He commanded Noah and his descendants to respect human life and to punish murder with the death penalty. Noah's sons were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Shem became father of the Semitic peoples, including the Jews and the Arabs. Ham was the father of the Hamitic peoples. Japheth was father of peoples of Asia Minor and Europe.
Ark comes from the Latin word arca, meaning chest, box, or coffer.
In the United States, ark referred to a large flatboat used on western rivers during the expansion of the country. The Deluge destroyed all living things except those that God permitted to go aboard a huge ark that was built by Noah. The Deluge is described in two accounts combined in Genesis 6 to 8. In one version, God instructs Noah to save one male and one female of every animal. Both accounts agree that God sent the flood to punish the wickedness of humanity.