Fish hold significant symbolic and practical importance throughout the Bible, appearing in various contexts that highlight their role in daily life, religious symbolism, and divine miracles. The term "fish" is used to describe aquatic creatures that inhabit the waters, and they are mentioned in both the Old and New Testaments.

Creation and Dominion

In the creation narrative, fish are among the first living creatures God created. On the fifth day, God commanded the waters to teem with living creatures, including fish. Genesis 1:20-22 states, "And God said, 'Let the waters teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth in the open expanse of the sky.' So God created the great sea creatures and every living thing that moves, with which the waters teemed, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good." Fish, as part of God's creation, were declared good and were given to humanity for sustenance and stewardship.

Dietary Laws and Symbolism

In the Mosaic Law, fish were classified as clean or unclean based on their physical characteristics. Leviticus 11:9-12 provides guidance on which fish could be consumed: "Of all the creatures that live in the water, whether in the seas or the streams, you may eat any that have fins and scales. But anything in the seas or streams that does not have fins and scales, among all the swarming things and all the other living creatures in the water, you are to regard as unclean." This distinction underscored the importance of obedience to God's commandments and the maintenance of ritual purity.

Miracles and Teachings of Jesus

Fish play a prominent role in the New Testament, particularly in the ministry of Jesus Christ. One of the most well-known miracles involving fish is the feeding of the five thousand, where Jesus multiplied five loaves and two fish to feed a large crowd. Matthew 14:17-21 recounts this event: "They said to Him, 'We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish.' 'Bring them here to Me,' He said. And He directed the crowds to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, He spoke a blessing. Then He broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over."

Additionally, Jesus called several of His disciples from their work as fishermen, using the metaphor of fishing to describe their new mission. In Matthew 4:19 , Jesus says, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men." This metaphor highlights the call to evangelism and the gathering of souls into the kingdom of God.

Resurrection Appearance

After His resurrection, Jesus appeared to His disciples by the Sea of Galilee, where He performed another miracle involving fish. In John 21:6 , Jesus instructs the disciples, "Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some." When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish. This event reaffirmed Jesus' divine authority and His continued presence with His followers.

Symbol of Early Christianity

The fish symbol, known as the Ichthys, became an early Christian symbol. The Greek word for fish, ΙΧΘΥΣ (Ichthys), is an acronym for "Jesus Christ, God's Son, Savior." This symbol was used by early Christians as a secret sign of identification and faith during times of persecution.

Fish, therefore, are woven into the biblical narrative as symbols of provision, purity, divine intervention, and the call to discipleship. They serve as reminders of God's creative power, His provision for His people, and the mission of spreading the Gospel.Genesis 1:26
And 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 creeps on the earth.
Topicalbible.org

Genesis 1:1-31
In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
Topicalbible.org

Fish

The Hebrews recognized fish as one of the great divisions of the animal kingdom, and as such gave them a place in the account of the creation, (Genesis 1:21,28) as well as in other passages where an exhaustive description of living creatures is intended. (Genesis 9:2; Exodus 20:4; 4:18; 1 Kings 4:33) The Mosaic law, (Leviticus 11:9,10) pronounced unclean such fish as were devoid of fins and scales; these were and are regarded as unwholesome in Egypt. Among the Philistines Dagon was represented by a figure half man and half fish. (1 Samuel 5:4) On this account the worship of fish is expressly prohibited. (4:18) In Palestine, the Sea of Galilee was and still is remarkable well stored with fish. (Tristram speaks of fourteen species found there, and thinks the number inhabiting it at least three times as great.) Jerusalem derived its supply chiefly from the Mediterranean. Comp. (Ezekiel 47:10) The existence of a regular fish-market is implied in the notice of the fish-gate, which was probably contiguous to it. (2 Chronicles 33:14; Nehemiah 3:3; 12:39; Zephaniah 1:10) The Orientals are exceedingly fond of fish as an article of diet. Numerous allusions to the art of fishing occur in the Bible. The most usual method of catching fish was by the use of the net, either the casting net, (Ezekiel 26:5,14; 47:10); Habb 1:15 Probably resembling the one used in Egypt, as shown in Wilkinson (iii. 55), or the draw or drag net, (Isaiah 19:8); Habb 1:15 Which was larger, and required the use of a boat. The latter was probably most used on the Sea of Galilee, as the number of boats kept on it was very considerable.

