Bible verses about animal cruelty
We always hear about animal abuse cases. It can be when you turn on the news or even in your own neighborhood. Most of the time the abusers are fools and they have the nerve to say things like, “but they are just animals, who cares.”
These people should know that God loves animals and we are to respect them and use them to our advantage. Abusing and killing animals is sinful. It is God who created them. It is God who hears their cries. It is God who provides for them. Christians are to have a pure heart whether it’s an animal or not we are not to abuse pets and other animals.
How can anyone think God would condone someone beating a dog to the point where it almost dies or not feeding it to the point where it almost dies? This shows anger, wickedness, and evil which are all non-Christian traits.
What does the Bible say?
1. Genesis 1:26-29 Then God said, “Let Us make man like Us and let him be head over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every thing that moves on the ground.” And God made man in His own likeness. In the likeness of God He made him. He made both male and female. And God wanted good to come to them, saying, “Give birth to many. Grow in number. Fill the earth and rule over it. Rule over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the sky, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” Then God said, “See, I have given you every plant that gives seeds that is on the earth, and every tree that has fruit that gives seeds. They will be food for you.”
2. 1 Samuel 17:34-37 David replied to Saul, “I am a shepherd for my father’s sheep. Whenever a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, I went after it, struck it, and rescued the sheep from its mouth. If it attacked me, I took hold of its mane, struck it, and killed it. I have killed lions and bears, and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them because he has challenged the army of the living God.” David added, “The Lord, who saved me from the lion and the bear, will save me from this Philistine.” Go,” Saul told David, “and may the Lord be with you.”
3. Genesis 33:13-14 Jacob said to him, “Sir, you know that the children are frail and that I have to take care of the flocks and cattle that are nursing their young. If they’re driven too hard for even one day, all the flocks will die. Go ahead of me, sir. I will slowly and gently guide the herds that are in front of me at their pace and at the children’s pace until I come to you in Seir.”
They are living breathing creatures.
4. Ecclesiastes 3:19-20 Humans and animals have the same destiny. One dies just like the other. All of them have the same breath of life. Humans have no advantage over animals. All of life is pointless. All life goes to the same place. All life comes from the ground, and all of it goes back to the ground.
5. Psalm 145:8-11 The Lord is full of loving-favor and pity, slow to anger and great in loving-kindness. The Lord is good to all. And His loving-kindness is over all His works. All Your works will give thanks to You, O Lord. And all those who belong to You will honor You. They will speak of the shining-greatness of Your holy nation, and talk of Your power.
6. Job 38:39-41 Can you hunt food for the lion? Can you fill the hunger of the young lions, when they lie in their own place in the rock, or wait in their hiding place? Who gets the food ready for the raven, when its young cry to God and go about without food?
7. Psalm 147:9-11 He provides the animals with their food, and the young ravens, what they cry for. He is not impressed by the strength of a horse; He does not value the power of a man. The Lord values those who fear Him, those who put their hope in His faithful love.
8. Deuteronomy 22:6-7 You might find a bird’s nest by the road, in a tree or on the ground, with young ones or eggs. If you find the mother sitting on the young or on the eggs, do not take the mother with the young. Be sure to let the mother go. But you may take the young for yourself. Then it will go well with you, and you will live long.
There will be animals in Heaven.
9. Isaiah 11:6-9 A wolf will reside with a lamb, and a leopard will lie down with a young goat; an ox and a young lion will graze together, as a small child leads them along. A cow and a bear will graze together, their young will lie down together. A lion, like an ox, will eat straw. A baby will play over the hole of a snake; over the nest of a serpent an infant will put his hand. They will no longer injure or destroy on my entire royal mountain. For there will be universal submission to the Lord’s sovereignty, just as the waters completely cover the sea.
Animal rights
10. Proverbs 12:10 Good people take care of their animals, but even the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel.
11. Exodus 23:5 If you see that your enemy’s donkey has fallen because its load is too heavy, do not leave it there. You must help your enemy get the donkey back on its feet.
12. Proverbs 27:23 Be sure you know how your sheep are doing, and pay attention to the condition of your cattle.
13. Deuteronomy 25:4 When an ox is working in the grain, do not cover its mouth to keep it from eating.
14. Exodus 23:12-13 You should work six days a week, but on the seventh day you must rest. This lets your ox and your donkey rest, and it also lets the slave born in your house and the foreigner be refreshed. Be sure to do all that I have said to you. You must not even say the names of other gods; those names must not come out of your mouth.
Bestiality is animal cruelty.
15. Deuteronomy 27:21 ‘Cursed is the one who commits bestiality.’ Then all the people will say, ‘Amen!’
16. Leviticus 18:23-24 You must not have sexual intercourse with any animal to become defiled with it, and a woman must not stand before an animal to have sexual intercourse with it; it is a perversion. Do not defile yourselves with any of these things, for the nations which I am about to drive out before you have been defiled with all these things.
Christians are to be loving and kind.
17. Galatians 5:19-23 Now the works of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity, depravity, idolatry, sorcery, hostilities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish rivalries, dissensions, factions, envying, murder, drunkenness, carousing, and similar things. I am warning you, as I had warned you before: Those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God! But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
18. 1 Corinthians 13:4-5 Love is always patient; love is always kind; love is never envious or arrogant with pride. Nor is she conceited, and she is never rude; she never thinks just of herself or ever gets annoyed. She never is resentful.
19. Proverbs 11:17-18 The man who shows loving-kindness does himself good, but the man without pity hurts himself. The sinful man earns false pay, but he who spreads what is right and good gets pay that is sure.
Abusers
20. Proverbs 30:12 There are people who are pure in their own eyes, but are not washed from their own dirt.
21. Proverbs 2:22 But wicked people will be cut off from the land and treacherous people will be torn from it.
22. Ephesians 4:31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior.
It is illegal
23. Romans 13:1-5 Every person must obey the leaders of the land. There is no power given but from God, and all leaders are allowed by God. The person who does not obey the leaders of the land is working against what God has done. Anyone who does that will be punished. Those who do right do not have to be afraid of the leaders. Those who do wrong are afraid of them. Do you want to be free from fear of them? Then do what is right. You will be respected instead. Leaders are God’s servants to help you. If you do wrong, you should be afraid. They have the power to punish you. They work for God. They do what God wants done to those who do wrong. You must obey the leaders of the land, not only to keep from God’s anger, but so your own heart will have peace.
Examples
24. Jonah 4:10-11 And the Lord said, “You did nothing for that plant. You did not make it grow. It grew up in the night, and the next day it died. And now you are sad about it. If you can get upset over a plant, surely I can feel sorry for a big city like Nineveh. There are many people and animals in that city. There are more than 120,000 people there who did not know they were doing wrong.”
25. Luke 15:4-7 “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.”
Bonus
Matthew 10:29-31 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
