Noah’s Ark and the Ark of the Covenant

Abstract

The similarities between Noah’s ark and the saving boat in Mesopotamian flood accounts are widely known. Likewise known are the links between Noah’s ark and the chest of Moses (Exod 2:3). However, the connections between the “chest” of Noah and the “chest” of the testimony have not hitherto drawn adequate scholarly attention. The article explores these connections on both the linguistic and the conceptual level. Moreover, it investigates their function in hypertextual links of the Genesis flood account to earlier Israelite literary works, especially the book of Deuteronomy and the book of Joshua.