In Genesis, which animals did Noah take in seven pairs?

In Genesis, Noah took clean animals in seven pairs.

Genesis 7:2 instructs Noah to take seven pairs of every clean animal, while taking one pair of every unclean animal. The distinction appears immediately before the Flood and is connected with the story's later sacrifices.

After leaving the ark, Noah builds an altar and offers burnt offerings from clean animals and clean birds. This helps explain why the narrative distinguishes between clean and unclean categories rather than simply describing one identical pair of every species.

Translations differ slightly in how they render the Hebrew wording, including whether it means seven pairs or seven animals. The commonly quoted English phrasing is “seven pairs” of clean animals, contrasted with one pair of unclean animals.