Fishes.

• 1 min. read • grade level: 12

Created by God. Gen. 1:20, 21²⁰And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven. ²¹And 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 1:20‑21). Ex. 20:11¹¹For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it. (Exodus 20:11).

Made for God's glory. Job 12:8, 9⁸Or speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee: and the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee. ⁹Who knoweth not in all these that the hand of the Lord hath wrought this? (Job 12:8‑9). Psa. 69:34³⁴Let the heaven and earth praise him, the seas, and every thing that moveth therein. (Psalm 69:34).

INHABIT

Seas. Num. 11:22²²Shall the flocks and the herds be slain for them, to suffice them? or shall all the fish of the sea be gathered together for them, to suffice them? (Numbers 11:22). Ezek. 47:10¹⁰And it shall come to pass, that the fishers shall stand upon it from En-gedi even unto En-eglaim; they shall be a place to spread forth nets; their fish shall be according to their kinds, as the fish of the great sea, exceeding many. (Ezekiel 47:10).

Rivers. Ex. 7:18¹⁸And the fish that is in the river shall die, and the river shall stink; and the Egyptians shall lothe to drink of the water of the river. (Exodus 7:18). Ezek. 29:5⁵And I will leave thee thrown into the wilderness, thee and all the fish of thy rivers: thou shalt fall upon the open fields; thou shalt not be brought together, nor gathered: I have given thee for meat to the beasts of the field and to the fowls of the heaven. (Ezekiel 29:5).

Ponds. SoS. 7:4. Isa. 19:10¹⁰And they shall be broken in the purposes thereof, all that make sluices and ponds for fish. (Isaiah 19:10).

Number and variety of. Psa. 104:25²⁵So is this great and wide sea, wherein are things creeping innumerable, both small and great beasts. (Psalm 104:25).

Different in flesh from beasts, &c. 1 Cor. 15:39³⁹All flesh is not the same flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes, and another of birds. (1 Corinthians 15:39).

Cannot live without water. Isa. 50:2²Wherefore, when I came, was there no man? when I called, was there none to answer? Is my hand shortened at all, that it cannot redeem? or have I no power to deliver? behold, at my rebuke I dry up the sea, I make the rivers a wilderness: their fish stinketh, because there is no water, and dieth for thirst. (Isaiah 50:2).

Man given dominion over. Gen. 1:26, 28²⁶And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. (Genesis 1:26)
²⁸And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. (Genesis 1:28). Psa. 8:8⁸The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas. (Psalm 8:8).

Man permitted to eat. Gen. 9:2, 3²And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every fowl of the air, upon all that moveth upon the earth, and upon all the fishes of the sea; into your hand are they delivered. ³Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things. (Genesis 9:2‑3).

USED AS FOOD

By the Egyptians. Num. 11:5⁵We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt freely; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlick: (Numbers 11:5). By the Jews. Matt. 7:10¹⁰Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? (Matthew 7:10).

Mode of cooking alluded to. Luke 24:42⁴²And they gave him a piece of a broiled fish, and of an honeycomb. (Luke 24:42). John 21:9⁹As soon then as they were come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid thereon, and bread. (John 21:9).

The Tyrians traded in. Neh. 13:16¹⁶There dwelt men of Tyre also therein, which brought fish, and all manner of ware, and sold on the sabbath unto the children of Judah, and in Jerusalem. (Nehemiah 13:16).

Sold near the fish gate at Jerusalem. 2 Chr. 33:14¹⁴Now after this he built a wall without the city of David, on the west side of Gihon, in the valley, even to the entering in at the fish gate, and compassed about Ophel, and raised it up a very great height, and put captains of war in all the fenced cities of Judah. (2 Chronicles 33:14). Zeph. 1:10¹⁰And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord, that there shall be the noise of a cry from the fish gate, and an howling from the second, and a great crashing from the hills. (Zephaniah 1:10).

Distinction between clean, and unclean. Lev. 11:9-12⁹These shall ye eat of all that are in the waters: whatsoever hath fins and scales in the waters, in the seas, and in the rivers, them shall ye eat. ¹⁰And all that have not fins and scales in the seas, and in the rivers, of all that move in the waters, and of any living thing which is in the waters, they shall be an abomination unto you: ¹¹They shall be even an abomination unto you; ye shall not eat of their flesh, but ye shall have their carcases in abomination. ¹²Whatsoever hath no fins nor scales in the waters, that shall be an abomination unto you. (Leviticus 11:9‑12). Deut. 14:9, 10⁹These ye shall eat of all that are in the waters: all that have fins and scales shall ye eat: ¹⁰And whatsoever hath not fins and scales ye may not eat; it is unclean unto you. (Deuteronomy 14:9‑10).

