How Big Was Noah’s Ark?

(3 Minute Read. 23Feb2022)

Could a full-size replica of Noah’s Ark be built on the playing field of the largest stadium in the Western Hemisphere?

Genesis records God’s construction specs for how to build the Ark:
Make for yourself an ark of gopher wood; you shall make the ark with rooms, and shall cover it inside and out with pitch. This is how you shall make it: the length of the ark three hundred cubits, its breadth fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits. You shall make a window for the ark, and finish it to a cubit from the top; and set the door of the ark in the side of it; you shall make it with lower, second, and third decks. (Genesis 6:14-16)

So just how big was Noah’s Ark?

A cubit is the distance from a man’s elbow to finger tips. How long is that?

We usually think of a cubit as 18 inches. But archaeologists have uncovered several cubits in Assyria, Babylon, and Egypt. The short or common cubit used commercially was 17.6 inches. The long or royal cubit used for construction ranged from 20.4 to 21.9 inches.

Thus the Ark would have been a mammoth vessel measuring at least 510 feet long, 85 feet wide, and 51 feet high (using 20.4 inches for a cubit). This is longer than one and a half football fields and higher than a five story building. But it could have been as large as 547 feet long, 91 feet wide, and 55 feet high (using 21.9 inches for a cubit).

It could have been even larger since pre-Flood men were likely larger than men today. We don’t know the exact length of Noah’s antediluvian cubit. So a reasonable estimate for the Ark’s length could be 550 feet. That’s an easy number to remember as well.

To get a feel for the size of Noah’s Ark, let’s compare it to the largest capacity stadium in the United States. This is Michigan Stadium on the campus of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. It has a record attendance of 115,109. It is the third largest stadium in the world, behind the ones in India and North Korea.

But Noah’s Ark was so huge that it would not have fit on the ground inside Michigan Stadium, the country’s largest stadium.

Aerial photograph of Michigan Stadium on June 14, 2021
Noah’s Ark Could Not Be Set Down Inside

Rim to rim at the top of the stands, Michigan Stadium measures about 760 feet long. This is about one and a half times the length of Noah’s Ark. Thus if one were to set Noah’s Ark into Michigan Stadium, the Ark could not rest on the field. It would rest on the seats almost half way up to the top rim of the stadium.

The next time you are in a football stadium, imagine Noah’s Ark resting on top or near the top of the stands to get a feel for its enormity.

How does Noah’s Ark compare in size with other large ships?

Comparison of Large Ships with Noah’s Ark

Noah’s Ark was probably the largest wooden ship ever built.

The capacity of Noah’s Ark was about that of 522 standard railroad boxcars. That’s plenty of room for people, animals, and supplies as will be discussed in a later article.

Questions to Ponder

1. Can you find a five-story building near you comparable in size to Noah’s Ark, to help anchor your comprehension of Noah’s project?
2. What question about Noah perplexes you the most?

Share your thoughts on these questions in the comments below. It could encourage or help another reader.

For Christ and His Kingdom. Soli Deo Gloria. Alere Flammam Veritatis.

This is the fifth in a series of articles on Noah. This Noah Series will suggest answers to many of the questions believers and skeptics have about Noah, Noah’s Ark, and Noah’s Flood.
Read the prequels:
1. Think You Know Noah?
2. Did Jesus Think Noah Was Real?
3. How Long Did It Take Noah to Build the Ark?
4. Could Noah Build the Ark in 75 Years?

Read the sequel:
6. Were Dinosaurs on Noah’s Ark?

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©William T. Pelletier, Ph.D.
“contending earnestly for the faith”
“destroying speculations against the knowledge of God”
“for the defense of the gospel”
(Jude 1:3; 2 Cor 10:5; Phil 1:16)
Wednesday February 23, 2022 A.D.

Then God said to Noah, “The end of all flesh has come before Me; for the earth is filled with violence because of them; and behold, I am about to destroy them with the earth. Make for yourself an ark of gopher wood; you shall make the ark with rooms, and shall cover it inside and out with pitch. This is how you shall make it: the length of the ark three hundred cubits, its breadth fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits. You shall make a window for the ark, and finish it to a cubit from the top; and set the door of the ark in the side of it; you shall make it with lower, second, and third decks. Behold, I, even I am bringing the flood of water upon the earth, to destroy all flesh in which is the breath of life, from under heaven; everything that is on the earth shall perish.
(Genesis 6:13-17)

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