Noah’s Ark

A model of Noah’s Ark is on display at the Creation Museum near Covington, Kentucky.

Noah’s Ark is the ship described in the book of Genesis in the Old Testament. It was built by Noah in obedience to God‘s command. The word ark comes from the Hebrew tebah (תֵּבָה), meaning “box” or “(covenant) chest.” According to the Bible, God instructed Noah to construct the ark before sending a great flood to cleanse the world of wickedness. Noah followed these instructions precisely, adhering to the specified dimensions. For 40 days, torrential rain fell, wiping out all terrestrial life except for Noah’s family of eight and the animals aboard the ark. The vessel remained afloat during the flood and eventually came to rest on Mount Ararat as the waters receded. Modern scientific studies suggest that the dimensions of Noah’s Ark, as described in the Bible, exhibit remarkable stability and seaworthiness, even by today’s engineering standards.

Structure and Size of Noah’s Ark

According to the Bible, Noah’s Ark was a massive structure measuring approximately 137 meters (450 feet) in length, 23 meters (75 feet) in width, and 14 meters (45 feet) in height, with three decks. The total deck area is estimated at 9,290 m², with a volume of 43,965 m³. To put this into perspective, the ark was 1.3 times the size of a FIFA-regulation soccer field and had enough space to fit about 20 basketball courts. If approximately 17,600 species of animals currently existing on Earth were brought onto the ark in male-female pairs, the total number of animals aboard would be around 35,000. If converted into the equivalent volume of sheep, the ark could have accommodated approximately 125,000 sheep, demonstrating its immense capacity.

• Paintings of Noah’s Ark

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  Noah’s Ark by Edward Hicks, 1846, Philadelphia Museum of Art
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  Noah’s Ark on Mount Ararat by Simon de Myle, 1570
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  Building of the Ark of Noah by author unknown, circa 1675, Museum of Fine Arts in Budapest

Stability of Noah’s Ark

Experiments on Noah’s Ark

As shipbuilding technology advanced, Noah’s Ark was re-examined to assess its stability and seaworthiness. In the 17th century, Dutchman Peter Jansen conducted an experiment to test the ark’s stability. Between 1609 and 1621, over a period of 12 years, he built a model based on the dimensions recorded in the Bible and studied its ability to remain afloat.

In 1993, a similar study was conducted in South Korea, focusing on the ark’s stability from a naval engineering perspective, regardless of whether the Great Flood described in Genesis was historical. The experiment took place during the Daejeon World Expo and was carried out by the Marine System Safety Research Center at Korea Ocean Research Institute (now the Korea Research Institute of Ships & Ocean Engineering) Researchers built a 1:50 scale model of the ark, placed it in a large water tank, and created artificial waves to test its seaworthiness.

That same year, the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) conducted a similar experiment, also using a 1:50 scale model to evaluate the ark’s stability.

Results and Evaluation

Peter Jansen’s experiment revealed that a ship with a length 10 times its height and a width 6 times its height—like Noah’s Ark—achieved optimal stability. In 1844, British engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel designed the SS Great Britain, then the largest and strongest ship of its time, with proportions closely resembling those of the ark.

The Korea Ocean Research Institute’s study confirmed that the ark’s biblical dimensions provided high stability. If constructed with wooden planks at least 30 cm thick, the ark could have remained stable even in waves as high as 30 meters. Moreover, it would have faced no structural issues in waves up to 43 meters high. A comparison of 13 different ship designs—each with the same total volume but different length-to-width-to-height ratios—concluded that Noah’s Ark had the most stable configuration. The study confirmed that a ship with a length-to-height ratio of 10:1 and a width-to-height ratio of 6:1 was exceptionally stable. The ABS further confirmed that if built with 30 cm thick wood, the ark could have withstood waves up to 38 meters high without capsizing.

Modern-Day "Noah’s Arks": Global Efforts to Safeguard Humanity

At the northernmost point of Norway lies the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, often referred to as the “Doomsday Vault.”

As natural disasters become more frequent and threats such as terrorism and nuclear war continue to endanger humanity, nations around the world are taking measures to prepare for potential global catastrophes. Many of these projects are referred to as “modern versions of Noah’s Arks” due to their role in preserving life for the future.

• Svalbard Global Seed Vault

Located on the remote island of Spitsbergen at 78°N latitude, the Svalbard Global Seed Vault is an underground storage facility built into the permafrost at an elevation of 130 meters above sea level. Designed to withstand nuclear war, earthquakes, and other disasters, its reinforced structure ensures seismic resistance. The facility maintains a constant temperature of -18°C (-0.4°F) to preserve seeds.

