Genesis 6:19
New International Version
You are to bring into the ark two of all living creatures, male and female, to keep them alive with you.

New Living Translation
Bring a pair of every kind of animal—a male and a female—into the boat with you to keep them alive during the flood.

English Standard Version
And of every living thing of all flesh, you shall bring two of every sort into the ark to keep them alive with you. They shall be male and female.

Berean Standard Bible
And you are to bring two of every living creature into the ark—male and female—to keep them alive with you.

King James Bible
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.

New King James Version
And of every living thing of all flesh you shall bring two of every sort into the ark, to keep them alive with you; they shall be male and female.

New American Standard Bible
And of every living thing of all flesh, you shall bring two of every kind into the ark, to keep them alive with you; they shall be male and female.

NASB 1995
“And of every living thing of all flesh, you shall bring two of every kind into the ark, to keep them alive with you; they shall be male and female.

NASB 1977
“And of every living thing of all flesh, you shall bring two of every kind into the ark, to keep them alive with you; they shall be male and female.

Legacy Standard Bible
And of every living thing of all flesh, you shall bring two of every kind into the ark, to keep them alive with you; they shall be male and female.

Amplified Bible
And of every living thing [found on land], you shall bring two of every kind into the ark, to keep them alive with you; they shall be male and female.

Christian Standard Bible
You are also to bring into the ark two of all the living creatures, male and female, to keep them alive with you.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
You are also to bring into the ark two of all the living creatures, male and female, to keep them alive with you.

American Standard Version
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.

English Revised Version
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.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Bring two of every living creature into the ship in order to keep them alive with you. They must be male and female.

International Standard Version
You are to bring two of every living thing into the ark so they may remain alive with you. They are to be male and female.

Majority Standard Bible
And you are to bring two of every living creature into the ark?male and female?to keep them alive with you.

NET Bible
You must bring into the ark two of every kind of living creature from all flesh, male and female, to keep them alive with you.

New Heart English Bible
Of every living thing of all flesh, you are to bring two of every sort into the vessel, to keep them alive with you. They shall be male and female.

Webster's Bible Translation
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.

World English Bible
Of every living thing of all flesh, you shall bring two of every sort into the ship, to keep them alive with you. They shall be male and female.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
and of all that lives, of all flesh, you bring two from every [kind] into the Ark, to keep alive with you; they are male and female.

Young's Literal Translation
and of all that liveth, of all flesh, two of every sort thou dost bring in unto the ark, to keep alive with thee; male and female are they.

Smith's Literal Translation
And from every living thing of all flesh, two of all shalt thou bring in to the ark, to preserve alive with thee: male and female shall they be.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And of every living creature of all flesh, thou shalt bring two of each sort into the ark, that they may live with thee: of the male sex, and the female.

Catholic Public Domain Version
And from every living thing of all that is flesh, you shall lead pairs into the ark, so that they may survive with you: from the male sex and the female,

New American Bible
Of all living creatures you shall bring two of every kind into the ark, one male and one female, to keep them alive along with you.

New Revised Standard Version
And of every living thing, of all flesh, you shall bring two of every kind into the ark, to keep them alive with you; they shall be male and female.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And of every living thing of all flesh, two of every kind bring into the ark, to keep them alive with you; they shall be male and female.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And two of everything that lives of all flesh, bring to the ark to save with you; they shall be male and female.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
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.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And of all cattle and of all reptiles and of all wild beasts, even of all flesh, thou shalt bring by pairs of all, into the ark, that thou mayest feed them with thyself: male and female they shall be.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Noah Builds the Ark
18But I will establish My covenant with you, and you will enter the ark—you and your sons and your wife and your sons’ wives with you. 19And you are to bring two of every living creature into the ark— male and female to keep them alive with you. 20Two of every kind of bird and animal and crawling creature will come to you to be kept alive.…

Cross References
Genesis 7:2-3
You are to take with you seven pairs of every kind of clean animal, a male and its mate; a pair of every kind of unclean animal, a male and its mate; / and seven pairs of every kind of bird of the air, male and female, to preserve their offspring on the face of all the earth.

Genesis 7:8-9
The clean and unclean animals, the birds, and everything that crawls along the ground / came to Noah to enter the ark, two by two, male and female, as God had commanded Noah.

