Genesis 7:2

‘Clean’ animals were ones that people ate. For example, people ate the meat of sheep and cows. So sheep and cows were ‘clean’ animals. There were some animals that people did not eat. So they were not ‘clean’ animals.

Many years later, God gave to Moses a list of ‘clean’ animals and ‘unclean’ (not clean) animals. (See Leviticus 11:1-47.) In Noah’s time, people already called some animals ‘clean’. But Genesis does not use the word ‘unclean’.

So Noah took pairs of every kind of animal. But he took more of the ‘clean’ animals. He took 7 pairs of the ‘clean’ animals.

The flood begins

v6 Noah had lived for 600 years when the flood came on the earth. v7 Noah went into the *ark in order to escape from the water. He took his sons with him. And he took his wife and his sons’ wives. v8 He took pairs of clean animals. And he took pairs of animals that were not clean. He took pairs of birds. He took pairs of everything that crawls on the ground. v9 They were male and female. They went into the *ark with Noah. This was exactly as God *commanded. v10 After 7 days, the flood came. The water of the flood came on the earth.

v11 When Noah had lived for 600 years, the water came. In month 2, on day 17, the water came. The water rose up from the deep seas and heavy rain fell from the sky. v12 And it rained on the earth for 40 days and 40 nights.

v13 On the same day, Noah entered the *ark. His 3 sons, Shem, Ham and Japheth, also went in. Noah’s wife went in with Noah. And his 3 sons’ wives went in also. v14 Clean animals of every kind went in. Animals of every kind that were not clean went in. Animals of all kinds that crawl on the ground went in. Birds of every sort went in. v15 They went into the *ark with Noah. They were pairs of every kind that breathes. v16 Males and females of all living animals went in as God had *commanded Noah. And the *Lord shut him in.