How many of each species went onto the Ark? "The animals went in two-by-two, hurrah, hurrah!" - we're taught this nursery rhyme from a young age, and go throughout life believing that one male, and one female of each species was present on the Ark in order to re-populate the world after the flood.


  Genesis 6:19 - "You are to bring into the ark two of all living
  creatures, male and female, to keep them alive with you. 20 Two of
  every kind of bird, of every kind of animal and of every kind of
  creature that moves along the ground will come to you to be kept
  alive."


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  Genesis 7:2 -"Take with you seven pairs of every kind of clean animal,
  a male and its mate, and one pair of every kind of unclean animal, a
  male and its mate, 3 and also seven pairs of every kind of bird, male
  and female, to keep their various kinds alive throughout the earth."


I find the verses above somewhat confusing with regards to how many of each species would have been present on the Ark. How do people who take the Ark narrative literally interpret this?
In the KJV it might be hard to understand, but in the translation you used above I think its very clear.

There was "one pair" of each unclean animal, i.e. 2 of each of those species.

There were "seven pairs" of every clean animal and bird, i.e. 14 of each of those species.

So they did essentially go in "two-by-two" but for some species there was only one pair, and for others there were seven pairs.

If the problem is that Genesis 6:19 does not mention the seven pairs like Genesis 7:2 does, that is easily overcome by assuming that God would give Noah more specific instructions closer to the event than the general overview he gave earlier.  After all, notice that Noah is not tasked with rounding up the animals, but Genesis 6:19 says all these animals "will come to you."  So God may have initially made it sound like to Noah that only 2 of each animal would come, but for whatever reason later sent 14 of certain species, and explained it to Noah again when the animals arrived.