In Genesis, how many pairs of clean animals were brought onto Noah’s ark?

Genesis says Noah brought seven pairs of clean animals onto the ark.

Genesis 7:2 distinguishes clean animals from animals that were not clean. Noah is instructed to take seven pairs—traditionally understood as seven male-female pairs—of every clean animal, but only one pair of each unclean animal. Genesis 7:3 separately gives seven pairs of birds.

The distinction is connected to the story’s later sacrifice. After leaving the ark, Noah builds an altar and offers burnt offerings from clean animals and clean birds. This narrative detail helps explain why the text gives different numbers for clean and unclean creatures.

Translations and interpretations sometimes phrase the number as “seven” of each clean animal rather than “seven pairs.” The Hebrew wording has prompted discussion, but the common English reading of Genesis 7:2 is seven pairs. It should not be confused with the one pair specified for unclean animals.