Genesis 6:14Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

To alleviate his troubled spirit and provide some solace amid this profound distress, God revealed to him the extent of the depravity of his generation and indicated that the moment had finally arrived for them to face serious judgment. He proclaimed, "All these men shall perish; you shall construct an ark." What does "you shall" imply? Since you have not participated in their immorality, but have dedicated your life to righteousness, I command you to build an ark of gopher wood. You are to create a chamber within the ark and seal it with pitch both inside and out.

The Only Begotten is the true Noah, who established the Church as a model of the ancient and magnificent ark. Those who enter this Church are spared from the destruction that looms over the world. Similarly, the Apostle Paul sheds light on the significance of the ark, stating, ‘By faith Noah ... reverently prepared an ark for the salvation of his house’ (Hebrews 11:7). Peter also affirms this, explaining that ‘a few, that is, eight souls, were saved from the water.’ In the same way, we are baptized in the image of this ark, not merely as a means of cleansing from physical impurity, but as a commitment to God for a clear conscience’ (1 Pet. 3:19-21).

The ark, in which Noah along with his wife, sons, daughters-in-law, and the animals that God commanded to enter were preserved from the flood, serves as a powerful symbol of the Church, the wandering assembly of God in this present age, which attained salvation through the tree on which the mediator between God and humanity, the man Christ Jesus, was crucified (1 Tim. 2:5). The dimensions of the ark—its length, height, and breadth—represent the human body. The Promised One, clothed in the true essence of this body, came to humanity, and indeed He did. The length of a human body, measured from the forehead to the soles of the feet, is six times its height, measured from the back to the abdomen.

This was the difficult task that God assigned to the just man, as He sought to avoid flooding the sinful. From where could Noah obtain the timber? Where would he find the pitch, metal, and charcoal? Whose assistance would be available to him? Who would offer their help when humanity was turning away? If Noah and his family started to construct the ark, would not those who witnessed it have mocked him?

In the Book of Genesis, we learn that Noah's ark measured three hundred cubits in length, fifty cubits in width, and thirty cubits in height. It is important to reflect on the significance of these numbers. The value of 'fifty' represents repentance, as seen in the Fiftieth Psalm where King David expresses contrition. The figure 'three hundred' reveals the mystery of the cross, represented by the letter T, which stands for three hundred. This is echoed in Ezekiel’s writings: "On the foreheads of men.... who sigh... make the sign of the T ... And thou shalt not touch any man that has the sign on him" (Ezekiel 9:5-6). Therefore, no one marked by the symbol of the cross can fall prey to the devil. This sign can only be removed by sin.

You are to construct an ark תבה, which can derive from the term תוב, potentially meaning a dwelling place. However, the seventy translators, along with Aquila and Symmachus, translate it as κιβωτός, aligning with its use in the narrative of Moses (Exodus 2:3). The specifications for the ark follow: it is to be made from gofer wood. The seventy interpreters refer to it as being from quadrangular trees. Vossius humorously connects this term to the trees whose branches, when arranged crosswise, create four compartments. The Hebrew word גמר appears to be akin to the Greek κυπάρισσο, which signifies cypress, differing only in its phonetic representation and the addition of a suffix in Greek.

Noah, along with his family and a selection of animal kinds, is designated to be safeguarded from the total annihilation that the deluge was destined to bring. To ensure their survival, the Lord instructs Noah to construct a vessel not designed like a traditional ship with a stern, masts, and sails, but rather as an ark. This ark was not intended for navigation but for the safe-keeping of the creatures, making its design more suitable for that purpose. The ark was to be fashioned from timber that was ‘not rotten,’ or resinous according to the Hebrew, such as cypress or cedar, shaped in a rectangular form using ‘quadrangular’ beams. Inside the ark, ‘nests’ or separate compartments should be prepared for the various inhabitants as well as provisions for them. The structure was to be coated with resin both inside and out to guard against decay and water damage, while also perhaps alleviating the unpleasant odors likely to arise from the buildup of animal breath and waste.