Genesis 7:15-16
They came to Noah to enter the ark, two by two of every creature with the breath of life. / And they entered, the male and female of every living thing, as God had commanded Noah. Then the LORD shut him in.

Genesis 8:17
Bring out all the living creatures that are with you—birds, livestock, and everything that crawls upon the ground—so that they can spread out over the earth and be fruitful and multiply upon it.”

Genesis 9:1-2
And God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. / The fear and dread of you will fall on every living creature on the earth, every bird of the air, every creature that crawls on the ground, and all the fish of the sea. They are delivered into your hand.

Genesis 1:20-22
And God said, “Let the waters teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth in the open expanse of the sky.” / So God created the great sea creatures and every living thing that moves, with which the waters teemed according to their kinds, and every winged bird after its kind. And God saw that it was good. / Then God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters of the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.”

Genesis 1:24-25
And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, land crawlers, and beasts of the earth according to their kinds.” And it was so. / God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and everything that crawls upon the earth according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.

Genesis 2:19-20
And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and He brought them to the man to see what he would name each one. And whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. / The man gave names to all the livestock, to the birds of the air, and to every beast of the field. But for Adam no suitable helper was found.

Genesis 9:10
and with every living creature that was with you—the birds, the livestock, and every beast of the earth—every living thing that came out of the ark.

Genesis 9:12-13
And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant I am making between Me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: / I have set My rainbow in the clouds, and it will be a sign of the covenant between Me and the earth.

Isaiah 54:9
“For to Me this is like the days of Noah, when I swore that the waters of Noah would never again cover the earth. So I have sworn that I will not be angry with you or rebuke you.

Hebrews 11:7
By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in godly fear built an ark to save his family. By faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.

1 Peter 3:20
who disobeyed long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In the ark a few people, only eight souls, were saved through water.

2 Peter 2:5
if He did not spare the ancient world when He brought the flood on its ungodly people, but preserved Noah, a preacher of righteousness, among the eight;

Matthew 24:37-39
As it was in the days of Noah, so will it be at the coming of the Son of Man. / For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark. / And they were oblivious until the flood came and swept them all away. So will it be at the coming of the Son of Man.


Treasury of Scripture

And of every living thing of all flesh, two of every sort shall you bring into the ark, to keep them alive with you; they shall be male and female.

The cubit being nearly

Genesis 6:15
And this is the fashion which thou shalt make it of: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, the breadth of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits.

two.

Genesis 7:2,3,8,9,15,16
Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens, the male and his female: and of beasts that are not clean by two, the male and his female…

Genesis 8:17
Bring forth with thee every living thing that is with thee, of all flesh, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth; that they may breed abundantly in the earth, and be fruitful, and multiply upon the earth.

Psalm 36:6
Thy righteousness is like the great mountains; thy judgments are a great deep: O LORD, thou preservest man and beast.

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Alive Ark Creatures Female Flesh Kind Male Safe Ship Sort
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Genesis 6
1. The wickedness of the world, which provoked God's wrath.
8. Noah finds grace.
9. His family line
14. The order, form, dimensions, and building of the ark.














And you are to bring
This phrase indicates a divine command given to Noah. The Hebrew root for "bring" is "בּוֹא" (bo), which means to come or go. This command signifies an active obedience required from Noah, emphasizing his role as a steward of God's creation. Historically, this reflects the ancient Near Eastern understanding of divine-human cooperation, where humans are entrusted with responsibilities by the divine.

two of every living thing
The phrase "two of every living thing" underscores the comprehensive nature of God's preservation plan. The Hebrew word for "living thing" is "חַי" (chai), which denotes life or living creatures. This reflects the biblical theme of God's care for all creation, not just humanity. It also highlights the diversity and richness of life that God values and seeks to preserve.

into the ark
The "ark" (תֵּבָה, tebah in Hebrew) is a vessel of salvation and protection. Archaeologically, while no direct evidence of the ark has been found, the concept of a large, protective vessel is consistent with ancient flood narratives found in Mesopotamian cultures. The ark symbolizes God's provision and refuge amidst judgment, a theme echoed throughout Scripture.

