Animals of the Bible

Noah’s dove brought back an olive leaf — the first sign that the earth could be lived on again after the flood!

The raven is an “unclean” animal under the Law of Moses — yet God used even the raven to feed the prophet Elijah in the wilderness!

Two sparrows cost one small coin (a “farthing” in the King James Bible) — the lowest price in the market of Jerusalem. Yet God knows every single sparrow!

The owl flies almost completely silently because of the special edges of its feathers, and its big eyes let it hunt in the deepest darkness of the night.

Bats are the only mammals that can truly fly; they often live in the deep caves of the East and help nature by hunting night insects.

In Israel, the dove was the offering allowed for the poor who could not afford a lamb; God valued the faithful heart of the one who brought two doves just as much.

Turtledoves came back in great flocks in spring to the gardens of Jerusalem, and their song was taken as a sign that nature was coming back to life after the winter.

Abraham, Isaac and Jacob had herds of camels — a sign of great wealth. A camel can go 10 days without water!

Jesus rode into Jerusalem in triumph on a donkey — just as Zechariah had prophesied 500 years earlier! (The King James Bible calls a donkey an “ass.”)

In Revelation, Jesus returns riding a white horse — the symbol of final victory over evil.

The scapegoat was sent into the wilderness carrying the sins of the people — that is where the word “scapegoat” comes from, which we still use today!

The wild ox, or antelope, lived on the hills and steppes of the ancient East, and it was famous for its amazing speed and agility on rocky ground.

Gazelles can run at speeds of up to 80 km/h and make spectacular leaps; in the Bible they are a symbol of beauty, grace and freedom.

In the world of the Bible, cows gave fresh milk, butter and cheese, and they were tended with great love on the green pastures of the valleys of Canaan.

The ox was the strongest helper in the work of the field in Israel; God even put a law of kindness in the Bible: “Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn” (1 Corinthians 9:9).

The big twisted ram’s horn (the shofar) was the sacred instrument that the priests blew to call the people to prayer and to feasts.

Mules were known for their sure steps on the rocky, steep paths of Jerusalem, and rulers preferred them for travel in times of peace.

The lion is the wild animal mentioned most often in the Bible. Daniel spent the whole night with the lions, and God protected him!

Young David killed a bear with his bare hands to protect his flock — his courage gave him the confidence to face Goliath too!

Wolves attacked the flocks at night — one of the biggest fears of any shepherd in Israel.

The deer in Psalm 42 inspired some of the most beautiful prayers in all of Christian history! (The King James Bible calls a deer a “hart.”)

Honey was so precious in the ancient world that God described the Promised Land as “a land flowing with milk and honey”!

The Song of Solomon 2:15 warns: “Take us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vines” — a wonderful picture of how small bad habits can spoil a beautiful life.

Leopards lived in the thickets of the Jordan and on the rocky heights of Mount Hermon, and people admired their amazing speed and the camouflage pattern of their fur.

The lamb is the most important sacrificial symbol in the whole Bible — it appears from Genesis to Revelation, hundreds of times!

Sheep are mentioned more than 500 times in the Bible! Israel was a land of shepherds, and sheep were a precious treasure.

The bull was the most expensive sacrificial animal in Israel — only the rich could bring one as an offering to God.

Quails fly at night over the sea when they migrate; when they reach land they are so tired that they can easily be caught by hand, just as happened in the camp of Israel.

In the parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:15), the young man who left home ended up feeding pigs — the lowest point of his fall, from which he came to himself and went back to his father.

In Bible villages, dogs often lived at the edge of the settlements or guarded the flocks at night against wild animals, as the book of Job reminds us (30:1).

Locusts migrate in swarms that can block out the sun; the Old Law listed them among the insects allowed as food in desert areas.

Leviathan in the book of Job is a monster so mighty that no human weapon can touch it — but God made it!

The first Christians used the symbol of the fish (ΙΧΘΥΣ) as a secret sign — each letter stood for “Jesus Christ, God’s Son, Savior.”

Jesus Himself compared Jonah’s time inside the great fish to His own death and resurrection — one of the clearest pictures of what was to come in the whole Bible! (The King James Bible says “whale” in Matthew and calls Jonah “Jonas.”)

The ancient Egyptians worshiped a frog-headed goddess; so the plague of frogs proved to all Egypt that their gods had no power before the one true God.