Called dag by the Hebrews, a word denoting great fecundity (Genesis 9:2; Numbers 11:22; Jonah 2:1, 10). No fish is mentioned by name either in the Old or in the New Testament. Fish abounded in the Mediterranean and in the lakes of the Jordan, so that the Hebrews were no doubt acquainted with many species. Two of the villages on the shores of the Sea of Galilee derived their names from their fisheries, Bethsaida (the "house of fish") on the east and on the west. There is probably no other sheet of water in the world of equal dimensions that contains such a variety and profusion of fish. About thirty-seven different kinds have been found. Some of the fishes are of a European type, such as the roach, the barbel, and the blenny; others are Markedly African and tropical, such as the eel-like silurus. There was a regular fish-market apparently in Jerusalem (2 Chronicles 33:14; Nehemiah 3:3; 12:39; Zephaniah 1:10), as there was a fish-gate which was probably contiguous to it.

Sidon is the oldest fishing establishment known in history.

1. (n.) A counter, used in various games.

2. (n.) Plural of Fish.

3. (n.) A name loosely applied in popular usage to many animals of diverse characteristics, living in the water.

4. (n.) An oviparous, vertebrate animal usually having fins and a covering scales or plates. It breathes by means of gills, and lives almost entirely in the water. See Pisces.

5. (n.) The twelfth sign of the zodiac; Pisces.

6. (n.) The flesh of fish, used as food.

7. (n.) A purchase used to fish the anchor.

8. (n.) A piece of timber, somewhat in the form of a fish, used to strengthen a mast or yard.

9. (v. i.) To attempt to catch fish; to be employed in taking fish, by any means, as by angling or drawing a net.

10. (v. i.) To seek to obtain by artifice, or indirectly to seek to draw forth; as, to fish for compliments.

11. (v. t.) To catch; to draw out or up; as, to fish up an anchor.

12. (v. t.) To search by raking or sweeping.

13. (v. t.) To try with a fishing rod; to catch fish in; as, to fish a stream.

14. (v. t.) To strengthen (a beam, mast, etc.), or unite end to end (two timbers, railroad rails, etc.) by bolting a plank, timber, or plate to the beam, mast, or timbers, lengthwise on one or both sides. See Fish joint, under Fish, n.

FISH

(dagh, daghah, da'gh; ichthus, ichthudion, opsarion):

1. Natural History:

Fishes abound in the inland waters of Palestine as well as the Mediterranean. They are often mentioned or indirectly referred to both in the Old Testament and in the New Testament, but it is remarkable that no particular kind is distinguished by name. In Leviticus 11:9-12 and Deuteronomy 14:9, "whatsoever hath fins and scales in the waters" is declared clean, while all that "have not fins and scales" are forbidden. This excluded not only reptiles and amphibians, but also, among fishes, siluroids and eels, sharks, rays and lampreys. For our knowledge of the inland fishes of Palestine we are mainly indebted to Tristram, NHB and Fauna and Flora of Palestine; Lortet, Poissons et reptiles du Lac de Tiberiade; and Russegger, Reisen in Europa, Asien, Afrika, 1835-1841. The most remarkable feature of the fish fauna of the Jordan valley is its relationship to that of the Nile and of East Central Africa. Two Nile fishes, Chromis nilotica Hasselquist, and Clarias macracanthus Gunth., are found in the Jordan valley, and a number of other species found only in the Jordan valley belong to genera (Chromis and Hemichromis) which are otherwise exclusively African. This seems to indicate that at some time, probably in the early Tertiary, there was some connection between the Palestinian and African river systems. No fish can live in the Dead Sea, and many perish through being carried down by the swift currents of the Jordan and other streams. There are, however, several kinds of small fish which live in salt springs on the borders of the Dead Sea, springs which are as salt as the Dead Sea but which, according to Lortet, lack the magnesium chloride which is a constituent of the Dead Sea water and is fatal to the fish. Capoeta damascina Cuv. and Val., one of the commonest fishes of Syria and Palestine, has been taken by the writer in large numbers in the Arnon and other streams flowing into

the Dead Sea. This is surprising in view of the fact that the Dead Sea seems to form an effective barrier between the fishes of the different streams flowing into it. The indiscriminate mention of fishes without reference to the different kinds is well illustrated by the numerous passages in which "the fishes of the sea, the birds of the heavens, and the beasts of the field," or some equivalent expression, is used to denote all living creatures, e.g. Genesis 1:26; Genesis 9:2 Numbers 11:22 Deuteronomy 4:18 1 Kings 4:33; Job 12:8 Psalm 8:8 Ezekiel 38:20 Hosea 4:3 Zephaniah 1:3 1 Corinthians 15:39.

