@ellenvera et. al.
You bring up an interesting topic for discussion.
I enjoy learning about words, and ARK is a very interesting word, one you and I probably use rarely; most use the word very specifically in common English parlance. If you say “ark” almost everyone in our society will think of Noah’s ark. If you ask a student of the Bible they may think of at least three “arks” mentioned, each one a specific container made of natural wood (or reeds).
Three Arks of The Bible
Genesis 6: An ark of Gopherwood; called Noah’s ark.
Exodus 2: An ark of bulrushes; Moses’s floating bassinette.
Exodus 25: An ark of Acacia wood; called the ark of the testimony; ark of the covenant, ark of God
Our very gifted English bible translators chose to use this English word “ark” sparingly in The Bible, insuring it carries a specific intentional meaning. There are at least two Hebrew words translated into the English word “ark”: Tēbâ: (tevah)(28 times) meaning a chest or protecting container, & ʾārôn meaning a container to keep things together. The first one used to translate Noah’s ark (and also the basket baby Moses was placed into). Noah’s ark is never translated “boat”, “ship”, “watercraft”, or ferry, although Hebrew has these words to describe such things (for instance, see:2 Samuel 19:18). It was none of these, it had no propulsion, no keel, no rudder, no prow; it was a floating box. The second word (ʾārôn ) is the hebrew word translated "ark, when speaking of “The ark of the Covenant”. There is also a Greek word translated ark, it’s kibōtós (6 times) ;and it means a box, a chest, or a container. In the N.T. that single Greek words is used for both Noah’s ark, and the Ark of the Covenant. There are other Hebrew and Greek words translated as box, container, vessel, coffer, or chest, so “ark” is not the only word our translators could have chosen. “Ark” is used sparingly and intentionally. BTW, our English word “ark” owes its origin to the Latin word “arca”, meaning a large box, chest, or coffer. Enough etymology.
Why do I bring this up as a response to the question: “How long did it take Noah to build the ark”? Because, I think the bible helps us understand that not just the ark itself, but “building the ark” also has Godly intentionality; i.e. spiritual purpose. The various “arks” God tells His people to build have some very important symbology right on the surface. They all are observable symbols of God’s protection, God’s presence, God’s promises, God’s preparation, and God’s purposes. (the alliteration is purely unplanned. I ‘pologize (that one was on purpose) someone stop me!). But there are some other things I think we can discern from these three vessels that we call “arks”. One thing is their contents. Each one is a container for God’s supernatural “deliverance”. God planned for a deliverer, but God would not provide the deliverer immediately. First the deliverer’s container had to be planned out, tools and materials had to be gathered, laborers recognized, construction scheduled, and obstacles overcome. Each one took time, each one was a well-planned project. As containers of the deliverer, the period of their construction was a testimony of God’s divine plan through their use. Building a huge wooden box on dry land, a task that took decades, must have been an in-your-face testimony to all those who could observe it. The years of construction shouted to the world that Noah believed that God had a plan, and he was preparing for it. This was testimony of God’s goodness, and love for His created world. He did not leave the world without an obvious testimony, without an unmistakable message of repentance, without time to come to the light. Similar symbology can be understood by the floating bassinet Jochebed made to keep baby Moses alive, and the ensuing protracted development of “Moses the Deliverer” though his many stages of life. Also Moses would be instructed to construct the Ark of the covenant, another wooden box. This one would be covered in gold, it would be the resting place upon which the mercy seat of God would reside, it was to be the very meeting place of God and Man. This ark contained the stone tablets, the pot of manna, and the budding rod. These spoke of the divine covenant that God made with man, the very promise of God to send a deliverer who would save mankind from their sins.
Even though the Bible doesn’t mention this per’se God is building an ark even now, a vessel of His promise, a testimony to the lost world, a container of His life, a place where God meets mankind. The ark of God’s New Covenant is you!. You are the container of His promise, you are the testimony of His willingness to impart Life, you are the housing of His Holy Spirit, you are the body of His Son, the deliverer. Your are the in-process container of God, now in active development. You are The Ark that floats above the storms and raging waters of the turbulent sea of human beings, testifying to a drowning world, “There is room for you! Let me help you on-board.
Much love to all who are on-board.
KP
