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Hidden Spiritual Gem #2 From the Bible: Noah’s Ark (“Salvation”) Versus Moses’ Ark (“Judgment”)


Introduction

Many people, including those who are quite familiar with the Bible, can easily miss the Hidden Treasures that God has miraculously and supernaturally placed, and otherwise concealed, within His Word, the Bible, apart from careful Holy Spirit led searching. Those “hid treasures”, will always point us to the LORD Jesus Christ. In many cases, as this study will show, a lot can get lost in the translation from the original Hebrew of the Old Testament and Greek of the New Testament into King James English.

This post is excerpted from a longer one on such Hidden Treasures, which expounds upon the basis for the understanding of how and why such hid treasures exist in the Bible. That post also explains how the Believer in the LORD Jesus Christ should always prayerfully approach the scriptures with reverential awe, just as the Psalmist prayed to God in Psalm 119:18, “Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.” And, most importantly, those “wondrous things” are for the purpose of focusing our eyes on the LORD Jesus Christ.

Noah’s Ark Versus Moses’ Ark

Many people in the world have heard of Noah’s Ark, but far fewer have heard of Moses’ “Ark”. The word translated into English as “Ark” is from the original Hebrew word תֵּבָה (tēḇâ)H8392, whose derivation is unknown, but is generally interpreted as a “vessel”. Its literal sense, as found in the Bible, pertains to a vessel for floating on the surface of water for the purpose of preserving its contents.

God has hidden some interesting and profound spiritual insights within the verses that address these two distinct “Arks”, wherein each served as floating vessels for the preservation of their respective passengers within a context that has deeper spiritual implications.

  1. The first Ark, as is described in Genesis 6:13-22, was made of “gopher” (גֹּפֶר (gōp̄er))H1613 wood (possibly cypress?) to contain righteous Noah and his wife and his three sons and their wives, for a total of eight human souls, along with an untold number of animals of all kinds, to preserve them from the first global Judgment Day that God brought upon the world via a global flood of water.
  2. The second Ark, as is described in Exodus 2:1-6, was like a basket made of “bulrushes” (גֹּמֶא (gōme’))H1573, or papyrus reeds, and bore Moses, as a three month old baby, upon the Nile River until Moses was discovered and adopted by Pharaoh’s daughter. The man, Moses, would eventually lead the nation of Israel to safety after God’s Judgment was poured out on Egypt and its Pharaoh.

That is the “literal-historical” account as provided within the physical text of the Bible. However, there is also a “Hidden Spiritual Gem” that can be found in association with these two “Arks”, which deals with the words in the original Hebrew that the King James translators interpreted in English as “pitch“, the key material that was applied in the construction of each of these two very different “Arks”. Such pitch is generally presumed to be only for the “literal” purpose of keeping each “Ark” from sinking.

Note to the Reader: It should also be noted that the “Arks” of Noah and Moses are not to be confused with the “‘Ark’ of the Covenant/Testimony” that contained the Ten Commandments as given by God to Moses. The word translated there as “Ark” is from the original Hebrew word אָרוֹן (‘ārôn)H727, which means a “chest” or “coffin” (and it was first used in the Bible to describe the “coffin” that was used to transport the body of Joseph in Genesis 50:26)

This study will, hopefully, enlighten the reader to the fact that there is far more to the Bible than meets the physical eye, and that we should never take any translations of the original languages at face value, but rather carefully and faithfully and prayerfully “search the scriptures” to find the spiritual truths that God has hidden within His Word, and which can so easily be missed in casual reading. This admonition is particularly applicable to those who adamantly hold to the “Literal-Grammatical-Historical” hermeneutic in interpreting God’s Holy Word, the Bible, and who do not understand, nor are interested in, God’s hermeneutic, which is replete with a variety of parables that veil spiritual truth that consistently point us to the Person and Work of the LORD Jesus Christ. Jesus pointedly told the Jews of His day in John 5:39, to “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.”

Noah’s Ark

Salvation

Provided by Noah’s Ark by Grace, Through Atonement and Ransom in Satisfaction of the Law

If we just casually read the Bible, and come across verses like these in Genesis 6:13&14 that follow concerning Noah’s Ark, do we really give them much thought? Let us first read these two verses and then take a closer look to see if there is something that a casual reading might miss. What hidden gem might we find?

But, before we do we first need to go back to Genesis to understand the contextual setting and purpose for Noah’s Ark.

Genesis 6:5-8, provides the context, “¶And GOD saw that the wickedness of man [was] great in the earth, and [that] every imagination of the thoughts of his heart [was] only evil continually. And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them. But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.” Did you catch that? Noah was not condemned, but rather was granted God’s Grace!

