sherets · swarming things

What it means

sherets (שֶׁרֶץ) is a Hebrew word of the Bible that means “swarming things”.

A swarm of small animals that move in great numbers: fish, insects, small reptiles.

How to say it

Approximate pronunciation. Vowels sound as in Spanish (a as in father, e as in bed, i as in machine, o as in note, u as in rule); the syllable in bold is stressed. The voice is your device's.

Its senses in the Bible

1. Small creatures that move in great numbers.

From Brown-Driver-Briggs (1906)

How it is translated

The words this translation uses for it, most frequent first.

• swarming thing ×6
• swarming things ×5
• winged insect ×2
• swarms ×1
• winged insects ×1

Related words

Words of the same family, by Strong’s numbering.

Where it appears

• Genesis×2
• Leviticus×12
• Deuteronomy×1

• Genesis 1:20

  And Elohim said, “Let the waters swarm with swarms of living beings, and let birds fly above the earth across the face of the vault of the heavens.”

• Genesis 7:21

  And all flesh that moved on the earth perished: birds, livestock, animals, and all the swarming things that swarm on the earth, and all human beings.

• Leviticus 5:2

  Or if a person touches any unclean thing, whether the carcass of an unclean animal, or the carcass of an unclean beast, or the carcass of an unclean swarming thing, and it is hidden from him, he has become unclean and guilty.

• Leviticus 11:10

  But everything that has no fins and scales in the seas and in the streams, among all the swarming things of the waters and among all the living beings that are in the waters, they shall be a detestable thing for you.

• Leviticus 11:20

  Every winged insect that walks on all fours, it shall be a detestable thing for you.

• Leviticus 11:21

  But these you may eat of all the winged insects that walk on all fours: those that have jointed legs above their feet with which to leap on the earth.

• Leviticus 11:23

  But every other winged insect that has four feet, it shall be a detestable thing for you.

• Leviticus 11:29

  And these shall be unclean for you among the swarming things that swarm on the earth: the weasel, the mouse, and the lizard according to its kind,

• Leviticus 11:31

  These are unclean for you among all the swarming things; whoever touches them when they are dead will be unclean until the evening.

• Leviticus 11:41

  And every swarming thing that swarms on the earth is a detestable thing; it shall not be eaten.

• Leviticus 11:42

  Whatever goes on its belly, and whatever goes on all fours, or even whatever has many feet, among all the swarming things that swarm on the earth, you shall not eat them, for they are a detestable thing.

• Leviticus 11:43

  Do not make yourselves detestable with any swarming thing that swarms, and do not make yourselves unclean with them so that you become unclean by them.

• Leviticus 11:44

  For I am YHWH your Elohim; sanctify yourselves and be holy, for I am holy. And do not make yourselves unclean with any swarming thing that creeps on the earth.

• Leviticus 22:5

  or a man who touches any swarming thing by which he becomes unclean, or a human being by whom he becomes unclean, whatever his uncleanness may be,

• Deuteronomy 14:19

  And every winged swarming thing is unclean for you; they shall not be eaten.