Reference: Ark
Easton
Noah's ark, a building of gopher-wood, and covered with pitch, 300 cubits long, 50 cubits broad, and 30 cubits high (Ge 6:14-16); an oblong floating house of three stories, with a door in the side and a window in the roof. It was 100 years in building (Ge 5:32; 7:6). It was intended to preserve certain persons and animals from the deluge which God was about to bring over the earth. It contained eight persons (Ge 7:13; 2Pe 2:5), and of all "clean" animals seven pairs, and of "unclean" one pair, and of birds seven pairs of each sort (Ge 7:2-3). It was in the form of an oblong square, with flat bottom and sloping roof. Traditions of the Deluge, by which the race of man was swept from the earth, and of the ark of Noah have been found existing among all nations.
The ark of bulrushes in which the infant Moses was laid (Ex 2:3) is called in the Hebrew teebah, a word derived from the Egyptian teb, meaning "a chest." It was daubed with slime and with pitch. The bulrushes of which it was made were the papyrus reed.
The sacred ark is designated by a different Hebrew word, 'aron', which is the common name for a chest or coffer used for any purpose (Ge 50:26; 2Ki 12:9-10). It is distinguished from all others by such titles as the "ark of God" (1Sa 3:3), "ark of the covenant" (Jos 3:6; Heb 9:4), "ark of the testimony" (Ex 25:22). It was made of acacia or shittim wood, a cubit and a half broad and high and two cubits long, and covered all over with the purest gold. Its upper surface or lid, the mercy-seat, was surrounded with a rim of gold; and on each of the two sides were two gold rings, in which were placed two gold-covered poles by which the ark could be carried (Nu 7:9; 10:21; 4:5,19-20; 1Ki 8:3,6). Over the ark, at the two extremities, were two cherubim, with their faces turned toward each other (Le 16:2; Nu 7:89). Their outspread wings over the top of the ark formed the throne of God, while the ark itself was his footstool (Ex 25:10-22; 37:1-9). The ark was deposited in the "holy of holies," and was so placed that one end of the poles by which it was carried touched the veil which separated the two apartments of the tabernacle (1Ki 8:8). The two tables of stone which constituted the "testimony" or evidence of God's covenant with the people (De 31:26), the "pot of manna" (Ex 16:33), and "Aaron's rod that budded" (Nu 17:10), were laid up in the ark (Heb 9:4). (See Tabernacle) The ark and the sanctuary were "the beauty of Israel" (La 2:1). During the journeys of the Israelites the ark was carried by the priests in advance of the host (Nu 4:5-6; 10:33-36; Ps 68:1; 132:8). It was borne by the priests into the bed of the Jordan, which separated, opening a pathway for the whole of the host to pass over (Jos 3:15-16; 4:7,10-11,17-18). It was borne in the procession round Jericho (6/4/type/leb'>Jos 6:4,6,8,11-12). When carried it was always wrapped in the veil, the badgers' skins, and blue cloth, and carefully concealed even from the eyes of the Levites who carried it. After the settlement of Israel in Palestine the ark remained in the tabernacle at Gilgal for a season, and was then removed to Shiloh till the time of Eli, between 300 and 400 years (Jer 7:12), when it was carried into the field of battle so as to secure, as they supposed, victory to the Hebrews, and was taken by the Philistines (1Sa 4:3-11), who sent it back after retaining it seven months (1Sa 5:7-8). It remained then at Kirjath-jearim (1Sa 7:1-2) till the time of David (twenty years), who wished to remove it to Jerusalem; but the proper mode of removing it having been neglected, Uzzah was smitten with death for putting "forth his hand to the ark of God," and in consequence of this it was left in the house of Obed-edom in Gath-rimmon for three months (2Sa 6:1-11), at the end of which time David removed it in a grand procession to Jerusalem, where it was kept till a place was prepared for it (2Sa 6:12-19). It was afterwards deposited by Solomon in the temple (1Ki 8:6-9). When the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem and plundered the temple, the ark was probably taken away by Nebuchadnezzar and destroyed, as no trace of it is afterwards to be found. The absence of the ark from the second temple was one of the points in which it was inferior to the first temple.
