Animal: Behemah, feminine noun (Strong’s 929); Behemoth, masculine noun (Strong’s 930).
Behemah (b’heymah):
בְּהֵמָה
Behemoth (b’heymoht):
בְּהֵמוֹת
Last week I lost a friend. Little Gimli had been in our family for twelve years… although we have three cats, Gimli was my special buddy. My kids always joked that Gimli was really affectionate with them until I came home from work. Then Gimli would hastily retreat and rush to my side at the front door, like a loyal and attentive friend.
When my husband died at the young age of 50, I was crushed and bewildered. Gimli came to my rescue. He latched on to me closer than ever before. I didn’t feel so alone. If you’ve heard the laments of any widow, nighttime is often the hardest. An empty bed is a constant reminder of your new (and lonely) relationship status. Gimli would always rush to jump on the bed before I had a chance to get in, and his deep purrs would lull me to sleep. In the morning his little wet nose would greet me with a ‘good morning’! It was clear he was excited to start a new day with me by his side. When I broke down with tears (at weird random times, day or night) Gimli would just sit beside me… a quiet little heartbeat and a comforting presence that told me I wasn’t alone. Gimli was doing Godly work, fulfilling what he was created to do… to be a presence of peace alongside one of God’s suffering Image Bearers.
Humans bear the image of God. We are to reflect God’s goodness on the earth that He created. And we’ve been given the task to look after this planet and all the things held within it. God designed us to be the caretakers and we should take that job very seriously.
God also gave the animals a job to do too. They provide so much for humans, including giving up their lives to be a food source for the massive population of the world’s humans. If you’re a meat eater, that’s a sacrifice that we all too often forget to be thankful for.
Another job that God has given animals is the job of emotional caretaker. Although humans are supposed to look after all the animals on this planet and help them flourish and grow, in a unique turn of events, animals (in particular, pets) are often the best teachers of what being a caretaker looks like. They are loyal friends and the best medicine for loneliness. They sense grief and will just sit alongside you, asking for nothing in return. Hugs and kisses are always available and are given freely and joyously with no agendas or returned expectations. If you’ve ever had a beloved pet, you’ve experienced this kind of love, loyalty, and warmth firsthand.
So what does the Bible have to say about animals? According to the creation account God created land animals on the sixth day, just before humans:
Genesis 1:24-26
Then God said, “Let the earth produce living creatures according to their kind: livestock animals [b’heymah בְּהֵמָ֥ה] and crawling things and animals living things of the earth according to their kind”; and it was so. God made the animals living souls of the earth according to their kind, and the livestock animals [ha-b’heymah הַבְּהֵמָה֙] according to their kind, and everything that crawls on the ground according to its kind; and God saw that it was good.
When we hear the word b’heymah, you may immediately think of Behemoth, the big powerful land creature described in Job 40:14-24. YHWH said, “Behold, Behemoth, which I made as well as you…” (Jer 40:15). This was the animal of all animals, the king of the beasts. Although this particular beast was impressive and awe-inspiring, it was just one animal among many of God’s beloved creatures.
B’heymah was the generic term for animal, although it sometimes has been translated as beasts, livestock, or cattle. Nephesh khayah (“living souls”) and khayyat (“living things”) are other phrases used to describe animals. All creatures of the earth and sky have the breath (ruakh) of God within them and so we are all connected, through breath, to the God that created us. As YHWH’s image bearers, it’s up to us to care for everything that YHWH made. Whatever you call them (animals, livestock, or non-human living things) we are told that animals were to be under the dominion and protection of humans:
Genesis 1:26
Then God said, “Let Us make mankind in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the animals [u-va-b’heymah וּבַבְּהֵמָה֙] and over all the earth, and over every crawling thing that crawls on the earth.”
To “rule” does not mean to dominate. Humans were created to be the caretakers of the planet, and that included supporting, and caring for, animals. We are responsible for helping animals live respectful lives, nurturing them and providing safe spaces for them to live comfortably, whether in a farm, in our houses, or out in the wild.
Psalm 8:3-9
[David:] When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have set in place; what is man that You think of him, and a son of man that You are concerned about him?