2. Jonah's Fish:

An unusually large shark might fulfill the conditions of Jonah's fish (dagh, daghah; but Matthew 12:40, ketos, "whale" or "sea monster"). The whale that is found in the Mediterranean (Balaena australis) has a narrow throat and could not swallow a man. No natural explanation is possible of Jonah's remaining alive and conscious for three days in the creature's belly. Those who consider the book historical must regard the whole event as miraculous. For those who consider it to be a story with a purpose, no explanation is required.

3. Fishing:

The present inhabitants of Moab and Edom make no use of the fish that swarm in the Arnon, the Hisa and other streams, but fishing is an important industry in Galilee and Western Palestine. Now, as formerly, spear hooks and nets are employed. The fish-spear (Job 41:7) is little used. Most of the Old Testament references to nets have to do with the taking of birds and beasts and not of fishes, and, while in Habakkuk 1:15 cherem is rendered "net" and mikhmereth "drag," it is hot clear that these and the other words rendered "net" refer to particular kinds of nets. In the New Testament, however, sagene (Matthew 13:47), is clearly the dragnet, and amphiblestron (Matthew 4:18), is clearly the casting net. The word most often used is diktuon. Though this word is from dikein, "to throw," or "to cast," the context in several places (e.g. Luke 5:4 John 21:11) suggests that a dragnet is meant. The dragnet may be several hundred feet long. The upper edge is buoyed and the lower edge is weighted. It is let down from a boat in a line parallel to the shore and is then pulled in by ropes attached to the two ends, several men and boys usually pulling at each end. The use of the casting net requires much skill. It forms a circle of from 10 to 20 feet in diameter with numerous small leaden weights at the circumference. It is lifted by the center and carefully gathered over the right arm. When well thrown it goes to some distance, at the same time spreading out into a wide circle. A cord may be attached to the center, but this is not always the case. When lifted again by the center, the leads come together, dragging over the bottom, and sometimes a large number of fish may be enclosed. The novice has only to try, to realize the dexterity of the practiced fishermen.

Figurative: The fact that so many of our Lord's disciples were fishermen lends a profound interest to their profession. Christ tells Simon and Andrew (Matthew 4:19 Mark 1:17) that He will make them fishers of men. The Kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 13:47) is likened unto a net that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind; which, when it was filled, they drew up on the beach; and they sat down and gathered the good into vessels, but the bad they cast away. Tristram (NHB) says that he has seen the fishermen go through their net and throw out into the sea those that were too small for the market or were considered unclean. In Jeremiah 16:16, we read: "Behold, I will send for many fishers, saith Yahweh, and they shall fish them up; and afterward I will send for many hunters, and they shall hunt them from every mountain, and from every hill, and out of the clefts of the rocks." In the vision of Ezekiel (Ezekiel 47:9), the multitude of fish and the nets spread from En-gedi to En-eglaim are marks of the marvelous change wrought in the Dead Sea by the stream issuing from the temple. The same sign, i.e. of the spreading of nets (Ezekiel 26:5, 14), marks the desolation of Tyre. It is a piece of broiled fish that the risen Lord eats with the Eleven in Jerusalem (Luke 24:42), and by the Sea of Galilee (John 21:13) He gives the disciples bread and fish.

Alfred Ely Day

FISH GATE

See JERUSALEM.

2486. ichthus -- a fish
... ichthus. 2487 . a fish. Part of Speech: Noun, Masculine Transliteration: ichthus
Phonetic Spelling: (ikh-thoos') Short Definition: a fish Definition: a fish. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/2486.htm - 6k

2485. ichthudion -- a little fish
... a little fish. Part of Speech: Noun, Neuter Transliteration: ichthudion Phonetic
Spelling: (ikh-thoo'-dee-on) Short Definition: a little fish Definition: a ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/2485.htm - 6k

3795. opsarion -- fish
... fish. Part of Speech: Noun, Neuter Transliteration: opsarion Phonetic Spelling:
(op-sar'-ee-on) Short Definition: a little fish Definition: a little fish. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/3795.htm - 6k

4371. prosphagion -- a relish (eaten with bread), spec. fish
... fish. Part of Speech: Noun, Neuter Transliteration: prosphagion Phonetic Spelling:
(pros-fag'-ee-on) Short Definition: anything eaten with bread Definition ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/4371.htm - 6k

232. halieuo -- to fish
... halieuo. 233 . to fish. Part of Speech: Verb Transliteration: halieuo Phonetic
Spelling: (hal-ee-yoo'-o) Short Definition: I fish Definition: I fish. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/232.htm - 6k

