And this is the fashion which thou shalt make it of: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, the breadth of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits.

GENESIS 6:15KJV
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Genesis 6:15 (KJV)

What does Genesis 6:15 mean?

Genesis 6:15 gives the precise measurements God told Noah to use when building the ark: 300 cubits long, 50 cubits wide, and 30 cubits high. This verse shows that the ark was to be a very large, rectangular vessel, built according to specific instructions.

In this verse, God is speaking directly to Noah, giving him detailed directions for constructing the ark as a means of surviving the coming flood. The use of exact dimensions highlights the seriousness and intentionality of God's instructions, emphasizing that Noah was not to build the ark however he pleased, but according to a clear plan.

The Hebrew behind Genesis 6:15

  • "ark" (תֵּבָה, teivah): This word refers to a box or chest, not a typical boat. It suggests the ark was designed more for floating and preserving life than for navigation.
  • "cubit" (אַמָּה, ammah): A cubit was an ancient unit of length, often understood as the distance from the elbow to the tip of the middle finger (roughly 18 inches or 45 centimeters). This gives a sense of just how massive the ark was.
  • "length" (אֹרֶךְ, orekh), "breadth" (רֹחַב, rokhav), "height" (קוֹמָה, qomah): These words show that the description is about the ark’s physical dimensions, emphasizing its size and shape rather than its appearance or decoration.

Why Genesis 6:15 matters

  • This verse clears up the common misconception that the ark was a small boat; the measurements show it was a huge structure, more like a floating building.
  • The focus on specific dimensions highlights that Noah’s obedience involved following God’s instructions exactly, not improvising or guessing.
  • By giving these details, Genesis 6:15 connects the story to the real world, inviting readers to picture the ark as a tangible, physical object rather than just a symbol or legend.

Where else these words appear

“ark” Hebrew H8392 · used in 25 verses

  • Genesis 6:14 Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch.
  • Genesis 7:15 And they went in unto Noah into the ark, two and two of all flesh, wherein is the breath of life.
  • Genesis 8:10 And he stayed yet other seven days; and again he sent forth the dove out of the ark;

“height” Hebrew H6967 · used in 43 verses

  • Exodus 25:10 And they shall make an ark of shittim wood: two cubits and a half shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof, and a cubit and a half the height thereof.
  • 1 Kings 6:20 And the oracle in the forepart was twenty cubits in length, and twenty cubits in breadth, and twenty cubits in the height thereof: and he overlaid it with pure gold; and so covered the altar which was of cedar.
  • 2 Chronicles 6:13 For Solomon had made a brasen scaffold, of five cubits long, and five cubits broad, and three cubits high, and had set it in the midst of the court: and upon it he stood, and kneeled down upon his knees before all the congregation of Israel, and spread forth his hands toward heaven,

“breadth” Hebrew H7341 · used in 89 verses

  • Genesis 13:17 Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it; for I will give it unto thee.
  • 1 Kings 7:2 He built also the house of the forest of Lebanon; the length thereof was an hundred cubits, and the breadth thereof fifty cubits, and the height thereof thirty cubits, upon four rows of cedar pillars, with cedar beams upon the pillars.
  • Ezekiel 41:3 Then went he inward, and measured the post of the door, two cubits; and the door, six cubits; and the breadth of the door, seven cubits.

“length” Hebrew H753 · used in 90 verses

  • Genesis 13:17 Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it; for I will give it unto thee.
  • 1 Kings 6:20 And the oracle in the forepart was twenty cubits in length, and twenty cubits in breadth, and twenty cubits in the height thereof: and he overlaid it with pure gold; and so covered the altar which was of cedar.
  • Ezekiel 40:36 The little chambers thereof, the posts thereof, and the arches thereof, and the windows to it round about: the length was fifty cubits, and the breadth five and twenty cubits.