Genesis 7:3 - Printer Friendly

ESV: and seven pairs of the birds of the heavens also, male and female, to keep their offspring alive on the face of all the earth.

NIV: and also seven pairs of every kind of bird, male and female, to keep their various kinds alive throughout the earth.

NASB: also of the birds of the sky, seven pairs, male and female, to keep their offspring alive on the face of all the earth.

CSB: and seven pairs, male and female, of the birds of the sky—in order to keep offspring alive throughout the earth.

NLT: Also take seven pairs of every kind of bird. There must be a male and a female in each pair to ensure that all life will survive on the earth after the flood.

KJV: Of fowls also of the air by sevens, the male and the female; to keep seed alive upon the face of all the earth.

NKJV: also seven each of birds of the air, male and female, to keep the species alive on the face of all the earth.

In the previous verse, God instructed Noah to take the clean and unclean animals with him into the ark. This verse completes that instruction. Noah was also to take seven pairs each of all the kinds of the birds of the sky. This is an enormous number of animals.

God is clear about His intention, though. The point is to preserve life, to keep the offspring alive on the face of the earth. In the case of the birds, as we will see in the coming chapter, the flood would cover every surface that a bird might land on. There would be no food or shelter for the birds during the flood. Without the ark, birds and all other land-dwelling life would cease to exist on the earth. God did not want that.

Why seven pairs of birds instead of just one pair? First, as the waters are receding after the flood, birds will be used as a test to see if any dry land is to be found in the area. If they did not return, that would be evidence that a habitat was reemerging (Genesis 8:7–12). Second, birds would be offered along with other clean animals as a sacrifice to God after to the flood, meaning extra birds would be needed (Genesis 8:20).

Genesis 7:1–10 confirms that Noah fulfilled all that he was commanded in chapter 6. In addition to the two pairs of all animals, Noah is also told to bring seven (total) pairs of ''clean'' animals, most likely for sacrificial purposes. God gives Noah a last-minute warning of the coming flood. As the preparations are completed, the great catastrophe occurs, just as God said it would. The next passage describes the colossal event.

Genesis 7 tells the story of the actual flood itself. God again commends Noah for his righteousness. The animals of every kind come to the ark. God shuts Noah and his family and the animals in, and it begins to rain. Water pours from above and bursts forth from below with incredible intensity. This outpouring of water lasts for 40 days, and covers the surface of the earth for another 110 days. The ark floats, rises, moves across the surface of the water. Outside of it, every land-dwelling, air-breathing thing dies. God wipes it all out, including every human being other than Noah and his family.

In chapter 6, God saw the wickedness and violence of humanity and resolved to wipe it all out. He revealed that plan to Noah, and He commanded Noah to build the ark. In chapter 7, the ark is finished, the animals arrive, the door is shut, and the rain begins on a specific date in the history of the world. All life aboard the ark is saved; all land-dwelling, air-breathing life outside of it is ended. The waters burst from below the earth and pour from above with great intensity for 40 days and then covered the earth for another 110. In the following chapter, the ark will come to rest, and the remade earth will begin to dry out.

The book of Genesis establishes fundamental truths about God. Among these are His role as the Creator, His holiness, His hatred of sin, His love for mankind, and His willingness to provide for our redemption. We learn not only where mankind has come from, but why the world is in its present form. The book also presents the establishment of Israel, God's chosen people. Many of the principles given in other parts of Scripture depend on the basic ideas presented here in the book of Genesis. Within the framework of the Bible, Genesis explains the bare-bones history of the universe leading up to the captivity of Israel in Egypt, setting the stage for the book of Exodus.