The likeness of any thing that creepeth on the ground, the likeness of any fish that is in the waters beneath the earth:
Parallel translations
- WEB the likeness of anything that creeps on the ground, the likeness of any fish that is in the water under the earth;
- BSB or of any creature that crawls on the ground or fish that is in the waters below.
- NKJV the likeness of anything that creeps on the ground or the likeness of any fish that is in the water beneath the earth.
- NASB a representation of anything that crawls on the ground, or a representation of any fish that is in the water below the earth.
- NLT a small animal that scurries along the ground, or a fish in the deepest sea.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Nor images of creeping things or fish. It completes the catalog of forbidden created forms.
Overview
The list closes with creatures of the ground and waters, covering every realm of creation. By naming all categories, Moses shows that nothing in creation may be used to represent God. This thoroughness underscores the seriousness of guarding pure worship.
Cross-references & the web
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Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Moses promised a Prophet like himself to whom Israel must listen (18:15); Jesus is that Prophet, the one who keeps the covenant we broke and becomes the curse for us by hanging on a tree (Gal 3:13).
How Deuteronomy 4:18 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.