When we picture the great procession of animals entering Noah’s Ark, our minds often go to the “giants” of the animal kingdom—lions, elephants, and hippos for example. But what about the small, teeming world at our feet? Were the beetles, ants, and butterflies invited aboard, or were they left to fend for themselves or perish in the rising waters? By exploring the original Hebrew text, I would like to make a case that insects were indeed protected passengers on the Ark.

The Biblical Mandate: “Every Creeping Thing”

The biblical account of the Flood includes a specific category of animals preserved by God’s command: the “creeping things.” In Genesis 7:8 (KJV), we read:

“Of clean beasts, and of beasts that are not clean, and of fowls, and of every thing that creepeth upon the earth,”.

As the boarding process was completed, the record emphasizes:

“In the selfsame day entered Noah… and every beast after his kind, and all the cattle after their kind, and every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind, and every fowl after his kind, every bird of every sort. And they went in unto Noah into the ark, two and two of all flesh, wherein is the breath of life” (Genesis 7:13–15, KJV).

A plain reading of the verse suggests that every creeping thing, including insects which creep, entered into the Ark. In responding to the skeptic’s claim that the ark was large enough for all the animals, SDA pioneer James White (husband of Ellen White) also revealed that he believed insects were on the Ark. He strongly defended the Ark’s capacity, stating that the vessel was more than large enough to accommodate the “specified number of birds and insects” alongside the larger quadrupeds.[1]

Remes and Sheretz

The Hebrew word for “creeping thing” in Genesis 1:24-26; 6:7 and 20; 7:14 and 23; 8:17 and 19 is remes, which describes the locomotion of an animal moving close to the ground, including reptiles, amphibians, and insects.[2] The word remes emphasizes the physical gait or locomotion of the creature; it refers to the “creeping” or “gliding” motion of an animal that moves close to the surface of the ground. While Genesis 7:14 uses remes to describe those entering the Ark, Genesis 7:21 uses a different word, sherets, to describe creeping things perishing in the Flood:

“And all flesh died that moved upon the earth, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of beast, and of every creeping thing [sherets] that creepeth [sharats] upon the earth, and every man:”

In this verse, the Hebrew word for “creeping thing” is sherets, which literally means “swarmer” or “teeming thing,” emphasizing the prolific and active nature of these small creatures that often appear in mass numbers.[3] The first usage of sherets is in Genesis 1:20 where it refers to moving or swarms of creatures in the seas; but in Genesis 7:21 sherets is talking about creeping things on the earth/land. If terrestrial sherets are said to have died in the floodwaters, then it would also make sense that representatives of their kinds would be saved in the Ark to “keep seed alive on the face of all the earth.”

It turns out these terms are somewhat interchangeable in the Bible, depending on whether the author wishes to emphasize the creature’s movement or its swarming nature.  An example of this overlap is found in Genesis 8:17, 19:

“Bring forth with thee every living thing that is with thee, of all [kol] flesh, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of every [kol] creeping thing [remes] that creepeth [ramas] upon the earth; that they may breed abundantly [sharats] in the earth, and be fruitful, and multiply upon the earth. . . . Every beast, every [kol] creeping thing [remes], and every fowl, and whatsoever [kol] creepeth [ramas] upon the earth, after their kinds, went forth out of the ark.”

Here we see that every (kol) remes that ramas also sharats (abounds) on the earth, and every kind of creature that creeps (ramas) is said to have gone out of the ark—meaning that they also must have entered into the ark earlier.

Beyond Genesis, Leviticus 11:44 (KJV) uses similar language:

“Neither shall ye defile yourselves with any manner of creeping thing [sherets] that creepeth [ramas] upon the earth.”.

Here, the Bible uses the noun for “swarmer” (sherets) with the verb for “creeping” (ramas), showing that swarmers are also creepers. The two terms act as functional synonyms for the same group of small life forms, which include insects. Thus, we can say that insects are swarmers by nature and creepers by movement.

If these two terms are largely interchangeable, depending on what the author wants to emphasize for classification, then this opens up the possibility of seeing how sherets is used elsewhere in the Old Testament to give us a greater understanding of what could constitute the remes in the Genesis Flood account.

Winged Swarmers: A Functional Classification

The Law of Moses categorizes insects under “winged swarmers” or “flying insects” (sherets). Leviticus 11:20–23 (modified from the KJV for a more accurate translation of the bracketed Hebrew words):

“All winged swarmers [sherets ha-oph] that go on all fours are detestable to you. Yet of these you may eat: every winged swarmer [sherets ha-oph] that goes on all fours which has jointed legs above its feet for leaping on the ground. Of these you may eat: the locust after its kind, the bald locust after its kind, the cricket [chargol] after its kind, and the grasshopper after its kind. But all other winged swarmers [sherets ha-oph] that have four feet are detestable to you.”.

