All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
2 TIMOTHY 3:16-17 NIV
For a long time I have kept a list of my favorite Bible verses that relate in some way to animals. Whenever I run across such a verse, I jot it down on a slip of paper or a napkin or a gum wrapper and toss it into a little basket I’ve set aside to collect them. Now and again I pull out all these little scraps and read through the animal verses just for the joy of it, which serves to keep my wonder at the magnificence of God’s creativity fresh. It never ceases to delight and amaze me that He includes in His Word so many references to the animal world I love.
As a finishing touch, I want to share my favorite animal verses with you. Note that what you’ll see here is by no means an exhaustive list of Scriptures that mention animals. This is simply a list of those animal verses that have jumped out at me, as passages quickened for us by the Holy Spirit are wont to do. These particular passages in the Bible have gripped my heart because of my wont to focus on the furred and feathered creatures with which we share this earth.
If you are an animal lover, you may have other favorite verses of your own that you would include here. By all means, add them in the margins if you wish. Note that throughout, I have added my comments in italics following some of the passages, in which I explain either why they stood out to me or what I think they might signify. Note also that these Scriptures are taken from a variety of Bible translations since each translation has its own unique flavor.
Old Testament Animal Verses
Genesis 1:24-25
God said, “Let the earth produce every sort of animal, each producing offspring of the same kind—livestock, small animals that scurry along the ground, and wild animals.” And that is what happened. God made all sorts of wild animals, livestock, and small animals, each able to produce offspring of the same kind. And God saw that it was good.
Genesis 1:27-28 ESV
God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
Genesis 2:19-20 NIV
Now the LORD God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds in the sky and all the wild animals.
When reading these verses, I have often told God that naming the animals is one job I would have liked—although facing the serpent in the Garden does not sound equally appealing. I hope that in eternity, we get to see a video replay of this scene between Adam and the animals.
Genesis 7:7-9 NKJV
Noah, with his sons, his wife, and his sons’ wives, went into the ark because of the waters of the flood. Of clean animals, of animals that are unclean, of birds, and of everything that creeps on the earth, two by two they went into the ark to Noah, male and female, as God had commanded Noah.
This is another passage where reading it has me telling God how much I would have liked that job—or maybe not Noah’s huge task, since I’m not that great at building boats and am terrible at working with sharp tools. But at least his wife’s job of helping care for all those creatures on the Ark—that is something I think I would have done gladly. I hope this scene between Noah and the animals is the second half of a double feature in eternity, combined with the video replay of the scene just mentioned in Genesis 2.
Exodus 12:31-32 NIV
During the night Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, “Up! Leave my people, you and the Israelites! Go, worship the LORD as you have requested. Take your flocks and herds, as you have said, and go. And also bless me.”
When the Israelites left Egypt during the Exodus, they took their flocks and herds with them. I would have wanted to do the same. I’m attached to my chickens.
Exodus 20:8-10
Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the LORD your God. On that day no one in your household may do any work. This includes you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, your livestock, and any foreigners living among you.
Note that the Lord commands rest not only for His people, but also for their livestock. He gives the animals a day of rest too!
Numbers 22:22-23, 28 HCSB
God was incensed that Balaam was going, and the Angel of the LORD took His stand on the path to oppose him. Balaam was riding his donkey, and his two servants were with him. When the donkey saw the Angel of the LORD standing on the path with a drawn sword in His hand, she turned off the path and went into the field. So Balaam hit her to return her to the path… Then the LORD opened the donkey’s mouth, and she asked Balaam, “What have I done to you that you have beaten me these three times?”
This whole passage is a hilarious tale in which the donkey sees an angel and tries to give way, while her human master, Balaam, is completely insensitive spiritually. God even has the donkey talk to her master—a “one time only in the course of human events” happening, as far as we know. God also opens Balaam’s eyes to see the angel eventually, but in this story the donkey definitely comes across as the smart one.
Deuteronomy 28:8 NIV
The LORD will send a blessing on your barns and on everything you put your hand to. The LORD your God will bless you in the land he is giving you.
This is a good verse that I like to reference while praying health and healing over any livestock or other creatures in my care.
1 Kings 4:33-34
He [Solomon] could speak with authority about all kinds of plants, from the great cedar of Lebanon to the tiny hyssop that grows from cracks in a wall. He could also speak about animals, birds, small creatures, and fish. And kings from every nation sent their ambassadors to listen to the wisdom of Solomon.
