Basket, small boat

The basket in EXO 2:3 was a small boat made of papyrus reeds. Its exact size is not given, but it would have been large enough to hold a newborn baby. The basket was made watertight by a coating of tar (bitumen) and pitch, presumably on the outside.

Older English versions translated the Hebrew word tevah as “ark” (KJV) in EXO 2:3; EXO 2:5. This is confusing. Even though the same Hebrew word (literally “box”) is used for both this small boat and for Noah’s large ship (see Ark, ship), the translator should not try to find a single word for both.