Yet You have made him a little lower than God, and You crown him with glory and majesty! You have him rule over the works of Your hands; You have put everything under his feet, all sheep and oxen, and also the animals [ba’hamoht בַּהֲמ֥וֹת] of the field, the birds of the sky, and the fish of the sea, whatever passes through the paths of the seas.
YHWH, our Lord, how majestic is Your name in all the earth!
How majestic is God’s name in all the earth! Every creature, all the beauty on this planet, from the sky to the depths of the sea, it all shows the glory of God in incredible technicolour! God cares for His creation and He wants us humans to care for it too.
Rescuing Animals
When the earth was about to be flooded, YHWH told Noah to build a rescue ship. He was assigned to collect, and place in the Ark, all the animals, in order to ensure their continued existence. Extinction was not an option:
Genesis 6:19-20
And of every living thing of all flesh, you shall bring two of every kind into the ark, to keep them alive with you; they shall be male and female. Of the birds according to their kind, and of the animals [ha-b’heymah הַבְּהֵמָה֙] according to their kind, of every crawling thing of the ground according to its kind, two of every kind will come to you to keep them alive.
We are to keep things alive and thriving. It is our responsibility to treat the planet like a lifeboat… a safe shore for all the animals of the earth.
After the flood, God remembered not just the humans but the animals as well. Being a compassionate God who wanted to save His creation, He used a wind to push back the waters:
Genesis 8:1
But God remembered Noah and all the animals living things and all the livestock animals [ha-b’heymah הַבְּהֵמָ֔ה] that were with him in the ark; and God caused a wind to pass over the earth, and the water subsided.
Once the land was visible again, God invited the animals to repopulate the earth:
Genesis 8:17
“Bring out with you every living thing of all flesh that is with you, birds and animals [u-va-b’heymah וּבַבְּהֵמָ֛ה] and every crawling thing that crawls on the earth, that they may breed abundantly on the earth, and be fruitful and multiply on the earth.”
God then made a covenantal promise, not just to humans but to all living things:
Genesis 9:8-13
Then God spoke to Noah and to his sons with him, saying, “Now behold, I Myself am establishing My covenant with you, and with your descendants after you; and with every living creature [living soul] that is with you: the birds, the animals [ba-b’heymah בַּבְּהֵמָ֛ה], and every (living thing of the earth with you; of all that comes out of the ark, every animal living thing of the earth. I establish My covenant with you; and all flesh shall never again be eliminated by the waters of a flood, nor shall there again be a flood to destroy the earth.” God said, “This is the sign of the covenant which I am making between Me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations; I have set My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall serve as a sign of a covenant between Me and the earth.
Animals were part of God’s Covenant of protection! God made this after-the-flood covenant with humans and animals without demanding anything in return. God would never again globally flood the earth. Humans and animals would be safe from total annihilation… and a rainbow would be a reminder of God’s covenantal love and protection, offered freely to all the humans and animals created by YHWH. Our responsibility was to look after the earth; YHWH would look after us.
God has always been faithful to us, but we’ve screwed up our commission. In the constant race to be the richest and the most powerful, many have forgotten the human task to be caretakers, and instead have taken advantage of, or mistreated, the wildlife of this planet! This is wrong.
If we are God’s image bearers then we need to act Godly, and that means protecting ourselves and all the animals of this world:
Psalm 36:5-7a
[David:] Your mercy, YHWH, extends to the heavens, Your faithfulness reaches to the skies. Your righteousness is like the mountains of God; Your judgments are like the great deep. YHWH, You protect mankind and animals [u-v’heymah וּבְהֵמָ֖ה]. How precious is Your mercy, God!
YHWH cares deeply for all the creatures of the earth:
Psalm 50:7-11
[YHWH:] “Hear, My people, and I will speak; Israel, I will testify against you; I am God, your God. I do not rebuke you for your sacrifices, and your burnt offerings are continually before Me.
