Okay, last Bible study question of the day...?

Question

Okay...here we go with Noah's flood

Gen 6:19:
"And of every living thing, of all flesh, you shall bring two of every kind onto the ark, to keep them alive with your: they shall be male and female."

And then in Gen 7:2
"Take with you seven pairs of all clean animals, the male and it's mate: and a pair of the animals that are not clean, the male and it's mate: and seven pairs of the birds of the air also, male and female, to keep their kind alive on the face of all the earth."

So why the "change up" here? Is it just a further to the first command? The first being a simplification and the second being more detailed?
When I went to church, they always taught the two by two formula, never the 7 by 7. In fact it wasn't until I took to reading the bible by myself until I came across this so it has always intriqued me. How is it taught to the children at your church?
Thanks


Please no rude answers, I just don't need them...they are silly and waste both our time.

I understand the need for the 7x7, I'm just unsure why it first says 2x2 and then says 7x7. It's not a question of why more clean animals were needed...I get that, it's more of a question of why it is stated differently....and of course to most it doesn't really matter, but I just like to be in depth when doing a study...thanks.

Answer 1

One of the rules of biblical exegesis used by the Rabbis "is a specific item removed from a general rule comes to teach only about the specific item". In this case it teaches us what the "clean" animals are. Considering the fact that Noah and his family were not obigated in the laws of kashrut, what is special about these animals that they are the "clean" species? In this case, these animals are removed from the rest to teach us that these are the animals that are clean for the purposes of being sacrificed, unlike other animals which cannot be used for sacrifices.

As to why it isn't taught in churches, I have no idea. My four year old at a Jewish pre-school was taught this.

Answer 2

It's not a change, but a detail as you thought.

Plant life was destroyed so God gave Noah & his family meat to eat - clean animals as are listed later in Leviticus - until more plants can be grown, and to use as sacrifices.

I was taught 2 of everything. Probably a simplified way for children to understand, but then as I grew older they never explained more. I found it out years later taking BIble lessons from another church. These Bible lessons explained a lot of things the other church said we just had to believe and have no reason for doing so:

http://www.amazingfacts.org/items/study_guides.asp

Now I teach the young ones. 2 by 2 and some by 7's and explain why.

Answer 3

Hello. In Leviticus 11; and Deuteronomy 14 ( Law of Moses) we learn about the clean and the unclean. In Genesis 7:2 that you quoted, the Lord told Noah to bring 7 clean animals to be used for "sacrifices" and 1 pair of the unclean for "reproduction." If you remember, in the Old Testament only the high priests could go before the Lord for all the people's sins and he had to have a spotless,clean sacrifice. This is exciting to me because it shows that in Genesis 7:2 it prophesies into the future because the Law of Moses had not happened yet.

Answer 4

Gen 6:19 tells us that Noah shall bring two of every kind into the ark, to keep them alive with Noah, both male and female.

Gen. 7:2 tells us that the Lord further commanded Noah to take clean animals by the sevens. That may mean seven pairs of clean animals, or three pairs plus one more.

Remember, this occurred before Christ's sacrifice of Himself. The atonement of sins was through faithfully obeying God in sacrifice. There is no remission of sins without the spilling of blood. The additional clean animals were used for sacrifices to the Lord. Unlike Gen. 6:19, notice that the Gen. 7:2 does not state that the additional animals were to remain alive with Noah.

I'm not certain why God commanded "by the sevens." One thing to consider, however, is that whether talking about the seven days of creation, the seven marches around Jericho, the seven seals of the scroll, or the seven lampstands before the risen Christ, the number seven represents "completeness" in the Bible. So, to me, it's not unusual for God to use "sevens" both literally and symbollically in His plan for Noah.

Answer 5

There were two of each kind brought into the ark to be kept alive for repopulate the earth. The clean animals and birds were brought into the ark in seven pairs. Clean animals were used for food and birds were used as sacrifices to God.

Answer 6

This may have other religious symbolism, but I would say this finds a new meaning if you study ecology. We need about 7 times more prey animals to predators. In nature there is more genetic diversity in the prey animals than in predators. Cheetahs are so closely related as to be in danger from disease.

Answer 7

Clean animals . .. they can be eaten, they can be sacrifice. Unclean animals cannot.

I have tried to show the apocolyptic nature of Noah and the Ark as it is symbolic of the flood which comes forth from Abraham, and is called a "Sea of peoples" in Revelation. And of course there are seven colors of the rainbow. There's a lot of imagry and symbolism here, which suggests that in the inverse of the many who were wicked becoming one in Noah is reversed in Abraham where one becomes many which is the flood of the sea, and from the sea is redeemed only one . .. JESUS CHRIST . . . of course Noah's family is saved . .. and we see we are one family in JESUS CHRIST . .. but only JESUS has overcome to be found worthy so only in JESUS can we be saved, as one BODY OF JESUS CHRIST . .. this is the importance of the HOLY EUCHARIST the literal sense perceptibe sign of GOD among us . ..

therefore the Seven is indicitive of climax, that Noah is an early Apocolypse and they are clean as to be clean of sin . ..

The entire Early Genesis seems to be a prefigurement of the new testament minus the Epistles . .. protoevangelium and up to noah being the gospels and the book of revelation . ..

-LOVE your neighbor as yourself
Amen

Answer 8

What's the first thing Noah did when he got off the ark after the flood? He sacrified of each of the clean animals. If they had only two of each of the clean animals, he would have essentially killed them off! Most animals are unclean, but those that are clean (and thus worthy sacrifices) he needed more of.

Answer 9

Some were 2X2, others were by 7X7, I think this is a clarification, but I'm not sure. To simplify it for children, most times they are taught 2X2.

Answer 10

"Clean animals" meant they could be eaten, which considering that the vegetation died during the flood, they would need to have more of the clean animals since they'd be eating them. It would be sorta dumb to go thru all that just to kill the two cows for dinner and have no more cows.