Verse Lens · Expanded explanation
Genesis 6:16 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 16. 16A window shalt thou make to the ark, and in a cubit shalt thou finish it above; and the door of the ark shalt thou set in the side thereof; with lower, second, and third stories shalt thou make it.
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
Noah is to complete an uncertain upper light-opening or roof feature, put the door in the ark's side, and build lower, second, and third levels. The door and three stories are clear; the tsohar and one-cubit instruction are not.
Read It With
- Genesis 6:9–22
Read verses 14–16 together and resist constructing a complete diagram from verse 16 alone. The building details serve the preservation purpose explained in verses 17–21.
Why This Verse Appears Here
The upper feature, door, and levels complete the main construction description before God explains the flood and covenant.
Read Genesis 6:13–16 together
Why these verses belong together: God announces the end brought by violence and immediately gives the ark's materials, dimensions, opening, door, and levels.
Verse 13. 13 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.
Verse 14. 14 Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch.
Verse 15. 15 And this is the fashion which thou shalt make it of: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, the breadth of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits.
Verse 16. 16 A window shalt thou make to the ark, and in a cubit shalt thou finish it above; and the door of the ark shalt thou set in the side thereof; with lower, second, and third stories shalt thou make it.
Follow the Context
- The generations-of-Noah heading introduces Noah as righteous, blameless among his contemporaries, walking with God, and father of three sons (6:9–10).
- God sees an earth ruined by corruption and filled with violence and tells Noah that the end of all flesh has come before God (6:11–13).
- God commands an ark with compartments, waterproofing, set dimensions, an uncertain upper opening or roof, a side door, and three levels (6:14–16).
- God announces the flood but promises to establish a covenant with Noah and preserve his household, animal pairs, and food in the ark (6:17–21).
- Noah does everything God commands, completing the preparation movement before the entry instructions in chapter 7 (6:22).
Phrase-by-Phrase Explanation
“window”
In plain language: A unique Hebrew term for an upper feature associated with light or roofing.
It helps complete the ark above, but its exact construction is obscure.
Why it matters: The KJV's familiar word can make an uncertain detail sound settled.
How certain? uncertain“in a cubit shalt thou finish it above”
In plain language: The upper construction is to be finished according to a one-cubit instruction.
The compressed syntax likely concerns an opening or roof near the top.
Why it matters: Reconstruction should remain tentative.
How certain? uncertain“door ... in the side”
In plain language: The ark receives a side entrance.
The household and creatures will enter through a deliberately placed access point.
Why it matters: This detail is clear even though the roof detail is not.
How certain? strong“lower, second, and third stories”
In plain language: The ark has three internal levels.
The vessel is organized vertically for its preserving task.
Why it matters: The three levels are explicit and need no speculative symbolism.
How certain? very strongWhat This Verse Is Not Saying
The KJV's 'window' does not settle whether tsohar means a window, skylight, roof, or another upper feature.
The one-cubit instruction does not provide enough detail to certify one modern ark diagram as the only biblical reconstruction.
The verse does not say that the ark had no ventilation, lighting, or other practical features simply because they are not fully described.
What Remains True
Faithful reading can act confidently on clear instructions while admitting when a technical detail is no longer recoverable.
How It Can Shape Life
- Do not hide uncertainty merely to make a plan sound authoritative; distinguish what is known, what is probable, and what remains unresolved.
Teach It Back
Explain Genesis 6:16's contribution to Genesis 6:9–22. Include why the nearby verses are required, what the verse clearly says, and one conclusion it does not justify.
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Continue in Context
The full thought-unit study remains the final contextual authority for this Verse Lens.
Read Genesis 6:9–22 — God Warns Noah and Commands the ArkSources used for this Verse Lens
How certain is this explanation? uncertain
Where care is needed
Tsohar occurs only here, and the one-cubit clause is syntactically compressed.
These are the sources used directly for this lens. Language, grammar, disagreements, and the complete source shelf remain attached to the full thought-unit research record.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Reader-facing Scripture wording, verse numbering, paragraph data, and supplied-word markup.
Exact location: Pinned eBible/CrossWire standardized 1769 KJV corpus, Genesis 6:9–22
Open source ↗hebrew text morphology and lemma data
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible — Genesis
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible Project
Open Scriptures, Version 2.2 released 2021; repository inspected 2026
Supports: Toledot, righteous and blameless, walked with God, corruption-destruction wordplay, violence, ark terms, dimensions, flood, covenant, creature categories, preservation, food, and obedience.
Exact location: Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible, wlc/Gen.xml, Genesis 6:9–22
Open source ↗Translation and textual notes
NET Bible — Genesis with translators' notes
Biblical Studies Press
Biblical Studies Press, Digital edition accessed 2026
Supports: Noah's character terms, corruption and violence, all flesh, end of all flesh, repeated shahat, gopher wood, pitch, dimensions, tsohar construction, flood, covenant, preservation, food, and concluding obedience.
Exact location: NET Bible, Genesis 6:9–22 translator notes 31–66
Open NET Genesis 6 ↗