Greek word · G2062

ἑρπετόν

herpeton

reptile

Something that creeps or crawls: snakes, lizards, crocodiles and other ground-crawling animals. In the Septuagint it often translates the Hebrew remes / sherets, a broad folk category for small creatures that move along the ground.

Appears 4 times in 4 verses of the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

ἑρπετόν, -οῦ, τό

(ἕρπω, to crawl), [in LXX chiefly for רֶמֶשׂ, שֶׁרֶץ ;]

a creeping thing, reptile: Acts 10:12 11:6, Romans 1:23, James 3:7.†

(AS)

From G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament (1922), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Romans 1:23

Range of meaning

Something that creeps or crawls: snakes, lizards, crocodiles and other ground-crawling animals. In the Septuagint it often translates the Hebrew remes / sherets, a broad folk category for small creatures that move along the ground.

Against the English

BSB and YLT say 'reptiles.' KJV, WEB and ESV say 'creeping things.' 'Reptiles' brings in a modern scientific class. Paul's category is defined by how the creature moves, close to the ground, and that helps place it at the bottom of his list.

How it drifted

'Reptile' became a technical zoological term in modern classification. The biblical category is a folk grouping by movement.

Used elsewhere in the period

Genesis 1:24–26 and Deuteronomy 4:18 in the Septuagint. Wisdom of Solomon 11:15 and 15:18–19 mock Egyptians for worshipping 'irrational serpents' and the 'most hateful animals.'

From the study of James 3:7

Range of meaning

Anything that creeps or crawls: snakes, lizards, and in biblical usage small ground creatures more generally. In the LXX it usually translates the Hebrew remes or sherets, "creeping or swarming things".

Against the English

KJV "serpents" is too narrow (it follows the Latin Vulgate's serpentium). BSB, ESV and NASB "reptiles" impose a modern scientific category. WEB "creeping thing" and YLT "creeping things" are closest.

How it drifted

The modern zoological category "reptile" (cold-blooded scaly vertebrates) did not exist. The ancient grouping went by how the creature moves.

Used elsewhere in the period

Genesis 1:24–26 and 9:2–3 LXX. In 1 Kings 4:33 (LXX 3 Kgdms 5:13) Solomon speaks of beasts, birds, creeping things and fish. Acts 10:12 and 11:6 list herpeta among the creatures in Peter's vision.

Where it appears

Acts · 2

  1. Acts 10:12 ἑρπετὰ creeping things

    It contained all kinds of four-footed animals and reptiles of the earth, as well as birds of the air.

  2. Acts 11:6 ἑρπετὰ creeping things

    I looked at it closely and saw four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, reptiles, and birds of the air.

Romans · 1

  1. Romans 1:23 ἑρπετῶν.¶ creeping things.

    and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images of mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.

    Here: Creatures that creep or crawl along the ground, such as snakes, lizards and crocodiles. This is the bottom of the list. From the undecaying God, the swap has sunk to things that crawl in the dust.

James · 1

  1. James 3:7 ἑρπετῶν of creeping things

    All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles, and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man,

    Here: Anything that creeps or crawls on the ground: snakes and lizards, but in biblical usage also other small ground creatures. It is a broader group than the modern category of "reptile."

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.