1Yahweh said to Noah, “Come with all of your household into the ship, for I have seen your righteousness before me in this generation. 2You shall take seven pairs of every clean animal with you, the male and his female. Of the animals that are not clean, take two, the male and his female. 3Also of the birds of the sky, seven and seven, male and female, to keep seed alive on the surface of all the earth. 4In seven days, I will cause it to rain on the earth for forty days and forty nights. I will destroy every living thing that I have made from the surface of the ground.”
5Noah did everything that Yahweh commanded him.
6Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters came on the earth. 7Noah went into the ship with his sons, his wife, and his sons’ wives, because of the floodwaters. 8Clean animals, unclean animals, birds, and everything that creeps on the ground 9went by pairs to Noah into the ship, male and female, as God commanded Noah. 10After the seven days, the floodwaters came on the earth. 11In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep burst open, and the sky’s windows opened. 12It rained on the earth forty days and forty nights.
13In the same day Noah, and Shem, Ham, and Japheth—the sons of Noah—and Noah’s wife and the three wives of his sons with them, entered into the ship— 14they, and every animal after its kind, all the livestock after their kind, every creeping thing that creeps on the earth after its kind, and every bird after its kind, every bird of every sort. 15Pairs from all flesh with the breath of life in them went into the ship to Noah. 16Those who went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God commanded him; then Yahweh shut him in. 17The flood was forty days on the earth. The waters increased, and lifted up the ship, and it was lifted up above the earth. 18The waters rose, and increased greatly on the earth; and the ship floated on the surface of the waters. 19The waters rose very high on the earth. All the high mountains that were under the whole sky were covered. 20The waters rose fifteen cubits higher, and the mountains were covered. 21All flesh died that moved on the earth, including birds, livestock, animals, every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, and every man. 22All on the dry land, in whose nostrils was the breath of the spirit of life, died. 23Every living thing was destroyed that was on the surface of the ground, including man, livestock, creeping things, and birds of the sky. They were destroyed from the earth. Only Noah was left, and those who were with him in the ship. 24The waters flooded the earth one hundred fifty days.
Ezek 27:29 "Ships" - Article on Seafaring in the ancient world
The history of shipping and maritime activity in the biblical world roughly divides into several eras: pre-flood, post-flood until approximately 3000 B.C., 3000 B.C. until approximately 1500 B.C., and approximately 1500 B.C. until the first century A.D.
Before the flood, the descendants of Adam and Eve likely utilized the four rivers (Gen 1:7; 2:10-14) flowing out of Eden (Gen 2:8) via anything that could float (cf. Tubal-cain, who originated early technological advances [Gen 4:22]). Although likely a floating repository, or barge, by far the largest ship (Gen 6:14-16) in the entire Bible (that could not be matched until modern times in tonnage) is Noah's ark (cf. Gen 6:19-21). Some estimate the tonnage of Noah's ark and the Queen Mary may have been comparable (cf. Gen 6:15; 7:23b).
In the post-flood ancient near east, river ways would have been utilized to explore and expand (cf. Gen 11:2), especially after the division of the nations after the Tower (or ziggurat) of Babel (Gen 10:32). The earliest evidence of shipping along the 750 miles of the Nile, dating from approximately 3000 B.C. forward, demonstrates reed-made, flat-bottomed, square-ended vessels, the likes of which may have transported the massive stones for pyramid construction. Vessels of reeds (cf. Job 9:26) developed into rounded-bottomed designs with pointed and raised bows and sterns. The Nile area was abundant with reeds for ship-building, and the Nile's current would allow travel north with relative ease, with prevailing southerly winds allowing travel by sail to the south. Larger vessels could be fitted with rowers, who could have driven north or south by oars.
The earliest evidence of Mesopotamian-based shipping includes a clay model of a bowl-like design, with a simple bow and stern, dating to approximately 3400 B.C. From 3000 B.C. onward, overseas trade with East Africa and even India transpired through the Persian Gulf regularly, on vessels ranging in various capacities, even up to 28 tons.
From approximately 1500 B.C. onward, Phoenician (2 Chr 9:21), Cypriot (called "Kittim" in Num 24:24), Cretan (called "Caphtor," and the origin of the "Philistines," then Achaean, or southern Greek, ship building expanded and developed, for maritime (cf. Jonah 1:3) and military purposes (cf. Dan 11:40). Ships in this era increased in size, with sail and oar propulsion, with Corinth building the first "triremes," ships with three decks of oarsmen, in approximately 700 B.C.
Solomon (1 Kgs 9:26) and Jehoshaphat (1 Kgs 22:48) built, with Phoenician (1 Kgs 5:12) help (1 Kgs 9:27; 10:11,22), actual trading fleets, Jehoshaphat's fleet being destroyed (2 Chr 20:36,37).
Acts 27 paints the fullest, most detailed depiction of shipping in the
biblical world of the first century, demonstrating a vessel capable of transporting 276 persons (27:31) with cargo (27:18,38), with multiple tackling (27:19), anchors (27:40), rudders (27:40), and sails (27:40).