What Does the Bible Say About Killing Animals?

Proverbs 12:10 ESV / 7 helpful votes

Whoever is righteous has regard for the life of his beast, but the mercy of the wicked is cruel.

Genesis 9:3 ESV / 7 helpful votes

Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. And as I gave you the green plants, I give you everything.

Exodus 20:13 ESV / 4 helpful votes

“You shall not murder.

Acts 7:19 ESV / 3 helpful votes

He dealt shrewdly with our race and forced our fathers to expose their infants, so that they would not be kept alive.

Luke 1:31 ESV / 3 helpful votes

And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.

Leviticus 24:21 ESV / 3 helpful votes

Whoever kills an animal shall make it good, and whoever kills a person shall be put to death.

Exodus 23:7 ESV / 3 helpful votes

Keep far from a false charge, and do not kill the innocent and righteous, for I will not acquit the wicked.

Genesis 1:26 ESV / 3 helpful votes

Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

Revelation 21:8 ESV / 2 helpful votes

But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”

Acts 2:38 ESV / 2 helpful votes

And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

John 8:44 ESV / 2 helpful votes

You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

Luke 12:42-46 ESV / 2 helpful votes

And the Lord said, “Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom his master will set over his household, to give them their portion of food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions. But if that servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed in coming,’ and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and get drunk, the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know, and will cut him in pieces and put him with the unfaithful.

Matthew 15:20 ESV / 2 helpful votes

These are what defile a person. But to eat with unwashed hands does not defile anyone.”

Matthew 15:19 ESV / 2 helpful votes

For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander.

Proverbs 6:17 ESV / 2 helpful votes

Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,

Romans 12:17-21 ESV / 1 helpful vote

Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Luke 1:44 ESV / 1 helpful vote

For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.

Luke 1:43 ESV / 1 helpful vote

And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me?

Luke 1:41 ESV / 1 helpful vote

And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit,

Luke 1:13 ESV / 1 helpful vote

But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John.

Matthew 24:1-51 ESV / 1 helpful vote

Jesus left the temple and was going away, when his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple. But he answered them, “You see all these, do you not? Truly, I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.” As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the close of the age?” And Jesus answered them, “See that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray. ...

Matthew 19:28 ESV / 1 helpful vote

Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, in the new world, when the Son of Man will sit on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

Matthew 19:18 ESV / 1 helpful vote

He said to him, “Which ones?” And Jesus said, “You shall not murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness,

Matthew 17:1-9 ESV / 1 helpful vote

And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light. And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. And Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” He was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” ...

Matthew 16:18 ESV / 1 helpful vote

And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

Matthew 10:28 ESV / 1 helpful vote

And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

Matthew 5:43-48 ESV / 1 helpful vote

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? ...

Matthew 2:16 ESV / 1 helpful vote

Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men.

Joel 2:16 ESV / 1 helpful vote

Gather the people. Consecrate the congregation; assemble the elders; gather the children, even nursing infants. Let the bridegroom leave his room, and the bride her chamber.

Hosea 13:16 ESV / 1 helpful vote

Samaria shall bear her guilt, because she has rebelled against her God; they shall fall by the sword; their little ones shall be dashed in pieces, and their pregnant women ripped open.

Hosea 13:14 ESV / 1 helpful vote

Shall I ransom them from the power of Sheol? Shall I redeem them from Death? O Death, where are your plagues? O Sheol, where is your sting? Compassion is hidden from my eyes.

Ezekiel 18:20 ESV / 1 helpful vote

The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not suffer for the iniquity of the father, nor the father suffer for the iniquity of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself.

Jeremiah 1:5 ESV / 1 helpful vote

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.”

Proverbs 22:6 ESV / 1 helpful vote

Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.

Proverbs 12:27 ESV / 1 helpful vote

Whoever is slothful will not roast his game, but the diligent man will get precious wealth.

Proverbs 6:16 ESV / 1 helpful vote

There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to him:

Psalm 139:13-16 ESV / 1 helpful vote

For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.

Psalm 128:4 ESV / 1 helpful vote

Behold, thus shall the man be blessed who fears the Lord.

Psalm 128:3-5 ESV / 1 helpful vote

Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your children will be like olive shoots around your table. Behold, thus shall the man be blessed who fears the Lord. The Lord bless you from Zion! May you see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life!

Psalm 127:5 ESV / 1 helpful vote

Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.

Psalm 127:3-5 ESV / 1 helpful vote

Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one's youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.

Psalm 51:5 ESV / 1 helpful vote

Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.

Psalm 8:2 ESV / 1 helpful vote

Out of the mouth of babies and infants, you have established strength because of your foes, to still the enemy and the avenger.

