The answer is: Gopher wood

Gen 6:14 - There is no other mention of this type of wood in the Bible and it's identity is uncertain.

The ark was famously crafted from a mysterious material called “gopher wood”—but what exactly is that? The truth is, we’ve got some puzzling details here. Gopher wood is unique to the account of Noah and holds an air of biblical intrigue, as it doesn’t appear anywhere else in scripture. Scholars have eagerly debated its meaning for centuries, some suggesting it could be a specific type of tree or wood treatment, while others speculate it's a now-lost name that only Noah’s contemporaries would have understood.

This search for gopher wood might seem silly at first, but it reflects a broader curiosity about the details in biblical narratives. For instance, Noah’s Ark is built with precise measurements and carefully detailed instructions. Genesis describes it as 300 cubits long, 50 cubits wide, and 30 cubits high. That’s about the length of one and a half football fields! It’s fascinating to think of the giant ship that would have been an extraordinary feat of ancient engineering. It parallels historical maritime ventures—think of grand vessels like the Mayflower or even the Titanic, which echoed many marvels of human endeavor.

The ark represented a safety sanctuary amid chaos, not merely made to weather literal storms but also to embolden hope and resilience. Kind of surreal how this story continues to resonate with us, right? Whether considered myth, history, or a teaching tool, it invites curiosity and contemplation about what unites and saves us all against the floods we encounter in life.