Did Noah take two of each kind of bird, or did he take seven of each kind of bird into the ark?
In Genesis 6:20, the Lord told Noah that two of every kind of animal would come to him to be kept alive:
Genesis 6:20
New King James Version (NKJV)
20 Of the birds after their kind, of animals after their kind, and of every creeping thing of the earth after its kind, two of every kind will come to you to keep them alive.
Later, in chapter seven, the Lord states that Noah should take seven of every kind of clean animal and two of every unclean animal. The clean animals included the birds:
Genesis 7:2-3
New King James Version (NKJV)
2 You shall take with you seven each of every clean animal, a male and his female; two each of animals that are unclean, a male and his female; 3 also seven each of birds of the air, male and female, to keep the species alive on the face of all the earth.
Why did the Lord specify two, and then seven later, for some of the animals. I’m thinking that initially, two of every kind of animal, regardless of clean or unclean, came to Noah to get onto the ark. Later, somehow, he obtained five more of each clean animal to take onto the ark as the Lord commanded. I’m not sure if Noah had to catch these other five unclean animals, or, if they came to him freely.
Why do you think the Lord initially specified two of each kind of creature? Why is Noah later told to bring seven of each of the clean animals?