There went in two and two unto Noah into the ark, the male and the female, as God had commanded Noah.
Parallel translations
- WEB went by pairs to Noah into the ship, male and female, as God commanded Noah.
- BSB came to Noah to enter the ark, two by two, male and female, as God had commanded Noah.
- NKJV two by two they went into the ark to Noah, male and female, as God had commanded Noah.
- NASB they all went into the ark to Noah by twos, male and female, as God had commanded Noah.
- NLT They entered the boat in pairs, male and female, just as God had commanded Noah.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The animals went to Noah by pairs, male and female, as God commanded. God's word is precisely fulfilled.
Overview
The creatures come in obedience to God's command, again showing his sovereign control over creation. The pairs of male and female secure the future of each kind beyond the flood. The careful note that all happened "as God commanded" underscores the reliability of God's word and the success of his saving plan.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 8
- Gen 2:19And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof.
- Gen 7:16And they that went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God had commanded him: and the LORD shut him in.
- Acts 10:11–12And saw heaven opened, and a certain vessel descending unto him, as it had been a great sheet knit at the four corners, and let down to the earth:
- Jer 8:7Yea, the stork in the heaven knoweth her appointed times; and the turtle and the crane and the swallow observe the time of their coming; but my people know not the judgment of the LORD.
- Col 3:11Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.
- Isa 11:6–9The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.
- Isa 65:25The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock: and dust shall be the serpent’s meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the LORD.
- Gal 3:28There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
From the first promise that the seed of the woman would crush the serpent (3:15), through Abraham's blessing to all nations and Judah's coming ruler, Genesis sows every seed that flowers in Christ — the true offspring, the better Adam, the ram caught for Isaac.
How Genesis 7:9 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.