When you think about the reality of Noah's
Ark, you might have questions about its size, its construction, or its cargo. Because
you've probably seen pictures like I have, of a quaint little boat and an old pudgy
man and a handful of animals packed inside. We show these pictures to our
children in books and in videos, but what was Noah's Ark really like? Did Noah and his sons really build the Ark? Did they really live on it with all those animals for months? And how about the BIG question, how large was the Ark? I mean, How long? How tall? How wide? Well on these questions, we don't have
to be left wondering. In the Bible, God gives precise details to Noah, for
exactly how big the Ark should be. And there you are, in God's instructions are
the very precise measurements for the Ark. But you might be wondering, "Well, what's a cubit?" We don't use the cubit as a
modern unit of measurement, but in the ancient world, a cubit simply
refered to the length of a man's forearm from the elbow to fingertip. Roughly 18 inches.
And being such a practical form of measurment, it was likely the most common unit of
length in the ancient civilizations, such as the Sumerians, the Babylonians,
the Egyptians, and the Hebrew. Now with the understanding that one
cubit is 18 inches or a foot and a half, how big was the Ark? In order to help us
visualize what these dimensions mean, I am standing here next to the only full-scale,
floating, modern-day replica of Noah's Ark built based on the Bible's specifications. The Ark is 450 feet long, 75 feet wide, and
45 feet tall. Inside, there are three decks. Each deck has over 30,000 square feet. Which means that the Ark has a
total of over 100,000 square feet. Its volume is equivalent
to 1.5 million cubic feet, Or approximately 17 Olympic-sized
swimming pools. Now, while some of the specific
construction details of this modern replica may be different from the
actual Ark that Noah built, what this modern-day representation does provide is an astounding perspective of the
actual dimensions and scale of Noah's Ark. Let's take this monumental
structure and explore its size. Let's first try to put the Ark's
length, 450 feet, in perspective. A convenient comparison is to think
about some popular modern sporting venues. Take for example an American football field, the length of the Ark is equivalent to the
length of one and a quarter of these fields, measuring from goal post to goal
post. Or, if you're a baseball fan sitting in Yankee stadium in New York
on the front-row behind home plate, the 450 foot Ark very nearly matches the distance from your seat to the farthest wall out in centerfield. Or maybe cricket is your game and you are watching a test match from the Grand Stand at the historic Lord's Cricket Grounds
in St. John's Wood, London. The Ark would fill the length across
the widest portion of the field. Let's consider the Ark's length compared to some famous historical structures across the world. Imagine the Ark being stood
on its end in a vertical fashion, Let's compare it first to: The famous
Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy, completed in the 14th century AD it stands
183 feet tall and has a diameter of 49 feet. If we now move to the country of China and the Liaodi Pagoda completed in the 11th century AD this pagoda stands 276 feet tall, made
of brick and stone, it is the tallest existing pre-modern pagoda in China. The Two Towers in Bologna, Italy were
completed in the early 12th century AD These towers served as the inspiration
for the architect, Minuro Yamasaki who designed the former World
Trade Center towers in New York The tallest of the two towers, the
Asinelli Tower, stands 318 feet tall. Moving now to England, we find the Elizabeth Tower and its clock known as Big Ben, arguably one of the most recognizable
clock-towers in the world. It was completed in 1859 and stands
316 feet tall and has a 50 foot square base. Across the Atlantic in the United States,
the famous Statue of Liberty dedicated in 1886 stands 305 feet tall from the
ground to Lady Liberty's torch. The Cathedral of Antwerp in Belgium
has a spire completed in the 16th century, extending 404 feet high. In Washington DC, the Washington Monument
is the tallest true obelisk in the world. Its pyramid shaped capstone was
placed in 1884 at a height of 555 feet. It has square base of 55 feet on its sides. Only five years after the
Washington Monument was completed, the Eiffel Tower in Paris was finished,
standing an amazing amazing 986 feet tall, and was the tallest structure
in the world for over 40 years. Now the last two structures to show for comparison are ancient structures, built thousands of years ago, and were listed among the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World by Antipater of Sidon and Herodotus. The Lighthouse of Alexandria is
known from both ancient writings and from underwater
archaeological excavations: Approximately 400 feet tall, it was constructed
