Genesis tells Noah to take seven pairs of clean animals aboard the Ark.
Genesis 7:2 distinguishes between clean and unclean animals. It instructs Noah to take seven pairs of clean animals, while taking one pair of unclean animals. Genesis 7:3 similarly refers to seven pairs of birds, so they can reproduce after the Flood.
English translations differ slightly in how they phrase the Hebrew expression. Some say “seven pairs,” while others say “seven of each” or “seven individuals,” reflecting a long-standing translation discussion. “Seven pairs” is the conventional answer in many English summaries and is the wording intended here.
This passage is distinct from the simpler statement in Genesis 6:19–20 that animals come to the Ark in pairs. Readers sometimes treat the two passages as identical, but the later instructions add a distinction between clean and unclean animals. The narrative also links the extra clean animals with sacrifice after the Flood.