The Bible offers numerous teachings that reflect on the moral and ethical treatment of animals. Throughout scriptures, we observe a strong emphasis on compassion, stewardship, and the inherent value of all living creatures, reinforcing the belief that cruelty to animals is against divine will. By exploring these verses, we can gain insight into God’s expectation for humanity to care for and nurture His creation with kindness and respect.
Bible Verses about Animal Cruelty
1. Genesis 1:26 – Dominion Over Animals
“Then God said, ‘Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.'” – Genesis 1:26
Cross-References
Psalms 8:6 – “You made them rulers over the works of your hands; you put everything under their feet.”
Genesis 9:2 – “The fear and dread of you will fall on all beasts of the earth, and on all the birds in the sky, on every creature that moves along the ground, and on all the fish in the sea; they are given into your hands.”
2. Proverbs 12:10 – Righteous Care for Animals
“The righteous care for the needs of their animals, but the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel.” – Proverbs 12:10
Cross-References
Exodus 23:5 – “If you see the donkey of someone who hates you fallen down under its load, do not leave it there; be sure you help them with it.”
3. Matthew 10:29 – God’s Care for Birds
“Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care.” – Matthew 10:29
Cross-References
Luke 12:6 – “Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God.”
Job 38:41 – “Who provides food for the raven when its young cry out to God and wander about for lack of food?”
4. Isaiah 66:3 – Sacrifices and Compassion
“But whoever sacrifices a bull is like one who kills a person, and whoever offers a lamb is like one who breaks a dog’s neck; whoever makes a grain offering is like one who presents pig’s blood, and whoever burns memorial incense is like one who worships an idol. They have chosen their own ways, and they delight in their abominations.” – Isaiah 66:3
Cross-References
Hosea 6:6 – “For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings.”
Matthew 9:13 – “But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
Amos 5:21-24 – “I hate, I despise your religious festivals; your assemblies are a stench to me.”
5. Psalm 145:9 – The Lord’s Compassion
“The Lord is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made.” – Psalm 145:9
Cross-References
Psalm 104:14 – “He makes grass grow for the cattle, and plants for people to cultivate—bringing forth food from the earth.”
6. Deuteronomy 22:6-7 – Respect for Wildlife
“If you come across a bird’s nest beside the road, either in a tree or on the ground, and the mother is sitting on the young or on the eggs, do not take the mother with the young. You may take the young, but be sure to let the mother go, so that it may go well with you and you may have a long life.” – Deuteronomy 22:6-7
Cross-References
Leviticus 22:28 – “Do not slaughter a cow or a sheep and its young on the same day.”
Proverbs 27:23-27 – “Be sure you know the condition of your flocks, give careful attention to your herds.”
Genesis 9:3-4 – “Everything that lives and moves about will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything.”
7. Exodus 23:12 – Rest for Animals
“Six days do your work, but on the seventh day do not work, so that your ox and your donkey may rest, and so that the slave born in your household and the foreigner living among you may be refreshed.” – Exodus 23:12
Cross-References
Leviticus 25:7 – “As well as for your livestock and the wild animals in your land. Whatever the land produces may be eaten.”
Exodus 20:10 – “But the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns.”
8. Luke 14:5 – Compassion in Emergencies
“Then he asked them, ‘If one of you has a child or an ox that falls into a well on the Sabbath day, will you not immediately pull it out?'” – Luke 14:5
Cross-References
Matthew 12:11 – “He said to them, ‘If any of you has a sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will you not take hold of it and lift it out?'”
Exodus 23:4-5 – “If you come across your enemy’s ox or donkey wandering off, be sure to return it. If you see the donkey of someone who hates you fallen down under its load, do not leave it there; be sure you help them with it.”
Deuteronomy 22:1-4 – “If you see your fellow Israelite’s ox or sheep straying, do not ignore it but be sure to take it back to its owner.”
9. Jonah 4:11 – Concern for Creatures in Nineveh
“And should I not have concern for the great city of Nineveh, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left—and also many animals?” – Jonah 4:11
Cross-References
Hosea 4:3 – “Because of this the land dries up, and all who live in it waste away; the beasts of the field, the birds in the sky and the fish in the sea are swept away.”
Exodus 9:16 – “But I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.”
10. Isaiah 11:6-9 – Peace Among All Creatures
“The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them. The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox.” – Isaiah 11:6-9
Cross-References
Psalms 104:21 – “The lions roar for their prey and seek their food from God.”
11. Psalm 36:6 – Preservation of Animals by God
“Your righteousness is like the highest mountains, your justice like the great deep. You, Lord, preserve both people and animals.” – Psalm 36:6
Cross-References
Genesis 8:1 – “But God remembered Noah and all the wild animals and the livestock that were with him in the ark, and he sent a wind over the earth, and the waters receded.”
