Topical Encyclopedia
The term "fourfooted" refers to animals that walk on four legs. In the context of the Bible, these creatures are often mentioned in discussions of dietary laws, idolatry, and the natural order of creation. The term is used to describe a category of animals that are distinct from humans, birds, and creeping things.
Biblical References:1.
Creation and the Natural Order: In the account of creation, fourfooted animals are part of the living creatures that God created to inhabit the earth.
Genesis 1:24-25 states, "And God said, 'Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, creatures that move along the ground, and wild animals, each according to its kind.' And it was so. God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good." Here, fourfooted animals are included in the broader category of "livestock" and "wild animals."
2.
Dietary Laws: The Mosaic Law provides specific instructions regarding which fourfooted animals are considered clean and unclean for consumption.
Leviticus 11 and
Deuteronomy 14 outline these dietary laws. For example,
Leviticus 11:3 states, "You may eat any animal that has a split hoof completely divided and that chews the cud." This law distinguishes between clean and unclean fourfooted animals, emphasizing the importance of obedience to God's commandments.
3.
Idolatry: Fourfooted animals are also mentioned in the context of idolatry. In
Romans 1:23 , the Apostle Paul describes the folly of idolatry, stating, "They exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images of mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles." Here, fourfooted animals are included in the list of created beings that people wrongly worship instead of the Creator.
4.
Peter's Vision: In the New Testament, the Apostle Peter receives a vision that challenges the traditional Jewish dietary laws.
Acts 10:12 describes the vision: "It contained all kinds of fourfooted animals and reptiles of the earth, as well as birds of the air." This vision signifies the inclusion of Gentiles into the Christian faith and the removal of dietary restrictions, emphasizing the new covenant in Christ.
Theological Significance:Fourfooted animals in the Bible serve as a reminder of God's creative power and the order He established in the world. They also highlight the distinction between the Creator and the created, as well as the importance of worshiping God alone. The dietary laws concerning fourfooted animals underscore the call to holiness and obedience, while the vision given to Peter illustrates the breaking down of barriers between Jews and Gentiles in the early Church. Through these references, fourfooted animals contribute to the broader biblical narrative of creation, law, and redemption.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
(
a.) Having four feet; quadruped; as, fourfooted beasts.
Greek
5074. tetrapous -- four-footed... four-footed animal. From tessares and pous; a quadruped --
fourfooted beast. see
GREEK tessares. see GREEK pous. (tetrapoda) -- 2 Occurrences.
...Library
What God Hath Cleansed
... 12. Wherein were all manner offourfooted beasts of the earth, and wild
beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air.13. And...
Peter's Apologia
... let down from heaven by four corners; and it came even to me: 6. Upon the which
when I had fastened mine eyes, I considered, and sawfourfooted beasts of the...
That the Excellency of the Christian Religion is Above all the...
... they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into the likeness
of the image of corruptible man, and of birds, andfourfooted beasts, and...
Acts x. 44, 46
... let down from heaven by four corners; and it came even to me (v.4, 5): upon the
which when I had fastened mine eyes, I considered, and sawfourfooted beasts of...
Acts x. 4-Jan
... four corners, a certain vessel descending unto him, as it had been a great sheet,
and let down to the earth: wherein were all manner offourfooted beasts of...
The Second Theological Oration.
... And before now men have insulted themselves by worshipping monsters, andfourfooted
beasts, and creeping things, [3458] and of the very vilest and most absurd...
Inexcusable Irreverence and Ingratitude
... 23, 24. And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like
corruptible man, and to birds, andfourfooted beasts, and creeping things....
Thesaurus
Fourfooted (3 Occurrences)... Noah Webster's Dictionary (a.) Having four feet; quadruped; as,
fourfooted beasts. Multi-Version Concordance
Fourfooted (3 Occurrences).
...Beasts (241 Occurrences)
... (BBE). Acts 10:12 Wherein were all manner offourfooted beasts of the earth, and
wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air. (KJV ASV BBE WBS YLT)....
Fowls (61 Occurrences)
... (KJV WBS YLT). Acts 10:12 Wherein were all manner offourfooted beasts of the earth,
and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air....
Air (74 Occurrences)
... (KJV WBS NAS RSV NIV). Acts 10:12 Wherein were all manner offourfooted beasts of
the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air....
Uncorruptible (1 Occurrence)
... Romans 1:23 And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like
to corruptible man, and to birds, andfourfooted beasts, and creeping things...
Wherein (208 Occurrences)
... (KJV ASV YLT). Acts 10:12 Wherein were all manner offourfooted beasts of the earth,
and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air. (KJV ASV)....
Fastened (43 Occurrences)
... Acts 11:6 Upon the which when I had fastened mine eyes, I considered, and saw
fourfooted beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls...
Four-fold (2 Occurrences)
Four-fold. Fourfold, Four-fold.Fourfooted . Multi-Version Concordance
Four-fold (2 Occurrences).... (WBS). Fourfold, Four-fold.Fourfooted . Reference
Four-footed (7 Occurrences)
Four-footed.Fourfooted, Four-footed. Fours . Multi-Version Concordance
Four-footed (7 Occurrences).... (BBE).Fourfooted, Four-footed. Fours . Reference
Creeping (43 Occurrences)
... Creeping (43 Occurrences). Acts 10:12 Wherein were all manner offourfooted beasts
of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air....
Resources
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