in the 3rd century BC by Ptolemy the First. It stood for 1700 years until it's structure
was ruined by earthquakes. A replica now stands in Changsha, China. The Great Pyramid of Giza stands 455 feet tall. It represents one of the most ancient
existing structures in all the world. It was the tallest known structure in
the world for over 3000 years. These comparisons can provide a relative sense
of the length of the Ark, which is quite long but not unreasonable or
surpassing our comprehension. Now let's consider the area
marked out by the Ark, and the amount of deck space
the Ark would provide. According to Genesis 6:16, the Ark was
divided into 3 decks: "lower, second, and third." So if Noah were to make a visual
inspection around all three decks, he would have to walk
about 6/10ths of a mile. If we now take our length
and width for each deck, we can calculate the square footage
to be 33,750 square feet per deck, which means that the entire Ark
had a total of 101,250 square feet. Going back to our common sports comparisons, the Ark would have had the same approximate area as 2 American football fields
or 21 basketball courts. So we've discussed the length of the
Ark and the area included in its decks, But before we calculate its TOTAL internal
volume, let's consider the end dimensions. 75 feet wide by 45 feet tall. These cross-sectional dimensions very nearly match the wingspan and tail height of NASAs Space Shuttle. So if you were to open the end of the
Ark and begin loading in the shuttles, you would be able to load in the Shuttle
Atlantis, then the Shuttle Discovery, then the Shuttle Enterprise, and then, the
Shuttle Endeavor would very nearly fit up until its engines. So almost four NASA Space Shuttles would fit within the volume of the Ark. Now in terms of transporting cargo, The Ark's immense volume would be
equivalent to carrying 527 railroad boxcars, or when calculated, it comes out to be over
1.5 million cubic feet of internal space. Often times there are wild
misconceptions about Noah's Ark. One of the first says that Noah's Ark IS the
largest floating vessel to have ever been built. This is simply not true. Though it WAS the largest vessel at its time
in history, there have been many ships built in the millenia afterward that have
been comparable and greater in size. Now this should not discredit or lessen the
Ark's extremely significant place in history, but instead it should bring into our view
an accurate reality for the biblical proportions of Noah's Ark. Let's look at a few well-known historical ships to compare with Noah's Ark. Let's start with the Santa Maria. Part of the
trio of ships sailed by Christopher Columbus in the late 15th century AD to cross
the Atlantic Ocean to the Americas. It was ~60 ft long and carried a
crew of approximately 40 men. At 227 feet, the HMS Victory is one of
England's most well known wooden warships. It is the oldest naval ship still commissioned,
having seen action in the Napoleonic Wars it is nowdry-docked in Portsmouth,
England as a Museum Ship. The early 20th century in the United States saw some of the last wooden sailing vessels built. At 330 feet long, the Wyoming was one
of only a few six-masted schooners to be built. The Wyoming sailed the Eastern coast
of the United States from 1909 to 1924. King Snefrus' boats, referenced
on the ancient Palermo Stone. If we now look back in the Annals of history, we
find ancient Egyptian inscriptions on this stone of a 100 cubit, that's a 150 foot, wooden ship
that was part of 4th dynasty fleet of King Snefru. A matter of only hundreds
of years after the Flood. Later during Egypt's 18th dynasty,
a barge possibly in excess of 200 feet, known as Hatshepsut's Barge was constructed
to transport large obelisks along the Nile. In the early years of the Roman Empire,
Emperor Caligula had numerous large ships, One called the "Giant Ship" is
recorded to be 340 feet long Possibly served as a barge to transport large structures from Egypt back to Rome. In the early 15th century AD, the Ming
Dynasty established itself as a naval power. They constructed a large fleet of wooden ships, the largest in the range from 300 to 400 feet long. The ships were known as Treasure Ships, and were used on numerous voyages
to enhance the Ming's tributary system. The Zaher 1 is a modern vessel designed as
livestock carrier. At 393 feet long and 69 feet wide, its deckspace is only slightly less than Noah's
Ark, and it is currently sailing the oceans, carrying thousands of animals between
the international markets of Australia, S. America, Middle East, and others. In particular skeptics of the Ark have pointed specifically to the Wyoming Schooner as representing the upper limit
to the size of a wooden vessel. However, this criticism fails on two levels. First, there are documented historical wooden
vessels at and surpassing the 300-foot limit. Secondly, the Wyoming Schooner sailed and
