The Ark – Genesis 6:9-22

CatholicExchange.com notes: If there was a worldwide flood, wouldn’t there be similar accounts among early tribes and indigenous peoples? Upon digging a little deeper, what we find is that virtually every ancient civilization, from every living continent, has a great flood story inculcated within their ancient mythology. In fact, when early missionaries spread out to all nations to preach the Gospel, they were shocked to discover these societies to have their own accounts of a great flood. These were cross-continental, isolated groups; having never fraternized with each other to transmit stories or tales.

[9] These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God. [10] And Noah had three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

[11] Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight, and the earth was filled with violence. [12] And God saw the earth, and behold, it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth. [13] And God said to Noah, “I have determined to make an end of all flesh, for the earth is filled with violence through them. Behold, I will destroy them with the earth. [14] Make yourself an ark of gopher wood. Make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and out with pitch. [15] This is how you are to make it: the length of the ark 300 cubits, its breadth 50 cubits, and its height 30 cubits. [16] Make a roof for the ark, and finish it to a cubit above, and set the door of the ark in its side. Make it with lower, second, and third decks. [17] For behold, I will bring a flood of waters upon the earth to destroy all flesh in which is the breath of life under heaven. Everything that is on the earth shall die. [18] But I will establish my covenant with you, and you shall come into the ark, you, your sons, your wife, and your sons’ wives with you. [19] And of every living thing of all flesh, you shall bring two of every sort into the ark to keep them alive with you. They shall be male and female. [20] Of the birds according to their kinds, and of the animals according to their kinds, of every creeping thing of the ground, according to its kind, two of every sort shall come in to you to keep them alive. [21] Also take with you every sort of food that is eaten, and store it up. It shall serve as food for you and for them.” [22] Noah did this; he did all that God commanded him. (Genesis 6:9–22, ESV)

This is one of the toledoth, generations, markers in Genesis, this one detailing the generations of Noah, who has already been mentioned.  Here, his three sons are also mentioned, and we will see their generations as well.  But the first focus is Noah’s role in the coming destruction God has declared against humanity for its violence and corruption.  Noah is to build an ark for rescuing his family and all land animals.

The dimensions of the ark are given to Noah by God with a general blueprint.  The ESV Study Bible notes:  In modern measurements, the ark would have been around 450 feet (140 m) long, 75 feet (23 m) wide, and 45 feet (14 m) high, displacing about 43,000 tons (about 39 million kg). The inside capacity would have been 1.4 million cubic feet (39,644 cubic m), with an approximate total deck area of 95,700 square feet (8,891 square m).  The apologetic ministry, Answers in Genesis, has built a duplicate according to these measurements and a Genesis theme park called the Ark Encounter.  You can see just how large this ark was.  None of the other flood stories of other cultures give these measurements for the ark.

Noah is further instructed to bring male and female of “every sort” of land animal into the ark.  Rather, God tells him that every sort “shall come in to you to keep them alive.”  This suggests that God Himself moves the creatures to come to the ark and go in.  “Every sort of food” must also be gathered for Noah’s family and for the animals. 

In all of this, Noah is obedient.  We’re not told just how those around Noah reacted to his telling of God’s message or his building the ark, but we may suppose that this corrupt and violent generation would not have graciously accepted it.  The movie Evan Almighty depicts the reaction to modern day Evan’s building of an ark and does a great job of suggesting just how people would have reacted, and therefore how hard it might have been for Noah to do this work.