Topical Encyclopedia
In the context of the Bible, reptiles are often mentioned in relation to the broader category of "creeping things" or "creatures that move along the ground." These creatures are part of God's creation and are referenced in various passages throughout the Scriptures. The term "reptile" as understood today may not directly correspond to the ancient Hebrew or Greek terms, but it generally includes creatures such as snakes, lizards, and other similar animals.
Creation and ClassificationReptiles are first mentioned in the creation account in Genesis. On the sixth day, God created all living creatures that move along the ground:
"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." (
Genesis 1:24)
This passage highlights the inclusion of reptiles within the broader category of "creatures that move along the ground," emphasizing their place in the created order.
Symbolism and ImageryReptiles, particularly serpents, hold significant symbolic meaning in the Bible. The serpent is most famously associated with the account of the Fall in
Genesis 3, where it is described as more cunning than any other beast of the field:
"Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field that the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, 'Did God really say, "You must not eat from any tree in the garden"?'" (
Genesis 3:1)
The serpent's role in the temptation of Eve has led to its association with Satan and evil throughout Christian theology. This imagery is reinforced in the New Testament, where Satan is referred to as "that ancient serpent" (
Revelation 12:9).
Dietary Laws and CleanlinessIn the Mosaic Law, reptiles are classified among the unclean animals that the Israelites were forbidden to eat.
Leviticus 11 provides detailed instructions on clean and unclean animals, including specific references to reptiles:
"Of all the creatures that move along the ground, these are unclean for you: the weasel, the rat, any kind of great lizard, the gecko, the monitor lizard, the wall lizard, the skink, and the chameleon." (
Leviticus 11:29-30)
These dietary laws were part of the covenant between God and Israel, serving to set the Israelites apart from other nations and to teach principles of holiness and separation.
Reptiles in Prophetic and Apocalyptic LiteratureReptiles also appear in prophetic and apocalyptic literature, often symbolizing chaos or judgment. In Isaiah, the prophet speaks of a time when the natural order will be restored, and even venomous creatures will pose no harm:
"The infant will play by the cobra’s den, and the toddler will reach into the viper’s nest." (
Isaiah 11:8)
This imagery points to a future era of peace and harmony under the reign of the Messiah, where the curse of sin and its effects on creation will be reversed.
Reptiles in the New TestamentIn the New Testament, Jesus uses the imagery of serpents to convey spiritual truths. In
Matthew 10:16, He instructs His disciples to be "as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves," highlighting the need for wisdom and purity in their mission.
Additionally, in
Acts 28:3-5, the Apostle Paul encounters a viper on the island of Malta. Despite being bitten, he suffers no harm, demonstrating God's protection and the power of faith:
"Paul gathered a bundle of sticks, and as he laid them on the fire, a viper, driven out by the heat, fastened itself to his hand. But Paul shook the creature off into the fire and suffered no ill effects." (
Acts 28:3, 5)
This incident serves as a testament to God's sovereignty and the fulfillment of Jesus' promise that His followers would be protected from harm (
Mark 16:18).
In summary, reptiles in the Bible are part of God's creation, serve as symbols of both evil and wisdom, and are used to illustrate spiritual truths and divine protection.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
1. (
a.) Creeping; moving on the belly, or by means of small and short legs.
2. (a.) Hence: Groveling; low; vulgar; as, a reptile race or crew; reptile vices.
3. (n.) An animal that crawls, or moves on its belly, as snakes,, or by means of small, short legs, as lizards, and the like.
4. (n.) One of the Reptilia, or one of the Amphibia.
5. (n.) A groveling or very mean person.
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
REPTILErep'-til, -til: Vulgate (Jerome's Latin Bible, 390-405 A.D.) inMicah 7:17 has reptilis for zohale, "crawling things," the American Standard Revised Version "worms of the earth," the King James Version margin "creeping things."
SeeLEVIATHAN;LIZARD; SERPENT; TORTOISE.
Greek
2062. herpeton -- a creeping thing... thing. Part of Speech: Noun, Neuter Transliteration: herpeton Phonetic Spelling:
(her-pet-on') Short Definition: a creeping creature,
reptile Definition: a
...Strong's Hebrew
3581a. koach -- a smallreptile (of unknown species)koach or koach. 3581, 3581a. koach or koach. 3581b . a small
reptile (of unknown
species). Transliteration: koach or koach Short Definition: crocodile.
