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רֶמֶשׂ

𐤓𐤌𐤔

remes

H7431 noun

SILEX Entry

Definition

A general designation for small land-dwelling creatures, particularly those that move close to the ground, such as reptiles, amphibians, insects, and other invertebrates. In various contexts, it refers to animals that crawl, slither, or creep along the ground, rather than walking upright or flying. The semantic range includes scurrying, crawling, or swarming animals distinct from larger quadrupeds, birds, or fish.

Semantic Range

small ground-dwelling creature, animal that creeps or crawls, reptile, amphibian, lizard, insect, worm, invertebrate, swarming animal

Root / Etymology

From the root רמש (r-m-sh), which has the core meaning 'to crawl, move lightly, scurry.' רֶמֶשׂ (remes) is a collective noun describing animals characterized by such movement. The term is etymologically linked to the verb רָמַשׂ, 'to creep, move about softly or lightly.'

Historical & Contextual Notes

רֶמֶשׂ appears frequently in descriptive lists of created beings, especially in Genesis (e.g., Genesis 1:24, 1:25, 6:7, 7:21), to represent a category of living creatures distinct from cattle/beasts (בְּהֵמָה) and wild animals (חַיָּה), and sometimes in contrast to birds (עוֹף) and fish (דָּג). Its scope appears to include reptiles (such as lizards, snakes), but also extends to many smaller invertebrates (insects, worms, etc.), not strictly limited to 'reptiles' in modern taxonomic terms. In legal materials (Leviticus 11), רֶמֶשׂ or related forms are employed in regulations about ritual impurity and dietary restrictions, often as a catch-all for unclean, small, ground-mobile animals. English translations like 'creeping thing' or 'reptile' do not fully capture the breadth of reference, since the term is wider than modern 'reptile' and is not strictly a taxonomic label but a description of movement and size. Over time, later Hebrew and translation traditions began narrowing the meaning, often aligning it more with reptiles or insects, but in the biblical period its reference was broader and functional, denoting ground-crawling or ground-dwelling creatures of various sorts.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from רָמַשׂ; a reptile or any other rapidly moving animal; that creepeth, creeping (moving) thing.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

רמש (r-m-sh) — to crawl, to creep, to move lightly, to scurry

Root רמש to crawl, to creep, to move lightly, to scurry
Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H7430 רָמַשׂ the crawling one

Word Forms

5 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
H7431-03 רֶ֥מֶשׂ remes HNcmsc creeping things crawling creature crawling creature 8
H7431-01 הָ/רֶ֖מֶשׂ haremes HTd/Ncmsa creeping thing the crawling creature the crawling creature 6
H7431-05 וְ/רֶ֖מֶשׂ veremes HC/Ncmsc and-creeping-things crawling creature and crawling creature 1
H7431-04 וָ/רֶ֛מֶשׂ varemes HC/Ncmsa and creeping things and crawling creature and crawling creature 1
H7431-02 כְּ/רֶ֖מֶשׂ keremes HR/Ncmsa like-creeping-thing like a crawling creature like a crawling creature 1

Occurrences in Scripture

17 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
H7431-04 Genesis 1:24 וָ/רֶ֛מֶשׂ varemes HC/Ncmsa and creeping things and crawling creature and crawling creature
H7431-03 Genesis 1:25 רֶ֥מֶשׂ remes HNcmsc creeping thing crawling creature crawling creature
H7431-01 Genesis 1:26 הָ/רֶ֖מֶשׂ haremes HTd/Ncmsa creeping thing the crawling creature the crawling creature
H7431-03 Genesis 6:7 רֶ֖מֶשׂ remes HNcmsa creeping things crawling creature crawling creature
H7431-03 Genesis 6:20 רֶ֥מֶשׂ remes HNcmsc creeping thing crawling creature crawling creature
H7431-01 Genesis 7:14 הָ/רֶ֛מֶשׂ haremes HTd/Ncmsa creeping thing the crawling creature the crawling creature
H7431-03 Genesis 7:23 רֶ֨מֶשׂ֙ remes HNcmsa creeping things crawling creature crawling creature
H7431-01 Genesis 8:17 הָ/רֶ֛מֶשׂ haremes HTd/Ncmsa creeping thing the crawling creature the crawling creature
H7431-01 Genesis 8:19 הָ/רֶ֨מֶשׂ֙ haremes HTd/Ncmsa creeping thing the crawling creature the crawling creature
H7431-03 Genesis 9:3 רֶ֨מֶשׂ֙ remes HNcmsa moving thing crawling creature crawling creature
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