God commanded Noah, saying: “Of all clean living creatures thou shalt take seven and seven, the male and the female; but of the living creatures that are unclean, two and two, the male and the female.” But these words of the Lord have an obscure and ambiguous sense, as to how that phrase is to be understood: “Two and two,” “seven and seve[n]”…¹

…“seven, seven” — whether it means only two or four, and whether only seven or fourteen. There are plainly two contrary opinions of those who have treated this passage. The one is that “seven and seven” signifies two sevens, that is, fourteen: both because the doubling of the same number manifestly declares this — since “seven and seven” is equivalent to fourteen even in common custom and usage of speech — and because God commanded that Noah should bring into the ark mated animals, that is, the male with the female. For three times in this seventh chapter Moses names the animals brought into the ark — first as about to enter, then as entering, finally as having entered — and always, when the animals are mentioned, he adds “the male and the female.” Whence one may argue that all the animals were of an even number, and that to each male its female, and to each female its male, was joined: but if there had been only seven of each species of clean animals in the ark, the seventh would have been without its consort and mate, whether male or female.²

And the first authors of this opinion I find to have been Justin Martyr, in his reply to Question 43 of the Orthodox, and Origen, in homily 2 on the sixth chapter of Genesis. Lyra and Tostatus assign the same to a certain Andreas, against whom they dispute in their commentaries on the seventh chapter of Genesis. The Carthusian too, on the seventh chapter of Genesis, Article 36, and Oleaster in the same place, judge it more congruent to the text of sacred Scripture, and therefore more probable.³

The other opinion, approved by more and weightier teachers, interprets that “seven and seven” as only seven: so that of clean animals there were three pairs of each species, in such a way that each pair had a female and a male, but the seventh animal was a male destined for the sacrifice which was to be made, immediately after the flood was over, from the clean animals; and therefore a solitary male, without a mate female, was preserved. But that doubling of the same word, “seven and seven,” does not signify a doubled number seven, but signifies that the same number seven is to be applied to every species of clean animals — so that the sense is: “Of the clean animals thou shalt take seven of this species, and seven of another, and likewise seven of any other species.”⁴

Indeed, to bring fourteen animals of each species of clean animals into the ark would, besides filling and overloading the ark more than enough, also have been superfluous: for to what purpose so great a multitude of each species of animals, when half that number would be more than enough for the purpose for which the animals were kept in the ark? And of this opinion I can name and commend very many and most weighty men as authors: such as Josephus in the first book of the Antiquities, Ambrose in On the Ark and Noah, chapter 12, Chrysostom in homily 24 on Genesis, Augustine in The City of God, book 15, chapter 27, Theodoret in question 50 on Genesis, the Scholastic History on the book of Genesis, chapter 33, Eucherius, Lyra, Tostatus, Cajetan on…⁵

…the seventh chapter of Genesis. I judge both opinions to be probable, but I do not deny that the latter is the more probable, and pleases me more.⁶

But why did God command that more of the clean animals than of the unclean be received into the Ark? Of why there should have been more clean than unclean animals in Noah's ark, in each species, one may give various causes: one, that there might be more animals useful to man, but fewer useless or even harmful ones. A second, that the clean ones would be needed for the use of sacrifices, which were made immediately after the flood was over, and which had to be made only from clean animals. A third, that immediately after the flood God gave man the abundance of eating animals, mostly clean ones. Wherefore, since the unclean animals were preserved for one cause only — that is, for the propagation of the species — but the clean animals were preserved for three causes, both for the propagation of the species and for the use of human food and of divine sacrifices: it was therefore fitting that these be received into the ark and preserved in greater number than those.⁷

To these add a fourth cause, namely a mystical one: that by this it might be signified that in the Church of Christ there ought to be far more clean — that is, good and holy — than unclean and wicked. For, as Paul says, “God has called us not unto uncleanness but unto sanctification” (1 Thess. 4), “and he chose us that we should be holy and immaculate” (Eph. 1). And would that the Church of Christ corresponded to that ark of Noah in this respect too, that it had more clean than unclean: but it happens far otherwise, since in the field of Christ there is very much chaff and cockle, but exceedingly little wheat.⁸

These things are to be confirmed and illustrated by the words of Chrysostom and Theodoret, here appended. “God commanded more of the clean to be brought in,” says Chrysostom, “in order that he might thereby console the just Noah and those who were with him, by their having use of them. And that they were brought in by sevens and by an odd number, this too was a token of the pious mind of Noah, who, when the flood was over — being about to declare his gratitude toward God — was going to offer him victims and sacrifices in thanksgiving. Therefore, that by doing this he might not mutilate the pairs, God commanded seven to be brought in of each kind of birds, so that, when the universal destruction ceased, he might both declare his mind, and the pairings of the birds and of the other animals not be harmed.” So, roughly, Chrysostom.⁹

And Theodoret (borrowing, of course, from Chrysostom himself) writes similar things: “For since God was about to permit men to eat flesh, and men themselves were going to sacrifice to him, he commanded a greater number of clean animals to be kept — namely, three pairs for the increase of the kind, but one animal remaining for sacrifice; for immediately, when the vengeance ceased, Noah offered to God a sacrifice suited to thanksgiving. So that it is certain that for this reason God commanded seven of each species of clean animals to be brought into the ark, so that Noah, offering one animal of each species, might not destroy the pairings.” So Theodoret.¹⁰