Topical Encyclopedia
The term "extinct" is not directly used in the Bible; however, the concept of extinction, particularly in relation to nations, peoples, and certain animals, can be inferred from various passages. In a biblical context, extinction often refers to the complete destruction or disappearance of a group or entity, often as a result of divine judgment or natural consequences.
Nations and PeoplesThroughout the Bible, several nations and peoples are described as being completely destroyed or wiped out, often as a result of their wickedness or opposition to God's people. For example, the Amalekites are a people whom God commanded to be utterly destroyed due to their persistent hostility towards Israel. In
1 Samuel 15:3 , God instructs King Saul, "Now go and attack the Amalekites and devote to destruction all that belongs to them. Do not spare them; put to death men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys."
Similarly, the Canaanite nations were to be driven out and destroyed as the Israelites entered the Promised Land.
Deuteronomy 20:17 states, "You must completely destroy them—the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites—as the LORD your God has commanded you."
Cities and CivilizationsThe Bible also records the destruction of cities and civilizations, often as a result of divine judgment. The most notable example is the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, which were obliterated due to their grievous sins.
Genesis 19:24-25 recounts, "Then the LORD rained down sulfur and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah—from the LORD out of the heavens. Thus He overthrew those cities and the entire plain, including all the inhabitants of the cities and everything that grew on the ground."
Animals and CreationWhile the Bible does not explicitly discuss the extinction of animal species, it does acknowledge the impact of human sin on creation. The Flood narrative in
Genesis 6-9 describes a cataclysmic event that led to the destruction of all living creatures, except those preserved in the ark.
Genesis 7:23 states, "Every living thing on the face of the earth was destroyed—man and livestock, crawling creatures and birds of the air; they were blotted out from the earth, and only Noah and those with him in the ark remained."
The Bible also speaks to the eventual renewal and restoration of creation, suggesting that the current state of decay and extinction is temporary.
Romans 8:21 offers hope, stating, "that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God."
Spiritual ExtinctionIn a spiritual sense, the concept of extinction can be applied to the fate of the wicked. The Bible warns of eternal separation from God for those who reject Him.
Matthew 25:46 speaks of the final judgment, "And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."
The Bible emphasizes the importance of faith and obedience to avoid spiritual extinction and to inherit eternal life.
John 3:16 assures believers, "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that everyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life."
In summary, while the Bible does not use the term "extinct," it addresses the concept through the destruction of nations, cities, and the consequences of sin on creation, as well as the spiritual implications for humanity.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
1. (
a.) Extinguished; quenched; no longer existing; as, an extinct volcano.
2. (a.) Without a survivor; without force; dead; as, a family becomes extinct; an extinct feud or law.
3. (v. t.) To cause to be extinct.
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
EXTINCTInJob 17:1, "My days are extinct" (za`akh (in Niphal)) and inIsaiah 43:17, "They are extinct" (da`akh), the word "extinct" should be recognized as a form of the participle, equivalent to "extinguished," so that in both passages an action, not merely a state, is indicated.
Strong's Hebrew
1846. daak -- to go out, be extinguished... root Definition to go out, be extinguished NASB Word Usage extinguished (1), go
(1), goes (3), put (2), vanish (1). be
extinct, consumed, put out, quenched.
...2193. zaak -- to extinguish
... root Definition to extinguish NASB Word Usage extinguished (1). beextinct. A primitive
root; to extinguish -- beextinct. 2192, 2193. zaak. 2194 ....
Library
Carey's College
... Henry Carey, first cousin of Queen Elizabeth, was the common ancestor of two ennobled
houses long sinceextinct"the Earls of Dover and the Earls of Monmouth....
Of the New Jerusalem, the Spouse of the Lamb, with the Seventh...
... End." Therefore the new Jerusalem, the wife of the Lamb, begins from the final
termination of the phials: "It is done," the harlot being nowextinct, and so is...
A Farther Quotation from virgilius Maro Respecting Christ, with...
... themselves. Truly, then, the poisonous race may be said to beextinct. Death
himself isextinct, and the truth of the resurrection sealed....
Cicero's Opinion of the Roman Republic.
... to its "utterly wicked and profligate" condition, what will they make of Cicero's
statement, that even in his time it had become entirelyextinct, and that...
Geological Contemporaneity and Persistent Types of Life.
... to study the minutiae of osteology, were it not that in such minutiae lie the only
keys to the most interesting riddles offered by theextinct animal world....
Letters of St. Augustin Index of Subjects
... Epicureans refuted, [1497]443. Epicureansextinct in fifth century, [1498]442,
[1499]445.... Stoicsextinct in fifth century, [1720]442, [1721]445, [1722]446....
The Eternal Name
... and as it was born so early, and still exists, whilst a thousand ephemera have become
extinct, whether it does not look most possible, that when all others...
Who is the Rich Man that Shall Be Saved?
... [7]. As Eusebius informs us, the charismata were notextinct in the churches
when the Phrygian imitations began to puzzle the faithful....
Exhortation to the Heathen
... [7]. As Eusebius informs us, the charismata were notextinct in the churches
when the Phrygian imitations began to puzzle the faithful....
The Treatise on the Resurrection of the Dead
... [7]. As Eusebius informs us, the charismata were notextinct in the churches
when the Phrygian imitations began to puzzle the faithful....
Thesaurus
Extinct (3 Occurrences)... Noah Webster's Dictionary 1. (a.) Extinguished; quenched; no longer existing;
as, an
extinct volcano.
... 3. (vt) To cause to be
extinct. Int.
...Extinction (4 Occurrences)
... 1. (n.) The act of extinguishing or makingextinct; a putting an end to; the act
of putting out or destroying light, fire, life, activity, influence, etc....
Zoology
... relates to the animal kingdom, including the structure, embryology, evolution,
classification, habits, and distribution of all animals, both living andextinct...
Arabia (9 Occurrences)
... FLORA AND FAUNA 1. Flora 2. Fauna V. INHABITANTS 1. Classification 2.Extinct Tribes
3. South Arabian Tribes 4. Migration of Tribes 5. North Arabian Tribes 6...
Quenched (22 Occurrences)
... Isaiah 43:17 who brings forth the chariot and horse, the army and the mighty man
(they lie down together, they shall not rise; they areextinct, they are...
Nadab (21 Occurrences)
... The assassination of Nadab was followed by that of his whole house, and thus
this great Ephraimite family becameextinct (1 Kings 15:29)....
Unicorn (6 Occurrences)
... rim. Most probably, however, the word denotes the Bos primigenius ("primitive
ox"), which is nowextinct all over the world. This...
Gaulonitis
... It is entirely volcanic, and there are many cone-like peaks ofextinct volcanoes,
especially toward the North It affords good pasturage, and has long been a...
Golan (4 Occurrences)
... It is entirely volcanic, and there are many cone-like peaks ofextinct volcanoes,
especially toward the North It affords good pasturage, and has long been a...
Wick (10 Occurrences)
... Isaiah 43:17 who brings forth the chariot and horse, the army and the mighty man
(they lie down together, they shall not rise; they areextinct, they are...
Resources
What caused the extinction of the dinosaurs? | GotQuestions.orgWhat is Novatianism? | GotQuestions.orgHow does young earth creationism handle the evidence for millions of years in the fossil record? | GotQuestions.orgExtinct: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.comBible Concordance •
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