George Leo Haydock, on Gen 6:14

“Make thee an ark of timber planks: thou shalt make little rooms in the ark, and thou shalt pitch it within and without.”

“Timber planks. Hebrew, “gopher wood,” which is no where else mentioned in Scripture. It was probably a sort of wood full of rosin, and being besmeared with something like our pitch, was capable of resisting the fury of the ensuing tremendous storm, for a length of time. (Calmet; Haydock) — Rooms to separate the birds, various animals, provisions, &c. — Pitch, literally: “besmear it with bitumen,” which has a very strong smell, able to counteract the disagreeable odours arising from beasts confined. (Menochius) — It might be mixed with some other ingredients, naphtha, pitch, &c. (Calmet)”

Imported from an open dataset — not yet checked against the printed edition.