Moving on to Genesis 6:13&14, we read, ¶And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth. Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch.“

Well, if we just take the words provided in these two verses and accept them using the “Literal-Grammatical-Historical” method of interpretation, then we would have to say that God is only telling us that the world was full of evil violent people, and that, as a result, God is going to destroy them and the whole earth in as well. Moreover, the Ark is going to be made of a wood called gopher wood, it will have rooms inside, and Noah was directed to seal it with pitch inside and out, presumably to make it water tight.

Is that all there is to these verses? Well, the literalists would certainly say so. However, there is something else, far more important, like a hidden precious gem in this text of the second verse that the literalists will NEVER see on their own!

So then, let us take a closer look to see that hidden gem from God.

The first item that draws a curious glance is the word “gopher” wood. If we look at that original Hebrew, we come to a dead end, because the word translated as “gopher” is from the Hebrew word גֹּפֶר (gōp̄er)H1613. That word, gōp̄er, is only used once in the entire Bible! So we have no way to compare scripture with scripture for a cross reference to gain any spiritual insights from this word. Some have speculated that it is “cypress”, but that is a different word תִּרְזָה (tirzâ)H8645 as can be found translated (along with “cedar”אֶרֶז (‘erez)H730, “oak” אַלּוֹן (‘allôn)H437 , and “ash” אֹרֶן (‘ōren)H766) in Isaiah 44:14.

On the other hand, when we look at both the first and second words that are translated as “pitch” in the King James Version of the Bible, we find something quite extraordinary!

Wow!…what does that bring to mind? For me, my first thought is the atoning sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ, as He is the Spiritual means by which the eight souls in the Ark can be saved who Typify the elect of God, the eternal Israel, who are purged of their sins and reconciled to God and who are saved from the wrath of God on Judgment Day (“Typified” by the Great Flood that destroyed the world in Noah’s day). What about you? Is this just some strange happenstance?… or some kind of error? Absolutely NOT!

Let us look at a few exemplar verses that show how this word is used elsewhere in the Old Testament in:

  1. Leviticus 16:32&33, “And the priest, whom he shall anoint, and whom he shall consecrate to minister in the priest’s office in his father’s stead, shall make the atonement (כָּפַר (kāp̄ar))H3722, And the priest, whom he shall anoint, and whom he shall consecrate to minister in the priest’s office in his father’s stead, shall make the atonement (כָּפַר (kāp̄ar))H3722, and shall put on the linen clothes, [even] the holy garments: And he shall make an atonement (כָּפַר (kāp̄ar))H3722 for the holy sanctuary, and he shall make an atonement (כָּפַר (kāp̄ar))H3722 for the tabernacle of the congregation, and for the altar, and he shall make an atonement (כָּפַר (kāp̄ar))H3722 for the priests, and for all the people of the congregation.“
  2. Proverbs 16:6, “By mercy and truth iniquity is purged(כָּפַר (kāp̄ar))H3722: and by the fear of the LORD men depart from evil.“
  3. Daniel 9:24, “Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation (כָּפַר (kāp̄ar)) H3722 for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.

Amazingly, God confirms this derived spiritual interpretation via a “second witness”, in effect by “doubling down”, with the use of the other word found in the same verse which is also translated as “pitch”

  • The second word that is translated as “pitch” in Genesis 6:14 is from the original Hebrew word, (כֹּפֶר (kōp̄er))H3724, which is again only translated once in the whole Bible as “pitch”, and yet it appears 16 times in other places in the Bible where it is translated variously in the following manner: ransom (8x), satisfaction (2x), bribe (2x), camphire (2x), sum of money (1x), village (1x).

Job 33:24, is one example, “Then he is gracious unto him, and saith, Deliver him from going down to the pit: I have found a ransom (כֹּפֶר (kōp̄er))H3724.”

So then, the two words that are translated as “pitch”, found in association with the construction of Noah’s Ark, actually corroborate each other to convey profound spiritual truth, which both point us to the Person and Work of the the Lord Jesus Christ. That can be understood only from a spiritual perspective, by which we see that the salvation of mankind, typified of Noah and his family in the first Ark who were rescued by God from the Great Judgmental Flood and God’s Wrath, because it involved an “atonement“, which also required a “ransom” or “satisfaction“. It involved a “covering” and protection from God’s just penalty for sin. The fulfilled Atonement, which the “pitch” of Noah’s Ark pointed to, was wrought solely by the Lord Jesus Christ through the sacrificial ransom paid by the shedding of His Blood resulting in His Death in 33 AD, which also fully “satisfied” the Law of God.

