Gopher wood orgopherwood is a term used once in theBible, to describe the material used to constructNoah's Ark.Genesis 6:14 states that Noah was instructed to build the Ark ofgofer (גֹפֶר), commonly transliterated asgopher wood, a word not otherwise used in the Bible or theHebrew language in general (ahapax legomenon). Although someEnglish Bibles attempt a translation, older English translations such as theKing James Version (17th century) leave it untranslated. The word is unrelated to the name of the North American animal known as thegopher.[1]
The GreekSeptuagint (3rd–1st centuries BC) translates the phrase asἐκ ξύλων τετραγώνων (ek xúlōn tetragṓnōn),'out of squared timber', translatinggofer as'squared'.[2] Similarly, the LatinVulgate (5th century AD) rendered it asde lignis levigatis (lævigatis, in the spelling of theClementine Vulgate),'of timber planks'.
The Jewish Encyclopedia states that it was most likely a translation of theAkkadian termgushure iṣ erini,'cedar beams', or theAssyriangiparu,'reeds'.[3] Ancient and modernkuphar boats on the Tigris and Euphrates are also built of reeds, waterproofed with pitch. The AramaicTargum Onkelos renders this word asqadros,'cedar'. The SyriacPeshitta translates this word asarqa,'box' (boxwood).[4]
Many modern English translations favor an identification withcypress. This was espoused (among others) byAdam Clarke, aMethodisttheologian famous for his commentary on the Bible: Clarke cited a resemblance between theGreek word for cypress, κυπάρισσοςkyparissos, and the Hebrew wordgopher. Likewise, theNova Vulgata (20th century) has it asde lignis cupressinis'out of cypress wood'.[citation needed]
Others, noting the visual similarity between theHebrew lettersgimel (ג) andkaf (כ), suggest that the word may actually bekopher, the Hebrew word meaning'pitch': thuskopher wood would be'pitched wood'. Later suggestions for adynamic equivalent of the word have included'laminated wood' (to strengthen the Ark), or a now-lost type of tree, but there is no consensus.[5]