Of fowls also of the air by sevens, the male and the female; to keep seed alive upon the face of all the earth.
3. the fowl ] Apparently, according to the Hebrew text, all the birds were regarded as clean. Possibly, however, the omission of the distinction between clean and unclean birds is due to the condensed form of the narrative. LXX reads “of fowl also of the air that are clean, seven and seven, male and female,” and of “fowl that are not clean, two and two, male and female.”
And it is very possible that this last clause has been dropped, through the common error of homoeoteleuton on the part of a scribe.
to keep seed alive ] viz. “to maintain life,” and “to propagate the species,” literally, “to make seed to live.” The ideas are combined of continuance by breeding and of preservation from destruction: LXX gives the one; the Lat. ut salvetur semen, the other.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Of clean fowls, which he leaves to be understood out of the foregoing verse,
by sevens; and of the unclean, by two; as before of the beasts,
to keep seed alive, i.e. the issue or breed of them.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
Of fowls also of the air by sevens, the male and his female,…. That is, of such as were clean; seven couple of these were to be brought into the ark, for the like use as of the clean beasts, and those under the law; and so at this time, and here meant were turtledoves, and young pigeons that were for sacrifice; and the rest were for food: and the design of bringing both into the ark was,
to keep seed alive upon the face of all the earth; that the species of creatures might be continued, both of beasts and birds, clean and unclean.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
3. To keep seed alive upon the face of all the earth. That is, that hence offspring might be born. But this is referred to Noah; for although, properly speaking, God alone gives life, yet God here refers to those duties which he had enjoined upon his servant: and it is with respect to his appointed office, that God commands him to collect animals that he may keep seed alive. Nor is this extraordinary, seeing that the ministers of the gospel are said, in a sense, to confer spiritual life. In the clause which next follows, upon the face of all the earth, there is a twofold consolation: that the waters, after they had covered the earth for a time, would again cease, so that the dry surface of the earth should appear; and then, that not only should Noah himself survive, but, by the blessing of God, the number of animals should be so increased, as to spread far and wide through the whole world. Thus, in the midst of ruin, future restoration is promised to him. Moses is very earnest in showing that God took care, by every means, to retain Noah in obedience to his word, and that the holy man entirely acquiesced. This doctrine is very useful, especially when God either promises or threatens anything incredible, since men do not willingly receive what seems to them improbable. For nothing was less accordant with the judgment of the flesh, than that the world should be destroyed by its Creator; because this was to subvert the whole order of nature which he had established. Wherefore, unless Noah had been well admonished of this terrible judgment of God, he never would have ventured to believe it; lest he should conceive of God as acting in contradiction to himself. The word היקום ( hayekom,) which Moses here uses has its origin from a word signifying to stand; but it properly means whatever lives and flourishes.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
Gen 7:3 Of fowls also of the air by sevens, the male and the female; to keep seed alive upon the face of all the earth.
Ver. 3. Of fowls also. ] Such as are of clean kinds, as R. Solomon senseth it. The eagle and the lion were not for sacrifice; like as were the lamb and the dove. “Not many mighty,” &c. 1Co 1:26
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Reciprocal: Gen 6:19 – two Gen 7:14 – They Gen 7:16 – as Jos 6:4 – seven times