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Topic: Looking for info on Nooah's Ark
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BORN AGAIN
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[And God says to Noah], "Make yourself an ark of gopher wood; you shall make rooms in the ark, and shall pitch it within and without". (Gen.6:14)
The word ark is in Hebrew "tebath", which means "vessel". This word only occurs here and in Exo.2:3, where it is used for the little papyrus ark in which the baby Moses was floated on the Nile.
Some scholars think "tebath" was an Egyptian word, where the word for boat is "tept", and a trace of tebath may perhaps also be found in Thebes, the capital of Upper Egypt, where the boat-like temple of Osiris is located.
But other scholars say that even if the word tebath did exist in Old Egyptian, the word almost certainly had come into Egyptian from the still-older language of Shem.
By contrast, the word ark in the phrase, "ark of the covenant", is in Hebrew "aron", which means chest or box. Noah was thus instructed to build a mode of salvation in which he himself had to cooperate.
The English word "gopher" in the phrase, gopher wood, is a direct transliteration of the same word in Hebrew, gopher, which occurs only here in the O.T. The meaning of gopher wood has been debated, but most scholars think it was the cypress.
The Greek word for cypress is "koparissos", and when the suffix -issos is dropped from the word, the remaining root is kopar, which uses the same root conso-nants, k-p-r, as the g-p-r of the Hebrew gopher.
Cypress wood is moreover very resinous and not liable to rot and is very resistant to worms. It was anciently used for ship building, and was abundant in Assyria, a location which was relatively near the place where Noah probably built the ark, if Noah built the ark somewhere on the Babylonian (S. Iraq) flood plain.
But other scholars think that gopher wood was juniper pine, from the Latin juniperus, which also uses the same root consonants, j-p-r. The juniper pine's wood is firm and durable, yet light and easy to work.
However, the Greek Septuagint LXX tranlation of the Hebrew Old Testament written in about 250 B.C. translated the phrase "of gopher wood", with the words, ek xolon tetragonon (?), meaning, "of square timber", and Jerome's Latin Vulgate of c.400 A.D. translated it, "de lignis laevigatis", meaning, of planed timber.
These ancient translators thus apparently were not sure what kind of wood was intended by gopher. The Syriac and Arabic versions trifle with the phrase, rendering it "of wicker work", as if the ark had been one great basket.
The word "rooms" is in Hebrew "ken", which is a contraction of the word "kanan", which means to erect, to nestle, in the meaning of to build a nest. The word ken thus should be translated nests or small compartments or cells, in which the animals were placed.
The planks of the ark were coated with pitch, which in Hebrew is kopher. In the Greek LXX, the word is asphaltos, from which English gets asphalt, and in the Latin Vulgate the word is bitumen, from which English also gets the word bitumen.
English also uses the word "slime". The Hebrews had 3 words for asphalt: (1) zepheth, for asphalt in its soft, liquid state; (2) chemar, for asphalt in its solid state and of a reddish color; this is translated slime in the KJV; and (3) kopher, for asphalt used to cover wood, which is translated pitch in the KJV (Gen.6:14).
A major asphalt spring was anciently located--and still is--at Is (modern Hit in Iraq) on the Euphrates River, 125 miles NW of Babylon and 95 miles W of modern Baghdad. At Is, asphalt bubbled up in liquid state from subterranean springs, which hardened when exposed to the air.
The regular flooding of the Euphrates River also flooded the asphalt springs, from which the asphalt floated down the river. This asphalt was then collected and heated, and was used as mortar in Babylonian buildings, as Gen.11:3 says of the building of Babel, "They had brick for stone, and slime (chemar) had they for mortar".
Asphalt was also used to waterseal boats, as in Exo.2:3, baby Moses' ark was "daubed with slime (chemar, the solid asphalt) and with pitch (zepheth, the liquid asphalt)".
Asphalt was also used as fuel instead of scarce wood. In later times, the Jews and Arabians gathered a semi-liquid slime from the S end of the Dead Sea, which was prized for its purple hue. For this reason, the archaic name of the Dead Sea was Asphalt Lake.
Noah was thus instructed to pitch or kopher the ark. The word kopher also means redemption price or ransom in Hebrew. For instance, in Exo.30:12, the LORD told Israel to "pay a ransom (kopher) for their souls", where the word ransom (kopher) had the meaning of covering.
