In Genesis, Noah was told to bring seven pairs of clean animals onto the Ark.
Genesis 7:2 distinguishes between clean and unclean animals. It instructs Noah to take seven pairs of clean animals, described in many translations as a male and its female, while unclean animals are represented by one pair. Genesis 7:3 separately mentions seven pairs of birds. The distinction is part of the Flood narrative’s instructions before the waters arrive.
A common mix-up comes from the phrase “two by two,” which is widely associated with the Ark story. That wording reflects the paired arrival of animals and the one-pair instruction for unclean animals, but it does not replace Genesis 7:2’s special number for clean animals. Genesis 6:19–20 gives a more general earlier instruction about pairs.
The category “clean” is usually understood in relation to later Israelite dietary and sacrificial classifications, although the complete legal system appears afterward in the Torah. The question’s number follows the Genesis 7 account.