Illustration: Ark of the Covenant
See Verses Found in Dictionary
Make for yourself an ark of cypress wood; you must make the ark [with] rooms, then you must cover it with pitch, inside and outside. And this [is] how you must make it: the length of the ark, three hundred cubits; its width fifty cubits; its height, thirty cubits. read more. You must make a roof for the ark, and {finish it to a cubit above}. And [as for] the door of the ark, you must put [it] in its side. You must make it [with] a lower, second, and a third [deck].
From all the clean animals you must take for yourself {seven pairs}, a male and its mate. And from the animals that [are] not clean [you must take] two, a male and its mate, as well as from the birds of heaven {seven pairs}, male and female, {to keep their kind alive} on the face of the earth.
On this same day, Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and the wife of Noah and the three wives of his sons with them, went into the ark,
So Joseph died, [being] one hundred and ten years old. They embalmed him and he was placed in a coffin in Egypt.
But when she could no longer hide him, she got a papyrus basket for him, and she coated it with tar and with pitch, and she placed the boy in it, and she placed [it] among the reeds on the bank of the Nile.
And Moses said to Aaron, "Take one jar and put there a full omer of manna. Leave it before Yahweh for safekeeping for your generations."
"And they will make an ark of acacia wood, two and a half cubits its length and a cubit and a half its width and a cubit and a half its height. And you will overlay it with pure gold, inside and outside you will overlay it, and you will make on it a gold molding all around. read more. And you will cast for it four gold rings, and you will put [them] on its four feet, with two rings on its one side and two rings on its second side. And you will make poles of acacia wood, and you will overlay them [with] gold. And you will put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark to carry the ark with them. In the rings of the ark will be the poles; they will not be removed from it. And you will put into the ark the testimony that I will give to you. "And you will make an atonement cover of pure gold, two and a half cubits its length and a cubit and a half its width. And you will make two cherubim of gold; you will make them of hammered work at the two ends of the atonement cover. And make one cherub {at one end} and one cherub {at the other end} of the atonement cover; you will make the cherubim on its two ends. And the cherubim will be [with] outspread wings above, covering with their wings over the atonement cover {and facing each other}; the faces of the cherubim will be toward the atonement cover. And you will put the atonement cover above onto the ark, and into the ark you will put the testimony that I will give you. And I will meet you there, and I will speak with you from over the atonement cover, from between the two cherubim that [are to be] on the ark of the testimony--all that I will command you to the {Israelites}.
And I will meet you there, and I will speak with you from over the atonement cover, from between the two cherubim that [are to be] on the ark of the testimony--all that I will command you to the {Israelites}.
And Bezalel made the ark of acacia wood, two and a half cubits its length and a cubit and a half its width and a cubit and a half its height. And he overlaid it [with] pure gold inside and outside, and he made for it a gold molding all around. read more. And he cast for it four gold rings on its four feet; and two rings were on its one side, and two rings were on its second side. And he made poles of acacia wood, and he overlaid them [with] gold. And he put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark to carry the ark. And he made an atonement cover of pure gold, two and a half cubits its length and a cubit and a half its width. And he made two cherubim of gold; he made them of hammered work at the two ends of the atonement cover. One cherub [was] {at one end}, and one cherub [was] {at the other end} of the atonement cover; he made the cherubim at its two ends. And the cherubim were [with] outspread wings above, covering with their wings over the atonement cover {and facing each other}; the faces of the cherubim were toward the atonement cover.
And Yahweh said to Moses, "Tell your brother Aaron [that] he should not enter at any time into the sanctuary {behind} the curtain {in front of} the atonement cover that [is] on the ark, so that he might not die, because I appear in the cloud over the atonement cover.
When setting out the camp, Aaron and his sons will go and lower the curtain of the covering and cover with it the ark of the testimony.
When setting out the camp, Aaron and his sons will go and lower the curtain of the covering and cover with it the ark of the testimony. They will put on it a covering of {fine leather}, and they will spread a cloth of perfect blue over it, and they will place its poles.
Do this to them and they will live and not die when they come near the most holy things. Aaron and his sons will go and appoint them, each one to his task and burden. But they must not go and look {for a moment} at the holy objects."
But to the descendants of Kohath he did not give [anything] because the work of the sanctuary they carried upon them on their shoulders.
And when Moses came to the tent of assembly to speak with him, he would hear the voice speaking to him from the atonement cover, which [is] on the ark of the testimony, from between the two cherubim, and he would speak to him.
The Kohathites, the bearers of the sanctuary, set out, and they set up the tabernacle before they arrived.
