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What the Bible Says About Animals

Overview

The Bible addresses animals across 136 verses, drawn from both the Old and New Testaments. These passages cluster most in Genesis, Revelation and Exodus. Closely related themes include Sanitation, Locust, Birds and Locust, the. Figures whose stories touch this theme include Moses, Jacob, Noah and Laban.

Key Bible verses about animals

Old Testament

Genesis

Genesis 1:24

And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so.

Genesis 1:25

And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

Genesis 6:19

And of every living thing of all flesh, two of every sort shalt thou bring into the ark, to keep them alive with thee; they shall be male and female.

Genesis 6:20

Of fowls after their kind, and of cattle after their kind, of every creeping thing of the earth after his kind, two of every sort shall come unto thee, to keep them alive.

Genesis 7:2

Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens, the male and his female: and of beasts that are not clean by two, the male and his female. by sevens: Heb. seven seven

Genesis 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. by sevens: Heb. seven seven

Genesis 7:4

For yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights; and every living substance that I have made will I destroy from off the face of the earth. destroy: Heb. blot out

Genesis 7:5

And Noah did according unto all that the LORD commanded him.

Genesis 7:6

And Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters was upon the earth.

Genesis 7:7

And Noah went in, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons' wives with him, into the ark, because of the waters of the flood.

Genesis 7:8

Of clean beasts, and of beasts that are not clean, and of fowls, and of every thing that creepeth upon the earth,

Genesis 9:2

And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every fowl of the air, upon all that moveth upon the earth, and upon all the fishes of the sea; into your hand are they delivered.

Genesis 9:3

Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things.

Genesis 9:9

And I, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after you;

Genesis 9:10

And with every living creature that is with you, of the fowl, of the cattle, and of every beast of the earth with you; from all that go out of the ark, to every beast of the earth.

Genesis 30:35

And he removed that day the he goats that were ringstraked and spotted, and all the she goats that were speckled and spotted, and every one that had some white in it, and all the brown among the sheep, and gave them into the hand of his sons.

Genesis 30:36

And he set three days' journey betwixt himself and Jacob: and Jacob fed the rest of Laban's flocks.

Genesis 30:37

And Jacob took him rods of green poplar, and of the hazel and chesnut tree; and pilled white strakes in them, and made the white appear which was in the rods.

Genesis 30:38

And he set the rods which he had pilled before the flocks in the gutters in the watering troughs when the flocks came to drink, that they should conceive when they came to drink.

Genesis 30:39

And the flocks conceived before the rods, and brought forth cattle ringstraked, speckled, and spotted.

Genesis 30:40

And Jacob did separate the lambs, and set the faces of the flocks toward the ringstraked, and all the brown in the flock of Laban; and he put his own flocks by themselves, and put them not unto Laban's cattle.

Genesis 30:41

And it came to pass, whensoever the stronger cattle did conceive, that Jacob laid the rods before the eyes of the cattle in the gutters, that they might conceive among the rods.

Genesis 30:42

But when the cattle were feeble, he put them not in: so the feebler were Laban's, and the stronger Jacob's.

Genesis 30:43

And the man increased exceedingly, and had much cattle, and maidservants, and menservants, and camels, and asses.

Genesis 31:8

If he said thus, The speckled shall be thy wages; then all the cattle bare speckled: and if he said thus, The ringstraked shall be thy hire; then bare all the cattle ringstraked.

Genesis 31:9

Thus God hath taken away the cattle of your father, and given them to me.

Exodus

Exodus 9:9

And it shall become small dust in all the land of Egypt, and shall be a boil breaking forth with blains upon man, and upon beast, throughout all the land of Egypt.

Exodus 9:10

And they took ashes of the furnace, and stood before Pharaoh; and Moses sprinkled it up toward heaven; and it became a boil breaking forth with blains upon man, and upon beast.

Exodus 10:1

And the LORD said unto Moses, Go in unto Pharaoh: for I have hardened his heart, and the heart of his servants, that I might shew these my signs before him:

Exodus 10:2

And that thou mayest tell in the ears of thy son, and of thy son's son, what things I have wrought in Egypt, and my signs which I have done among them; that ye may know how that I am the LORD.