performed its duties for over 14 years, while the Ark only needed
to operate for 1 year's time. Now in the last 150 years, advancements in
the construction of metal ships and ocean liners has seen the production of enormous
vessels like the Great Eastern, the Titanic, the Queen Mary, or any number
of modern day cruise ships. These ships have become essentially floating
cities, with thousands of travelers, crew, and a multitude of on-board destinations. However in terms of wooden ships, the
Ark does rank among the largest in history. This has led some to claim that even
though the Ark's size is not unreasonable, it was still too advanced a vessel for Noah to build, because he would have needed understanding of physics, calculus structural analysis, and naval engineering
to have designed and built such a vessel. This perspective, however, suffers
from several misconceptions. First, it assumes that Noah himself was the
originator for the Ark's scale and design. But according to the Bible this is not the case. It was God who initiated and conveyed the Ark's plans. Noah was given divine direction and instruction, and then expected to contribute
his labor in carrying out the task. Second, there is often an overarching misunderstanding that says, "Well, hasn't man had a long evolutionary
history, with a gradual growth of both intellectual and physical capacities?" This concept of a gradual evolutionary ascent for man is contrary to the biblical concept of man's origin and unnecessarily confuses the actual time frame and unnecessarily confuses the actual
timeframe for the early accounts of Genesis. The accounts of Adam and Eve, Cain
and Abel, Enoch, Methuselah, and Noah were not tens of thousands
of years ago let alone millions. Noah did not live at a time of Club-carrying, Cave-dwelling, Stone-Age men who lacked the abilities of fire,
agriculture or linguistics. According to the Bible's account
of Creation, mankind was created and endowed with reasonable faculties, including communication, socialization,
critical thinking, and ingenuity. So in what time period did Noah live? Well, let's consider a basic historical
timeline to give us a context: Based on both biblical and secular history,
the time from Today back to the life of Jesus is approximately 2000 years. From
the time of Jesus in the first century AD AD back to the Patriarch
Abraham is again about 2000 years, based on the genealogies of the NT
and the corroboration of secular history. Now from Abraham back to Noah and the Ark can be approximated to be on
the order of hundreds of years. And from Noah back to the first created couple, Adam and Eve, was a little over 1600 years. Thus, we can see that the time of the Flood and Noah's life was between 4000 to 5000 years ago. In secular history terms, the general description for this time period, 4000-5000 years, is the Bronze Age, which gains this name from the copper
and bronze tools that were being used. Biblical history concurs with this
general naming convention, because it specifically speaks of a
descendant of Cain named Tubal-Cain, who was a relative contemporary of Noah, and who the Bible says was "an instructor
of every craftsman in bronze and iron." Recognizing that Noah lived during
the aptly-named Bronze Age, provides a good historical setting
and helps us recognize what types of materials and
resources Noah had access to use. First and foremost, God's instructions
for the design of the Ark clearly define the primary building
material...wood. And Noah needed lots of it: Noah would have had to gather wood
for a large variety of structural purposes: Large load-bearing beams for the
primary framing of the Ark's structure, lumber that would form the exterior of the Ark,
lumber for the "rooms" or "nests," various pens, corrals, cages. Decking
lumber for internal flooring of the "lower, second, and third decks." Since there
would be only one door to enter, internal ramps or stairs would provide
a means to move between decks. Now a subtle yet important aspect is that for all of the construction and obvious woodworking, Noah would have needed a good
number and variety of tools. So what types of tools would've existed in his day? We've already established that even
in terms of secular and biblical history, Noah lived in the so-called "Bronze Age,"
meaning use of copper smelting and alloys. But let's also consider some
additional biblical references to various vocations that were
in existence even prior to Noah. Farming and Agriculture has existed since
the very creation of man in the Garden of Eden. Adam and Eve were given the original
directive to "tend it and keep it," and after their sin and subsequent removal
from the Garden, Adam was to "till the ground." Reasonably then, Adam's oldest son, Cain,
was also called a "tiller of the ground." What this means, is that prior to Noah for
over one thousand years mankind had worked, tilled, and cultivated crops.
