In the story of Noah not all animals went into the ark ‘two by two’. Some animals went in ‘seven by seven’.
(The Great Courses – The Old Testament)
Tony's Trek
His ongoing mission, to learn more today than he forgot yesterday
In the story of Noah not all animals went into the ark ‘two by two’. Some animals went in ‘seven by seven’.
(The Great Courses – The Old Testament)
You’ve been coming up with some great points, Tony! Read on …
“Gen. 7:2 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.
Gen. 7:8-9 Of clean beasts, and of beasts that are not clean, and of fowls, and of every thing that creepeth upon the earth, There went in two and two unto Noah into the ark, the male and the female, as God had commanded Noah.
The question often asked: Were there sevens of each clean beast, or two?
The answer is, seven. The phrase “two by two” in 7:9 simply means the animals entered the ark in pairs. So the beasts with 7 representatives came in as 3 pairs and 1 oddball each, paired off male and female and one spare wheel. (Note the difference in phraseology: “by two” and “two and two”.)”