I will not take a bull from your house, nor male goats from your folds. For every animal living thing of the forest is Mine, the animals [b’heymoht בְּ֝הֵמ֗וֹת] on a thousand hills. I know every bird of the mountains, and everything that moves in the field is Mine.”
Psalm 104 is a beautiful poem celebrating all of God’s creations:
Psalm 104:1-24
Bless YHWH my soul! YHWH my God, You are very great; You are clothed with splendour and majesty, covering Yourself with light as with a cloak, stretching out heaven like a tent curtain.
He lays the beams of His upper chambers in the waters; He makes the clouds His chariot; He walks on the wings of the wind; He makes the winds His messengers, flaming fire His ministers.
He established the earth upon its foundations, so that it will not totter forever and ever. You covered it with the deep sea as with a garment; the waters were standing above the mountains. They fled from Your rebuke, at the sound of Your thunder they hurried away.
The mountains rose; the valleys sank down to the place which You established for them. You set a boundary so that they will not pass over, so that they will not return to cover the earth. He sends forth springs in the valleys; they flow between the mountains; they give drink to every living thing of the field; the wild donkeys quench their thirst. The birds of the sky dwell beside them; they lift up their voices from among the branches.
He waters the mountains from His upper chambers; the earth is satisfied with the fruit of His works. He causes the grass to grow for the animals [la-b’heymah לַבְּהֵמָ֗ה], and vegetation for the labour of mankind, so that they may produce food from the earth, and wine, which makes a human heart cheerful, so that he makes his face gleam with oil, and food, which sustains a human heart.
The trees of YHWH drink their fill, the cedars of Lebanon which He planted, where the birds build their nests, and the stork, whose home is the juniper trees. The high mountains are for the wild goats; the cliffs are a refuge for the rock hyrax.
He made the moon for the seasons; the sun knows the place of its setting. You appoint darkness and it becomes night, in which all the living things of the forest prowl about. The young lions roar for their prey and seek their food from God. When the sun rises they withdraw, and they lie down in their dens. A person goes out to his work and to his labour until evening.
YHWH, how many are Your works! In wisdom You have made them all; the earth is full of Your possessions.
All of creation is YHWH’s possession and all living things are to praise YHWH.
Psalm 150:6
Let everything that has breath, praise Yah! Halellu-Yah!
We do get a sense that animals understood that they were connected to God and that they had the breath of God inside of them. The Bible tells us that all of creation (not just humans) praised God and cried out to God:
Psalm 148:7-13
Praise YHWH from the earth, sea monsters, and all the ocean depths; fire and hail, snow and clouds; stormy wind, fulfilling His word; mountains and all hills; fruit trees and all cedars; living things and all cattle animals [b’heymah בְּהֵמָ֑ה]; crawling things and winged fowl; kings of the earth and all peoples; rulers and all judges of the earth; both young men and virgins; old men and children.
They are to praise the name of YHWH, for His name alone is exalted; His majesty is above earth and heaven.
Gimli Smithy Fisher
(22 July 2014 – 4 August 2026)
Yeshua and the Animals
There are lots of moments in the Bible where Yeshua found himself in the company of animals. His birth was in a barn, probably surrounded by the sounds of sheep, donkeys, cows, and chickens. When he went into the wilderness, before the beginning of His ministry, we read that he was with the wild animals (Mark 1:13). Yeshua also stood up for the rights of animals, telling the Pharisees and scribes that it was good and right to tend to the animals on the Sabbath, regardless of the rules (Luke 13, Luke 14, Matt 12). When it came to telling parables, Yeshua often used stories of animals including sheep, lambs, oxen, donkey, foxes, and goats. He even once compared Himself to a mother hen:
Luke 13:34
“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who have been sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, just as a hen gathers her young under her wings, but you were unwilling!”
Yeshua understood the human commission to care for the planet, including all the animals within it. He stood as an example for all of us, showing kindness to all the creatures of the earth, big and small.
