Animals of the Bible
The creatures of Scripture, literal and symbolic - the serpent, the lion, the lamb, the dove, Behemoth, and Leviathan.
Symbolic Creatures
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The Serpent
The serpent enters Scripture as the subtle deceiver in Eden, tempting Eve to doubt God's word and bringing sin into the world. Throughout the Bible the serpentโฆ
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The Lion
The lion is Scripture's emblem of strength, royalty, and danger. Judah is called a lion's whelp in Jacob's blessing, and Christ is the conquering Lion of theโฆ
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The Lamb
The lamb is the great sacrificial animal of Scripture, offered at Passover and in the daily sacrifices, its blood marking God's people for deliverance. Isaiahโฆ
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The Dove
The dove is Scripture's emblem of peace, purity, and the Holy Spirit. A dove brought Noah an olive leaf, the first sign that the flood was receding andโฆ
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The Eagle
The eagle soars through Scripture as a symbol of strength, swiftness, and renewal. God described carrying Israel out of Egypt 'on eagles' wings,' and Isaiahโฆ
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The Scapegoat
On the Day of Atonement, two goats were chosen: one was sacrificed, and over the other - the scapegoat - the high priest confessed all Israel's sins beforeโฆ
Wild & Wondrous
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The Raven
The raven, an unclean bird, plays a surprising role in Scripture as an instrument of God's provision. It was the first bird Noah sent out from the ark, andโฆ
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Balaam's Donkey
When the prophet Balaam set out to curse Israel against God's will, his donkey saw the angel of the LORD blocking the road with a drawn sword and turned asideโฆ
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The Great Fish
When Jonah fled from God's call to Nineveh and was thrown into the sea, the LORD 'prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah,' and he remained in its bellyโฆ
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Behemoth
In God's answer to Job from the whirlwind, he points to Behemoth, a massive creature that 'eateth grass as an ox,' with strength in its loins and a tail like aโฆ
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Leviathan
Leviathan is the fearsome sea creature God describes to Job - untamable, breathing fire and smoke, with scales like shields and a heart as hard as stone, 'kingโฆ
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The Locust
The locust appears in Scripture as an instrument of judgment and a symbol of devastation. A plague of locusts stripped Egypt bare as the eighth plague, and theโฆ