Though we don't know specifics, 1000 years is a long time to develop
processes and tools to carry out your trade. We also see within the first family, the
vocation of Cattle raising and shepherding. Adam's second son, Abel, was
described as a "keeper of sheep," and we find him in Genesis 4 bringing the
firstborn of his flocks as a sacrifice to God. We know the skill of tending
flocks and raising cattle continued throughout subsequent generations, because we read of Cain's descendant, Jabal, being described as the "father of those
who dwell in tents and have livestock." Jabal had two other brothers, Jubal and Tubal-Cain, who provide for us a glimpse of some
other unique and skilled vocations. The Bible describes Jubal as "the father
of all those who play the harp and flute" The production of Musical instruments, such as stringed instruments and wind instruments, requires precision in both
craftsmanship and tooling. The Bible describes Tubal-Cain as an "instructor
of every craftsman in bronze and iron." Metalworking and Blacksmithing represent very
important and applicable trades to the construction efforts in which Noah would be engaging.
Considering Noah's historical context and these various occupations
that are known to have existed, it is reasonable to consider that Noah had many potential Metal Tools and Implements
at his disposal: Likely heavy tools like axes, hammers, mallets, pry-bars, and maybe
some forms of wood-cutting saws. Considering the reference to musical
instruments like harps and flutes, there may have been light-duty
tools like punches, chisels, or clamps. Though the primary structure of the Ark was wood, various metal fasteners might have been
in use by carpenters and woodworkers such as: Nails, Spikes, Strappings, and Bracings. One final comparison to consider
that provides great insight into the potential capabilities that
existed during the Bronze Age, and for mankind's ingenuity in
general, is the Great Pyramid of Giza. As the only surviving member of the original
Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, the Great Pyramid stands as an amazing
example of mankind's capabilities. Though it was not the very first pyramid built,
the Great Pyramid is one of the earlier known, and represents a man-made structure completed within a span of only hundreds to a thousand years after the time of the Flood. Having the plans, the materials and
the tools is sufficient to start a task, but some question whether Noah had
the time or ability to complete the Ark. If we look back for one moment to our
discussion of the Great Pyramid of Giza, its massive stone structure actually encompasses
a volume over 50 times that of the Ark. It's estimated that there are approximately
2.3 million stone blocks, each weighing an average of 2.5 tons. The blocks were cut and transported
from numerous quarries, some nearby and some many miles away. They were then moved, raised
and precisely installed into place. When we consider the Ark, the wood
composition would have been far easier to gather, cut, and install, than the
stone blocks of the pyramid. Although the specific details of Noah's day-to-day construction are not recorded for us in the Bible, it does describe the general requirements
given to Noah and the final results of the Ark saving all that was onboard. For the construction, there are numerous reasonable options that would have aided Noah. First, the timeframe Noah had to
complete the task is usually referred to as being in the range of 100 years. We gauge this from Noah being 500 years old when he and his wife began to have their sons in Genesis chapter 5, and then the flood came
when he was 600 years old in Genesis chapter 7. And, 100 hundred years is a long
time to work on any project. Second, could Noah have had help? Since
Noah, his wife, his three sons, and their wives were all ultimately saved on the Ark, it's usually understood that they were all involved
in the preparation process. But in addition, Noah's father, Lamech, and grandfather, Methuselah, were alive until just prior to the time of were alive until just prior to the time of the flood. And each of these patriarchs had other
sons and daughters. Could Noah's father, grandfather, uncles, or other family have
helped? Or, could Noah have hired laborers, even skilled laborers from nearby
communities and cities? Potentially. Third, in regards to even gathering the materials,
the known vocations of farming, shepherding, and blacksmithing probably depended on other
existing trades and services like marketplaces to sell and trade goods, woodworking and carpentry, mining of ores for smelting. Even during Cain's life we read of him
building a city and calling it after his son, Enoch. Could Noah have purchased, traded or
bartered for needed lumber and materials? Assuming a 10-hour work day, there
are over 3,650 working hours per year, which means Noah had 365,000 working-hours
in 100 year's time. If we then multiply this by 4, considering Noah, Shem, Ham and Japheth,
then there were nearly 1.5 million man-hours. If we add Noah's wife and the wives of the sons, then there were over 2.5 million working hours to gather materials, construct,
and prepare the internal dwellings. This modern-day, replica of Noah's
Ark was built within 20,000 man-hours. Of course, there were many modern-day technologies and resources utilized, but Noah had 125 times
this amount of time, only accounting for the time
his family would contribute. The Bible's account of the
structure and size of Noah's Ark places it as a perfectly sufficient
vessel for its unique task. Its massive size has established its
important purpose throughout history, yet in the context of various
historical structures and boats, the Ark's dimensions are not unreasonable to have been completed using
the materials God instructed, in the time God provided, with
the resources Noah had available.