And so they set out from the mountain of Yahweh a journey of three days, with the ark of the covenant of Yahweh setting out ahead of them three days' journey to search out a resting place for them; and the cloud of Yahweh [was] over them by day when they set out from the camp. read more. And whenever the ark was setting out Moses would say, "Rise up, Yahweh! May your enemies be scattered; may the ones that hate you flee from your presence." And when it rested he would say, "Return, Yahweh, to the countless thousands of Israel."
And Yahweh said to Moses, "Bring back the staff of Aaron before the testimony as a guard and sign for the children of rebellion, and let them finish their grumblings before me and not die."
"Take the scroll of this law and put it at the side of the ark of the covenant of Yahweh your God, and it will be there as a witness against you.
And Joshua said to the priests, "Take up the ark of the covenant and cross [over] {ahead of the people}." And they took up the ark of the covenant and went {ahead of the people}.
When those carrying the ark came up to the Jordan, and the priests carrying the ark dipped their feet in the edge of the water (the Jordan was flowing over its banks during all the days of harvest), the waters flowing down from above stood [still]; they stood up [in] one heap very far from Adam, the city that [is] beside Zarethan, while [the waters] flowing down to the sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, {were completely cut off}; and the people crossed [over] opposite Jericho.
you will say to them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off {from before} the ark of the covenant of Yahweh. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. These stones will be as a memorial for the {Israelites} for eternity."
The priests carrying the ark remained standing in the middle of the Jordan until everything that Yahweh commanded Joshua to tell the people was finished, according to all that Moses commanded Joshua. And the people hastily crossed [over]. And it happened, when all the people had finished crossing, the ark of Yahweh and the priests crossed [over] in front of the people.
So Joshua commanded the priests, saying, "Come up from the Jordan." And it happened that when the priests carrying the ark came up from the middle of the Jordan, and the soles of the priests' feet {touched dry land}, the waters of the Jordan returned to their place and flowed over all its banks as before.
And seven priests will bear seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark. On the seventh day you will march around the city seven times, and the priests will blow on the trumpets.
So Joshua son of Nun summoned the priests and said to them, "Take up the ark of the covenant, and let seven priests carry the trumpets of the rams' horns before the ark of Yahweh."
{And when Joshua spoke} to the people, the seven priests carrying the seven trumpets of rams' horns before the presence of Yahweh went forward and they blew the trumpets; and the ark of the covenant of Yahweh followed behind them.
And the ark of Yahweh went around the city, {circling once}, and they came [into] the camp and spent the night in the camp. Then Joshua got up early in the morning, and the priests took up the ark of Yahweh.
and the lamp of God had not yet gone out, Samuel was lying in the temple of Yahweh where the ark of God [was].
When the army came [back] to the camp, the elders of Israel asked, "Why has Yahweh defeated us today before [the] Philistines? Let us bring the ark of the covenant of Yahweh to us from Shiloh so that it may come into our midst and deliver us from the hand of our enemies." So the army sent to Shiloh and brought from there the ark of the covenant of Yahweh of hosts who sits [between] the cherubim. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, [were] there with the ark of the covenant of God. read more. Now when the ark of the covenant of Yahweh arrived at the camp, all Israel {let out a loud shout} so that the earth shook. When [the] Philistines heard the noise of the shouting, they said, "What [is] the noise of this loud shouting in the camp of the Hebrews?" Then they learned that the ark of Yahweh had come into the camp. So [the] Philistines were afraid, for they said, "God has come to the camp." And they said, "Woe to us, {for this has never happened before!} Woe to us! Who can deliver us from the hand of these mighty gods? These [are] the [same] gods who struck the Egyptians with all [sorts of] plagues in the desert. Take courage and be men, [you] Philistines, lest you end up serving the Hebrews just like they have served you. Be men and fight!" So [the] Philistines fought and Israel was defeated and each man fled to his tent, for the slaughter was very great. Thirty thousand foot soldiers from Israel fell. Furthermore, the ark of God was captured, and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, died.
The men of Ashdod saw [that] it [was] so, and they said, "The ark of the God of Israel should not remain with us, because his hand [is] harsh on us and on Dagon our god!" So they sent and gathered all the rulers of [the] Philistines to them, and they asked, "What shall we do with the ark of the God of Israel?" And they said, "Let the ark of the God of Israel be brought around toward Gath." So they moved the ark of the God of Israel [to Gath].
