Bible Dictionary
Gopher
Gopher wood was the material from which God commanded Noah to build the ark. Scripture does not identify the tree with certainty; cypress and other kinds of prepared wood have been suggested.
Definition
Gopher wood was the material God commanded Noah to use in building the ark. Scripture names it only in Genesis 6:14 and does not identify the tree with certainty.
Biblical Usage
Gopher wood appears in the divine instruction for constructing Noah’s ark before the flood.
Historical Background
Suggested explanations include squared beams, planed wood, pine, cedar, and cypress. The supplied material regards cypress as the leading identification because it grew abundantly in Chaldea and Armenia.
Scripture References
Related Figures
Historical Bible Dictionaries
Easton's Bible Dictionary
A tree from the wood of which Noah was directed to build the ark (Gen. 6:14). It is mentioned only there. The LXX. render this word by “squared beams,” and the Vulgate by “planed wood.” Other versions have rendered it “pine” and “cedar;” but the weight of authority is in favour of understanding by it the cypress tree, which grows abundantly in Chaldea and Armenia.
Smith's Bible Dictionary
(pitch) wood. Only once mentioned— (Genesis 6:14) Two principal conjectures have been proposed—