Part of King Solomon’s reputation for greatness was that he owned a vast number of animals, and part of his reputation for wisdom had to do with his vast knowledge of the animal kingdom. Some translations even say that he taught about them. I wish I were that wise about animals. I’m working on it!
Job 12:7-10 NIV
But ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds in the sky, and they will tell you; or speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish in the sea inform you. Which of all these does not know that the hand of the LORD has done this? In his hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind.
If we as humans don’t recognize the greatness of God, we are falling behind the rest of His creation.
Psalm 36:6-7
You care for people and animals alike, O LORD. How precious is your unfailing love, O God! All humanity finds shelter in the shadow of your wings.
Psalm 50:10-11
All the animals of the forest are mine [says the Lord], and I own the cattle on a thousand hills. I know every bird on the mountains, and all the animals of the field are mine.
This is my “theme” passage at the Lion’s Den. I think God’s inclusiveness here of all His creatures is so powerful and lovely. The original Hebrew wording indicates that He is including everything from insects to field mice to wild beasts when He says all the animals of the field are His.
Psalm 55:6-7
Oh, that I had wings like a dove; then I would fly away and rest! I would fly far away to the quiet of the wilderness.
Like the writer of this psalm, many people have found the quiet of the wilderness a holy place of solace.
Psalm 84:3 NIV
Even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may have her young—a place near your altar, LORD Almighty, my King and my God.
I do think God’s creatures are drawn to Him, even as the birds of the air were drawn near the altar of His Temple in this verse.
Psalm 104:10-12 HCSB
He causes the springs to gush into the valleys; they flow between the mountains. They supply water for every wild beast; the wild donkeys quench their thirst. The birds of the sky live beside the springs; they sing among the foliage.
God is and always has been the Source of water for everything on earth, not to mention being the Living Water for us.
Psalm 104:20-23 HCSB
You bring darkness, and it becomes night, when all the forest animals stir. The young lions roar for their prey and seek their food from God. The sun rises; they go back and lie down in their dens. Man goes out to his work and to his labor until evening.
Look at God’s design for many predatory creatures to stir by night and for humans to stir by day in a sort of trade-off that often keeps them out of each other’s way.
Psalm 104:24
O LORD, what a variety of things you have made! In wisdom you have made them all. The earth is full of your creatures.
Psalm 145:9
The LORD is good to everyone. He showers compassion on all his creation.
Psalm 145:16 NIV
You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing.
Psalm 147:9
He gives food to the wild animals and feeds the young ravens when they cry.
Psalm 148:7-10 NIV
Praise the LORD from the earth, you great sea creatures and all ocean depths, lightning and hail, snow and clouds, stormy winds that do his bidding, you mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars, wild animals and all cattle, small creatures and flying birds.
This passage, along with some verses like Psalm 150:6, intimates that in some way, on some level, even the animals and other created things are capable of praising their Creator. I find the mention of sea monsters in some translations amusing as well. Who knows the depth of all the created things living in those ocean depths? The Loch Ness monster may be, in some form or another, more than fable.
Psalm 150:6 ESV
Let everything that has breath praise the LORD!
Proverbs 12:10 NIV
The righteous care for the needs of their animals, but the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel.
I often send the first half of this verse to friends and relatives who are mourning the loss of a beloved pet, both to comfort them and to reassure them that the good care and life they gave their favorite creature was a form of righteousness in God’s eyes.
Proverbs 27:23-24 HCSB
Know well the condition of your flock, and pay attention to your herds, for wealth is not forever; not even a crown lasts for all time.
This great passage talks about our stewardship in the economic realm. Flocks and herds were the currency of the day when it was written.
Isaiah 1:3
Even an ox knows its owner, and a donkey recognizes its master’s care.
I like the way the Bible confirms here that the creatures in our care indeed know and recognize us in some way.
Isaiah 11:6-9
In that day the wolf and the lamb will live together; the leopard will lie down with the baby goat. The calf and the yearling will be safe with the lion, and a little child will lead them all. The cow will graze near the bear. The cub and the calf will lie down together. The lion will eat hay like a cow. The baby will play safely near the hole of a cobra. Yes, a little child will put its hand in a nest of deadly snakes without harm. Nothing will hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain, for as the waters fill the sea, so the earth will be filled with people who know the LORD.