MENTIONED IN SCRIPTURE

Leviathan. Job 41:1¹Canst thou draw out leviathan with an hook? or his tongue with a cord which thou lettest down? (Job 41:1). Psa. 14:14.

Whale. Gen. 1:21²¹And 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 1:21). Matt. 12:40⁴⁰For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. (Matthew 12:40).

Solomon wrote the history of. 1 Kin. 4:33.

No likeness of, to be made for worship. Exo. 20:4⁴Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: (Exodus 20:4). Deut. 4:18¹⁸The likeness of any thing that creepeth on the ground, the likeness of any fish that is in the waters beneath the earth: (Deuteronomy 4:18).

Catching of, a trade. Matt. 4:18¹⁸And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. (Matthew 4:18). Luke 5:2²And saw two ships standing by the lake: but the fishermen were gone out of them, and were washing their nets. (Luke 5:2).

TAKEN WITH

Nets. Luke 5:4-6⁴Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught. ⁵And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net. ⁶And when they had this done, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake. (Luke 5:4‑6). John 21:6-8⁶And he said unto them, Cast the net on the right side of the ship, and ye shall find. They cast therefore, and now they were not able to draw it for the multitude of fishes. ⁷Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved saith unto Peter, It is the Lord. Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he girt his fisher's coat unto him, (for he was naked,) and did cast himself into the sea. ⁸And the other disciples came in a little ship; (for they were not far from land, but as it were two hundred cubits,) dragging the net with fishes. (John 21:6‑8).

Hooks. Amos 4:2²The Lord God hath sworn by his holiness, that, lo, the days shall come upon you, that he will take you away with hooks, and your posterity with fishhooks. (Amos 4:2). Matt. 17:27²⁷Notwithstanding, lest we should offend them, go thou to the sea, and cast an hook, and take up the fish that first cometh up; and when thou hast opened his mouth, thou shalt find a piece of money: that take, and give unto them for me and thee. (Matthew 17:27).

Spears. Job 41:7⁷Canst thou fill his skin with barbed irons? or his head with fish spears? (Job 41:7).

Often suffered for man's sin. Ex. 7:21²¹And the fish that was in the river died; and the river stank, and the Egyptians could not drink of the water of the river; and there was blood throughout all the land of Egypt. (Exodus 7:21). Ezek. 38:20²⁰So that the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the heaven, and the beasts of the field, and all creeping things that creep upon the earth, and all the men that are upon the face of the earth, shall shake at my presence, and the mountains shall be thrown down, and the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground. (Ezekiel 38:20).

MIRACLES CONNECTED WITH

Multiplying a few. Matt. 14:17-21¹⁷And they say unto him, We have here but five loaves, and two fishes. ¹⁸He said, Bring them hither to me. ¹⁹And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the grass, and took the five loaves, and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed, and brake, and gave the loaves to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude. ²⁰And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the fragments that remained twelve baskets full. ²¹And they that had eaten were about five thousand men, beside women and children. (Matthew 14:17‑21). Matt. 15:34³⁴And Jesus saith unto them, How many loaves have ye? And they said, Seven, and a few little fishes. (Matthew 15:34).

Immense drafts of. Luke 5:6, 9⁶And when they had this done, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake. (Luke 5:6)
⁹For he was astonished, and all that were with him, at the draught of the fishes which they had taken: (Luke 5:9). John 21:6, 11⁶And he said unto them, Cast the net on the right side of the ship, and ye shall find. They cast therefore, and now they were not able to draw it for the multitude of fishes. (John 21:6)
¹¹Simon Peter went up, and drew the net to land full of great fishes, an hundred and fifty and three: and for all there were so many, yet was not the net broken. (John 21:11).

Procuring tribute money from. Mat. 17:27.

Dressed on the shore. John 21:9⁹As soon then as they were come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid thereon, and bread. (John 21:9).

ILLUSTRATIVE

Of the whole population of Egypt. Eze. 29:45.

Of the visible church. Matt. 13:48⁴⁸Which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away. (Matthew 13:48).

Of men ignorant of future events. Ecc. 9:12.

Of those ensnared by the wicked. Hab. 1:14¹⁴And makest men as the fishes of the sea, as the creeping things, that have no ruler over them? (Habakkuk 1:14).

(Good) of saints. Matt. 13:48, 49⁴⁸Which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away. ⁴⁹So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just, (Matthew 13:48‑49).

(Bad) of mere professors. Mat. 13:48, 49.

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The New Topical Textbook

• Fishes.

• Forgiveness of Injuries.

• Forsaking God.

• Fortresses.

• Foundation.

• Fountains and Springs.

• Gift of the Holy Ghost, the.

• Gifts of God, the.

• Girdles.

• Glorifying God.