The Natural Environment in the Hebrew Bible (Part One)

While the writers of the Hebrew Bible, the New Testament, and the Qur’an might not have had ecology in mind when they were writing the texts, through interpretation, readers can gain insight into what each book says in regards to the natural environment. It is to be expected that the writers of each text didn’t have the benefits of modern science to understand the natural environment as it is known in the present.

Nevertheless, they would have been able to understand how important nature was to their survival, due to the likes of agriculture and pastoralism being present in their society. Though each text does share certain similarities, they also have their differences, whether it’s through their attitude toward the physical environment, animals, and other aspects of nature.

By examining the similarities and differences that each text has towards the environment, it is possible to gain new insight into what exactly should be the relationship between humans and nature.

In the first of three articles, I will be examining what the Hebrew Bible says about the natural environment.

The Hebrew Bible

In the Hebrew Bible, one common view that is often interpreted is that humans were given permission to have dominion over nature. This comes from the command that God gave to the first humans, which was to “be fertile and increase, fill the earth and master it; and rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, and all the living things that creep on earth” (Gen. 1.28).

As it is pointed out in an article written by Jeanne Kay, “Adam’s task of subduing the earth already was accomplished for him until his expulsion from Eden: Adam has only to name the animals and to ‘till and tend’ Eden” (223).

This dominion over nature could even be found with Adam’s descendants, Cain and Abel. In the Hebrew Bible, Abel is described as “a keeper of sheep, and Cain became a tiller of the soil” (Gen. 4.2). Cain would even go on to build a city, “and named the city after his son Enoch” (Gen. 4.17).

The prophets of the Hebrew Bible also demonstrated evidence of their dominion over animals, such as with Daniel, who managed to stay safe in a lions’ den for a whole night without so much as a scratch “for he had trusted in his God” (Dan. 6.23).

The control that humans had in the Hebrew Bible over nature was possible, but might have had its limits, since there is just as much evidence that shows humans incapable of controlling the natural environment.

In the Hebrew Bible, there is evidence that only God was capable of true dominion over nature. A constant theme that is present in the Hebrew Bible is that God will reward good human behavior with a generous environment, while providing a collapsing environment as a disciplinary action. When humans are presented as being unfaithful to God:

“God causes nature to deteriorate … and sends severe drought, plagues, pests, warfare or diaspora. When the people obey their covenant, God sends them peace, abundant rainfall, and good crop yields in their homeland” (Kay 217).

Humans may be allowed to use their surrounding landscapes and other aspects of nature to meet their needs, but they can never hope to have the same control over nature that God is portrayed as having in the Hebrew Bible.

One example where God demonstrates his dominion over nature is in the book of Job. In the book of Job, the main character is a “blameless and upright man who fears God and shuns evil” (Job 1.8). Job is put to the test by God even though he committed no wrongdoing.

At one point, after listening to Job question why he is being punished, God finally answers him. As is to be expected, “His first purpose is to impress Job with how awesome and complex nature is, and how little Job comprehends it” (Kay 227).

Several of the verses in God’s response to Job even seem to demonstrate his doubt over whether humans are capable of dominating nature, such as when he asks Job, “Would the wild ox agree to serve you? Would he spend the night at your crib? Can you hold the wild ox by ropes to the furrow? Would he plow up the valleys behind you?” (Job 39.9–10).

In the end, Job gets his former life restored to him by God, but not before learning that as a human he could not hope to match God’s infinite knowledge and power.

Next time, I will examine what the New Testament has to say in regards to the natural environment.

Works Cited

1. Berlin, Adele et al. The Jewish Study Bible: Jewish Publication Society Tanakh Translation. Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2004.

2. Kay, Jeanne. “Human Dominion over Nature in the Hebrew Bible.” Annals of the Association of American Geographers, vol. 79, no. 2, June 1989, pp. 214–232. JSTOR [JSTOR], http://www.jstor.org/stable/2563253.