I, for one, will be thrilled if Christ’s return and the “new heavens and new earth” does a reboot of the wild kingdom, so that once again we enjoy the relationship with wildlife that Adam and Eve and their pre-Fall/pre-Flood descendants must have enjoyed. Once the Flood came, everything about humankind’s relationship with the animals changed (see Genesis 9:1-3). But hope of restoration is on its way with Christ’s coming again.
Isaiah 43:20
The wild animals in the fields will thank me, the jackals and owls, too, for giving them water in the desert. Yes, I will make rivers in the dry wasteland so my chosen people can be refreshed.
Isaiah 65:25 NIV
“The wolf and the lamb will feed together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox, and dust will be the serpent’s food. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain,” says the LORD.
Jeremiah 27:4-5
This is what the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says: With my great strength and powerful arm I made the earth and all its people and every animal. I can give these things of mine to anyone I choose.
Here am I, Lord. You can give some animals to me!
Jeremiah 28:14
The LORD of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says: I have put a yoke of iron on the necks of all these nations, forcing them into slavery under King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. I have put everything, even the wild animals, under his control.
This verse is interesting in that God can choose to put wild animals under a person’s control, as perhaps was also the case with Noah and his family. I’d be up for that, although I’d be careful not to presume on it by taking careless risks around animals.
Hosea 2:18
On that day I will make a covenant with all the wild animals and the birds of the sky and the animals that scurry along the ground so they will not harm you.
Another verse I’d be up for, although again I would not be presumptuous.
Jonah 4:10-11
Then the LORD said, “… Nineveh has more than 120,000 people living in spiritual darkness, not to mention all the animals. Shouldn’t I feel sorry for such a great city?”
Not to mention all the animals! Every time I read the way God mentions the animals to Jonah in this context, it strikes me all over again how much He cares about them too.
Habakkuk 2:17
You cut down the forests of Lebanon. Now you will be cut down. You destroyed the wild animals, so now their terror will be yours.
A striking verse in which God didn’t seem happy at all about the wild animals being destroyed. I know it’s said that you can’t stand in the way of progress, but every time I pass a construction site, I wonder what the progress there meant for the wild animals once calling that patch of ground home.
Zechariah 14:20
On that day [of the Lord] even the harness bells of the horses will be inscribed with these words: HOLY TO THE LORD.
The presence of horses in eternity seems to be a recurring idea in Scripture; they are mentioned in Revelation, the final book of the New Testament, as well. No complaints here; count me in! There’s a particular pony I’d like to have back when I get there…
New Testament Animal Verses
Matthew 6:26 NIV
Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?
Matthew 10:29-31 NIV
Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
This passage is reassuring, given the sheer number of sparrows that fall to the ground. Scientific estimates place the number of common house sparrows at 150 million in the United State alone, and they exist pretty much everywhere else in the world too. Yet for all the arguably billions of sparrows, the Father knows exactly what each one of them is up to in life and in death. If He keeps track of the sparrows that closely, then we can trust that He is keeping even closer track of us.
Matthew 21:1-7
As Jesus and the disciples approached Jerusalem, they came to the town of Bethphage on the Mount of Olives. Jesus sent two of them on ahead. “Go into the village over there,” he said. “As soon as you enter it, you will see a donkey tied there, with its colt beside it. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone asks what you are doing, just say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and he will immediately let you take them.”
This took place to fulfill the prophecy that said, “Tell the people of Jerusalem, ‘Look, your King is coming to you. He is humble, riding on a donkey—riding on a donkey’s colt.’ ”
The two disciples did as Jesus commanded. They brought the donkey and the colt to him and threw their garments over the colt, and he sat on it.
Notice that Jesus was aware of these animals and their whereabouts ahead of time, which makes me think He may have made arrangements with the owner long beforehand. I like the way He also made sure that the mother donkey was brought along with the colt, which had to be of great comfort to the young animal amidst the noisy crowd.
Mark 1:12-13 NIV
At once the Spirit sent him [Jesus after His baptism] out into the wilderness, and he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and angels attended him.
It fascinates me that wild animals get this special mention of being around Jesus during that trying 40 days of His life.
Mark 11:7-9 NKJV
Then they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their clothes on it, and He sat on it. And many spread their clothes on the road, and others cut down leafy branches from the trees and spread them on the road. Then those who went before and those who followed cried out, saying: “Hosanna! ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!’ ”
This is another Bible book’s mention of the time Jesus gets on the back of a colt that has never been ridden. As I said in chapter 1, surely to stay so calm, the colt must have recognized something about the One it was carrying!
