6 Things You Didn’t Know About Noah in the Bible

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We are all familiar with the story of Noah and the Ark in the Bible. Noah’s Ark is one of the few stories that most people recognize, even those who have never stepped in a church or opened a Bible. The first time we hear about Noah in Scripture is in Genesis 5, which begins with “this is the book of the generations of Adam.” Noah represents the tenth generation from Adam. From the start, we see that Noah is going to be special as he is the only member of this genealogy whose name is explained. His father, Lamech, stares that his son, Noah, will bring relief. We see Noah’s obedient life demonstrated in his willingness to obey without question of the Lord’s commands regarding the ark. Consider the fact that Noah and his generation more than likely had never seen rain before, yet God tells Noah to build a large seagoing vessel nowhere near a body of water. Noah’s trust in God was such that he promptly obeyed. Noah’s blameless life is made manifest as he obeys the Lord in light approaching the day of wrath. How much do you really know about Noah in the Bible? Here are six things you may not know.

He Was the Grandson of Methuselah

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Noah was the grandson of Methuselah, the oldest person in the Bible, who died at 969 years old in the year of the flood. He is one of the favorite characters in the Old Testament. His father was Enoch, of whom it is said he “walked with God” (Genesis 5:24), but who was taken to heaven without dying at 365 years. While we know Noah’s father was Lamech, we are not told his mother’s name. Methuselah’s son Lamech died a few years before the flood at 777 years after Noah was born. We also know that he was the tenth generation descendent of Adam who was the first human being on earth. When Methuselah was born, his godly father must have prophetically known of coming things for his son’s name means “when he died, judgment,” and interestingly enough, Methuselah died in the same year God judged the sinful world with the great Flood of Noah’s day.

He Was 480 Years Old When God Asked Him to Build the Ark

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Noah was 480 years old when God asked him to build a ship to save all the animals and his immediate family. God was bringing a great flood because humans had set their hearts to do evil all the time (Genesis 6). God gave man 120 years more to live when He commanded Noah about the ark. The ark not only was the biggest ship build up at that time, it would be the largest sailing vessel man would construct until around the 1800s. God told Noah to make a ship that would have over 101,000 square feet of floor space. Because it was built on the 1:6 ration, modern naval architecture reveals is the most stable for ocean going vessels, it would be almost impossible to turn the ship over.

He Did Not Design the Ark

The Designer of the Ark was not Noah, but God Himself. We do not need to assume Noah knew anything about ship-building. The instructions for design are given in Genesis 6:14. In regards to construction materials, the Bible says the Ark was to be built of “gopher wood.” “Gopher” is the actual Hebrew word. In early English translations, the meaning of the word was unknown so it was left untranslated. The NIV translates it “cypress wood”; however, this is only a guess. It was undoubtedly translated this way due to the fact that cypress wood is highly resistant to rot. What this material was is still a mystery. It could have been a pre-flood wood which we are not familiar.

Where and When This Took Place

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Many people wonder where all of this took place? We know the Ark landed in the mountains of Ararat (Genesis 8:4), but we cannot know where the Ark was built since that world was destroyed (2 Peter 3:6). Throughout biblical history, it appears that people hesitated to move and spread out as God commanded (Genesis 9:1). Many people also question when these things took place. Utilizing genealogies in the Bible, we know the flood was close to 4,400 years ago, roughly 1,650 years after the creation. Noah was 600 when the Flood came. From Scripture, we know the dare of the start of the Flood (Genesis 7:11), and when they left the Ark (Genesis 8:14-15), so we know they were on the Ark for a little over a year.

He Got Drunk After the Flood

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Many note Noah as the first wine drinker. According to Genesis 9:20-21, at some point after the flood, Noah planted a vineyard, produced wine, and became drunk. Not only did he become drunk, but he was naked inside his tent. What followed was the sin of Ham and possibly Canaan. This is an uncomfortable episode in Noah’s life, but it serves as a reminder that even those saved by the grace of God are prone to sin (Genesis 8:21). It’s also a powerful warning about how just one careless decision can destroy the reputation of even the most godly man or woman, which is especially true when it comes to drinking. Ultimately, we can’t say for sure exactly why Noah became drunk. Scripture often leaves out details that are ultimately irrelevant to our relationship with God. The exact sequence of events leading to Noah’s stumble isn’t given in the Scriptures; however, what we do see is enough for us to understand the history of Noah’s sons and to be warned about the power of what we put into our bodies.