New Testament Corroboration

Please remember what the New Testament tells us regarding The Lord Jesus Christ and His Work, because it is perfectly and entirely consistent with what was just expounded above:

Romans 5:11, “And not only [so], but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.“

Hebrews 1:3, “Who being the brightness of [his] glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;“

Hebrews 2:17, “Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto [his] brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things [pertaining] to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.

1 Timothy 2:6, “Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.

Before we leave Noah’s Ark, we should remember the Rainbow that God placed in the Heavens as a sign of that Judgement upon the world had ended. For more on this, please see The Biblical meaning of the Rainbow.

Moses’ Ark

Judgment

In Moses’ Ark, Versus Grace and Mercy in Noah’s Ark

The Correct Hebrew Word for “Pitch” Is Zep̄eṯ, Not Kāp̄ar or Kōp̄er

Exodus 2:3, “And when she (Moses’ mother) could not longer hide him (Moses), she took for him an ark of bulrushes, and daubed it with slime and with pitch, and put the child therein; and she laid [it] in the flagsby the river’s brink.“

The correctly translated Hebrew word for “pitch“, as is provided by God in two places in the Bible, is זֶפֶת (zep̄eṯ)H2203, and NOT כָּפַר (kāp̄ar)H3722 or כֹּפֶר (kōp̄er)H3724. If God, by His Holy Spirit, had intended to mean “pitch” for Noah’s Ark, then God would have inspired Moses to use zep̄eṯ as the word to convey that meaning. Clearly, God did not, and we are forced to conclude it was for the spiritual implications presented earlier in this post.

And it should also be noted that, in both cases, rather than being associated with the Grace and Mercy of God and Salvation, as is indicated by kāp̄ar, zep̄eṯ on the other hand is more suggestive of God’s Judgment and condemnation for sin under the Law. Note that it was the man, Moses, whom God uses to represent the Law, who was placed in a basket (“ark”), and thereby preserved, by his mother (Jochebed, Numbers 26:59). We must note that Moses’ Ark was daubed with both “slime” (חֵמָר (ḥēmār))H2564; and “pitch” (זֶפֶת (zep̄eṯ))H2203.

We need to remember what the scriptures teach concerning the law, versus grace:

2 Corinthians 3:6, “Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.

2 Corinthians 3:9, “For if the ministration of condemnation [be] glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory.

Ephesians 2:8, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: [it is] the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.“

Unchecked Copy Box Gal 3:10-14, “¶For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed [is] every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them. But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, [it is] evident: for, The just shall live by faith. And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them. ¶Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree: That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.”

Galatians 3:23-25, “But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster [to bring us] unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.”

Again, Amazingly, God confirms this derived spiritual interpretation of Judgment via another “second witness”, by the use of another word found in the same verse

Interestingly enough, this Hebrew word, that really does mean “pitch”, can only be found in two verses of the Bible. First in Exodus 2:3 with regard to Moses’ Ark, “And when she (Moses’ mother) could not longer hide him, she took for him (Moses) an ark of bulrushes, and daubed it with slime (חֵמָר (ḥēmār))H2564 and with pitch (זֶפֶת (zep̄eṯ))H2203, and put the child (Moses) therein; and she laid [it] in the flags by the river’s brink.” and second in Isaiah 34:9, “And the streams thereof shall be turned into pitch (זֶפֶת (zep̄eṯ))H2203, and the dust thereof into brimstone (גָּפְרִית (gāp̄rîṯ))H1614, and the land thereof shall become burning pitch (זֶפֶת (zep̄eṯ))H2203.

And the reader also should note where else God uses the word “brimstone“. In Genesis 19:24, we see “Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone (גָּפְרִית (gāp̄rîṯ))H1614 and fire from the LORD out of heaven;” and in Deuteronomy 29:23, “[And that] the whole land thereof [is] brimstone (גָּפְרִית (gāp̄rîṯ)) H1614, and salt, and burning, [that] it is not sown, nor beareth, nor any grass groweth therein, like the overthrow of Sodom, and Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboim, which the LORD overthrew in his anger, and in his wrath:“

We could already see from Isaiah 34:9 that the word zep̄eṯ is set within the context of Judgment because of the association with “brimstone” and “burning“, but what about the Hebrew word ḥēmār that is translated in English as “slime”? Well, that word is used in only two other places in the whole Bible, and both verses point to the Judgment of God.

  1. The first is in Genesis 11:3, where it is used to construct the Tower of Babel, which God subsequently destroyed, “And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them throughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime (חֵמָר (ḥēmār))H2564 had they for morter.”
  2. The second is in Genesis 14:10, where it addresses the death of the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah, “And the vale of Siddim [was full of ] slimepits (חֵמָר (ḥēmār))H2564; and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, and fell there; and they that remained fled to the mountain.”

