In the Genesis flood account, Noah took seven pairs of every kind of clean animal onto the Ark, according to the traditional reading of Genesis 7:2. The same verse says he took one pair of animals that were not clean.
This detail is often simplified to “two of every animal,” but Genesis includes a distinction between clean and unclean animals. The earlier instruction in Genesis 6:19–20 describes bringing pairs of every kind, while Genesis 7 gives the more specific numbers for clean animals and birds. These passages are frequently discussed together when readers compare the flood narrative’s instructions.
English translations vary slightly. Some render the Hebrew as “seven pairs,” while others say “seven each,” which can be understood as seven male-female pairs or seven individuals of each kind depending on interpretation. The answer here follows the common translation of Genesis 7:2 and is specifically about clean animals, not every animal aboard the Ark.