Animals, with their unique behaviors, characteristics, and significance, have always captivated the hearts and minds of people. Throughout the scriptures, God has often used animals as symbols, teachers, and even partners in the unfolding story of salvation. As creatures made by the Almighty, they hold a special place in the grand tapestry of life, and the Bible is filled with verses that reference them.
This article will explore 56 Bible verses and 7 enlightening Christian quotes that delve into the world of animals and their significance from a Christian perspective. Let's journey together through these scriptures and quotes, seeking a deeper understanding of God's creation and the profound lessons they impart. Your heart and spirit will undoubtedly be enriched as you continue.
And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.
- Genesis 1:20
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 1:25
And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof.
- Genesis 2:19
Behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and every thing that is in the earth shall die.
- Genesis 6:17
Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things.
- Genesis 9:3
Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father.
- Matthew 10:29
Consider the ravens: for they neither sow nor reap; which neither have storehouse nor barn; and God feedeth them: how much more are ye better than the fowls?
- Luke 12:24
Behold, the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.
- John 1:29
Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.
- John 8:44
The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.
- Isaiah 11:6
And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die.
- Genesis 3:4
And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.
- Revelation 13:11
But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not; and shall utterly perish in their own corruption.
- 2 Peter 2:12
And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
- Revelation 12:17
And the LORD spake unto Moses and to Aaron, saying unto them, Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, These are the beasts which ye shall eat among all the beasts that are on the earth.
- Leviticus 11:1-2
Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise:
- Proverbs 6:6
And Balaam said unto the ass, Because thou hast mocked me: I would there were a sword in mine hand, for now would I kill thee. And the ass said unto Balaam, Am not I thine ass, upon which thou hast ridden ever since I was thine unto this day? was I ever wont to do so unto thee? And he said, Nay.
- Numbers 22:29-30
But ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee; and the fowls of the air, and they shall tell thee:
- Job 12:7
Thou shalt not muzzle the ox when he treadeth out the corn.
- Deuteronomy 25:4
And should not I spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than sixscore thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand; and also much cattle?
- Jonah 4:11
And God came to Balaam, and said, What men are these with thee? And Balaam said unto God, Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, hath sent unto me, saying, Behold, there is a people come out of Egypt, which covereth the face of the earth: come now, curse me them; peradventure I shall be able to overcome them, and drive them out. And God said unto Balaam, Thou shalt not go with them; thou shalt not curse the people: for they are blessed.
- Numbers 22:9-12
Behold, a sower went forth to sow; And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up.
- Matthew 13:3-4
Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
- Matthew 6:27-29
For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard.
- Matthew 20:1
Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field: Which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof.
- Matthew 13:31-32
And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.
- Luke 18:9-10
And he began to speak unto them by parables. A certain man planted a vineyard, and set an hedge about it, and digged a place for the winefat, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country.
- Mark 12:1
It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.
- Luke 13:21
Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God?
- Luke 12:6
The young lions roar after their prey, and seek their meat from God.
- Psalm 104:21
He giveth to the beast his food, and to the young ravens which cry.
- Psalm 147:9
For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills.
- Psalm 50:10
But the seventh year thou shalt let it rest and lie still; that the poor of thy people may eat: and what they leave the beasts of the field shall eat. In like manner thou shalt deal with thy vineyard, and with thy oliveyard.
- Exodus 23:11
Thou openest thine hand, and satisfiest the desire of every living thing.
- Psalm 145:16
Thou shalt not see thy brother's ox or his sheep go astray, and hide thyself from them: thou shalt in any case bring them again unto thy brother.
- Deuteronomy 22:1
And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.
- Revelation 13:1
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 5:6
The lion hath roared, who will not fear? the Lord GOD hath spoken, who can but prophesy?
- Amos 3:8
And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another. The first was like a lion, and had eagle's wings: I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth, and made stand upon the feet as a man, and a man's heart was given to it.
- Daniel 7:3-4
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.
- Revelation 19:20
After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns.
- Daniel 7:7
And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God; That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great.
- Revelation 19:17-18
And the LORD appointed a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.
- Jonah 1:17
And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage, unto the mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples, Saying unto them, Go into the village over against you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her: loose them, and bring them unto me.
- Matthew 21:1-2
And immediately he received his sight, and followed him, glorifying God: and all the people, when they saw it, gave praise unto God.
- Luke 18:43
And the same John had his raiment of camel's hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey.
- Matthew 3:4
If then God so clothe the grass, which is to day in the field, and to morrow is cast into the oven; how much more will he clothe you, O ye of little faith?
- Luke 12:28
And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood. And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth.
- Revelation 12:15-16
And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him, And saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented.
- Matthew 8:5-6
A righteous man regardeth the life of his beast: but the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel.
- Proverbs 12:10
Thou shalt not muzzle the ox when he treadeth out the corn.
- 1 Corinthians 9:9
If a bird's nest chance to be before thee in the way in any tree, or on the ground, whether they be young ones, or eggs, and the dam sitting upon the young, or upon the eggs, thou shalt not take the dam with the young:
- Deuteronomy 22:6
But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat.
- Genesis 9:4
Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding: whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, lest they come near unto thee.
- Psalm 32:9
And whether it be cow or ewe, ye shall not kill it and her young both in one day.
- Leviticus 22:28
He that killeth an ox is as if he slew a man; he that sacrificeth a lamb, as if he cut off a dog's neck; he that offereth an oblation, as if he offered swine's blood; he that burneth incense, as if he blessed an idol. Yea, they have chosen their own ways, and their soul delighteth in their abominations.
- Isaiah 66:3
"God sleeps in the minerals, awakens in plants, walks in animals, and thinks in man."
- St. Augustine
"The beauty of the trees, the softness of the air, the fragrance of the grass, speaks to me. The summit of the mountain, the thunder of the sky, the rhythm of the sea, speaks to me. The strength of the fire, the taste of salmon, the trail of the sun, and the life that never goes away, they speak to me. And my heart soars."
- Chief Dan George
"All things of creation are children of the Father and thus brothers of man. God wants us to help animals if they need help. Every creature in distress has the same right to be protected."
- St. Francis of Assisi
"Animals are such agreeable friends—they ask no questions; they pass no criticisms."
- George Eliot
"If all the beasts were gone, men would die from a great loneliness of spirit, for whatever happens to the beasts also happens to the man. All things are connected."
- Chief Seattle
"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated."
- Mahatma Gandhi
"We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals."
- Immanuel Kant
Throughout the sacred scriptures, animals play diverse and vital roles, reflecting the interconnectedness of all God's creations. Their presence in the Bible, whether as symbols, teachers, or partners in the divine narrative, demonstrates their significance in the grand tapestry of life. As stewards of the Earth, understanding their role and value can guide us to a more harmonious existence with all of God's creatures.
And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to everything that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so.
- Genesis 1:30
For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope,
- Romans 8:19-20
Not one of them is forgotten before God.
- Luke 12:6
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