Where Did Noah Get Drinking Water for All the Animals on the Ark?

previously on the Genesis account of Noah's Ark we answered several questions such as how many individual animals were on the ark what size were they and how food for them could have been provided during their Voyage join us now as we continue answering the numerous practical objections to the idea of how things worked with only eight people caring for all of the animals needs on board the Earth including drinking water light requirements ventilation and waste management part 8 of The Genesis account of Noah's Ark [Music] water has always been at the heart of any civilization and it would have been a central concern for the small group of men and women on board Noah's Ark especially considering the numerous animals on board that would have depended on them for the life-sustaining liquid it would have been needed for many things outside of drinking as well cleaning animal stalls bathing and washing clothes and dishes for this journey Noah faced a number of challenges related to water management for example how much drinking water would be needed how would they maintain sanitary conditions on board would the ark be able to carry enough water for the duration of the flood how could fresh water be collected and stored and could water be collected and used along the way unlike ancient Sailors who often relied on staying close to Shore or planning stops at Islands during long ocean voyages Noah faced an entire world covered by water there are numerous examples of early civilizations boiling water or using sand as a filter to acquire safe water but developing a large-scale method of water treatment for the ark would have been a Monumental feat however even assuming that Noah didn't develop such a process and that the Lord didn't miraculously filter the water for them as it certainly isn't recorded or hinted at in scripture there are other simple and practical solutions to ensure the ark had enough fresh water for example in the history of ships and ocean voyages water collection using runoff from sales or through use of barrels on decks has been well documented now while neither of these techniques are directly applicable to the ark obviously Noah's Ark didn't have sales the basic ideas behind find them could have been quite relevant in order to reduce the occurrence of contamination water could have been collected beforehand into numerous cisterns Earthen vessels or other waterproof containers in addition to this using the arc's roof surface as a massive rainwater collection device would combine elements of sustainability redundancy and efficiency especially if the water could be channeled into overhead cisterns for storage and distribution as needed this would have resulted in an ongoing largely self-sustaining watering system methods for Distributing water in the various areas throughout the ark for example amphibian containers small animal cages large animal enclosures and human Living Spaces may have varied it would have been unnecessarily laborious and time consuming for the family members to carry large containers of water around all day instead utilizing a simple system of fixed pipes and spigots would permit easy access to water from the animal pens living quarters and other areas bamboo is a practical natural material for this task being strong lightweight easily cultivated and very Hardy and resistant to degradation it also comes in the perfect shape but we can leave open the option of using more Advanced Materials as well recall the pre-flood world was not primitive aside from the water collection and Distribution Systems each animal cage could have been equipped with a simple appropriately sized vacuum fed water container similar to those that are still used in animal cages today though possibly crafted as specialized Earthen vessels such a design would accomplish significant time in labor savings particularly for larger animals though working in two-person teams is often the most efficient Arrangement utilizing easy to use partially automated systems would mean that single tasks would not always require the attention of both individuals and of course this would have been crucial since the arc contained only eight laborers for example in large animal enclosures bamboo or wood shoots leading to a food dish could have been filled from an overhead catwalk external shoots leading to Interior food trays could have also been used in small animal cages greatly accelerating the feeding process now on to an objection brought about as literal byproducts of our discussion how could only eight people have dealt with the resultant huge piles of daily waste it's a simple but unpleasant fact of life and a legitimate question both humans and animals produce liquid and solid waste and without an effective management system for removal of this waste from living areas people and animals can sicken and eventually die put a large number of animals with eight people in a closed environment like the ark for about a year during the flood and it's a huge challenge that would have had to been addressed before the journey began it's inevitable that there would have been a solution on board the ship for a number of reasons one the design of the vessel wasn't meant for either crew or animals to be walking above the roof of the Earth at least not while it was afloat during the flood event the only Decks that could be walked on safely on a regular basis were interior ones two while there is a door noted for the ark it's likely it couldn't be opened during Transit so wouldn't have been any help three there was an opening at the top of the Ark but nothing hints at this being a site that waste products could be efficiently tossed out of without landing on areas of the roof and causing other sanitation problems more importantly to our previous discussion if Noah's family collected rain water from the roof or their water supply they would not have wanted to pollute it with sewage four the amount of Labor it would take to remove the waste using various types of manual labor alone would have been difficult but manageable the system solutions for human waste and animal waste could have been completely different but they may have had a common collection point and labor-reducing method of removal from the ship of course factoring in the sizes number and estimated metabolisms of the projected 6658 Arc animals it's likely that the daily Solid Waste production of the arc reached a few tons now human contributions in comparison would have been quite negligible The Arc encounter designs show Noah's family using carts and small wagons to move the solid animal waste and while this sounds like a lot of work it would have been manageable for eight healthy adults some manual cleaning would be expected even with Solutions built into the cage or enclosure designs but the design features of the enclosures could have made the waste removal task much simpler for example slope floors or designs that incorporated slatted floors could have been used and the latter would have permitted waste to slip through and collect blow large animal enclosures on the other hand are typically designed with flat and solid floors since slatted floors can result in leg or foot injuries concerning liquid waste collection points funneling into bamboo pipes could have moved urine and excess water away from the enclosures and each enclosure complex could have been connected to a central Wastewater collection tank while the inclusion of bedding often increases animal comfort storing and appropriately Distributing it takes a lot of space and effort thus it may have been deemed unnecessary for the year-long stay aboard the ark one significant design feature proposed as a potential component of the arc is a moon pool a moon pool is essentially a large cavity running from the bottom of the ship to the upper deck or roof now even though the moon pool is open to the ocean the water is confined within its interior moving up and down like a piston of an engine The Arc encounters designers proposed two Moon Pools in the stern straddling the Keel one pool they designed for ventilation as the in and out movement of the water acts like a massive Bellows circulating fresh air throughout the Earth the other was designed as an integral part of the waste removal system exploiting the moon pool's secure access to the waters outside the ark such designs would have been essentially low-tech but highly effective now while it may not receive as much attention as the other Solutions lighting surely played a key role in life on the ark whether providing an energy source for growing supplemental plants or making it easier to complete chores in the depths of the ship it was essential that methods be found for all the lighting needs on the ark roof panels could have been raised and lowered so that natural light would be utilized on the ark we're not sure what the covering was that Noah opened mentioned in Genesis 8 13 but if it was a roof that was translucent or could be drawn back then this could have allowed light to fill the Ark of course oil lamps or other simple Technologies like wax candles could have easily been used to light the interior as has been done for thousands of years what we need to ask is this how they actually did it it's easy to let your imagination wander when it comes to the possibilities of how the arc worked however it's always important to come back to what we know from the scriptures and consider practical solutions that have worked well in the past the point of the ship wasn't simply to save eight members of One family that would have certainly been a lot easier Noah's task also included the care of all the animals the Lord brought to him so the possible solutions provided in this episode really just scratched the surface of what Noah and his family could have designed and built for the real Arc in order to demonstrate it certainly wasn't at all impossible one thing is for certain though whichever Solutions the resourceful patriarch Noah developed we can certainly give thanks for the faithfulness of our brilliant ancestor for we know that in the end thus Noah did according to all that God commanded him so he did Genesis 6 verse 22 join us next time as we revisit the question as to whether the ark has ever been discovered by examining five specific times people claimed Noah's Ark has been found and why their claims failed all in part nine of the Genesis account of Noah's Ark

Channel: Ark Encounter

Views: 23,872

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Id: 5M6U6xTltlQ

Length: 10min 31sec (631 seconds)

Published: Fri Jul 07 2023