2785. ketos -- a huge fish
... a huge fish. Part of Speech: Noun, Neuter Transliteration: ketos Phonetic Spelling:
(kay'-tos) Short Definition: a sea monster, huge fish Definition: a sea ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/2785.htm - 6k

3013. lepis -- a scale (of a fish)
... a scale (of a fish). Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine Transliteration: lepis Phonetic
Spelling: (lep-is') Short Definition: a scale, scaly substance Definition: a ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/3013.htm - 6k

966. Bethsaida -- "house of fish," Bethsaida, the name of two ...
... 965, 966. Bethsaida. 967 . "house of fish," Bethsaida, the name of two
cities on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. Part of Speech ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/966.htm - 6k

4209. porphura -- purple fish, purple dye, purple cloth
... purple fish, purple dye, purple cloth. Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine Transliteration:
porphura Phonetic Spelling: (por-foo'-rah) Short Definition: a purple ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/4209.htm - 7k

61. agra -- hunting, a catch
... a catch. From ago; (abstractly) a catching (of fish); also (concretely) a haul
(of fish) -- draught. see GREEK ago. (agra) -- 1 Occurrence. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/61.htm - 6k

1709. dag -- a fish
... a fish. Transliteration: dag Phonetic Spelling: (dawg) Short Definition: fish. Word
Origin from dagah Definition a fish NASB Word Usage fish (17), fishing (1). ...
/hebrew/1709.htm - 6k

1770. dig -- to fish for, catch
... 1769, 1770. dig. 1771 . to fish for, catch. Transliteration: dig Phonetic Spelling:
(deeg) Short Definition: fish. Word Origin denominative ...
/hebrew/1770.htm - 6k

1710. dagah -- a fish
... dagah. 1711 . a fish. Transliteration: dagah Phonetic Spelling: (daw-gaw') Short
Definition: fish. ... of dag Definition a fish NASB Word Usage fish (16). fish. ...
/hebrew/1710.htm - 6k

7193. qasqeseth -- scale (of fish)
... 7192, 7193. qasqeseth. 7194 . scale (of fish). Transliteration: qasqeseth
Phonetic Spelling: (kas-keh'-seth) Short Definition: scales. ...
/hebrew/7193.htm - 6k

1729. dugah -- fishing, fishery
... 1728, 1729. dugah. 1730 . fishing, fishery. Transliteration: dugah Phonetic
Spelling: (doo-gaw') Short Definition: fish. ... fish hook. ...
/hebrew/1729.htm - 6k

6721. Tsidon -- a Phoenician city on the Mediterranean coast, also ...
... Or Tsiydon {tsee-done'}; from tsuwd in the sense of catching fish; fishery; Tsidon,
the name of a son of Canaan, and of a place in Palestine -- Sidon, Zidon. ...
/hebrew/6721.htm - 6k

1712. Dagon -- a god and an idol of the Philistines
... 1). Dagon. From dag; the fish-god; Dagon, a Philistine deity -- Dagon. see
HEBREW dag. 1711, 1712. Dagon. 1713 . Strong's Numbers.
/hebrew/1712.htm - 6k

5315. nephesh -- a soul, living being, life, self, person, desire ...
... or figurative sense (bodily or mental) -- any, appetite, beast, body, breath, creature,
X dead(-ly), desire, X (dis-)contented, X fish, ghost, + greedy, he ...
/hebrew/5315.htm - 7k

1295. berekah -- a pool, pond
... fishpool. From barak; a reservoir (at which camels kneel as a resting-place) --
(fish-)pool. see HEBREW barak. 1294, 1295. berekah. 1296 . Strong's Numbers
/hebrew/1295.htm - 6k

A Fish-Story
... A FISH-STORY. A recent writer tells in ... his line dangling in front. And this
writer says that he used to catch many fish in this way. ...
/.../chidley/fifty-two story talks to boys and girls/a fish-story.htm

The Coin in the Fish's Mouth
... THE COIN IN THE FISH'S MOUTH. 'And when he was ... is wrought. The first fish that
rises carries in its mouth the exact sum needed. Here, therefore ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture b/the coin in the fishs.htm

The Stater in the Fish. (Matt. , xvii. , 27. )
... Section 191. The Stater in the Fish. ... The very first fish caught was to supply the
means; a stater, which it had swallowed, was found within it. ...
/.../section 191 the stater in.htm

"Being Accustomed to Eat Fish at the Time of Easter...
... Dialogues of Sulpitius Severus. Chapter X. "Being accustomed to eat fish
at the time of Easter? "Being accustomed to eat fish ...
/.../life and writings of sulpitius severus /chapter x being accustomed to.htm