The men of Kiriath Jearim came and brought up the ark of Yahweh, and they brought it to the house of Abinadab in Gibeah. They consecrated Eleazer his son to guard the ark of Yahweh. {From} the day the ark stayed in Kiriath Jearim, {days multiplied and became twenty years} while all the house of Israel mourned after Yahweh.
David again gathered all the chosen men in Israel, thirty thousand. David got up and went and all the people who [were] with him, from Baale-judah to bring up from there the ark of God which [is] called the name, the name of Yahweh of hosts, {upon which the cherubim sit}. read more. They loaded the ark of God on a new utility cart, and they carried it from the house of Abinadab, which [was] on the hill. Now Uzza and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, [were] driving the new utility cart along. So they brought it out from the house of Abinadab, which [was] on the hill with the ark of God, and Ahio [was] going before the ark. Now David and all the house of Israel [were] dancing before Yahweh, with all kinds of [musical instruments made from] ash trees, and with zithers, harps, tambourines, sistrums, and cymbals. When they came to the threshing floor of Nakon, Uzza reached out to the ark of God and took hold of [it], because the oxen had stumbled. {Then the anger of Yahweh was kindled} against Uzza, and God struck him down there because of the indiscretion, and he died there beside the ark of God. {David was angry} because Yahweh had burst out against Uzza, and he called that place Perez-Uzza until this day. But David feared Yahweh on that day and said, "How can the ark of Yahweh come to me?" However, David [was] not willing to bring the ark of Yahweh to himself, to the city of David, so David caused it to turn [to] the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite. So the ark of Yahweh remained [in] the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite [for] three months, and Yahweh blessed Obed-Edom and all his household. It [was] told to King David, "Yahweh has blessed the household of Obed-Edom and all that [is] his because of the ark of God." So David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-Edom to the city of David with jubilation. It happened [that] when the carriers of the ark of Yahweh had marched six steps that he sacrificed an ox and a fatling. Now David [was] dancing with all [his] might before Yahweh, and David [was] wearing a linen ephod. So David and all the house of Israel [were] bringing up the ark of Yahweh with shouts of joyful acclaim and with the sound of the trumpet. It happened that when the ark of Yahweh came [into] the city of David, Michal the daughter of Saul looked down through the window and saw King David leaping and dancing before Yahweh, and she despised him in her heart. They brought the ark of Yahweh and set it in its place in the middle of the tent which David had pitched for it. Then David offered up burnt offerings and fellowship offerings in the presence of Yahweh. When David had finished from the sacrificing of the burnt offerings and the fellowship offerings, he blessed the people in the name of Yahweh of hosts. Then he distributed to all the people, to all the multitude of Israel, from man to woman, to each: one ring-shaped piece of bread, one cake of dates, and one cake of raisins; and all the people went each to his house.
The priests brought the ark of the covenant of Yahweh to its place in the inner sanctuary of the house, to the {most holy place}, under the wings of the cherubim, for the cherubim [were] spreading their wings over the place of the ark. The cherubim overshadowed the ark and its poles from above. read more. The poles [were] long, and the ends of the poles could be seen from the holy place {in front of} the inner sanctuary, but they could not be seen [from] the outside, and they are there until this day.
The poles [were] long, and the ends of the poles could be seen from the holy place {in front of} the inner sanctuary, but they could not be seen [from] the outside, and they are there until this day. There was not [anything] in the ark {except} the two tablets of stone which Moses had placed there at Horeb, where Yahweh {made} [a covenant] with the {Israelites} after they went out from the land of Egypt.
God will arise; his enemies will be scattered, and those who hate him will flee from before him.
Arise, O Yahweh, to your resting place, you and your mighty ark.
"For go now to my place that [was] in Shiloh, where I caused my name to dwell in the beginning, and see what I did to it {because of} the wickedness of my people Israel.
How, {in his anger}, the Lord has covered the daughter of Zion in a cloud! He has thrown down from heavens [to] earth the splendor of Israel, and he has not remembered his footstool in the day of {his anger}.
containing the golden incense altar and the ark of the covenant covered on all sides with gold, in which [were] a golden jar containing the manna and the rod of Aaron that budded and the tablets of the covenant.
containing the golden incense altar and the ark of the covenant covered on all sides with gold, in which [were] a golden jar containing the manna and the rod of Aaron that budded and the tablets of the covenant.
