Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens, the male and his female: and of beasts that are not clean by two, the male and his female.
Take seven pairs of every clean animal with you—both males and females. But for animals that are not clean, take only one pair—a male and a female.
God is giving Noah specific instructions about how many of each type of animal to bring on the ark, with more of the 'clean' animals than the 'unclean' ones.
📚 Historical Context
This instruction comes as God prepares to flood the earth due to widespread wickedness. The distinction between 'clean' and 'unclean' animals refers to those that were acceptable for sacrifice and eating versus those that were not, according to God's laws. This shows that even before the formal law was given to Moses, there was already an understanding of which animals were suitable for worship and consumption.
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