Luke 2:4-7 ESV
Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.
Granted, the manger is the closest thing to an animal mentioned in this passage, but imagine how, from the first moment of His arrival on earth as a baby, Jesus was with the animals—or at least near them. The very Son of God was born in a stable, of all places! And tradition tells us, although Scripture does not, that Mary was riding on a donkey on her journey toward the Savior’s birthplace anyway. Given the distance and how great she was with child, I think she must indeed have needed to ride, and what else could have eased her way more than to travel atop the back of a strong, warm, fuzzy friend?
Luke 14:3-6 NKJV
Jesus, answering, spoke to the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”
But they kept silent. And He took him [a man with dropsy] and healed him, and let him go. Then He answered them, saying, “Which of you, having a donkey or an ox that has fallen into a pit, will not immediately pull him out on the Sabbath day?” And they could not answer Him regarding these things.
Jesus simply assumes we would know that an animal struggling in a pit is worth rescuing, even when it means an owner is breaking the Sabbath.
Luke 16:19-21
Jesus said, “There was a certain rich man who was splendidly clothed in purple and fine linen and who lived each day in luxury. At his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus who was covered with sores. As Lazarus lay there longing for scraps from the rich man’s table, the dogs would come and lick his open sores.”
If you’re a dog owner, you know how your canine companions seem to sense when you are feeling unwell. I’m not sure whether these were street dogs or belonged to the rich man, but whatever the case, the dogs around the beggar Lazarus displayed the same kind of built-in radar and tried to comfort him in their own way.
John 1:29
Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!
Our Savior certainly is the sacrificial Lamb of God in my mind and heart, along with being the wild and victorious Lion of Judah.
John 10:27-30 ESV
My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.
I have never had sheep, but I think they’re enticing. All that fluffiness! I don’t mind being characterized as one of the Good Shepherd’s sheep. I would not want to be a goat in the Matthew 25:31-46 passage, however, where He separates the “sheep” from the “goats” who don’t make it into the kingdom!
Romans 8:19-22 HCSB
The creation eagerly waits with anticipation for God’s sons to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to futility—not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it—in the hope that the creation itself will also be set free from the bondage of corruption into the glorious freedom of God’s children. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together with labor pains until now.
James 3:7-8
People can tame all kinds of animals birds, reptiles, and fish, but no one can tame the tongue.
I don’t take this passage to mean that we should necessarily try to tame all kinds of animals, especially the wildlife. Yet reading this gives me some confidence in working with the wild ones until they are fully rehabbed and ready for release. Taming my tongue is a whole different topic…
Revelation 4:6-8
In front of the throne was a shiny sea of glass, sparkling like crystal. In the center and around the throne were four living beings, each covered with eyes, front and back. The first of these living beings was like a lion; the second was like an ox; the third had a human face; and the fourth was like an eagle in flight. Each of these living beings had six wings, and their wings were covered all over with eyes, inside and out. Day after day and night after night they keep on saying, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty—the one who always was, who is, and who is still to come.”
Animals seem to be a fixture even in the heavenlies. We are told that God’s throne is surrounded by creatures with features that are familiar to us from the animals we see here on earth. If God likes animals enough to feature them throughout the Bible, and even to have some form of them in His heavenly Throne Room, surely, I tell myself, that’s a legitimate reason for me to be crazy about them.
Revelation 5:5
Look, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the heir to David’s throne, has won the victory.
Our Savior certainly is the wild and victorious Lion of Judah in my mind and heart, along with being the sacrificial Lamb of God.
Revelation 5:13
I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea. They sang: “Blessing and honor and glory and power belong to the one sitting on the throne and to the Lamb forever and ever.”
Along with Psalms 148 and 150, this Revelation passage intimates that at some level, all creatures are capable of praising the Lord who made them.
Revelation 19:11-16 NKJV
Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written:
KING OF KINGS AND
LORD OF LORDS.
Jesus will come charging back to earth on a white horse, followed by His saints, also on horses. It therefore seems a reasonable assumption that there are some animals in heaven—horses at the very least. But never mind the horses! In the grandeur of this passage, we can only have eyes for the King. To the King of kings and Lord of lords I give all the glory, and I’ll end these pages with this image from Revelation 19 of Him coming again.
Thank you for sharing my wildlife adventures with me, and may you and I also share someday in the wonders of God’s kingdom yet to come—including new and unforeseen animal adventures for us all.