Dimensions in Question
According to the Bible, God instructed Noah to build an ark that was 300 cubits long, 50 cubits wide, and 30 cubits high. A cubit is approximately 18 inches, so the ark was about 450 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet high. The ark was made of cypress? (gopher) wood and coated with pitch inside and out. It had a one-cubit-high opening below the roof and three decks.
To put these numbers in perspective, Noah’s ark would be about 1½ football fields long and about three stories tall. So, by the standards of the ships of the ancient world, this was a very large structure.
The Bible does not specify which cubit was used to measure the ark. However, according to the Hebrew Bible, the ark was 300 cubits long. The Hebrew cubit is a unit of length used in ancient times for measuring distances and is calculated as approximately 18 inches in today’s measurements.
The Ark Encounter, a Christian ministry that built an attraction based on the biblical story of Noah’s Ark, has chosen to use a cubit of 20.4 inches, which is based on a 17.5-inch cubit made into a royal cubit by adding a handbreadth of 2.9 inches 1. If this cubit length accurately represented Noah’s cubit, then the ark would have been approximately 510 feet long. This is the measurement I decided to go with since the writer of the account, Moses, may have referred to the royal Egyptian cubit (20.4 inches) which may have been in use at his time out of Egypt.
Boat or Shipment Container
I believe that the Ark was more like a barge, a very boring, simple, large shipping container that was designed to float, rather than a traditional boat that one can steer.
The Hebrew word used for Noah’s ark is “teva.” The word “teva” is also used for the small, papyrus boat that rescued Moses. In this sense, both served as “vessels of salvation.”
The Hebrew word for boat is “oniyah.” Which was never used in describing the Ark of Noah.
So, instead of using cypress (gopher as in King James Version) wood, I used polystyrene sheets. I guess one could build it out of balsa wood. That would have been nice. I created the side doors and roof with a little opening on top. I hand painted it with Testors enamel wood color and then semi-gloss black for the pitch.
Restructuring
After looking at the ark I made, I realized that the roof would be way too high as a scale 1:350, so I decided to change that to reflect the biblical account of a roof or window a cubit above the Ark. However, it looked like I made it to be around 12 feet high!
According to the Bible, God instructed Noah to make a window for the ark and finish it to a cubit from the top. The Hebrew word used for “window” in this verse is “tsohar,” which is translated as “light,” “luminousness,” or even “morning.” Certainly, the purpose of this window was to provide light and ventilation inside the ark.
Some translations of the Bible, such as the Christian Standard Bible, use the word “roof” instead of “window” in this verse. However, most translations use the word “window”. Subsequently, in my rendering of the Ark, I chose to use the word roof.
Below is the remaking of the roof. That is, I removed the “12ft high” structure and cut the remaining styrene panel to install lights that give a warm glow, as if campfires or torches were lit at night.
At last, the finished fully scratch-built version of Noah’s Ark.
Started build on 01DEC21, completed 14DEC21.
Thanks for visiting. Please share with like minds and comment below with any anecdote or suggestions. The links I provided throughout the blog which go to Model Cars or Diecast Models Wholesale are affiliates, and I do get a commission off qualified sales, that is how one can support a fellow modeler like me.
Thank you,
Abraham.
A very short video of Noah’s Ark build.
Feature Model Kit of the Week
Although Noah’s Ark may have been 510 feet long, the Titanic was 880 feet and tragically lost lives, while Noah’s Ark saved.
Revell of Germany RMS TITANIC 1:600 Model at ModelCars.com
Simple model construction kit of the most famous ship in the world. Everyone knows the tragic story of her collision with an iceberg on her maiden voyage.
- Structured planking on the hull
- Structured planking on the decks
- Display stand
- Decal set and stickers included
Handicraft fun with great results for everyone age 10 or older. Quick results are guaranteed with the innovative easy-click system: Multi-color, precisely made components fit together for a sturdy connection and decorated with stickers. No painting necessary! The model can also be painted, which makes it completely unique. A recommendation with up to 5 colors is included in the instruction manual.
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