Original Word: שֶׁרֶץ
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: sherets
Pronunciation: SHEH-rets
Phonetic Spelling: (sheh'-rets)
KJV: creep(-ing thing), move(-ing creature)
NASB: swarming things, insects, swarming thing, teeming life, swarms, teeming things
Word Origin: [from H8317 (שָׁרַץ - swarms)]

1. a swarm, i.e. active mass of minute animals

creeping thing, moving creature

From sharats; a swarm, i.e. Active mass of minute animals -- creep(-ing thing), move(-ing creature).

see HEBREW sharats

Word Origin
from sharats
Definition
swarmers, swarming things
NASB Translation
insects (3), swarming thing (3), swarming things (5), swarms (1), teeming life (2), teeming things (1).

שֶׁ֫רֶץ noun masculine^{Genesis 7:21}

collective swarmers, swarming things; — ׳שׁ absolute Leviticus 11:29 +, שָׁ֑רֶץ Leviticus 11:31; construct Leviticus 11:20 +; — swarming things (H D and P), aquatic Genesis 1:20; Leviticus 11:10; small reptiles and quadrupeds Genesis 7:21 (+ עוֺף, בְּהֵמָה, חַיָּה), Leviticus 5:2 (+ חַיָּה, בְּהֵמָה), Leviticus 11:29 (weasel, mouse, lizard), Leviticus 11:31; Leviticus 11:41; Leviticus 11:42; Leviticus 11:43 (with cognate שָׁרַץ), Leviticus 11:44, compare Leviticus 22:5; insects, הָעוֺף ׳שׁ Deuteronomy 14:19, + הַהֹלֵךְ עַלאַֿרְעַ Leviticus 11:20,21, compare Leviticus 11:23. compare Leviticus 11:23,. compare Dr^{DB i. 519}.

Semantic Range

The term embraces any small creature that “swarms,” “teems,” or “creeps,” whether in water, on land, or in the air. It covers fish-like aquatic life without fins and scales, insects with various numbers of legs, reptiles, amphibians, rodents, and similar ground-dwellers. The common thread is rapid multiplication, low stature, and constant motion close to or within the soil or water.

Creation Narrative

Genesis 1:20 portrays שֶׁרֶץ in a positive light as part of God’s good creation: “And God said, ‘Let the waters teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth in the open expanse of the sky.’ ” The teeming abundance of these creatures displays divine creativity and providence. Their place on the fifth day underscores the ordered progression from inanimate to animate life.

The Flood Account

In Genesis 7:21 the same class is included among those that perished: “Every creature that moved upon the earth perished—birds, livestock, animals, every creature that swarms across the earth, and all mankind.” The verse testifies that God’s judgment is comprehensive; no level of creation is exempt when sin saturates the world. Yet the ark’s preservation of each “kind” (Genesis 6:20) protects the post-Flood continuity of the whole biosphere, sherets included.

Holiness and Dietary Regulations

Leviticus and Deuteronomy employ the term to establish holiness boundaries for Israel.

1. Aquatic swarming things (Leviticus 11:10). Lacking both fins and scales, they are “an abomination to you.” The prohibition disciplines Israel’s appetite, reminding the nation that obedience supersedes culinary preference.

2. Winged creeping things (Leviticus 11:20-23). Most are forbidden, yet a small group of locust-type insects is permitted, illustrating that divine law is discerning rather than arbitrary.

3. Land-dwelling swarms (Leviticus 11:29-31; 11:41-44; Leviticus 22:5; Deuteronomy 14:19). Contact with carcasses makes a person unclean until evening, emphasizing that defilement is communicable and that restoration requires deliberate cleansing. The repeated refrain, “You shall be holy, for I am holy” (Leviticus 11:44), shows that the food laws serve a pedagogical purpose: separating a redeemed people from pagan practices so they may reflect Yahweh’s character.

Spiritual Symbolism

1. Mortality and uncleanness. The lowly, ground-bound nature of the sherets typifies the dust to which humanity returns after the Fall (Genesis 3:19). Thus, avoiding these creatures ritualistically mirrors the deeper need to be separated from sin.

2. Abundant life. Conversely, their prolific reproduction echoes the Creator’s blessing to “be fruitful and multiply” (Genesis 1:22). The same God who forbids unclean consumption also delights in overflowing life.

3. Human humility. Israel is reminded of its own smallness and dependence. As the Psalmist says, “What is man that You are mindful of him?” (Psalm 8:4). Sherets theology cultivates reverence.

Christological and Ecclesiological Connections

Mark 7:19 declares all foods clean, and Acts 10:12 includes “all kinds of four-footed animals and reptiles of the earth” in Peter’s vision. These New Testament moments do not contradict the Mosaic statutes but reveal their fulfillment. The external categories of clean and unclean point to an internal purification accomplished by Christ’s atoning work (Hebrews 9:13-14). The church’s worldwide mission likewise teems beyond ethnic or ceremonial borders, gathering redeemed “from every tribe and tongue.”

Practical Ministry Implications

1. Teaching holiness. Sherets regulations illustrate the principle that God cares about every arena of life, including diet. Modern believers can apply the underlying call to distinct living in speech, ethics, and sexuality.

2. Stewardship of creation. Since even the smallest creatures are purposely designed, discipleship includes responsible ecological care, reflecting the Creator’s concern for the entire web of life.

3. Evangelism and discipleship. The word picture of teeming life can inspire ministries that multiply disciples rapidly yet healthily, mirroring the natural world’s productivity.

Summary

שֶׁרֶץ spans from the waters of creation to the eschatological people of God, illustrating abundance, judgment, holiness, and redemption. Properly understood, it enriches doctrinal teaching on the Creator’s wisdom, human sin, covenant holiness, and the all-embracing scope of Christ’s saving grace.

בַּשֶּׁ֖רֶץ בשרץ הַשֶּׁ֖רֶץ הַשָּׁ֑רֶץ השרץ שֶׁ֖רֶץ שֶׁ֣רֶץ שרץ baš·še·reṣ bashSheretz baššereṣ haš·šā·reṣ haš·še·reṣ hashSharetz hashSheretz haššāreṣ haššereṣ še·reṣ šereṣ SheretzInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts