Summary: Is the Biblical account of Noah and the Ark real history? How could all those animals fit on the Ark? Does it even matter?
Then the Lord said to Noah, “Go into the ark, you and all your household, for I have seen that you are righteous before me in this generation.” – Genesis 7:1 (ESV)
Preparing the Next Generation
Oftentimes children from Christian families walk away from God and the Church when they enter college because they aren’t prepared to answer the questions skeptics throw at them about the Bible and their faith.
Students deserve to know that the Bible presents the true case about earth’s past, as well as its future. Secular colleges—and even many Christian colleges—teach that the Bible is not real history. The 18 inches that separate the head from the heart can represent a chasm of faith that is never crossed by many.
Today’s students want to know: When does the truth begin in the Bible? On the first page? How many pages need to be turned until the truth begins? This is especially true about Noah’s Flood.
Most Christian students believe that somewhere in the distant past the earth was flooded by an act of judgment from God, but sadly few can articulate when it happened, how long it lasted, how the Ark could have been seaworthy, and how Noah could have possibly loaded enough animal species to lead to the life we see on earth today. So let’s get equipped, starting from when the Flood happened.
The Biblical Timeline
A straight-forward reading from today’s modern Bibles places Noah’s Flood about 2,348 BC. This classic timeline comes from the 17th-century historian Bishop James Ussher, who used the biblical genealogies and other sources to estimate the year of Creation at 4,004 BC.
Some recent research into the copyist differences in the early Masoretic text (the primary source used for our Bibles today) and early Septuagint texts (early Greek translation of the Old Testament) place the Flood around 2,518 BC based on the Masoretic text and between 3,158 BC and 3,298 BC based on the Septuagint (and other early texts), with Creation as early as 5,554 BC.[1]
None of these differences, however, tarnish the perfect nature of the original writings which were “written through man by God” without error. These issues have been discussed in leading creation journals and readers are encouraged to study this topic further.
How long did the Flood last? Genesis 6–9 includes a diary from the very people who went through the Flood, including how the Flood started, major milestones during the process, to how it ended. Table 1 summarizes the entire process.
Was the Ark Seaworthy?
Next let’s investigate whether the Ark was seaworthy. God gave certain dimensions to Noah for building the Ark: 300 cubits long, 50 cubits wide, and 30 cubits high. Using the Nippur Cubit [3] at 20.4 inches, this works out to a vessel about 510 feet long, 85 feet wide, and 51 feet high.
Accounting for a 15% reduction in volume due to the hull curvature, the Ark had about 1.88 million cubic feet of space, the equivalent of 450 semi-trailers of cargo space.[4] Twice as long as a Boeing 747 and stretching over one-and-a-half football fields, this was a massive ship.
God knew exactly what He was doing when He gave Noah the specific dimensions of the Ark. In 1993, Dr. Seon Won Hong conducted a scientific study [6] to investigate the seaworthiness of the Ark at the renowned ship research center KRISO (now called MOERI) in South Korea.[7]
After evaluating the seaworthiness of over 10 various ship dimensions, the study showed that the Ark dimensions given in the Bible were ideal for handling everything a highly turbulent sea could throw at it, while balancing the need for inhabitant safety. The study showed that the Ark could handle 100-foot waves.
An earlier study conducted in the 17th Century by Peter Jansen of Holland showed that the length-to-width ratio of the Ark (about 7-to-1) was ideal for such a massive, non-powered sea vessel. Some oil tankers have a 7-to-1 ratio as well. He also demonstrated using replica models of the Ark how tough it was to capsize.[8]
How Did All the Animals Fit on the Ark?
One of the most frequently asked questions about the Ark is: “How could it fit all the animals?” Two factors help answer this question: (1) the size of the Ark, and (2) the number (and size) of the animals and supplies on board.
First, given its size (discussed above), the Ark had a total volume of at least 1,396,000 cubic feet.[9] The inside dimensions of a 40-foot school bus gives about 2,080 cubic feet of space. Therefore, at least 671 school buses without their wheels and axles could fit inside of Noah’s Ark. If each bus carried 50 students, then 33,550 kids could easily fit in the Ark.
Next, we have the number of animals. The Genesis Flood account states that God brought two (male/female) of every kind of air-breathing, land-dwelling animal (and seven pairs of some) to Noah, who loaded them into the Ark. The Hebrew term for kind is min, which occurs only 31 times in the Old Testament.
So just what is a biblical kind? Biblically and biologically speaking, a kind is a group of animals that were naturally interfertile at the time of the Flood. Some organisms have complex histories since then, so it’s difficult to determine which of them belongs to which kind.
Most often, however, plants and animals interbreed within their modern “Family” classification. Thus, each family—give or take—had at least two representatives on Noah’s ark. Several creation scientists have spent considerable amount of time studying this very topic (it’s called the field of baraminology, or the study of “created kinds”).[10]
While there are various methods for determining “kinds,” (e.g., cognitum and statistical baraminology), hybridization (whether two species can have offspring) is considered the most valuable evidence for inclusion within an Ark kind.
Take mammals for example. Some biologists list them in 28 orders that include 146 families and over 4,800 species.[11] Some place the species estimates higher, around 5,400.[12]
So how many different mammal pairs would Noah have to take on the Ark to produce all the mammal species we have today? Take the dog (Canine) kind for starters. The World Canine Organization currently recognizes 339 different breeds of dogs—all are or were interfertile. There are 335 horse breeds that are all interfertile. There are eight bear species in the bear (Ursidae) family and all except for one are interfertile. Notice how the high number of species quickly collapses to a much smaller number?
Some scientists have boiled down this list of mammal species to only 138 created kinds (using extant species, or animals still alive today). Including the extinct mammalian families known from the fossil record, the actual number on the Ark could have exceeded 300.[13] By collapsing the other animal categories in a similar manner, the total estimate of the number of kinds needed on the Ark is fewer than 2,000.[14]
Dinosaurs were certainly included on the ark, since Scripture says any animal that walked and had nostrils went in, with many dinosaur count estimates at the species level less than 1,000 and fewer than 80 at the family level.[15] Noah’s family could have loaded young behemoths, not the larger older ones. Dinosaur kinds, plus many other animals, went extinct after the Flood.
Conclusion
Having answers to questions about the Bible matters, especially for our young people when they go off to college and are bombarded with challenges to their faith. If they don’t have answers, they start to question the reliability of the Bible and therefore God.
The Bible says in 1 Peter 3:14-16:
But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame.
You can get tickets to the film ‘Ark and the Darkness’ now – Keep Thinking!
TOP PHOTO: Noah’s Ark. (credit: Domenico Morelli, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)
Daniel A. Biddle, Ph.D. is President of Genesis Apologetics, Inc. a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to training youth pastors, parents, and students about Genesis, Creation, and the Flood. Daniel has authored/edited nine books and several articles on these topics, produced two films on Genesis and apologetics (and is working on a third on Noah’s Flood, coming to theaters 2024), produced 100+ training videos on the Genesis Apologetics YouTube channel (with 176,000 subscribers, more than 20 million views, and content translated into 13 languages). Daniel has given hundreds of presentations to thousands of people on these topics. Daniel’s professional background includes undergraduate and graduate work in theology and apologetics, training as a behavioral scientist (Ph.D. Industrial- Organizational Psychology), and 20 years’ experience in expert witness consulting/testimony in state/federal cases involving scientific research methods, statistics, and psychometrics. Daniel and his wife Jenny live in Folsom, CA and enjoy their four adult children.
NOTE: Not every view expressed by scholars contributing Thinker articles necessarily reflects the views of Patterns of Evidence. We include perspectives from various sides of debates on biblical matters so that readers can become familiar with the different arguments involved. – Keep Thinking!
Footnotes:
- [1] See, for example: Rodger Young, “Ussher, Explained and Corrected.” Bible and Spade, 31 (2) (2018): 45; Brian Thomas, “Two date range options for Noah’s Flood,” Journal of Creation 31(1) (2017); Henry B. Smith Jr., “Methuselah’s Begetting Age in Genesis 5:25 and the Primeval Chronology of the Septuagint: A Closer Look at the Textual and Historical Evidence,” Answers Research Journal 10 (2017): 169–179. Answers in Genesis: www.answersingenesis.org/arj/v10/methuselah-primeval-chronology-septuagint.pdf (November 5, 2018); and Lita Cosner and Robert Carter, “Textual Traditions and Biblical Chronology,” Journal of Creation 29 (2) 2015. Journal of Creation: www.creation.com/images/pdfs/tj/j29_2/j29_2_99-105.pdf (November 5, 2018).
- [2] Bodie Hodge, “Biblical Overview of the Flood Timeline.” (August 23, 2010). Answers in Genesis. www.answersingenesis.org/bible-timeline/biblical-overview-of-the-flood-timeline/ (December 16, 2021).
- [3] Answers in Genesis: “Putting the Ark into Perspective” (January 23, 2014): www.answersingenesis.org/noahs-ark/putting-the-ark-into-perspective/ (December 16, 2021).
- [4] Michael Belknap and Tim Chaffey, “How Could All the Animals Fit on the Ark?” (April 2, 2019): www.answersingenesis.org/noahs-ark/how-could-all-animals-fit-ark/ (December 16, 2021).
- [5] John Woodmorappe, “Chapter 5: How Could Noah Fit the Animals on the Ark and Care for Them? (October 15, 2013; last featured March 2, 2014): www.answersingenesis.org/noahs-ark/how-could-noah-fit-the-animals-on-the-ark-and-care-for-them/ (December 16, 2021).
- [6] Dr. Hong earned his Ph.D. degree in applied mechanics from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.
- [7] S.W. Hong, S. S. Na, B.S. Hyun, S.Y. Hong, D.S. Gong, K.J. Kang, S.H. Suh, K.H. Lee, & Y.G. Je, “Safety investigation of Noah’s Ark in a seaway,” Creation.com: www.creation.com/safety-investigation-of-noahs-ark-in-a-seaway (January 1, 2014).
- [8] John Whitcomb, The World that Perished (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House, 1988): 24.
- [9] These estimates are based on the smaller cubit size.
- [10] Answers in Genesis: Created Kinds (Baraminology): www.answersingenesis.org/creation-science/baraminology/
- [11] R. M. Nowak, Walker’s Mammals of the World (6th ed. 2 Vols, Baltimore, Maryland: The Johns Hopkins University Press (1999).
- [12] Wilson & Reeder, Mammal Species of the World (3rd ed. 2005).
- [13] Jean K. Lightner, “Mammalian Ark Kinds,” Answers Research Journal 5 (2012):151–204. Answers in Genesis: www.answersingenesis.org/arj/v5/mammalian-ark-kinds.pdf (November 5, 2018).
- [14] Dr. Nathaniel T. Jeanson, “Which Animals Were on the Ark with Noah?
- Stepping Back in Time.” (May 28, 2016) Answers in Genesis:
- www.answersingenesis.org/creation-science/baraminology/which-animals-were-on-the-ark-with-noah/ (November 5, 2018).[15] Ronald J. Litwin, Robert E. Weems, and Thomas R. Holtz, Jr. Dinosaurs Fact and Fiction (www.pubs.usgs.gov/gip/dinosaurs/types.html and www.pubs.usgs.gov/gip/dinosaurs/ (November 5, 2018)
