Creeping Things

Passages on this topic

From Nave’s Topical Bible (1896), a historical reference index. The groupings are Nave’s; the verses are shown in the text used across this site.

A general term for animals

• Genesis 1:26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness, to rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, and over all the earth itself and every creature that crawls upon it.”
• Leviticus 11:20–23 All flying insects that walk on all fours are detestable to you. However, you may eat the following kinds of flying insects that walk on all fours: those having jointed legs above their feet for hopping on the ground. Of these you may eat any kind of locust, katydid, cricket, or grasshopper. All ot…
• Leviticus 11:29–31 The following creatures that move along the ground are unclean for you: the mole, the mouse, any kind of great lizard, the gecko, the monitor lizard, the common lizard, the skink, and the chameleon. These animals are unclean for you among all the crawling creatures. Whoever touches them when they a…
• Leviticus 11:42 Do not eat any creature that moves along the ground, whether it crawls on its belly or walks on four or more feet; for such creatures are detestable.
• Psalm 104:20 You bring darkness, and it becomes night, when all the beasts of the forest prowl.
• Psalm 104:25 Here is the sea, vast and wide, teeming with creatures beyond number, living things both great and small.
• Romans 1:23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images of mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.

Unclean

• Leviticus 5:2 Or if a person touches anything unclean— whether the carcass of any unclean wild animal or livestock or crawling creature— even if he is unaware of it, he is unclean and guilty.
• Leviticus 11:20 All flying insects that walk on all fours are detestable to you.
• Leviticus 11:29–44 The following creatures that move along the ground are unclean for you: the mole, the mouse, any kind of great lizard, the gecko, the monitor lizard, the common lizard, the skink, and the chameleon. These animals are unclean for you among all the crawling creatures. Whoever touches them when they a…
• Deuteronomy 14:19 All flying insects are unclean for you; they may not be eaten.

Clean

• Leviticus 11:21–22 However, you may eat the following kinds of flying insects that walk on all fours: those having jointed legs above their feet for hopping on the ground. Of these you may eat any kind of locust, katydid, cricket, or grasshopper.

Uses of, in idolatrous worship

• Ezekiel 8:10 So I went in and looked, and engraved all around the wall was every kind of crawling creature and detestable beast, along with all the idols of the house of Israel.