Job 39:1-4 – “Do you know when the mountain goats give birth? Do you watch when the doe bears her fawn?”
Proverbs 15:3 – “The eyes of the Lord are everywhere, keeping watch on the wicked and the good.”
12. Deuteronomy 5:14 – Sabbath Rest for Animals
“But the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your ox, your donkey or any of your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns, so that your male and female servants may rest, as you do.” – Deuteronomy 5:14
Cross-References
Genesis 2:2-3 – “By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work.”
Exodus 20:8-10 – “Remember the sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God.”
Leviticus 25:4 – “But in the seventh year the land is to have a year of sabbath rest, a sabbath to the Lord. Do not sow your fields or prune your vineyards.”
13. Romans 8:22 – Creation’s Suffering
“We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.” – Romans 8:22
Cross-References
Jeremiah 12:4 – “How long will the land lie parched and the grass in every field be withered? Because those who live in it are wicked, the animals and birds have perished.”
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14. Genesis 9:9-10 – God’s Covenant With Animals
“I now establish my covenant with you and with your descendants after you and with every living creature that was with you—the birds, the livestock and all the wild animals, all those that came out of the ark with you—every living creature on earth.” – Genesis 9:9-10
Cross-References
Genesis 9:12 – “And God said, ‘This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come.'”
Isaiah 54:9 – “To me this is like the days of Noah, when I swore that the waters of Noah would never again cover the earth.”
15. Job 12:7-10 – Learning From Animals
“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.” – Job 12:7-10
Cross-References
Psalm 50:10-11 – “For every animal of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills. I know every bird in the mountains, and the insects in the fields are mine.”
Psalm 104:24 – “How many are your works, Lord! In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures.”
16. Proverbs 27:23 – Knowing Your Flocks
“Be sure you know the condition of your flocks, give careful attention to your herds.” – Proverbs 27:23
Cross-References
Genesis 30:40-41 – “Jacob set apart the young of the flock by themselves, but made the rest face the streaked and dark-colored animals that belonged to Laban.”
Matthew 25:32 – “All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.”
John 10:14 – “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me.”
17. Psalm 147:9 – God’s Provision for Animals
“He provides food for the cattle and for the young ravens when they call.” – Psalm 147:9
Cross-References
Matthew 6:26 – “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.”
Psalm 145:15-16 – “The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food at the proper time.”
18. Ecclesiastes 3:19 – Fate of Humans and Animals
“Surely the fate of human beings is like that of the animals; the same fate awaits them both. As one dies, so dies the other. All have the same breath; humans have no advantage over animals. Everything is meaningless.” – Ecclesiastes 3:19
Cross-References
Genesis 2:7 – “Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.”
Genesis 1:26-27 – “Then God said, ‘Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky.'”
Psalm 104:29 – “When you hide your face, they are terrified; when you take away their breath, they die and return to the dust.”
19. Psalm 104:10-11 – Provision of Water
“He makes springs pour water into the ravines; it flows between the mountains. They give water to all the beasts of the field; the wild donkeys quench their thirst.” – Psalm 104:10-11
Cross-References
Joel 1:20 – “Even the wild animals pant for you; the streams of water have dried up and fire has devoured the pastures in the wilderness.”
Psalm 145:16 – “You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing.”
Numbers 20:8 – “Take the staff, and you and your brother Aaron gather the assembly together. Speak to that rock before their eyes and it will pour out its water.”
20. Genesis 9:4 – Consuming Blood Forbidden
“But you must not eat meat that has its lifeblood still in it.” – Genesis 9:4
Cross-References
Leviticus 17:10-14 – “I will set my face against any Israelite or any foreigner residing among them who eats blood, and I will cut them off from the people.”
Acts 15:29 – “You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality.”
Leviticus 3:17 – “This is a lasting ordinance for the generations to come, wherever you live: You must not eat any fat or any blood.”
21. Job 39:1-2 – Care for Wildlife
“Do you know when the mountain goats give birth? Do you watch when the doe bears her fawn? Do you count the months till they bear? Do you know the time they give birth?” – Job 39:1-2
Cross-References
Psalm 104:18 – “The high mountains belong to the wild goats; the crags are a refuge for the hyrax.”
Isaiah 34:14 – “Desert creatures will meet with hyenas, and wild goats will bleat to each other; there the night creatures will also lie down and find for themselves places of rest.”
22. Isaiah 65:25 – A Vision of Peace
“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.” – Isaiah 65:25
Cross-References
Isaiah 11:6-8 – “The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them.”
Psalm 34:14 – “Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.”
23. Jeremiah 8:7 – Instincts of Birds
“Even the stork in the sky knows her appointed seasons, and the dove, the swift and the thrush observe the time of their migration. But my people do not know the requirements of the Lord.” – Jeremiah 8:7
Cross-References
Job 12:7-9 – “But ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds in the sky, and they will tell you.”