But that He Judgeth all Things, this Answers to his Having ...
... Book XIII Chapter XXIII But that he judgeth all things, this answers to
his having dominion over the fish? But that he judgeth ...
/.../augustine/the confessions of saint augustine/chapter xxiii but that he.htm

Thy Neck is as a Tower of ivory; Thine Eyes Like the Fish-Pools in ...
... 4. Thy neck is as a tower of ivory; thine eyes like the fish-pools in Heshbon, which
are in the gate of the daughter of the multitude; thy nose is as the tower ...
//christianbookshelf.org/guyon/song of songs of solomon/4 thy neck is as.htm

Parable of the Various Kinds of Fish in the Net. --Of the Wheat ...
... CHAPTER VII. CHRIST'S FIRST GENERAL MINISTRY IN GALILEE. Section 130. Parable of
the various Kinds of Fish in the Net. "Of the Wheat and the Tares. ...
/.../section 130 parable of the.htm

Of his Paying the Tribute Money Out of the Mouth of the Fish, an ...
... The Prologue. Chapter LX."Of His Paying the Tribute Money Out of the Mouth
of the Fish, an Incident Which Matthew Alone Mentions. 118. ...
/.../augustine/the harmony of the gospels/chapter lx of his paying the.htm

John Chapter xxi. 12-19.
... 2. "And Jesus cometh, and taketh bread, and giveth them, and fish likewise." We
are likewise told here, you see, on what they dined; and of this dinner we also ...
/.../augustine/homilies on the gospel of john/tractate cxxiii john chapter xxi.htm

Jesus Gives his Last Commands to his Helpers
... were still unable for very joy and wonder to believe, he said to them, "Have you
anything to eat here?" And when they gave him a piece of broiled fish, he ate ...
/.../sherman/the childrens bible/jesus gives his last commands.htm

Fish (66 Occurrences)
... No fish is mentioned by name either in the Old or in the New Testament.
Fish abounded in the Mediterranean and in the lakes of the ...
/f/fish.htm - 38k

Fish-pools (1 Occurrence)
Fish-pools. Fishpools, Fish-pools. Fish's . ... The reservoirs near Heshbon (qv)
were probably stocked with fish (2 Samuel 2:13; 4:12; Isaiah 7:3; 22:9, 11). ...
/f/fish-pools.htm - 7k

Fish-gate (3 Occurrences)
Fish-gate. Fishes, Fish-gate. Fishhook . Multi-Version Concordance
Fish-gate (3 Occurrences). 2 Chronicles 33:14 And ...
/f/fish-gate.htm - 7k

Fish-hook (2 Occurrences)
Fish-hook. Fishhook, Fish-hook. Fishhooks . Multi-Version Concordance
Fish-hook (2 Occurrences). Job 41:1 Is it possible ...
/f/fish-hook.htm - 6k

Fish-spears (1 Occurrence)
Fish-spears. Fish's, Fish-spears. Fish-stump . Multi-Version Concordance
Fish-spears (1 Occurrence). Job 41:7 Canst thou fill his ...
/f/fish-spears.htm - 6k

Fish-hooks (1 Occurrence)
Fish-hooks. Fishhooks, Fish-hooks. Fishing . Easton's Bible
Dictionary Were used for catching fish (Amos 4:2; Comp. ...
/f/fish-hooks.htm - 7k

Fish-stump (1 Occurrence)
Fish-stump. Fish-spears, Fish-stump. Fishy . Multi-Version Concordance
Fish-stump (1 Occurrence). 1 Samuel 5:4 And when ...
/f/fish-stump.htm - 6k

Fish's (1 Occurrence)
... Multi-Version Concordance Fish's (1 Occurrence). Jonah 2:1 Then Jonah prayed to
Yahweh, his God, out of the fish's belly. (WEB KJV JPS ASV DBY WBS). ...
/f/fish's.htm - 6k

Fishing (4 Occurrences)
... He twice miraculously fed multitudes with fish and bread (Matthew 14:19; 15:36). ...
Fish were also caught by the fishing-hook (Matthew 17:27). (see NET.). ...
/f/fishing.htm - 13k

Fisherman (1 Occurrence)
... 1. (n.) One whose occupation is to catch fish. 2. (n.) A ship or vessel employed
in the business of taking fish, as in the cod fishery. Int. ...
/f/fisherman.htm - 9k

What does the Christian fish symbol mean (ixthus / icthus)? | GotQuestions.org

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