Fausets
(See NOAH.) The term (teebah) is applied to the infant Moses' ark. (See BULRUSH.) Teebah is evidently the Egyptian teb, "a chest," Hebraised. It has no Semitic equivalent. It is a type of the manger which disclosed to the shepherds Messiah, who, beginning with the manger, at last ascended to His Father's throne; also of the paper ark to which God has committed His revelation.
Hastings
This word, from Lat. arca, 'a chest,' is the rendering of two Hebrew words, of which one (t
See Verses Found in Dictionary
So Joseph died, [being] one hundred and ten years old. They embalmed him and he was placed in a coffin in Egypt.
And now go, lead the people to where I spoke to you. Look, my angel will go before you, and on the day [when] I punish I will punish them [for] their sin."
And I will send an angel before you, and I will drive out the Canaanites, the Amorites, and the Hittites and the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites,
And he said, "My presence will go, and I will give you rest."
And so they set out from the mountain of Yahweh a journey of three days, with the ark of the covenant of Yahweh setting out ahead of them three days' journey to search out a resting place for them;
And whenever the ark was setting out Moses would say, "Rise up, Yahweh! May your enemies be scattered; may the ones that hate you flee from your presence."
But they dared to go to the top of the mountain, and the ark of the covenant of Yahweh and Moses did not depart from the midst of the camp.
But they dared to go to the top of the mountain, and the ark of the covenant of Yahweh and Moses did not depart from the midst of the camp.
And because he loved your ancestors he chose their {descendants} after them. And he brought you forth from Egypt {with his own presence}, by his great strength,
{When I went up the mountain} to receive {the stone tablets}, the tablets of the covenant that Yahweh {made} with you, and remained on the mountain forty days and forty nights, I did not eat food and I did not drink water.
"At that time Yahweh said to me, 'Carve for yourself two tablets of stone [just] as the former [ones], and come up the mountain to me, and you shall make for yourself an ark of wood. And I will write on the tablets the words that were on the former [tablets], which you smashed, and you must put them in the ark.'
And I will write on the tablets the words that were on the former [tablets], which you smashed, and you must put them in the ark.' And [so] I made an ark {of acacia wood}, and I carved two tablets of stone like the former [ones], and I went up the mountain [with] the two tablets in my hand.
And [so] I made an ark {of acacia wood}, and I carved two tablets of stone like the former [ones], and I went up the mountain [with] the two tablets in my hand. And he wrote upon the tablets {according to the first writing}, the ten words that Yahweh spoke to you on the mountain from the midst of the fire on the day of the assembly, and Yahweh gave them to me. read more. And I turned, and I came down from the mountain, and I put the tablets in the ark that I had made, and they are there, [just] as Yahweh commanded me. "And the {Israelites} journeyed from [the] wells of Bene-Yaqan [to] Moserah; there Aaron died and was buried, and Eleazar, his son, served as a priest in place of him.
and they commanded the people: "When you see the Levitical priests carrying the ark of the covenant of Yahweh your God you must set out from your place and go after it.
So Joshua son of Nun summoned the priests and said to them, "Take up the ark of the covenant, and let seven priests carry the trumpets of the rams' horns before the ark of Yahweh."
and the lamp of God had not yet gone out, Samuel was lying in the temple of Yahweh where the ark of God [was].
And the word of Samuel came to all Israel. Now Israel went out to meet [the] Philistines for battle, and they encamped at Ebenezer, and [the] Philistines encamped at Aphek.
When the army came [back] to the camp, the elders of Israel asked, "Why has Yahweh defeated us today before [the] Philistines? Let us bring the ark of the covenant of Yahweh to us from Shiloh so that it may come into our midst and deliver us from the hand of our enemies."
Then the men of Beth Shemesh asked, "Who [is] able to stand before Yahweh, this holy God? And to whom shall it go up from us?"
The men of Kiriath Jearim came and brought up the ark of Yahweh, and they brought it to the house of Abinadab in Gibeah. They consecrated Eleazer his son to guard the ark of Yahweh.
However, David [was] not willing to bring the ark of Yahweh to himself, to the city of David, so David caused it to turn [to] the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite.
Now David [was] dancing with all [his] might before Yahweh, and David [was] wearing a linen ephod.
Uriah said to David, "The ark and Israel and Judah [are] living in the booths; and my lord Joab and the servants of my lord [are] camping on the surface of the open field; and I, shall I go to my house to eat and to drink and to sleep with my wife? [By] your life and the life of your soul, I surely will not do this thing."
