Remes: Genesis 9:3

Question

Hey there, why this word רֶמֶשׂ translated as everything that moves in genesis 9:3 versus other times when it is used and clearly different from “all animals, or all moving things” other times it seems to be mostly translated as “creeping things” (whatever those are) and google translate says “insects”

Thanks

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Answers

  1. The Just Ask! - AskTheRabbi.org Team

    While it is true that the word “remes” normally refers to creatures that crawl, in the context of the verse it can really only be referring to all moving things. Interestingly enough, Rashi, the foremost commentator on the Torah, does not make any comment about the meaning of the word. Nachmanides explains that the word “remes” means all animal life, including fish, see ibid 1:21.

    Best wishes from the AskTheRabbi.org Team