According to Genesis 7:2, Noah was instructed to take seven pairs of every clean animal species into the Ark. The passage distinguishes these animals from unclean animals, for which it specifies one pair.
The wording is commonly rendered as seven pairs, although translations differ over whether the Hebrew means seven pairs or seven individual animals. Many English translations use “seven pairs” or “seven of each,” while some preserve the ambiguity. For a concise trivia answer, “seven pairs” reflects the familiar interpretation of Genesis 7:2.
The distinction is important because Genesis 8:20 says Noah later built an altar and offered some clean animals and birds. Taking extra clean animals would leave enough for such sacrifices and for repopulation.
This instruction appears in the flood narrative immediately before the waters arrive. It should not be confused with Genesis 6:19–20, which describes bringing animals generally and is often summarized as one pair of every kind.