Genesis 6:16 Commentary and Bible Study

Verse 16 is a little difficult to follow, a little obscure. ‘A window shalt thou make to the ark’ – presumably in the roof. For what purpose? For the fulfilment of what follows in the narrative in the next chapters, not really for practical purposes. Where the KJV is unsure, it sticks to a literal translation. This is the only window mentioned so there could just be one, but it could be continuous with the ark. Later it is said to be opened in order to allow Noah to release the raven and the dove from the ark. ‘And in a cubit shalt thou finish it above.’ Different translations try different renderings. One view is that it means that the walls of the ark, the sides of the ark and the back and the front, stopped one and a half feet short of the roof, which presumably overhung the sides so that there was a space there for ventilation and for light, but the roof would overhang to keep the water out. Others say, ‘No, it was totally enclosed.’ It looks more likely that there was an air space all around under the roof, but it is not really relevant to our interpreting of the passage, and the purpose of it all. There are ‘lower, second, and third stories.’