What Was The “Pitch” For Noah’s Ark?
Bodie Hodge, M.Sc., B.Sc., PEI
Biblical Authority Ministries, July 29, 2026 (Donate)
The Bible comes under attack in many different ways. Even
details that most people would consider mundane often become the focus of
skeptical criticism. One such detail is found in God's instructions to Noah
regarding the construction of the Ark:
"Make yourself an ark of
gopherwood; make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and outside with
pitch." (Genesis 6:14, NKJV)
Discussions often arise over the meaning of gopherwood or the design of the "rooms" (or compartments) within the Ark (which is discussed in the book A Flood of Evidence). In this article, however, we will focus on another alleged problem—the use of pitch.
What Is Pitch?
To understand the criticism, it helps to know what pitch
actually is.
Pitch is a thick, sticky substance used to waterproof wood
and other materials. It seals cracks, prevents water from penetrating the wood,
and greatly increases the longevity of wooden structures. For a massive vessel
like Noah's Ark, pitch would have been an ideal waterproofing agent, helping to
keep the Ark sealed and free from leaks during its year-long
voyage (Genesis 7:11; 8:14).
Today, most commercial pitch is derived from petroleum
products. Because petroleum is abundant and inexpensive, it has become the
primary modern source for making many waterproofing materials.
The Alleged "Gotcha" Moment
So why do some skeptics attack pitch for Noah’s Ark?
Many creationists have pointed out that most oil and
petroleum was formed as a result of the Flood of Noah’s Day. Crude
oil for example is the remains of biologicals (trees, plants, algae,
animals, etc.) that seeped out of what-became-fossils and pooled together into subterranean
areas.
Massive quantities of buried plants, algae, trees, and
animals were rapidly entombed under sediments. The heat and pressure from the Flood
transformed much of this organic material into petroleum deposits.
Skeptics then ask what they believe is a "gotcha"
question and it goes something like this:
"If petroleum products were
formed during the Flood, where did Noah get pitch before the Flood began?"
At first glance, some people think this sounds like a
serious objection. But the argument assumes something that simply isn’t true.
It assumes that petroleum is the only source of pitch.
The Solution
The answer is actually quite straightforward. Although much of today's commercial pitch is petroleum-based, petroleum isn’t the only way to produce pitch. Long before the modern petroleum industry existed, people throughout history produced waterproof pitch from tree sap.
Even today, in some remote parts of the world, craftsmen
still produce pitch from tree resin or sap. Pine trees and many other
resin-producing trees naturally yield sticky substances that can be refined
into waterproof coatings. Typically, the resin is heated or boiled to remove
impurities and produce a durable, uniform pitch suitable for sealing wood.
This would have been an obvious solution for Noah. Rather than depending on petroleum reserves, Noah had access to enormous quantities of freshly cut timber. Every tree that was harvested for the Ark contained sap and resin. As the trees were felled and processed, large quantities of resin could have been collected and refined into pitch.
Noah, his family, and perhaps hired workers could have
manufactured substantial amounts of pitch using the very resources already
required to build the Ark. In other words, Noah's building materials also
supplied the raw ingredients for waterproofing the Ark.
Was There Enough?
Some may still wonder whether enough tree resin could have
been collected.
Consider the sheer scale of the Ark's construction. The Ark Encounter in Kentucky, which is only a modern replica of Noah's Ark,
required approximately 1.2 million board feet of timber for its construction.
That figure doesn’t even include every log and piece of lumber involved in the
overall project.
If a project of that magnitude requires millions of board
feet of wood today, imagine the tremendous amount of freshly harvested timber
Noah would have processed. Those trees would have contained vast amounts of sap
and resin that could be collected during harvesting.
Since God commanded Noah to coat the Ark both inside and
outside with pitch (Genesis 6:14), there would have been ample opportunity to
gather and refine large quantities of tree resin throughout the construction
process.
Furthermore, God gave Noah many
decades to complete the Ark (Genesis 6:3; 7:6), allowing plenty of time to
produce the pitch needed for such a monumental undertaking.
Final Thoughts
The objection that Noah couldn’t have obtained pitch before
the Flood is based on a false
assumption fallacy. It incorrectly assumes that all pitch must come from petroleum.
While petroleum-derived pitch is common today, humans have
produced pitch from tree resin for thousands of years (and still do in remote
areas!). Noah had abundant access to freshly harvested timber, making
tree-derived pitch a simple, practical, and readily available waterproofing
material.
Rather than presenting a problem for Genesis, this objection actually shows how modern assumptions can be errantly read back into the ancient world. Noah had everything he needed to obey the Lord's command, including the materials necessary to waterproof the Ark. The Ark was the means of salvation from the Flood and God prepared them. Likewise today, an eternal salvation awaits has been sufficiently prepared for those in Christ.
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Bodie Hodge, Ken Ham's son in law, has been an apologist
defending 6-day creation and opposing evolution since 1998. He spent 21 years
working at Answers in Genesis as a speaker, writer, and
researcher as well as a founding news anchor for Answers News. He
was also head of the Oversight Council.
Bodie launched Biblical Authority Ministries in
2015 as a personal website and it was organized officially in 2025 as a
501(c)(3). He has spoken on multiple continents and hosts of US states in
churches, colleges, and universities. He is married with four children.
Mr. Hodge earned a Bachelor and Master of Science degrees
from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale (SIUC). Then he taught
at SIUC for a couple of years as a Visiting Instructor teaching all levels of
undergraduate engineering and running a materials lab and a CAD lab. He did
research on advanced ceramic materials to develop a new method of production of
titanium diboride with a grant from Lockheed Martin. He worked as a Test
Engineer for Caterpillar, Inc., prior to entering full-time ministry.
His love of science was coupled with a love of history,
philosophy, and theology. For about one year of his life, Bodie was editing and
updating a theological, historical, and scientific dictionary/encyclopedia for
AI use and training. Mr. Hodge has over 25 years of experience in writing,
speaking and researching in these fields.