Reclaiming our Role as Caretakers
Yeshua was a shining example of kindness towards all of God’s creation, but unfortunately the human assigned task to look after the earth, including animals, has been (for the most part) a failed commission. We’ve torn down forests, caused animals to go extinct, poisoned the air and the sea, strip-mined the mountains and the soil, stuffed herds and flocks into concentrated spaces, and generally made a mess of the planet (the very thing we were made to protect):
Jeremiah 12:4
How long is the land to mourn, and the vegetation of the countryside to dry up? Due to the wickedness of those who live in it, animals [v’heymoht בְהֵמוֹת֙] and birds have been snatched away, because people have said, “He will not see our final end.”
YHWH was, and is, a God who gave His people a choice. They could give their allegiance to Him or choose to reject Him and His commandments. Because the people had failed in so many spectacular ways (choosing idolatry over YHWH and rejecting their role as the planet’s caretaker) YHWH would let them live under the dominion of their own choices. Rejecting YHWH was also a rejection of life and love. Now they would be under the dominion of death and destruction:
Jeremiah 16:3-4 (see also Jer 9:7, Jer 34:20)
For this is what YHWH says concerning the sons and daughters born in this place, and concerning their mothers who give birth to them, and their fathers who father them in this land: “They will die of deadly diseases, they will not be mourned or buried; they will be like dung on the surface of the ground. And they will perish by sword and famine, and their dead bodies will become food for the birds of the sky and for the animals [u-l-veyheymat וּלְבֶהֱמַ֥ת] of the earth.”
Things were out of order. Humans usually ate animals, now animals would eat humans. The people had become so entranced by idolatry that they forgot who they were made to be. They were no longer bearing God’s image, and so everything slipped into idolatry under the dominion of the Adversary of God. Famine, floods, wildfires, disease, death… the one who celebrated chaos appeared to be winning.
Joel 1:18-20
How the animal [v’heymah בְהֵמָ֗ה] has groaned! The herds of cattle have wandered aimlessly because there is no pasture for them; even the flocks of sheep have suffered.
To You, YHWH, I cry out; for fire has devoured the pastures of the wilderness, and the flame has burned up all the trees of the field.
Even the animals [baha’moht בַּהֲמ֥וֹת] of the field pant for You; for the stream beds of water are dried up, and fire has devoured the pastures of the wilderness.
But YHWH would not let the Adversary, the champion of death and destruction, win. God stood up and reclaimed His authority. He promised to reverse the curse:
Joel 2:22-23a, 26
Do not fear, animals [baha’moht בַּהֲמ֣וֹת] of the field, for the pastures of the wilderness have turned green, for the tree has produced its fruit, the fig tree and the vine have yielded in full.
So shout for joy, you sons of Zion, and rejoice in YHWH your God; for He has given you the early rain for your vindication…
[YHWH:] …“You will have plenty to eat and be satisfied, and you will praise the name of YHWH your God, who has dealt wondrously with you; then My people will never be put to shame.
Jeremiah 33:11b-12
[YHWH:] ‘For I will restore the fortunes of the land as they were at first,’ says YHWH.
This is what YHWH of armies says: ‘There will again be in this place which is waste, without man or animal [b’heymah בְּהֵמָ֖ה], and in all its cities, a pasture for shepherds who rest their flocks. In the cities of the hill country, in the cities of the lowland, in the cities of the Negev, in the land of Benjamin, in the areas surrounding Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah, the flocks will again pass under the hands of the one who counts them,’ says YHWH.
In the end, God will restore order and the flocks will have their Shepherd, but until that time we humans have a lot of work to do. As the species assigned to care for this world, and reflect God’s love upon it, it’s time to reclaim our commission as the earth’s environmental champions and caretakers!
Remembering Gimli
Gimli, in many ways, became my caretaker as much as I was his. I thank God for his little life, because it made such a difference in mine.
Thank You, God, for all the incredible diversity of animals that you have gifted to this world. To help us understand our mission to be their caretakers, You gave us pets so that we could feel an emotional attachment, not only to them but to all the animals of the earth. The blessing of these little friends we call pets is one of life’s greatest joys. For me Gimli was a gift that made my life more beautiful. He will never be forgotten and I will always be grateful, God, for the time You gave us to spend together. Amen!
Next week: Tidying up the Word Lists
