they entered the ark “two by two.” This would seem to suggest that seven pairs of the clean animals and birds went on board.

• Why did Noah need more representatives than one pair (whether 7 or 14) of the clean animals? If the students need a hint, have them read Genesis 8:20. Noah sacrificed many of the clean animals to the Lord, so they would have gone extinct if there had been only one pair. Also, God allowed meat for food after the flood, so these clean animals and birds could have been used for food by Noah and his family (Genesis 9:3).

  Another major objection from skeptics of the flood account involves dinosaurs on the ark. Some of the objections are based on the size of the dinosaurs, the diet of the meat-eaters, and the “fact” that dinosaurs never lived alongside man, but millions of years earlier. All of these objections are based on ignorance of the Bible’s teaching.

  Remember that we are talking about a period only 1,656 years after creation. Dinosaurs were created with the other land animals on day six. The text does not suggest that they weren’t included in the animals that were brought to the ark.

  As to the size, even the largest dinosaurs came from eggs not much larger than a football (as we see from the fossil record). Taking smaller, juvenile animals on the ark would require less space and would allow these animals to be in their prime to start repopulating after the flood as God intended them to do. The same would go for the elephant kind, giraffes, and other large creatures. Additionally, many dinosaurs were actually very small—the size of a large dog, or smaller. A recent study of known fossils shows that the average size of larger dinosaurs was about the size of a modern bison (American buffalo).

  Slide #14
  Even though today we have identified over 700 different dinosaurs from the fossil record, these probably all belong to about fifty created kinds. For example, the ceratopsians show great variety in their ornate head frills. Show the Ceratopsian Kind (PDF) image. You are probably familiar with Triceratops, but there are many other members of this kind. Noah had to have only one pair of this group on the ark, not two of each species.

  In general, most animals are smaller than a sheep, so there was plenty of room to accommodate the animals that needed to fit on the ark. Creationist estimates for the maximum number of animals that would have been required to come on board the ark have ranged from a few thousand to 35,000, but there may have been only a few thousand if the biblical kind is approximately the same as the modern family classification. Scientists are working to understand what the ark kinds would have been. The number of animals that would have needed to have been on the ark is in the thousands, not millions, as many would claim.

  Moving on to the next topic—Noah was also commanded to take food for the people and animals aboard the ark.

• What would have constituted food for Noah and the animals? Noah and the animals would still have been eating a vegetarian diet, as commanded in Genesis 1:29–30, so the definition of “food” would have included plant-based foods like fruits, vegetables, nuts, and grains.

  Use the Ark Facts Answer Key (PDF) to help students complete the Ark Facts (PDF) worksheet.

  After the flood, we know that Noah planted a vineyard. He likely used seeds or plants that he had brought on the ark to begin farming after the flood. Having dried grains and fruits would have allowed Noah’s family to begin planting and harvesting soon after they disembarked.

  Slide #15
  We have only scratched the surface in our discussion of the cargo that was aboard the ark, but I hope that you can see that there are legitimate answers for those who try to discount this biblical account. There are many more questions like how Noah cared for the animals, how the animals spread out after the flood, how aquatic creatures survived, and many others. We don’t have time to answer all of these, but there are many resources that can help you answer any questions you might have. A great place to start is the Answers in Genesis website. Write www.answersingenesis.org on the board. Or take a trip and visit the Ark Encounter in northern Kentucky.

Application

When we stop to examine the details of the text in light of other information that is available, the account of the ark takes on a whole new perspective. The ark was not a tiny boat crammed full of animals, but a massive vessel designed to preserve representatives of all of the land-animal kinds and mankind. It carried elephants, lizards, bats, doves, sauropod (long-necked) dinosaurs, pterosaurs, cats, dogs, bears, deer, and every other kind of land creature. Despite the claims of skeptics, God provided a rescue plan for a world that had fallen into extreme sin. God was faithful to fulfill his promise of judgment just as he was faithful to Noah to fulfill his promise of salvation. Refer to the Attributes of God Poster.

There was plenty of room on the ark for those who might have responded to Noah’s preaching, but none responded. Only eight were saved from God’s judgment against sin by boarding the boat God had provided for their salvation. We all need to make sure that we have found rescue in Christ just as Noah and his family found it in the ark. As we have opportunity to engage with skeptics, let us not only tell them how big the ark was, but also how big are the mercy and grace of God—who is willing to forgive his enemies and receive them as sons and daughters in Christ.

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  Slide #19
  What misconceptions about the ark did you have that were corrected from this discussion? Discuss the various ideas the students share. They can note these on the worksheet.
• What types of doubts about the size of the ark have you heard from others? How can you respond to those objections in light of what you have learned today? Discuss the various responses.
• How might pictures of an overloaded, miniature ark influence people’s view of the accounts in Scripture? If children grow up being taught “Bible stories” that are reinforced with silly pictures, those images will shape how the truthfulness of the text is perceived. Using cartoons is not bad, but when they depict a false view of a biblical truth, they should be avoided.
• What questions have been raised in your mind by this lesson, and what can you do to better understand these truths? Discuss the various answers with the students and point them to resources that can help. Remind them that they need to study the Bible first and then look to reliable resources to understand related issues and questions.

Group Prayer

Be sure to pray with your class and take requests if time allows.

• Praise God for his faithfulness.
• Ask God to help the students to understand the truths of the ark and how to apply that knowledge to their lives and share it with others.
• Thank God for salvation through Christ and the picture we have of this in the account of the ark.