Exodus 10:3

And Moses and Aaron came in unto Pharaoh, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD God of the Hebrews, How long wilt thou refuse to humble thyself before me? let my people go, that they may serve me.

Exodus 10:4

Else, if thou refuse to let my people go, behold, to morrow will I bring the locusts into thy coast:

Exodus 10:5

And they shall cover the face of the earth, that one cannot be able to see the earth: and they shall eat the residue of that which is escaped, which remaineth unto you from the hail, and shall eat every tree which groweth for you out of the field: face: Heb. eye

Exodus 10:6

And they shall fill thy houses, and the houses of all thy servants, and the houses of all the Egyptians; which neither thy fathers, nor thy fathers' fathers have seen, since the day that they were upon the earth unto this day. And he turned himself, and went out from Pharaoh.

Exodus 10:7

And Pharaoh's servants said unto him, How long shall this man be a snare unto us? let the men go, that they may serve the LORD their God: knowest thou not yet that Egypt is destroyed?

Exodus 10:8

And Moses and Aaron were brought again unto Pharaoh: and he said unto them, Go, serve the LORD your God: but who are they that shall go? who: Heb. who and who, etc

Exodus 10:9

And Moses said, We will go with our young and with our old, with our sons and with our daughters, with our flocks and with our herds will we go; for we must hold a feast unto the LORD.

Exodus 10:10

And he said unto them, Let the LORD be so with you, as I will let you go, and your little ones: look to it; for evil is before you.

Exodus 10:11

Not so: go now ye that are men, and serve the LORD; for that ye did desire. And they were driven out from Pharaoh's presence.

Exodus 10:12

And the LORD said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand over the land of Egypt for the locusts, that they may come up upon the land of Egypt, and eat every herb of the land, even all that the hail hath left.

Exodus 10:13

And Moses stretched forth his rod over the land of Egypt, and the LORD brought an east wind upon the land all that day, and all that night; and when it was morning, the east wind brought the locusts.

Exodus 10:14

And the locusts went up over all the land of Egypt, and rested in all the coasts of Egypt: very grievous were they; before them there were no such locusts as they, neither after them shall be such.

Exodus 10:15

For they covered the face of the whole earth, so that the land was darkened; and they did eat every herb of the land, and all the fruit of the trees which the hail had left: and there remained not any green thing in the trees, or in the herbs of the field, through all the land of Egypt.

Exodus 10:16

Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron in haste; and he said, I have sinned against the LORD your God, and against you. called: Heb. hastened to call

Exodus 10:17

Now therefore forgive, I pray thee, my sin only this once, and intreat the LORD your God, that he may take away from me this death only.

Exodus 10:18

And he went out from Pharaoh, and intreated the LORD.

Exodus 10:19

And the LORD turned a mighty strong west wind, which took away the locusts, and cast them into the Red sea; there remained not one locust in all the coasts of Egypt. cast: Heb. fastened

Exodus 10:20

But the LORD hardened Pharaoh's heart, so that he would not let the children of Israel go.

Deuteronomy

Deuteronomy 14:3

Thou shalt not eat any abominable thing.

Deuteronomy 14:4

These are the beasts which ye shall eat: the ox, the sheep, and the goat,

Deuteronomy 14:5

The hart, and the roebuck, and the fallow deer, and the wild goat, and the pygarg, and the wild ox, and the chamois.

Deuteronomy 14:6

And every beast that parteth the hoof, and cleaveth the cleft into two claws, and cheweth the cud among the beasts, that ye shall eat.

Deuteronomy 14:7

Nevertheless these ye shall not eat of them that chew the cud, or of them that divide the cloven hoof; as the camel, and the hare, and the coney: for they chew the cud, but divide not the hoof; therefore they are unclean unto you.

Deuteronomy 14:8

And the swine, because it divideth the hoof, yet cheweth not the cud, it is unclean unto you: ye shall not eat of their flesh, nor touch their dead carcase.

Deuteronomy 14:9

These ye shall eat of all that are in the waters: all that have fins and scales shall ye eat:

Deuteronomy 14:10

And whatsoever hath not fins and scales ye may not eat; it is unclean unto you.

