Every beast, every creeping thing, and every fowl, and whatsoever creepeth upon the earth, after their kinds, went forth out of the ark.

GENESIS 8:19KJV
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Genesis 8:19 (KJV)

What does Genesis 8:19 mean?

Genesis 8:19 states that every animal, crawling creature, and bird—everything that moves on the ground—left the ark, each according to its kind. This verse describes the moment when all the living creatures Noah had cared for during the flood exited the ark to return to the earth.

In this part of Genesis, Noah, his family, and all the animals have survived the flood and are now leaving the ark as the waters have receded. The verse emphasizes the orderly departure of every type of creature, highlighting that each group left according to its own kind, just as they had entered. This marks a fresh start for life on earth after the flood.

The Hebrew behind Genesis 8:19

  • חַיָּה (chayyah, "beast"): This word refers to living animals, especially wild ones. Its use here underlines the variety of animal life preserved through the flood.
  • רֶמֶשׂ (remes, "thing" or "creeping thing"): This term points to small creatures that move along the ground, such as insects or reptiles, showing that even the smallest forms of life were included.
  • עוֹף (oph, "fowl"): This word means birds or flying creatures, making clear that all types of birds were part of this new beginning.
  • לְמִינֵהוּ (leminayhu, "kinds"): This phrase means "according to their kinds," stressing the diversity and order in creation, with each group maintaining its distinct identity as they repopulate the earth.

Why Genesis 8:19 matters

  • Genesis 8:19 clears up any idea that only certain animals left the ark; it makes clear that every kind of creature was included, not just the large or important ones.
  • The verse highlights the careful preservation and organization of life, connecting back to the way animals were brought into the ark "by kinds" in earlier chapters.
  • This moment sets the stage for the renewal of life on earth, showing a return to normalcy and the continuation of God’s creation after the flood.

Where else these words appear

“thing” Hebrew H7431 · used in 17 verses

  • Genesis 1:24 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.
  • Genesis 7:14 They, and every beast after his kind, and all the cattle after their kind, and every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind, and every fowl after his kind, every bird of every sort.
  • Psalms 104:25 So is this great and wide sea, wherein are things creeping innumerable, both small and great beasts.

“creepeth” Hebrew H7430 · used in 17 verses

  • Genesis 1:21 And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
  • Genesis 7:14 They, and every beast after his kind, and all the cattle after their kind, and every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind, and every fowl after his kind, every bird of every sort.
  • Leviticus 11:46 This is the law of the beasts, and of the fowl, and of every living creature that moveth in the waters, and of every creature that creepeth upon the earth:

“whatsoever” Hebrew H3605 · used in 24 verses

  • Genesis 3:17 And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;
  • Exodus 16:23 And he said unto them, This is that which the LORD hath said, To morrow is the rest of the holy sabbath unto the LORD: bake that which ye will bake to day, and seethe that ye will seethe; and that which remaineth over lay up for you to be kept until the morning.
  • 2 Samuel 3:35 And when all the people came to cause David to eat meat while it was yet day, David sware, saying, So do God to me, and more also, if I taste bread, or ought else, till the sun be down.

“ark” Hebrew H8392 · used in 25 verses

  • Genesis 6:14 Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch.
  • Genesis 7:13 In the selfsame day entered Noah, and Shem, and Ham, and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and Noah's wife, and the three wives of his sons with them, into the ark;
  • Genesis 8:9 But the dove found no rest for the sole of her foot, and she returned unto him into the ark, for the waters were on the face of the whole earth: then he put forth his hand, and took her, and pulled her in unto him into the ark.