...3581. koach -- a smallreptile (of unknown species)
... 3580, 3581. koach. 3581a . a smallreptile (of unknown species). Transliteration:
koach Phonetic Spelling: (ko'-akh) Short Definition: ability....
2546. chomet -- (a kind of) lizard
... 2545, 2546. chomet. 2547 . (a kind of) lizard. Transliteration: chomet
Phonetic Spelling: (kho'met) Short Definition:reptile. Word...
7431. remes -- creeping things, moving things
... that creeps, creeping moving thing. From ramas; areptile or any other rapidly moving
animal -- that creepeth, creeping (moving) thing. see HEBREW ramas....
Library
Antichrist in Isaiah
... of that creature. But surely a whole chapter of Scripture would scarcely
be devoted to describing areptile! Personally, we are...
Exhortation to Abandon the Impious Mysteries of Idolatry for the...
... A solemn Hellenic assembly had met at Pytho, to celebrate the death of the
Pythic serpent, when Eunomos sang thereptile's epitaph....
Conformity to Type
... It is the clay of the Potter." "Beast and fowl,reptile and fish, mollusk, worm
and polype are all composed of structural units of the same character, namely...
Closing Appeal.
... These have conquered me"the divinity of the instruction, and the power of the Word:
for as a skilled serpent-charmer lures the terriblereptile from his den...
Growth in Christliness of Life.
... Imitation of Christ comes after sanctification, and not before. You simply
can not imitate Jesus if you have areptile heart in you....
The Sovereignty of God in Creation
... If the mighty God chose to have one vast gradation in His universe, from loftiest
seraph to creepingreptile, from revolving worlds to floating atoms, from...
Christianity Requires the Temper of Childhood.
... essence,"that he had no sympathy with the child, and that the children uniformly
shrank from that sinister eye in which the eagle and thereptile were so...
Christ Crucified
... She would not bow down to him who is "clearly seen," but she worshipped any
creature"thereptile that crawled, the viper" everything might be a god; but not...
Forasmuch as Ye did it unto one of These.
... But you, being seduced by some malignantreptile to malice, by the suggestion of
polytheistic doctrine, are impious towards the real image, which is man, and...
A Crushed Snake
... Name"'shall bruise Satan under your feet,' but it will need the tension of your
muscles, and the downward force of your heel, if the wrigglingreptile is to...
Thesaurus
Reptile (3 Occurrences)... legs. 2. (a.) Hence: Groveling; low; vulgar; as, a
reptile race or crew;
reptile vices. 3
... person. Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia.
REPTILE. rep
...Serpent (40 Occurrences)
... see BRASS.). Noah Webster's Dictionary. 1. (n.) Anyreptile of the order
Ophidia; a snake, especially a large snake. See Ophidia. 2...
Unhurt (2 Occurrences)
... Multi-Version Concordance Unhurt (2 Occurrences). Acts 28:5 He, however,
shook thereptile off into the fire and was unhurt. (WEY)....
Whale (2 Occurrences)
... marg. of RV, "sea-monsters"); Isaiah 27:1; and "serpent" in Exodus 7:9
(RV marg., "any largereptile, " and so in ver. 10, 12)....
Worm (22 Occurrences)
... 2. (n.) Any small creeping animal orreptile, either entirely without feet, or with
very short ones, including a great variety of animals; as, an earthworm...
Frog (2 Occurrences)
... Thisreptile is mentioned in the Old Testament only in connection with one of the
plagues which fell on the land of Egypt (Exodus 8:2-14; Psalm 78:45; 105:30)....
Reproving (2 Occurrences)
Reptiles (6 Occurrences)
Den (19 Occurrences)
... A lair of wild beasts (Psalm 10:9; 104:22; Job 37:8); the hole of a venomousreptile
(Isaiah 11:8); a recess for secrecy "in dens and caves of the earth...
Mental (1 Occurrence)
... mental nerve; the mental region. 2. (n.) A plate or scale covering the mentum
or chin of a fish orreptile. 3. (a.) of or pertaining...
Resources
What is the difference between Microevolution and Macroevolution? | GotQuestions.orgWhat is the Reptilian conspiracy? | GotQuestions.orgWhat does the Bible say about dinosaurs? Are there dinosaurs in the Bible? | GotQuestions.orgReptile: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.comBible Concordance •
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