male and female
This phrase emphasizes the importance of gender pairs for the continuation of species. The Hebrew words "זָכָר" (zakar) for male and "נְקֵבָה" (neqebah) for female highlight the complementary nature of creation. This reflects the biblical understanding of gender roles and the necessity of both for the propagation of life, aligning with the creation mandate in Genesis 1:28.

to keep them alive with you
The purpose of bringing the animals into the ark is "to keep them alive," which in Hebrew is "לְהַחֲיוֹת" (le-hachayot). This phrase underscores God's intention to preserve life through Noah's obedience. It reflects the biblical theme of life preservation and continuity, even in the face of impending judgment. The inclusion of "with you" signifies Noah's integral role in God's plan, highlighting the partnership between divine sovereignty and human responsibility.

(19-22) of every living thing of all flesh, two . . . --The vast size of the ark and the wide terms used of the animals to be collected into it, make it evident that Noah was to save not merely his domestic cattle, but many wild species of beasts, birds, and creeping things. But the terms are conditioned by the usual rules for the interpretation of the language of Holy Scripture, and by the internal necessities of the event itself. Thus the animals in the ark could not have been more in number than four men and four women could attend to Next, the terms exclude the carnivora (see also Note on Genesis 9:5). Not only was there no supply of animals taken on board to feed them, but half-tamed as they would have been by a year's sojourn in the ark, they would have remained in Noah's neighbourhood, and very soon have destroyed all the cattle which had been saved, especially as far and wide no other living creatures would have existed for their food. But if miracles are to be invoked to obviate these and similar difficulties. not only would it have been easier to save Noah and the denizens of the ark by one display of supernatural power, but the ark was the means provided by God for this purpose; and if He wrought thus far by human instrumentality, in accordance with the usual law of the Divine working on earth, to help out the human means employed by repeated acts of omnipotence would have been to proclaim it as insufficient. It does not follow from this that no special providence watched over and guided the ark; such providence is often exercised now, but it works through and in accordance with the ordinary laws by which God governs the world.

Verses 19-21. - And of every living thing of all flesh, two of every sort (literally, by twos, i.e. in pairs) shalt thou bring into - or cause to enter, i.e. receive them when they come (ver. 20) - the ark, to keep them alive - literally, to cause to live; ἴνα τρέφης (LXX.); in order to preserve alive (sc. the animals) - with thee; they shall be male and female. Of fowls after their kind (literally, of the fowl after its kind), and of cattle after their kind (literally, of the cattle after its kind), of every creeping thing of the earth after its bind, two of every sort shall come unto thee. "Non hominis actu, sed Dei nutu" (Augustine). Perhaps through an instinctive presentment of the impending calamity (Lange, 'Speaker's Commentary'). And take thou unto thee of all food that is eaten, and thou shalt gather it to thee (collecting sufficient for a twelvemonth's sustenance); and it shall be for food for thee, and for them.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
And
וּמִכָּל־ (ū·mik·kāl-)
Conjunctive waw, Preposition-m | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 3605: The whole, all, any, every

you are to bring
תָּבִ֥יא (tā·ḇî)
Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 935: To come in, come, go in, go

two
שְׁנַ֧יִם (šə·na·yim)
Number - md
Strong's 8147: Two (a cardinal number)

of every
מִכֹּ֛ל (mik·kōl)
Preposition-m | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 3605: The whole, all, any, every

living thing
הָ֠חַי (hā·ḥay)
Article | Adjective - masculine singular
Strong's 2416: Alive, raw, fresh, strong, life

into
אֶל־ (’el-)
Preposition
Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to

the ark—
הַתֵּבָ֖ה (hat·tê·ḇāh)
Article | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 8392: A box, chest

male
זָכָ֥ר (zā·ḵār)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 2145: Remembered, a male

and female—
וּנְקֵבָ֖ה (ū·nə·qê·ḇāh)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 5347: A female

to keep [them] alive
לְהַחֲיֹ֣ת (lə·ha·ḥă·yōṯ)
Preposition-l | Verb - Hifil - Infinitive construct
Strong's 2421: To live, to revive

with you.
אִתָּ֑ךְ (’it·tāḵ)
Preposition | second person masculine singular
Strong's 854: Nearness, near, with, by, at, among


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OT Law: Genesis 6:19 Of every living thing of all flesh (Gen. Ge Gn)
Genesis 6:18
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