At that time, Solomon assembled the elders of Israel, all the heads of the tribes, and the leaders of the {families} of the {Israelites} before King Solomon, in order to bring up the ark of the covenant of Yahweh from the city of David, that is, Zion.
It happened that when they saw a great deal of money in the chest, the secretary of the king and the high priest would come up, put the money in bags, then count the money found in the temple of Yahweh.
In all their distress, {there was no distress}, and the messenger of his {presence} saved them, in his love and compassion he himself redeemed them, and he lifted them up, and he supported them all [the] days of old.
And it will be when you have multiplied and become fruitful in the land in those days," {declares} Yahweh, "they will no longer say, 'The ark of the covenant of Yahweh.' And {it will not come to mind}, nor will they remember it, nor will they miss [it], nor will it be made again.
Watsons
ARK, arca, denotes a kind of floating vessel built by Noah, for the preservation of himself and family, with several species of animals during the deluge. The Hebrew word by which the ark is expressed, is ??? or ????, the constructive form of ???, which is evidently the Greek ????; and so the LXX render the word in Ex 2:3, where only it again occurs. They also render it ???????; Josephus, ???????; and the Vulgate arcam; signifying an ark, coffer, or chest. Although the ark of Noah answered, in some respects, the purpose of a ship, it is not so certain that it was of the same form and shape. It has been inconclusively argued by Michaelis and some others, that if its form had not been like that of a ship, it could not have resisted the force of the waves; because it was not intended to be conducted, like a ship, from one place to another, but merely "to float on the surface of the waters," Ge 7:17. It appears to have had neither helm, nor mast, nor oars; but was merely a bulky capacious vessel, light enough to be raised aloft with all its contents, by the gradual rise of the deluge. Its shape, therefore, was of little importance; more especially as it seems to have been the purpose of Providence, in this whole transaction, to signify to those who were saved, as well as to their latest posterity, that their preservation was not in any degree effected by human contrivance. The ark in which Moses was exposed bears the same name; and some have thought that both were of the same materials. With respect to the etymology of the Hebrew word, the most rational seems to be that of Clodius, who derives it from the Arabic word ???, "he collected," from which is formed ???, or ????, denoting a place in which things are collected. Foster deduces it from two Egyptian words, thoi, "a ship," and bai, "a palm tree branch;" and such ships are still to be seen not only in Egypt, but in India and other countries; particularly in some isles of the Pacific Ocean.
To the insufficiency of the ark to contain all the creatures said to have been brought into it, objections have, at different times, been made. Bishop Wilkins and others have learnedly discussed this subject, and afforded the most satisfactory answers. Dr. Hales proves the ark to have been of the burden of forty-two thousand four hundred and thirteen tons; and asks, "Can we doubt of its being sufficient to contain eight persons, and about two hundred or two hundred and fifty pair of four-footed animals, (a number to which, according to M. Buffon, all the various distinct species may be reduced,) together with all the subsistence necessary for a twelvemonth, with the fowls of the air, and such reptiles and insects as cannot live under water?" All these various animals were controlled by the power of God, whose special agency is supposed in the whole transaction, and "the lion was made to lie down with the kid." Whether Noah was commanded to bring with him, into the ark, a pair of all living creatures, zoologically and numerically considered, has been doubted. During the long period between the creation and the flood, animals must have spread themselves over a great part of the antediluvian earth, and certain animals would, as now, probably become indigenous to certain climates. The pairs saved must therefore, if all the kinds were included, have travelled from immense distances. But of such marches no intimation is given in the history; and this seems to render it probable that the animals which Noah was "to bring with him" into the ark, were the animals clean and unclean of the country in which he dwelt, and which, from the capacity of the ark, must have been in great variety and number. The terms used, it is true, are universal; and it is satisfactory to know, that if taken in the largest sense there was ample accommodation in the ark. Nevertheless, universal terms in Scripture are not always to be taken mathematically, and in the vision of Peter, the phrase ????? ?? ????????? ??? ???,
See Verses Found in Dictionary
And the flood came forty days and forty nights upon the earth. And the waters increased, and lifted the ark, and it rose up from the earth.
But when she could no longer hide him, she got a papyrus basket for him, and she coated it with tar and with pitch, and she placed the boy in it, and she placed [it] among the reeds on the bank of the Nile.