Noah's Ark

[Norman]

How long did it take Noah to build the ark? How long was he in the ark? Just wondering what you have been taught and your reasoning. I will check back in a day or two to see your comments.

Smiles- Norman :)

[me again]

I think it took 120 years to build it and he was in it for around 40 days??? I confess I didn't look it up and that's just off the top of my head.

[Doma]

I also have not looked, tho read about this at another forum recently I think he was in the ark 1 year, it rained 40 days...

[Norman]

How long did it take Noah to build the ark? How long was he in the ark? Just wondering what you have been taught and your reasoning. I will check back in a day or two to see your comments.

Smiles- Norman :)



I spent a while typing in a reply and somehow lost it all. I'll try again later.

Smiles -Norman

[Quasar]

How long did it take Noah to build the ark? How long was he in the ark? Just wondering what you have been taught and your reasoning. I will check back in a day or two to see your comments.

Smiles- Norman :)


Greetings Norman,

It took Noah something close to 100 years to build the ark. Gen.5:32 reveals Noah was 500 years old when he became the father of Shem, Ham and Japheth. It does not reveal to us whether they were all born the same day - or undoubtedly - at different times. We are simply not told. Though we are also not told whether these three sons helped Noah build the ark or not, but he was 600 years old when it was finished. Gen.7:6.

Your bro in Christ.

Quasar

[John Oscar]

Noah was in the ark for one full year if you do the calculations from the dates found in Genesis 7. I'm not sure where the number of 120 years it took to build the ark comes from, but all of the major commentators argree on it.

Blessings

[Norman]

The birth of Naoh's three sons is reported befor he was instructed to build the ark. A male was considered a lad until he was almost 30 Shem went on the ark married. Sure I have already made up my mind but to spark people into Bible study I practice asking "tricky" questions. It is not to start a debate or argue but to stir up the minds of God's pleple. Genesis and Revelation are the most chronoloically written books of the Bible. There is a verse in -
Genesis 6:3 And the Lord said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.
The word man here is translated from the Hebrew meaning Adam; the man Adam, not men in general. Therefore Adam lived only 120 years after that. Shem was only 100 years old two years after the flood.

Genesis 11:10 These are the generations of Shem: Shem was an hundred years old, and begat Arphaxad two years after the flood:

Thanks to all of you for your comments and pray for this old man (68) I have a desire to build a church here in South Texas. It will be my last before I go home to be with the Lord.

Smiles- Norman




Noah was in the ark for one full year if you do the calculations from the dates found in Genesis 7. I'm not sure where the number of 120 years it took to build the ark comes from, but all of the major commentators argree on it.

Blessings

[Cop4Christ]

HOW COULD NOAH HAVE BUILT THE ARK ALL BY HIMSELF?
- BTG No. 136b April 2000
by John D. Morris, Ph.D.*
© Copyright 2004 Institute for Creation Research. All Rights Reserved.

". . . the works were finished from the foundation of the world." (Hebrews 4:3)

Some have ridiculed the Flood story by insisting that the job of the Ark's construction was impossibly large. How could Noah have done it? Admittedly, we don't have all the details, but let's make some reasonable assumptions and see if the task is too great.

The Lord predicted that His judgment on the sinful civilization in the days of Noah would come in 120 years (Genesis 6:3). When He told Noah and instructed him to build the Ark (6:14_16) is unclear. But let's assume that Noah had the full 120 years warning.

Noah's three sons began to be born 100 years before the Flood (cf. 5:32 with 7:6) and within a few years were able to help. There may have been others to help as well, for grandfather Methusalah was alive during the entire construction period, dying the year of the Flood. There may have been others in a godly remnant of whom we know nothing. All we know now is that only eight people, Noah and his wife, their three sons, and their wives, constituted the faithful still living when the Flood finally came (7:13; II Peter 2:5). It may also have been that Noah hired construction workers to help. He must have been at least wealthy enough to abandon his livelihood during this period, but again we have no knowledge of these details.

Let's take the worst case scenario. Let's assume that only Noah and his three sons were available to help. Could they have done it all by themselves? To answer this we must first understand the magnitude of the job.

In Scripture we are only told the gross dimensions of the Ark—450 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet high, assuming a cubit of 18" (6:15). We also know that the Ark had three decks (6:16). Thus the overall volume of the Ark was:

450 x 75 x 45 = 1.52 x 106 ft.3

But a structure consists mostly of open space. Most houses are over 95% open, less for large ships. In our worst case scenario, let's assume that 20% of the Ark's volume was worked lumber that the four men had to gather, transport to the construction site, do the necessary shaping and install.

1.52 x 106 x .2 = .304 x 106 ft.3

Remember, the Ark didn't have to win any beauty contests, or speed races, it just had to be strong and float. It probably more resembled a rough barn or stable in workmanship. The generations so soon after creation, living in an ideal environment with long life spans, were no doubt intelligent and capable. It hardly matters if the family were experienced in construction for within a year or so they would have been true professionals. An experienced crew of four could have installed, we assume, an average of 15 cubic feet of wood per day. If anything, this estimate seems low, but this is the worst case!

15 ft x 6 days x 52 wks = 4,680 ft3/year

It's now easy to calculate how long it would have taken.

0.304 x 106 ft3 = 65 years

4,680 ft3/year

Sixty-five years under this worst case scenario! A big job, yes, but Noah was a faithful man, and accomplished the task. As we see, even simple calculations can enhance our faith in God's Word.

*Dr. John Morris is President of ICR.

[John Oscar]

This article of course assumes that Noah and his sons were of the same size, stamina and strength that modern man is. It aludes a little that they might, but we should consider this verse:

Gen 6:4
4 There were giants on the earth in those days,

Whose to say that Noah and his sons weren't one of them. Think of the ease of chopping down a tree, and then tossing the tree (or two or three trees)
on your shoulder and carrying it to the building site...

Many creation scientists point to the strong evidence of a layer of water/ice that surrounded the earth prior to the flood. If that were the case, atmospheric pressure would drive oxygen into our bodies, enabling us to work unceasingly without getting tired. Just taking a deep breath would be an experience!

If you don't believe me, next time you are around oxygen, take a mask on high flow and take a few deep breaths. It's pretty cool. And that is not even at high pressure!

Blessings

[Quasar]

Your analogy of how long it ook Noah to build the Ark is interesting, Cop4Christ. It might well have been 65 years.

Reviewing what the Bible says about it all - it seems Noah was about 503 years old when Shem was born, as the latter was 97 when the flood came and 100, two years after the flood. Gen.11:10. By the same token, Noah was 600 when the floodwaters came, Gen.7:6 and 601 years old when the water dried up from the earth, and they all came out of the Ark. Gen.8:13-15. So they were in the Ark for one year.

The statement by God in Gen.6:3, "My Spirit will not contend with man forever, for he is mortal; his days will be a hundred and twenty years," has nothing at all to do with the flood of Noah. But rather, as God looks forward to the end of this age, when Jesus returns to establish His [7th] Millennial reign.

God is not going to tell us all how long this age is going to last as it is in the scope of His own planning for such things to be known rather than for the curiosity seekers. However, Jesus told us the Spirit will teach us all things in Jn.14:26. in Lev.23:8-54 is a lengthy discourse regarding 'The Year of Jubilee,' which was established by God for Israel, through Moses. It takes place once every 50 years. Therefore, if God was refering to 50 of these Jubilee years in connection with His reference to giving man 120 years for His Spirit to contend with him, it would amount to 120 X 50, which equals 6,000 years. Which, very frankly, brings us right up to the end of the age.

Your bro in Christ.

Quasar