The Ark of Noah and Its Feasibility
by Owen Borville
November 6, 2018
Bible
The Ark of Noah was the sea vessel used to house Noah's family and representatives of all land animals on earth during the nearly year-long global flood described in the sixth chapter of the Book of Genesis. As the world had become corrupt and wicked, God decided to bring a global flood to destroy the inhabitants of the earth with the exception of Noah's family and representatives of all land animals and likewise instructed Noah to build an Ark to protect the remnant. Noah was also instructed to store food on the Ark for the passengers including his family and the animals. Many continue to have questions about the feasibility of the Ark and how it was possible to build the Ark and house all of the inhabitants. So how did Noah and his sons build the Ark? Some believe that Noah hired more help to build the Ark and this is entirely possible. Could all of the animals fit on the Ark? Noah didn't need to bring every species on the ark but only two of each kind of living creature including male and female representatives, birds, and "every kind of creature that moves along the ground" (Genesis 6:20).
The Ark and Its Passengers
In his book, Noah's Ark: A Feasibility Study, John Woodmorappe explained that Noah's Ark was large enough to hold at least 16,000 animals, but the number of animals actually taken could have been as low as 2,000 or less. Since "every kind of creature" mentioned in the Book of Genesis did not refer to every species classified by today's scientists, the number of representatives of each animal group needed was much fewer. Scientists today classify millions of species of living things that are essentially the same or similar (tigers, lions, jaguars, and leopards, or wolves, cyotes, and foxes, etc.) Therefore, only a few thousand kinds were needed on the Ark and there was definitely enough room. In addition, younger and smaller representatives of the larger animals could have been taken on the ark, such as the dinosaurs and elephants. Only land animals and birds were needed on the Ark, as all sea creatures could survive in the ocean waters outside the Ark.
Taking Care of the Animals
How could Noah have taken care of all of the animals on the Ark for one year? Some believe that many animals on the Ark went into hibernation and slept for much of the flood event, as animals commonly do during severe weather events. Forty days of rain and possibly an ice age could have spurred this process. Noah was also instructed to bring enough food on the Ark to feed the passengers and his family before the flood began. Some also believe that all animals before the flood were vegetarian (or non-meat eaters). Therefore, only grains and vegetarian based food was needed on the Ark.
Surviving the Floodwaters
Could the Ark survive the floodwaters? One needs to remember that the Ark did not need to travel around the world but only needed to float above the waters for about one year. The unique construction of the ark enabled it to withstand the floodwaters and float above the waters during the flooding event. The six-to-one length to width ratio would have enabled the Ark to have maximum stability, according to modern shipbuilders and is a common ratio used in today's ships. We could describe the ark as one big raft as it was 300 cubits long, 50 cubits wide, and thirty cubits tall and constructed of cypress wood (Genesis 6:14-6:15). These dimensions in feet and meters come out to: (450 × 75 × 45 feet) or (137 × 22.9 × 13.7 meters). The Ark included in its architecture lower, middle, and upper decks with rooms inside each level to house the passengers.
The Supernatural
There is also the element of the supernatural during the Flood, as God would have made sure that none of the Ark passengers perished during the year long event. The passengers of the Ark were needed to populate future generations and preserve the animal "kinds." Just as other events in the Bible required the supernatural, including the creation of Adam and Eve, the parting of the Red Sea, and the miracles of Jesus Christ, it is evident that God was watching over the Ark during the Flood.
by Owen Borville
November 6, 2018
Bible
The Ark of Noah was the sea vessel used to house Noah's family and representatives of all land animals on earth during the nearly year-long global flood described in the sixth chapter of the Book of Genesis. As the world had become corrupt and wicked, God decided to bring a global flood to destroy the inhabitants of the earth with the exception of Noah's family and representatives of all land animals and likewise instructed Noah to build an Ark to protect the remnant. Noah was also instructed to store food on the Ark for the passengers including his family and the animals. Many continue to have questions about the feasibility of the Ark and how it was possible to build the Ark and house all of the inhabitants. So how did Noah and his sons build the Ark? Some believe that Noah hired more help to build the Ark and this is entirely possible. Could all of the animals fit on the Ark? Noah didn't need to bring every species on the ark but only two of each kind of living creature including male and female representatives, birds, and "every kind of creature that moves along the ground" (Genesis 6:20).
The Ark and Its Passengers
In his book, Noah's Ark: A Feasibility Study, John Woodmorappe explained that Noah's Ark was large enough to hold at least 16,000 animals, but the number of animals actually taken could have been as low as 2,000 or less. Since "every kind of creature" mentioned in the Book of Genesis did not refer to every species classified by today's scientists, the number of representatives of each animal group needed was much fewer. Scientists today classify millions of species of living things that are essentially the same or similar (tigers, lions, jaguars, and leopards, or wolves, cyotes, and foxes, etc.) Therefore, only a few thousand kinds were needed on the Ark and there was definitely enough room. In addition, younger and smaller representatives of the larger animals could have been taken on the ark, such as the dinosaurs and elephants. Only land animals and birds were needed on the Ark, as all sea creatures could survive in the ocean waters outside the Ark.
Taking Care of the Animals
How could Noah have taken care of all of the animals on the Ark for one year? Some believe that many animals on the Ark went into hibernation and slept for much of the flood event, as animals commonly do during severe weather events. Forty days of rain and possibly an ice age could have spurred this process. Noah was also instructed to bring enough food on the Ark to feed the passengers and his family before the flood began. Some also believe that all animals before the flood were vegetarian (or non-meat eaters). Therefore, only grains and vegetarian based food was needed on the Ark.
Surviving the Floodwaters
Could the Ark survive the floodwaters? One needs to remember that the Ark did not need to travel around the world but only needed to float above the waters for about one year. The unique construction of the ark enabled it to withstand the floodwaters and float above the waters during the flooding event. The six-to-one length to width ratio would have enabled the Ark to have maximum stability, according to modern shipbuilders and is a common ratio used in today's ships. We could describe the ark as one big raft as it was 300 cubits long, 50 cubits wide, and thirty cubits tall and constructed of cypress wood (Genesis 6:14-6:15). These dimensions in feet and meters come out to: (450 × 75 × 45 feet) or (137 × 22.9 × 13.7 meters). The Ark included in its architecture lower, middle, and upper decks with rooms inside each level to house the passengers.
The Supernatural
There is also the element of the supernatural during the Flood, as God would have made sure that none of the Ark passengers perished during the year long event. The passengers of the Ark were needed to populate future generations and preserve the animal "kinds." Just as other events in the Bible required the supernatural, including the creation of Adam and Eve, the parting of the Red Sea, and the miracles of Jesus Christ, it is evident that God was watching over the Ark during the Flood.