Hunting in the Bible

Did you know that God himself is the first hunter ever mentioned in the Bible?  Read about it in Genesis 3 (check our verse 21).  

The relationship between predators and prey was first described in Genesis 9.2-3: "The fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth and upon every bird of the heavens, upon everything that creeps on the ground and all the fish of the sea. Into your hand they are delivered.  Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. And as I gave you the green plants, I give you everything."

God is hunting all the time.  He is responsible for hunting for prey animals to feed to predators (see Psalm 104.21, Psalm 147.9, and Job 38.39-40).  

The first human hunter mentioned in the Bible is Nimrod.  Who was he?  What did he hunt?  We don't really know.  All we know is that he was a "mighty hunter before the Lord."  Read about him in Genesis 10.8-14.  

Esau was a "skillful hunter, a man of the field."  In order to become a "skillful hunter," Esau must have practiced quite a bit.  He was so good at hunting that hunting and preparing "delicious food" became so regular that game meat was a regular part of his father, Isaac's, diet (see Genesis 27.1-4).  

When he gave them his law, God assumed that hunting would be a regular part of Hebrew culture.  In Leviticus 17.13 God tells his people some instructions on what to do with the parts of the animal that are not used.  

Deuteronomy 14.4-5 gives us a list of animals the Israelites were allowed to eat, many of which were wild, undomesticated, and only able to be consumed if they were first hunted (deer, gazelle, roebuck, wild goat, ibex, antelope, and mountain sheep).  

In Deuteronomy 12.15 and 22, God gives his people to eat as much wild game as they wish.  Even more importantly, these verses make it clear that any animals that are consumed are eaten "according to the blessing of the Lord"  (see also Deuteronomy 15.22).  

Proverbs 12.27 tells us that, in order to have the reward of a plentiful harvest of game, diligence is required.  The next time you're tempted to stay in bed instead of waking up early to go hunting, recite Proverbs 12.27 to yourself!

King David was a partridge hunter.  If he didn't know what it took to hunt partridge, he wouldn't have said what he did in 1 Samuel 26.20.  

God gave Peter some food in Acts 10, but he didn't give him prepared dishes.  Rather, he gave him live animals and said, "Rise, Peter; kill and and eat."  For whatever reason, God wanted Peter to kill his food before he prepared and ate it.