Job 10:8-12 ESV / 1 helpful vote

Your hands fashioned and made me, and now you have destroyed me altogether. Remember that you have made me like clay; and will you return me to the dust? Did you not pour me out like milk and curdle me like cheese? You clothed me with skin and flesh, and knit me together with bones and sinews. You have granted me life and steadfast love, and your care has preserved my spirit.

Job 10:5 ESV / 1 helpful vote

Are your days as the days of man, or your years as a man's years,

Job 4:17 ESV / 1 helpful vote

‘Can mortal man be in the right before God? Can a man be pure before his Maker?

Job 3:23 ESV / 1 helpful vote

Why is light given to a man whose way is hidden, whom God has hedged in?

Job 3:16 ESV / 1 helpful vote

Or why was I not as a hidden stillborn child, as infants who never see the light?

Job 3:3 ESV / 1 helpful vote

“Let the day perish on which I was born, and the night that said, ‘A man is conceived.’

2 Kings 8:12 ESV / 1 helpful vote

And Hazael said, “Why does my lord weep?” He answered, “Because I know the evil that you will do to the people of Israel. You will set on fire their fortresses, and you will kill their young men with the sword and dash in pieces their little ones and rip open their pregnant women.”

Deuteronomy 5:17 ESV / 1 helpful vote

“‘You shall not murder.

Numbers 12:12 ESV / 1 helpful vote

Let her not be as one dead, whose flesh is half eaten away when he comes out of his mother's womb.”

Leviticus 24:17 ESV / 1 helpful vote

“Whoever takes a human life shall surely be put to death.

Leviticus 20:27 ESV / 1 helpful vote

“A man or a woman who is a medium or a necromancer shall surely be put to death. They shall be stoned with stones; their blood shall be upon them.”

Leviticus 20:13 ESV / 1 helpful vote

If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them.

Leviticus 20:10 ESV / 1 helpful vote

“If a man commits adultery with the wife of his neighbor, both the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death.

Exodus 22:19 ESV / 1 helpful vote

“Whoever lies with an animal shall be put to death.

Exodus 22:2 ESV / 1 helpful vote

If a thief is found breaking in and is struck so that he dies, there shall be no bloodguilt for him,

Exodus 21:22-25 ESV / 1 helpful vote

“When men strive together and hit a pregnant woman, so that her children come out, but there is no harm, the one who hit her shall surely be fined, as the woman's husband shall impose on him, and he shall pay as the judges determine. But if there is harm, then you shall pay life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.

Exodus 21:15 ESV / 1 helpful vote

“Whoever strikes his father or his mother shall be put to death.

Exodus 21:12-14 ESV / 1 helpful vote

“Whoever strikes a man so that he dies shall be put to death. But if he did not lie in wait for him, but God let him fall into his hand, then I will appoint for you a place to which he may flee. But if a man willfully attacks another to kill him by cunning, you shall take him from my altar, that he may die.

Exodus 20:5 ESV / 1 helpful vote

You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me,

Genesis 25:22 ESV / 1 helpful vote

The children struggled together within her, and she said, “If it is thus, why is this happening to me?” So she went to inquire of the Lord.

Genesis 25:21-22 ESV / 1 helpful vote

And Isaac prayed to the Lord for his wife, because she was barren. And the Lord granted his prayer, and Rebekah his wife conceived. The children struggled together within her, and she said, “If it is thus, why is this happening to me?” So she went to inquire of the Lord.

Genesis 25:21 ESV / 1 helpful vote

And Isaac prayed to the Lord for his wife, because she was barren. And the Lord granted his prayer, and Rebekah his wife conceived.

Genesis 19:1-38 ESV / 1 helpful vote

The two angels came to Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he rose to meet them and bowed himself with his face to the earth and said, “My lords, please turn aside to your servant's house and spend the night and wash your feet. Then you may rise up early and go on your way.” They said, “No; we will spend the night in the town square.” But he pressed them strongly; so they turned aside to him and entered his house. And he made them a feast and baked unleavened bread, and they ate. But before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, both young and old, all the people to the last man, surrounded the house. And they called to Lot, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us, that we may know them.” ...

Genesis 9:6 ESV / 1 helpful vote

“Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image.

Genesis 3:1-24 ESV / 1 helpful vote

Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’” But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” ...

Genesis 2:7 ESV / 1 helpful vote

Then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.

Genesis 1:29-30 ESV / 1 helpful vote

And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so.

Genesis 1:27 ESV / 1 helpful vote

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

Genesis 1:1 ESV / 1 helpful vote

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.

Bible Verses about Killing Animals