Deuteronomy 14:11

Of all clean birds ye shall eat.

Deuteronomy 14:12

But these are they of which ye shall not eat: the eagle, and the ossifrage, and the ospray,

Deuteronomy 14:13

And the glede, and the kite, and the vulture after his kind,

Deuteronomy 14:14

And every raven after his kind,

Deuteronomy 14:15

And the owl, and the night hawk, and the cuckow, and the hawk after his kind,

Deuteronomy 14:16

The little owl, and the great owl, and the swan,

Deuteronomy 14:17

And the pelican, and the gier eagle, and the cormorant,

Deuteronomy 14:18

And the stork, and the heron after her kind, and the lapwing, and the bat.

Deuteronomy 14:19

And every creeping thing that flieth is unclean unto you: they shall not be eaten.

Deuteronomy 14:20

But of all clean fowls ye may eat.

Psalms

Psalms 50:10

For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills.

Psalms 50:11

I know all the fowls of the mountains: and the wild beasts of the field are mine. mine: Heb. with me

Psalms 50:12

If I were hungry, I would not tell thee: for the world is mine, and the fulness thereof.

Psalms 104:20

Thou makest darkness, and it is night: wherein all the beasts of the forest do creep forth. beasts: Heb. beasts thereof do trample on the forest

Psalms 104:21

The young lions roar after their prey, and seek their meat from God.

Psalms 104:22

The sun ariseth, they gather themselves together, and lay them down in their dens.

Psalms 104:23

Man goeth forth unto his work and to his labour until the evening.

Psalms 104:24

O LORD, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches.

Psalms 104:25

So is this great and wide sea, wherein are things creeping innumerable, both small and great beasts.

New Testament

Revelation

Revelation 4:6

And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind.

Revelation 4:7

And the first beast was like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle.

Revelation 4:8

And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come. rest: Gr. have no rest

Revelation 4:9

And when those beasts give glory and honour and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever,

Revelation 5:6

And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.

Revelation 5:7

And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne.

Revelation 5:8

And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints. odours: or, incense

Revelation 5:9

And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;

Revelation 5:10

And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.

Revelation 5:11

And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands;

Revelation 5:12

Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.

Revelation 5:13

And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.

Revelation 5:14

And the four beasts said, Amen. And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever.

Revelation 6:1

And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see.

Revelation 6:2

And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.

Revelation 6:3

And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see.

Revelation 6:4

And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword.

Revelation 6:5

And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand.

Revelation 6:6

And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine. A measure: the word choenix signifieth a measure containing one wine quart, and the twelfth part of a quart

Revelation 6:7

And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see.

Revelation 16:10

And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat of the beast; and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues for pain,

Revelation 16:11

And blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and repented not of their deeds.

Revelation 16:12

And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared.

Revelation 16:13

And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet.

Revelation 19:19

And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army.

Revelation 19:20

And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.

People in the Bible and animals

Biblical figures whose stories intersect with this theme.

In the Bible dictionary

Studying animals for yourself

  • Begin with Genesis 1:24, then read the passages below in canonical order.
  • Compare how Genesis, Revelation and Exodus each treat the theme.
  • Consider the lives of Moses, Jacob and Noah and how their stories intersect with it.
  • Widen the study to related themes: Sanitation, Locust, Birds and Locust, the.

Frequently asked questions

What does the Bible say about animals?

The Bible addresses animals across 136 verses, drawn from both the Old and New Testaments. These passages cluster most in Genesis, Revelation and Exodus. Closely related themes include Sanitation, Locust, Birds and Locust, the. Figures whose stories touch this theme include Moses, Jacob, Noah and Laban.

How many Bible verses are about animals?

The Bible references animals in 136 verses (King James Version).

Where does the Bible first mention animals?

In canonical order, the first of these passages is Genesis 1:24: “And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so.”

Which people in the Bible are associated with animals?

Moses, Jacob, Noah, Laban and Aaron.

Preach & teach

Outline a sermon or build a study series on animals.

Preach a series on Animals