the clean and the unclean

Genesis 7

 ¹ The LORD then said to Noah, “Go into the ark, you and your whole family, because I have found you righteous in this generation. ² Take with you seven pairs of every kind of clean animal, a male and its mate, and one pair of every kind of unclean animal, a male and its mate, ³ and also seven pairs of every kind of bird, male and female, to keep their various kinds alive throughout the earth. ⁴ Seven days from now I will send rain on the earth for forty days and forty nights, and I will wipe from the face of the earth every living creature I have made.”

 ⁵ And Noah did all that the LORD commanded him.

***

The animals went in two by two…well, yes that’s true.  But according to this passage, those animals deemed ‘clean’ had the majority of pairs - each kind having seven pairs while the ‘unclean’ only had the one.  

This is interesting, as we don’t get these laws of clean and unclean announced until later in the bible.  Certainly not in Genesis.  Is this written in deliberate retrospect of this - are we to take some form of symbolism here?  Seven once again occurs - seven  the number of completeness.  Seven pairs of clean animals.  Seven days before the flood begins.  Is our story teller reaffirming the thoroughness of the plan, the fullness of its intent?

It’s going to rain for forty days and forty nights.

Be ready.

Noah was.