As a pastor with an extensive background in biblical studies, I have always marveled at the
beauty of the artistry God took part in when he asked Noah to build an ark. I consider God the
best artist since he helped one family build a vessel that could host all the land animals in pairs,
plus supplies to sustain them for over a year. When I was teaching this story to my bible
students, one of them asked, “how big was Noah’s ark?”
In this article, I will discuss the exact details of the size of the ship. Join me as we explore Noah’s
ark and learn more about its capacity and how long it took to be built.
How wide was Noah’s ark according to God’s instructions?
Genesis 6:15 gives us the details of how wide Noah’s ark was according to God’s instructions. “This is how you are to build it: The ark is to be three hundred cubits long, fifty cubits wide, and thirty cubits high.” According to the instructions, the ark was supposed to be 50 cubits wide. It is quite a task to estimate the size of a cubit, especially during the times of Noah. This is because most measurements were dependent on culture. However, scholars have estimated a cubit to be about 18 inches or 45 centimeters. The ark’s width was approximately 900 inches or 2250 centimeters wide.
How tall was Noah’s ark according to God’s instructions?
According to Genesis 6:15, God asked Noah to build an ark that would be 30 cubits tall or 30 cubits going up. Using the estimated cubit size of 18 inches or 45 centimeters, the ark was approximately 540 inches or 1350 centimeters tall.
How long was Noah’s ark, according to God’s instructions?
According to God’s instructions, Noah was supposed to build an ark that would be 300 cubits long. With this massive length, the ark was about 5400 inches or a whopping 13500 centimeters long—making it one giant piece of art designed by God.
What was the capacity of Noah’s ark according to God’s instructions?
Mathematically, God gave Noah the measurements to work with when building the ark, that is, 300 cubits long, 50 cubits wide, and 30 cubits tall. Converting these measurements to feet means that the ark would have measured 450 feet tall, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet wide. This would make the ark’s capacity 1518750 cubic feet according to God’s will.
However, most Christians are less interested in the mathematical capacity of the ark; instead, they would like to know what the ark could be able to host. When God instructed Noah to build the ark, He wanted it to be big enough to hold a couple of things. The ark could host Noah, his family, including his wife, and his three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth, together as wives.
The three-decked vessel could also carry several species of clean and unclean animals. As per God’s instructions, Noah was supposed to bring two pairs of living creatures on board, both male and female. He was instructed to get two of every kind of bird, of every animal, and two of every creature crawling on the ground. The fish and sea creatures survived the floods unscathed.
It should be noted that for the clean animals, Noah was instructed to take seven pairs of them and not two like for the other creatures. Clean animals were those that could be offered for sacrifice at the time.
The ark could also carry enough food for Noah and the family with all the creatures present. This was a lot of food that was supposed to last them for over a year during the floods. The size of food supposedly put in the ark also shows that it could hold tonnes of food.
In summary, according to God’s instructions, Noah’s ark could hold him and his family, thousands of animals, and several tonnes of food, enough to last them over 300 days. The vessel must have been enormous.
According to the Bible, how long did Noah build his ark take?
The Bible does not explicitly state the number of years it took Noah to build the ark. However, some bible verses have been used by scholars to estimate how long it took Noah to build the ark. Noah is first mentioned in the Bible in Genesis 5:32 when he is 500 years old. “After Noah was 500 years old, he became the father of Shem, Ham, and Japheth.” By entering the ark, Noah is said to be 600 years old.
The time it took to build the ark depended on two specific timelines mentioned in the Bible. The first is quoted in Genesis 6:14 when God instructed Noah to build the ark, and the second is in Genesis 7:1, which says, ” And the Lord said unto Noah, come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation.” when God commands Noah to enter the ark.
Some scholars have supported the time to have been 100 years based on Noah’s age in Genesis 5:32 and the time he was instructed to enter the ark. Others have defended the time to have been 120 years based on Genesis 6:3, which says, “And the Lord said, my spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh. Yet his days shall be a hundred and 20 years.” The two groups of scholars might differ in their interpretations, but we can conclude that it took almost 100 to 120 years for the ark to be built.
How big was Noah’s ark in today’s measurements?
The ark was 300 cubits long, which is approximately 137 meters long. It was also 50 cubits wide, about 23 meters, and 30 cubits high, which approximates 14 meters. In today’s measurements, the ark would have measured 137 meters by 23 meters by 14 meters.
Is there any wooden ship that comes close to the size of Noah’s ark?
Although there is no wooden ship the size of the ark that has ever been built, two giant wooden vessels have once graced this earth. The first one is Wyoming. This six-masted schooner was launched in 1909 and was the largest wooden ship ever built. It had a length of 94 meters and a width of 15 meters. It was designed to carry oversized cargo and was explicitly used to carry coal. It was powered by steam.
The second one is the Solano, a paddle steamer launched in 1878. The Solano measured 130 meters long by 35 meters wide and was used to ferry passengers and trains across a strait in California.
These two impressive wooden ships were built, but they are relatively more minor than the ark built by Noah.
As a devout Christian, I have always been passionate about the Christian faith. This inspired me to pursue a degree in Religious studies and a Masters in Theology in college. I have also been privileged to teach 4 Christian courses in a college and university. Since I am dedicated to spreading the word of God, I am actively involved in the Church. Additionally, I share his word online and cover diverse topics on the Christian faith through my platform. You can read more about me on the about us page.