Approximately half the size of a soccer field, the vault holds millions of seeds from diverse plant species. As of February 2021, it contains over 1 million seed varieties, totaling around 500 million individual samples. Considered a lifeline for humanity, it safeguards seeds that could be crucial for sustaining future generations in the wake of a global catastrophe.

• The World’s First ‘UN Floating City’

The city of Busan, South Korea, in collaboration with UN-Habitat, is developing the world’s first "UN Floating City," with completion expected by 2030. This initiative is a response to rising sea levels, which pose a significant threat to coastal cities and could displace millions. The floating city will span 18,000㎡ and feature a circular design with a 160-meter diameter to enhance stability and sustainability.

• UK’s Millennium Seed Bank: Preserving Endangered Plants

The Royal Botanic Gardens, UK, has launched the Millennium Seed Bank (MSB) to protect endangered plant species. This project was initiated in response to predictions that 25% of Earth’s plant species may go extinct by 2050. The seed bank aims to collect and store seeds from 24,000 plant species, representing one-tenth of all known plant species on Earth.

• Project to Send 6.7 Million Seeds to the Moon

A research team at the University of Arizona has proposed a plan to send 6.7 million frozen seeds to the Moon. The goal of this project is to create a backup of Earth’s biodiversity, ensuring that even in the event of mass species extinction or global destruction, genetic material remains available to support future life.

• Underground Fortress Near Washington D.C., U.S.

To prepare for nuclear war, the U.S. government has constructed underground fortresses near Washington, D.C. These secure facilities include power plants, cafés, meeting rooms, and helicopter landing pads. They are staffed by scientists, computer programmers, engineers, firefighters, police officers, medical personnel, and disaster experts to ensure the continuation of national emergency operations. Each fortress is equipped with direct emergency hotlines to the White House situation room, and holds over a month’s supply of food and water for approximately 200 people.

• Private Doomsday Bunkers

For those preparing for catastrophic events, luxury private bunkers have been built, often costing hundreds of millions of dollars. These are primarily purchased by billionaires seeking protection against war, climate change, and other global crises. One notable example is the "Survival Condo" in Kansas, a 15-story underground bunker repurposed from a missile silo in 2008. This high-tech shelter includes an indoor rock-climbing wall, a digital weather monitoring system, a 280,000-liter water storage tank, and hydroponic farming facilities for self-sustaining food production.

Zion, the Ark of Salvation

The Bible prophesies about the Day of Judgment that would come upon the earth. Jesus foretold the end of the age, saying, “As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.” Similarly, Peter prophesied that while the world was once destroyed by a flood in Noah’s time, the last days will bring a judgment of fire. The story of Noah’s Ark serves as a prophecy foreshadowing what will occur in the last days. The Bible testifies that even in this age, there is a place of refuge from disaster—Zion, the ark of salvation.

“ ‘Gather together! Let us flee to the fortified cities!’ Raise the signal to go to Zion! Flee for safety without delay! For I am bringing disaster from the north, even terrible destruction.”

Jeremiah 4:5-6

In the days of Noah, Noah’s family and all kinds of animals entered the ark and were saved. Likewise, in the last days, people must enter Zion to receive salvation.

In the last days the mountain of the LORD’s temple will be established as the highest of the mountains; . . . Many nations will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the temple of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths.” The law will go out from Zion, the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.

Micah 4:1-2

The prophet Isaiah prophesied that Zion is the place where God’s feasts are celebrated.

Look on Zion, the city of our festivals; . . . For the LORD is our judge, the LORD is our lawgiver, the LORD is our king; it is he who will save us. . . . the sins of those who dwell there will be forgiven.

Isaiah 33:20-24

In this age, those who enter Zion, where God’s feasts are observed, will be able to enter the kingdom of heaven on the day of the last disaster. Today, the World Mission Society Church of God is the only place in the world that fully observes the feasts of God.

See also

• Noah
• The Feasts of God
• Passover
• Zion

Related videos

• Sermon: Noah’s Ark & the Spiritual Ark of Salvation

External links

• Noah's Ark replica built by former Brisbane science teacher, Amy Mitchell-Whittington, The Sydney Morning Herald, July 7, 2016
• Noah’s Ark theme park is a project of biblical proportions, Aleteia, July 3, 2019
• "Noah’s Ark and Salvation", Christ Ahnsahnghong Official Website