Hopefully the reader can now see that God has made a clear distinction between the three words that have been translated in the King James English version of the Bible as “pitch“: כָּפַר (kāp̄ar)H3722, כֹּפֶר (kōp̄er)H3724 and זֶפֶת (zep̄eṯ)H2203. The first two, kāp̄ar and kōp̄er, point to God’s Grace and Mercy, with regard to Noah’s Ark representing the Atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Ransom that He paid for the Salvation of His Sheep, and the third zep̄eṯ, which only points to God’s Judgment, and specifically to that which comes under the works of the Law as typified by Moses in his “Ark”. Remember what we read in Romans 8:3 says, the law, because of the inability in our sinful flesh to keep it, cannot save us… “For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:”

Moreover in Romans 4:15, God makes clear that the law cannot save, rather only condemn, “Because the law worketh wrath: for where no law is, [there is] no transgression.” and 1 Corinthians 15:56, “The sting of death [is] sin; and the strength of sin [is] the law.“

Indeed the Law (typified by Moses preserved in his Ark) exposes everyone’s sin and will judge all, for it is true and pure and demands full obedience, but the Bible makes clear that Salvation is by God’s Grace alone, and not of works. Ephesians 2:8, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: [it is] the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”

And we know that saving grace came at the highest price, the Atoning Ransom paid in full by the Person and Work of the LORD Jesus Christ (as typified by the preservation of Noah and his family in his Ark).

Jonah 2:9, “But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay [that] that I have vowed. Salvation [is] of the LORD.”

And we should remember what Jesus said in Mattthew 5:17, “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.” Jesus was that “Ark” that preserved the man Moses, who God uses to portray “The Law” which only brings Judgment and that Jesus fulfilled at the Cross of Calvary.

Conclusion

The key takeaway would seem to be that God has specified two different “Arks” in the Bible, which served two different roles, each sealed with two different types of “pitch”, but which nonetheless both still point to God’s Magnificent Salvation program, which was wrought through the Person and Work of the LORD Jesus Christ: 

  1. Regarding Noah’s Ark: We see how Jesus provided the necessary Atonement/Ransom/Satisfaction of the Law for sin, by grace, for the Salvation of those souls for whom Jesus died…as was typified by the Ark carrying “Noah” (whose very name means “Comfort” and “Consolation”). 
  2. Regarding Moses’ Ark: We see how Jesus’ fulfillment of God’s perfect Law (typified by the Ark that preserved Moses, who typifies the Law) wherein Jesus not only had to perfectly keep God’s Law, but also had to be judged guilty and condemned for the sins of the believers for whom He came to seek and to save (because the Law only condemns and brings Judgment (e.g., ‘brimstone’) upon sinners).

We read in Romans 10:4&5, “For Christ [is] the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth. ¶For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law, That the man which doeth those things shall live by them.”

However, no “man” can keep the law perfectly, so the law only condemns to death, but Jesus, Who Is Perfect, through His Faith, by His Spirit, saves to life!

And it was through God’s use of the two different types of words in the Bible, which were both translated into English as “pitch“, that made it possible to discern these two different spiritual “Types” of Arks.

Warning to the Reader: Bible Study is Not Just an Intellectual Exercise!

The above Bible study simply, but clearly, provides another example of how God has magnificently crafted the Bible to show us that He Is LORD God of All. It shows how God is in full control of all time and all space. This study teaches us about the two Arks,

1) the first Ark that saved Noah from the Flood of God’s Wrath and Judgment because of the Atoning Sacrifice of Jesus, and

2) the second Ark that preserved Moses, who is a picture of God’s Law, which only condemns mankind for sin, with implied references to the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah by fire and brimstone.

But is that all there is to it? NO, because the Bible makes clear that both of the historical events (Noah’s Flood and the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah) were meant by God to prefigure the Judgment Day that is yet to come….and that Day is coming soon! The world of today is VERY much like the world that was on earth just before Noah’s Flood and in Sodom and Gomorrah that was destroyed by Fire and Brimstone in Lot’s day.

On that Final Judgment Day, God will either save a person from their sins in mercy through the Atoning Sacrifice of God’s Son, Jesus Christ…or God will Judge everyone else, just as God’s Only Begotten Son, Jesus, was Judged, and God destroy them all, and send them all to Hell for eternity, because God’s Perfect Law against sin demands it. Pray to God that He might grant you mercy through Jesus Christ that you might be saved from your sins. Isaiah 55:6&7

Romans 10:13, “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord (Jesus Christ) shall be saved.“!

A full explanation of how and why Judgment Day is real, and will come to pass shortly, is provided in this study: Judgment Day Is Coming Soon!

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