Genesis 7:15
What does Genesis 7:15 mean?
A plain-English look at Genesis 7:15 in WEB alongside six other public-domain English translations, with cross-references and chapter context.
What Genesis 7:15 means
The animals entered the ark in pairs, "two and two of all flesh wherein is the breath of life." This verse emphasizes the pairing for procreation and the specific condition that only creatures possessing the "breath of life"—referring to air-breathing land animals and birds—were brought into the ark. This excludes fish and other aquatic life, which could survive in the floodwaters. This detail underscores the selective yet comprehensive nature of God's preservation plan, ensuring the continuity of terrestrial life.
Parallel translations
WEB
World English Bible · 2000And they went in unto Noah into the ark, two and two of all flesh wherein is the breath of life.
KJV
King James Version · 1611And they went in unto Noah into the ark, two and two of all flesh, wherein is the breath of life.
ASV
American Standard Version · 1901And they went in unto Noah into the ark, two and two of all flesh wherein is the breath of life.
BBE
Bible in Basic English · 1949They went with Noah into the ark, two and two of all flesh in which is the breath of life.
YLT
Young's Literal Translation · 1862And they come in unto Noah, unto the ark, two by two of all the flesh in which <FI>is<Fi> a living spirit;
DRA
Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · 1752Went in to Noe into the ark, two and two of all flesh, wherein was the breath of life.
DBY
Darby Bible · 1890And they went to Noah, into the ark, two and two of all flesh, in which was the breath of life.
Context
This verse specifies the entry method for all creatures with the "breath of life," building on the previous verse's listing of animal categories. It immediately precedes the critical statement that God Himself sealed the ark. This detail on paired entry reinforces the divine command and the miraculous nature of the animals' orderly ingress before the closure of the ark.
v.14they, and every beast after its kind, and all the cattle after their kind, and every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth after its kind, and every bird after its kind, every bird of every sort.
v.15This passage
v.16And they that went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God commanded him: and Jehovah shut him in.
Cross references
Related passages from across Scripture, drawn from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.
- Isaiah 11:6
And the wolf 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.
- Genesis 6:19
And of every living thing of all flesh, two of every sort shalt thou bring into the ark, to keep them alive with thee; they shall be male and female.
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