Noah’s Ark: the story, its size, the animals and its meaning

What is the story of Noah’s Ark?

Genesis says the earth was full of violence, but Noah “found grace in the eyes of the Lord” (Genesis 6:8). God tells him to build an ark to save his family and the animals from a great flood. It rains forty days and forty nights, the waters cover the earth for a hundred and fifty days and, when they go down, the ark rests on the mountains of Ararat (Genesis 8:4). Noah sends out a raven and then a dove, which returns with an olive leaf.

How big was Noah’s Ark?

The text gives the measurements in cubits, a unit of about 18 inches:

And this is the fashion which thou shalt make it of: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, the breadth of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits.

That is roughly 450 feet long, 75 feet wide and 45 feet high, with three decks, a side door and an opening near the top. The 6-to-1 ratio of length to width is similar to that of cargo ships. The wood is called “gopher”, a word found only here whose exact meaning is uncertain.

How many animals were on the ark?

Genesis 6:19 speaks of one pair of every kind. Genesis 7:2 adds seven pairs of every “clean” animal, which would be used for sacrifice after the flood (Genesis 8:20). Many scholars see this difference as a sign that two ancient traditions were woven into one story.

Where did Noah’s Ark land?

The Bible says “upon the mountains of Ararat”, in the plural. Ararat was the Hebrew name for the kingdom of Urartu, a mountainous region spanning today’s Turkey, Armenia and Iran. Tradition linked the site to Mount Ararat, Turkey’s highest peak. Several expeditions have searched for remains of the ark, but no find has been scientifically confirmed.

What does the rainbow after the flood mean?

It is the sign of God’s covenant with Noah, his descendants and every living creature:

I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth.

In Hebrew, the word for rainbow (qeshet) is the same as the word for a war bow. Many read the image as a bow hung up in the clouds: God “puts away the weapon” and promises never again to destroy the earth by a flood.

Are there other similar flood stories?

Yes. In Mesopotamia, the Epic of Gilgamesh (Tablet XI) tells of Utnapishtim, warned by a god to build a boat before a flood, who also sends out birds to see whether the land is dry. When the Assyriologist George Smith announced this discovery in 1872, it caused a sensation. Scholars debate how the texts are related; the biblical account stands out for presenting one God who acts out of justice and ends with a covenant.

How the traditions read the story of Noah

• Jewish tradition: the covenant with Noah is the basis of the “seven Noahide laws”, held to apply to all humanity.
• Catholics and Orthodox: the first letter of Peter (3:20–21) compares salvation through water to baptism, and the Church Fathers saw the ark as an image of the Church.
• Protestants: highlight Noah’s faith (Hebrews 11:7) and Jesus’ warning about “the days of Noah” (Matthew 24:37–39).

Read next

• The Tower of Babel: the story, its meaning and what we know about it
• The Book of Enoch: what it is, what it says and why it is not in the Bible