Topical Bible: Fishes: No Likeness of, to be Made for Worship

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In the biblical context, the prohibition against creating and worshiping images, including those of fishes, is rooted in the broader commandment against idolatry. This commandment is a fundamental aspect of the covenant relationship between God and His people, emphasizing the exclusive worship of the one true God.

The prohibition is explicitly stated in the Ten Commandments, where God commands the Israelites not to make any graven images or likenesses of anything in heaven, on earth, or in the waters. In Exodus 20:4-5 , it is written: "You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in the heavens above, on the earth below, or in the waters beneath. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God..."

This commandment underscores the importance of worshiping God in spirit and truth, without the mediation of physical representations. The inclusion of "the waters beneath" specifically addresses the creation of images of aquatic life, including fishes, which were common objects of worship in various ancient cultures surrounding Israel.

The ancient Near Eastern context provides insight into why such a prohibition was necessary. Many neighboring cultures, such as the Egyptians and Canaanites, included fish and other aquatic creatures in their pantheons, often attributing divine qualities to them. For instance, the Philistine god Dagon, often associated with fish, was worshiped in the region. The Israelites were called to be distinct from these cultures, maintaining purity in their worship practices.

Deuteronomy 4:15-18 further elaborates on this command: "So you saw no form of any kind on the day the LORD spoke to you at Horeb out of the fire. Therefore, watch yourselves very carefully, so that you do not act corruptly and make an idol for yourselves in the shape of any figure, whether in the form of a man or woman, of any beast on the earth or bird that flies in the air, or of any creature that crawls on the ground or fish in the waters below."

This passage highlights the absence of any physical form when God revealed Himself to the Israelites, reinforcing the idea that God transcends all created things and cannot be adequately represented by any image, including those of fishes.

The New Testament continues this theme, emphasizing the spiritual nature of worship. In John 4:24 , Jesus teaches, "God is Spirit, and His worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth." This reinforces the idea that true worship is not dependent on physical representations but on a genuine relationship with God.

Throughout Scripture, the prohibition against making likenesses of fishes for worship serves as a reminder of the distinctiveness of Israel's faith and the call to worship God alone, free from the influences of surrounding idolatrous practices.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Exodus 20:4
You shall not make to you 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.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Deuteronomy 4:18
The likeness of any thing that creeps on the ground, the likeness of any fish that is in the waters beneath the earth:
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

The Beginning of Things. Away Back in the Beginning of Things God ...
... At first it was all dark, and the earth had no form, but ... He made them after His own
likeness. ... over all the earth, with its beasts and birds, and fishes, and it ...
/.../lathbury/childs story of the bible/chapter i the beginning of.htm

On the Words of the Gospel, John xiv. 6, "I am the Way, and the ...
... No: but, "They detained the truth in unrighteousness." What ... how great and what kind
of fishes filled; ask the ... of the incorruptible God into the likeness of the ...
/.../sermons on selected lessons of the new testament/sermon xci on the words.htm

The Draw-Net.
... I can perceive no likeness between this and the kingdom of ... in the wide expanse of
life, as fishes move about ... terms so transparent that they afford no room for ...
//christianbookshelf.org/arnot/the parables of our lord/vii the draw-net.htm

Psalm XXXV.
... In this greediness the fishes will have the better of thee. ... that He may deliver the
poor and needy, to whom there was no helper ... For the likeness of sinful flesh ...
/.../augustine/exposition on the book of psalms/psalm xxxv.htm

Answer to the Objection of the Heathen, that it was not Right to ...
... Word is the true man, the mind which is in man, who is therefore said to have been
made "in the image and likeness of God ... Fishes have no superstition: the ...
/.../clement/exhortation to the heathen/chapter x answer to the objection.htm

Philippians iii. 10-Jul
... But as in the case of fishes, that which can ... His death," but here, no longer the
likeness of His ... the Scripture saith, "The wicked fleeth when no man pursueth ...
/.../homily xi philippians iii 10-jul.htm

Whether There was any Reasonable Cause for the Ceremonial ...
... Of fishes they were allowed to partake of the drier ... the kid that is slain has no
perception of ... kid, signifying Christ, on account of "the likeness of sinful ...
/.../aquinas/summa theologica/whether there was any reasonable.htm

God's World
... corn and wine and oil, and cattle and fishes, in the ... The man who is no scholar in
letters may read of ... or mean, the work of God's hand, the likeness of God's ...
/.../kingsley/twenty-five village sermons/sermon i gods world.htm

The Government of Nature.
... likeness: why might there not be some likeness between what ... No great rock, no valley
of diamonds, no earthly grandeur ... Peter had to do with fishes every day of ...
/.../macdonald/miracles of our lord/ix the government of nature.htm

False Brethren and False Principles in the Church: Spirit and ...
... the trees and the flowers, in the fishes and the ... their religious profession, they
employed the likeness of an ... soon came to be understood that no good Christian ...
/.../killen/the ancient church/chapter iii false brethren and.htm