Land Animals – The Sixth Day – Part 1

God begins the sixth day by creating land animals.

Genesis 1:24-25  And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so.  25 And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

The Hebrew word translated “creature” is nephesh.  It was first used in verse 20 in reference to animals living in the water.  Its basic meaning is “soul” or “life”.  It should be understood as a “living being”.  It is used of Adam in Genesis 2:7 after God breathed into him and brought him to life. 

“Cattle” should be understood more broadly as “livestock”.  The term “creeping thing” is very broad and can include insects, lizards, and other animals which move about, likely of a small kind.  The word “beast” is interesting.  Its basic meaning in Hebrew is “life” and is translated that way in Genesis 2:7.  So this term encompasses every other animal which lives on the land.

We may not see all of these creations as “good”, since many are dangerous to us.  Prior to the Fall of man, these animals were completely good and God describes them as such.  However, in our current state, some animals may not be good to mankind or each other.  The Bible foretells a time when things will be restored to their original “Edenic” state.  (Isaiah 11:6-9; Isaiah 65:25)