The Hebrew word for the mercy-seat which sat atop the ark of the covenant was kapporeth (covering), the root of which was also kopher. The Greek word for mercy-seat was hilasterion or covering.
So in Rom.3:25, Paul said that the Messiah Yeshua was, "set forth to be a propitiation" (hilasterion or mercy-seat or covering), and 1Jn.2:2 says, "[The Messiah] is the propitiation (hilasmos or cover) for our sins".
Next verse:
[And God says to Noah], "And this is how you shall make the ark: the length of the ark shall be 300 cubits, the width shall be 50 cubits, and the height shall be 30 cubits". (Gen.6:15)
The Hebrew word for cubit is ammah. Dt.3:11 mentions this ammah as being the cubit of a man. The derivation of the word ammah is probably Egyptian. A root of the word ammah is em, which means mother, so that ammah literally means, "mother of the arm"; that is, the bone of the forearm.
It is uncertain whether this ammah was measured from the elbow to the wrist, from the elbow to the knuckles, or from the elbow to the tip of the middle finger, or possibly all 3 of these for 3 different types of cubits.
It is probable however that eventually a standard ammah evolved for at least 2, and possibly 3, types of cubits.
So Dt.3:11 mentions the "ammah of a man"; Ez.41:8 mentions "a great ammah", which is apparently defined in Ez.40:5 as "an ammah and a handbreadth".
And 2Chr.3:3 mentions an ammah "after the first measure", that is, after the older measure; it is uncertain whether this latter cubit refers to one of the former cubits, or to a third cubit.
The different cubits have been variously estimated to measure from 17.49 inches to 21.88 inches, and the shorter cubit being called the common cubit, while the longest was called the royal cubit.
The Siloam Inscription found in Jerusalem on the wall of King Hezekiah's water tunnel gives 1,200 cubits as the tunnel's length. Its modern known length is 1,749 ft., which makes that cubit 17.49 inches. Also, excavated buildings in Israel can be figured in whole numbers of this 17.49-inch measure.
On the other hand, Mr. Greaves, who travelled in Greece and Palestine and Egypt to ascertain the weights, monies, and measures of antiquity, measured the pyramids in Egypt, and by comparing those measurements with the accounts of the pyramids' size given by Herodotus, Strabo, and others, he found that cubit to be 21.88 inches.
Thus, the ark's height of 300 cubits, the width of 50 cubits, and the height of 30 cubits, is measured by the cubit of 17.49", then the length of the ark in round numbers was 437 ft., the width was 73 ft., and the height was 44 ft.
And when the ark's height of 300 cubits, the width of 50 cubits, and the height of 30 cubits is measured by the cubit of 21.88", then the length of the ark in round numbers was 547 ft., the width was 91 ft., and the height was 55 ft.
Modern scholars have noted that the ratio of the ark's dimensions matches the ratio of huge modern vessels which began to be built in the 19th cent. A.D.
This fact is especially remarkable considering that Noah could never have seen such a large ship in his lifetime before he made the ark. Modern shipbuilders indeed found that large ships needed about the same length (L) to width (W) to height (H) ratio as the ark had.
When the ark is compared for instance to the British ship Great Eastern, which measured 691(L) x 83(W) x 58(H) ft., and thus had a ratio of 11.9(L) x 1.4(W) x 1(H), the ark's measurements of 437(L) x 73(W) x 44(H) had a comparable ratio of 9.9(L) x 1.6(W) x 1(H).
(The difference between the 2 ratios resulted from the fact that the Great Eastern needed to be built sleeker than the ark because the Great Eastern was built for speed, while the ark was not.)
Next verse:
[God also says to Noah], "A window shall you make in the ark, and in a cubit shall you finish it above". (Gen.6:16)
This verse has stirred much debate. The word window is in Hebrew tsohar and means splendid, bright, or light of heaven, and in particular the noon light of sun, which stood most directly overhead in the sky.
The Hebrew word tsohar also has the meaning of exact division; that is, it was tsohar when the day was divided into equal balances, or noon, when thesun stood straight above.
So for instance, in Gen.43:16, Joseph said to the steward of his house in Egypt, "Bring these men [his brothers] home and slay and make ready; for these men will dine with me at noon (tsohar)".
The noon sun was also known to the ancient as the meridian sun, so that the tsohar of the ark was above, in the roof of the ark, and probably ran, like a long meridian, lengthwise along the entire roof of the ark.
The tsohar was not a window in the modern sense, covered with a transparent material such as glass, because it is doubtful that such transparent material had been invented by Noah's time.
Indeed, until recently, most regular win-dows in the E consisted of mere openings which were cover-ed by a lattice work of wooden slats which networked over each other, with holes showing between the slats.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, scholars have differed about the location of the tsohar, and particularly about the meaning of the phrase, in a cubit shall you finish [the tsohar] above.
Among those scholars who imagined that the ark had a flat roof, some scholars made the tsohar a 1-cubit-wide inlet which ran along the entire central length of the ark. Other scholars not only made it a roof-long tsohar, but thought that similar tsohars had to be directly below that in the floors of the 3rd and 2nd stories also, in order to provide sufficient light and air onto the 2nd and 1st stories also.
Still other scholars similarly placed the tsohar on the roof, but raised the tsohar 1 cubit above the flat roof. And yet other scholars thought that the tsohar was only a 1-cubit square opening in the roof somewhere.
It would seem, however, that all the foregoing inlets would have needed some kind of protective covering to keep the heavy rain out of the ark, while allowing the air and the light to come into the ark.
Among those scholars who imagined the ark to have a triangular, inclined A-frame roof, with eaves and a top ridge, some scholars made the tsohar a 1-cubit inlet under the eaves of the inclined roof, which ran just under the eaves on both long sides of the ark, where the tsohar was pro-tected from the heavy rain by the eaves.
Yet other scholars made the tsohar to run along the length of the roof, but under the A-frame roof itself, so that the tsohar let in air and light, but no rain.
And still other scholars imagined that the inclined roof was made from the eaves upward, to 1 cubit below the top ridge, the remainder of which was left open to the noon light, or to the tsohar.
Scholars had difficulty in determining the meaning of the adverb above in the phrase, "in a cubit shall you finish it above". Prof. Tayler Lewis however points out that the Hebrew makes expanded adverbs out of root adverbs by add-ing one letter to the letters of the root adverb.
For instance, the word upon has 2 letters in Hebrew; next, the word above has 3 letters in Hebrew, consisting of the 2 letters of the word upon, plus 1 more letter; the word upward has 4 letters in Hebrew, consisting of the 3 let-ters of the word above, plus 1 more letter; the word to above has 5 letters in Hebrew, consisting of the 4 letters of the word above, plus 1 more letter; and the word from above to above has 6 letters in Hebrew, consisting of the 5 letters of the word to above, plus 1 more letter.
The word above in the phrase, "in a cubit shall you finish [the tsohar] above", uses the 6-letter adverb, meaning, from above to above. This same 6-letter adverb was also used in Gen.7:20 (where the KJV translated it upward), and says, "Fifteen cubits upward did the [flood] waters prevail"; that is, the flood waters prevailed from higher to higher.
It would thus seem that the tsohar of the ark was also from higher to higher, meaning that the tsohar was in an inclined roof, which was completed from the eaves upward unto 1 cubit from the top ridge, with the remainder left open to the noon light, or to the tsohar.
This would place the tsohar, or the light of heaven appropriately in the center of the roof, like the high noon sun, and running lengthwise along the roof, like a meridian sun.
Some of the foregoing suggested locations of the tsohar would seem to leave the ark too dark and too unaired with all those animals on board a 437-foot-long, 73-foot-wide, and 44-foot-high, 3-story ark, especially on the 1st and 2nd stories.
Without sufficient light and air, the animals and the men would have become sick after their total stay of 1 year and 1 month and 10 days (Gen.7:11; 8:14-16) in a poorly lit and poorly ventilated ark.
However, in Gen.8:6-8, another window is mentioned in the phrase, "It came to pass at the end of 40 days [after the ark had landed on the mountains of Ararat], that Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made, and he sent forth a raven ... He also sent forth a dove from him, to see if the waters were abated from off the face of the ground".
