Gopher

Gopher wood is the material God specified for the construction of Noah's ark: "Make thee an ark of gopher wood" (Gen. 6:14). The Hebrew term gofer appears nowhere else in Scripture, making its identification uncertain. Proposed identifications include cypress (common in the ancient Near East, durable for shipbuilding), cedar, pine, or an obsolete Semitic term for a resinous wood. Some scholars note that the word kopher (pitch, used to seal the ark) is cognate, suggesting that gopher wood may refer to a resinous, pitch-producing tree. The Septuagint renders it as "squared timber." No certain botanical identification has been established.