Genesis 7:2

7:2 You must take with you seven ¹  of every kind of clean animal, ²  the male and its mate, ³  two of every kind of unclean animal, the male and its mate,

Genesis 19:20

19:20 Look, this town ⁴  over here is close enough to escape to, and it’s just a little one. ⁵  Let me go there. ⁶  It’s just a little place, isn’t it? ⁷  Then I’ll survive.” ⁸ 

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¹ tn Or “seven pairs” (cf. NRSV).

² sn For a study of the Levitical terminology of “clean” and “unclean,” see L. E. Toombs, IDB 1:643.

³ tn Heb “a male and his female” (also a second time at the end of this verse). The terms used here for male and female animals (אִישׁ, ’ish) and אִשָּׁה, ’ishah) normally refer to humans.

⁴ tn The Hebrew word עִיר (’ir) can refer to either a city or a town, depending on the size of the place. Given that this place was described by Lot later in this verse as a “little place,” the translation uses “town.”

⁵ tn Heb “Look, this town is near to flee to there. And it is little.”

⁶ tn Heb “Let me escape to there.” The cohortative here expresses Lot’s request.

⁷ tn Heb “Is it not little?”

⁸ tn Heb “my soul will live.” After the cohortative the jussive with vav conjunctive here indicates purpose/result.