Song of Solomon 2:12 – “The flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come, the cooing of doves is heard in our land.”
Zechariah 6:1-8 – “I looked up again, and there before me were four chariots coming out from between two mountains—mountains of bronze.”
24. Hosea 2:18 – Covenant with Creation
“In that day I will make a covenant for them with the beasts of the field, the birds in the sky and the creatures that move along the ground. Bow and sword and battle I will abolish from the land, so that all may lie down in safety.” – Hosea 2:18
Cross-References
Job 5:23 – “For you will have a covenant with the stones of the field, and the wild animals will be at peace with you.”
Romans 8:19-22 – “For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed.”
25. Matthew 7:12 – The Golden Rule
“So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.” – Matthew 7:12
Cross-References
Luke 6:31 – “Do to others as you would have them do to you.”
James 2:8 – “If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself,’ you are doing right.”
Romans 13:8-10 – “Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law.”
26. Ezekiel 34:14-15 – God’s Provision for His Flock
“I will tend them in a good pasture, and the mountain heights of Israel will be their grazing land. There they will lie down in good grazing land, and there they will feed in a rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. I myself will tend my sheep and have them lie down, declares the Sovereign Lord.” – Ezekiel 34:14-15
Cross-References
Psalms 23:1-2 – “The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters.”
John 10:11 – “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”
Micah 7:14 – “Shepherd your people with your staff, the flock of your inheritance, which lives by itself in a forest, in fertile pasturelands.”
27. Nehemiah 9:6 – God’s Creation
“You alone are the Lord. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship you.” – Nehemiah 9:6
Cross-References
Genesis 1:1 – “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”
Psalms 136:5-6 – “Who by his understanding made the heavens, His love endures forever. Who spread out the earth upon the waters, His love endures forever.”
28. 1 Corinthians 9:9 – Caring for Working Animals
“For it is written in the Law of Moses: ‘Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain.’ Is it about oxen that God is concerned?” – 1 Corinthians 9:9
Cross-References
Deuteronomy 25:4 – “Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain.”
1 Timothy 5:18 – “For Scripture says, ‘Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain,’ and ‘The worker deserves his wages.'”
29. Leviticus 25:6-7 – Sabbath Year Benefiting Animals
“Whatever the land yields during the sabbath year will be food for you—for yourself, your male and female servants, and the hired worker and temporary resident who live among you, as well as for your livestock and the wild animals in your land. Whatever the land produces may be eaten.” – Leviticus 25:6-7
Cross-References
Exodus 23:11 – “But during the seventh year let the land lie unplowed and unused. Then the poor among your people may get food from it.”
Deuteronomy 15:1-2 – “At the end of every seven years you must cancel debts. This is how it is to be done: Every creditor shall cancel any loan they have made to a fellow Israelite.”
Genesis 1:29 – “Then God said, ‘I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.'”
30. Proverbs 6:6-8 – Wisdom from the Ant
“Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise! It has no commander, no overseer or ruler, yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest.” – Proverbs 6:6-8
Cross-References
Proverbs 30:25 – “Ants are creatures of little strength, yet they store up their food in the summer.”
Proverbs 14:23 – “All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.”
Romans 12:11 – “Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.”
31. Ezekiel 34:2-3 – Abuse by Shepherds Condemned
“Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Woe to you shepherds of Israel who only take care of yourselves! Should not shepherds take care of the flock? You eat the curds, clothe yourselves with the wool and slaughter the choice animals, but you do not take care of the flock.’” – Ezekiel 34:2-3
Cross-References
Jeremiah 23:1-2 – “Woe to the shepherds who are destroying and scattering the sheep of my pasture! declares the Lord.”
Zechariah 11:16-17 – “For I am going to raise up a shepherd over the land who will not care for the lost, or seek the young, or heal the injured, or feed the healthy, but will eat the meat of the choice sheep, tearing off their hoofs.”
John 10:12 – “The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away.”
32. Revelation 4:11 – Worthiness of the Creator
“You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.” – Revelation 4:11
Cross-References
Psalm 19:1 – “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.”
Colossians 1:16 – “For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him.”
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Final Thoughts
In conclusion, the Bible provides a comprehensive framework for understanding the importance of treating animals with kindness and compassion. As stewards of God’s creation, humanity is called to reflect God’s love and care by preserving and cherishing the life of all creatures. Scriptures emphasize that our conduct toward animals can be a reflection of our righteousness and alignment with divine principles.
Both Old and New Testament teachings suggest a vision where all of creation exists in harmony and peace, sharing in the rest and abundance that God provides. By adhering to these teachings, believers can promote a world where the inherent dignity and value of every living creature are recognized and respected. Through our actions, we can demonstrate a commitment to the divine intention of peace, mercy, and justice for all forms of life as ordained in the Holy Scriptures.