Surprisingly, this word window is not the word tsohar, but is the word challon, which is the ordinary word for window, and meant literally perforated; that is, it was normally a latticed opening from which the lattice could be removed.
So for instance, Rahab of Jericho let the 2 Israelite spies "down by a cord through the window (challon); for her house was on the town wall" (Josh. 2:15). Or 1Ki.6:4 says of King Solomon, "And for the house [of the LORD] he made windows (challon) of narrow lights".
The location of this challon is not identified, but it is evident that a challon existed in the ark in addition to, and presumably unrelated to, the tsohar. This challon must have been a separate window, probably somewhere in the side of the ark, with an awning to keep out the rain.
It may in fact be that there were many challon in the sides of the ark, which let in plenty of air. And yet, it is evident that also from this challon at least, Noah couldn't see the ground, because in Gen.8:6-8 Noah used a dove to see whether the nearby ground was dry or not.
(The raven wasn't used to see whether the ground was dry or not, as will be discused under Gen.8:7.) Thus, the fact that there was also a challon doesn't really help to determine the location of the tsohar.
In summary, the tsohar was most likely a 1-cubit, roof-long slit which the top ridge of the inclined roof and which was coverable. This tsohar may even have been used as an astronomical meridian, by which the men in the ark could tell the time of day and of night and the general direction into which the ark was floating.
This will not seem farfetched when it is realized that men in those days were much more familiar with the aspect of the heavens to keep track of their year and their seasons than modern men are who have mechanical watches.
Next verse:
[God also says to Noah], "And the door of the ark shall you set in the side thereof. And with a lower, second, and third story shall you build [the ark]". (Gen.6:16)
Some scholars think that, since the ark had 3 stories, the ark may have had 3 doors or open entrances, one on each story. If the 44-ft. height of the ark (v.15) was divided into 3 equal stories, then the entrance for the 2nd story would have begun at least 14.7 ft. from the ground, and the entrance for the 3rd story would have begun at least 29.4 ft. from the ground.
Noah built this huge ark on land, as Gen.7:17 says, "The waters increased and bore up the ark, and it was lifted up above the ground", so that if the ark had 3 entrances, Noah must also have built 3 fairly steep ramps by which the animals were led up to their stories.
These ramps were probably long earthen ramps instead of wooden ramps.
If there was only 1 door or open entrance in the ark, then there must have been internal ramps or internal staircases by which the animals and the food could have been brought to their respective stories.
However, the largest and the heaviest animals were no doubt on the 1st story to prevent the ark from becoming too top heavy, which would make the ark liable to capsizing, while the smaller animals and the stored food were on the 2nd and 3rd stories.
It is more likely that internal ramps led up to the 2nd and 3rd sto-ries instead of internal staircases, because ramps would have been easier for the men and animals to negotiate than stairs, especially if the men carried small animals and food in their hands.
If there was only 1 door or open entrance in the ark, Gen.7:16 then says that when it was time to go into the ark, "[The animals] ... went in ... as God had commanded [Noah]; and the LORD shut him in".
This phrase, the LORD shut him in, presumably means that the LORD took a wooden covering and fit it into the entrance.
Then the LORD presumably sealed the entrance with pitch because Noah built the huge ark on land, as Gen.7:17 says, "The waters increased and bore up the ark, and it was lifted up above the ground", so that, if the only entrance was in the 1st story, this entrance would likely end up below the water line, once the ark laid fully loaded in the water.
If the ark had only 1 door and 1 light (tsohar), it is also interesting to note that the Messiah Yeshua, who is our modern-day Ark, said that He was the door (Jn.10:7,9) and the light (Jn.9:5).
The ark of Noah was thus a type of our Ark Yeshua, which is why Noah had to make it according to the prescribed specifications.
THE END
God bless, BORN AGAIN in the USA by the ![[Cross]](graemlins/cross.gif) of the Lord God Jeshua-Jesus of Nazareth, but born in Bethlehem of Judah, as Micah 5:2 said.
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dondi
Advanced Member
Member # 4966
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I want to have my sunday school kids build a replica of Noah's Ark. Any suggestions?
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Behold, I stand at the door and knock: if any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and sup with him, and him with Me. Rev. 3:20
Posts: 33 | From: Ceres,Ca | Registered: Aug 2005
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