Genesis7:3

Translation

Moreover, of the birds,

of the heavens, seven, seven, a male and a female,

to sustain the life of their seed on the face of the earth.

Paraphrase

Moreover, of the [clean] birds that fly in the sky, take in seven, i.e. seven pairs, each pair being a male and his female; do this in order to keep their line alive on this earth.

Footnotes

1: "the birds:"

This verse shows the same pattern related to the phrase “seven, seven,” as found in the previous verse. There are a few reasons why the word “clean” does not appear as a description of the birds in question. Most birds they had contact with were considered clean and able to be sacrificed; this would include those that eat seeds and insects. The birds of prey and the scavengers would be the exception, and thus unclean.

2: "male and female":

Here the words “male and female” are used instead of “a man and a woman.” It was simply another way to say the same thing – we should not make too much of the different ways of saying it.