The mention of “four feet” is not a scientific error but phenomenological language—describing things as they are observed by the human eye. Ancient observers noted that insects like locusts use their four front limbs for walking (creeping), while their two specialized hind limbs are “jointed legs above their feet” used strictly for leaping. This precise biblical description confirms that insects were recognized as a distinct group of air-breathing “winged fliers” (sherets), which is further evidence that they were among the remes preserved on the Ark.

The Physiological “Breath of Life” and Spiracles

A frequent objection to insects being on the Ark is that they do not have “nostrils” and therefore do not possess the “breath of life” mentioned in Genesis 7:22 (KJV):

“All in whose nostrils [aph][4] was the breath of life, of all that was in the dry land, died.”

However, this verse summarizes the categories mentioned in verse 21, which includes fowl/birds, cattle, beasts, and “every creeping thing (remes)“—which is linked to sherets, which includes insects like locusts in Leviticus 11. Obviously, locusts don’t have mammal-like noses. However, I would like to suggest that the Hebrew word for “nostrils,” aph, serves as a functional designation for the entry point of breath. In the ancient Hebrew worldview, if a creature takes in air to stay alive, it has an aph. The word functions more as a functional description (a breath-hole) than a morphological one (a cartilage-based nose). Biologically, insects breathe through spiracles—tiny pores along their abdomen that lead to a network of tubes (tracheae) delivering oxygen directly to their tissues. From the perspective of an ancient Hebrew, if they were to see a macro-photo of a caterpillar’s spiracle (or a live one under the microscope) they would likely call it an aph, not because they mistook it for a mammal’s nose, but because they recognized it as the entryway for the breath of life. From a biblical perspective, spiracles function as an insect’s aph—the necessary natural passage for external air to reach vital organs. This allows us to make sense of SDA pioneer Uriah Smith’s observation that the “different orders of animals” mentioned in Genesis 7:21—including the creeping things—are all declared to possess the “breath of life” in their “nostrils” (Genesis 7:22).[5]

God’s Providential Care for Ecosystems

While I believe the Bible is clear that insects were represented on the Ark, we should not dismiss the possibility of insect survival outside the Ark as merely “accidental.” Just as God providentially preserved the seeds of plants in crevices of the rocks to ensure the earth would bloom again,[6] He may have also preserved various insect life-stages on floating debris globally.

This providential care would allow for rapid ecosystem regeneration across the globe, rather than relying on small, slow-moving insects to gradually migrate from the Ark’s landing site to distant continents. Certainly God’s eye is upon the smallest of His creatures, and He acted with divine faithfulness to ensure that the industrious bee and the skillful ant would continue to fulfill their vital roles in His creation. Whether in the Ark or through providential survival, the Creator ensured that the “seed” of even the smallest lifeform was kept alive on the face of all the earth.

Final Thoughts

I cannot be 100% certain that all kinds of insects were taken by pairs two-by-two aboard the Ark, but my faith does not depend on this fact. I do think at least some insects were on the Ark—how else would Noah have fed the animals that eat insects? I would hope though that the feeder insects were in addition to those designated as the representatives of their kind, as even with the clean insects (maximum 14 individuals per kind), the number of available feeder insects would diminish practically within a few days at most as the insect-eaters were fed. Whether secured in small terrariums onboard the Ark, tucked into the crevices of the Ark’s timber as stowaways, or riding the mats of floating vegetation, the “teeming things” were clearly part of the Creator’s survival plan. The biblical text describes a God who values the industrious and the small, ensuring that the “seed” of every creeping thing remained alive to replenish the earth.

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[1] White, J. S. (1861). Advent Review and Sabbath Herald, vol. 17. Review and Herald, Battle Creek, Michigan. Mar 19. 1861, p. 137, para. 12-14

[2] https://biblehub.com/hebrew/7431.htm

[3] https://biblehub.com/hebrew/8318.htm

[4] https://biblehub.com/hebrew/639.htm

[5] Smith, U. (1897). Here and Hereafter. Washington, D. C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, p. 39, para. 1-2.

[6] “The whole surface of the earth was changed at the flood. A third dreadful curse now rested upon it in consequence of man’s transgression. The beautiful trees and shrubbery bearing flowers were destroyed, yet Noah preserved seed and took it with him in the ark, and God by his miraculous power preserved a few of the different kinds of trees and shrubs alive for future generations. Soon after the flood trees and plants seemed to spring out of the very rocks. In God’s providence seeds were scattered and driven into the crevices of the rocks and there securely hid for the future use of man.” White, E. G. (1864). Spiritual Gifts, vol. 3 (p. 76, para. 2). Battle Creek, MI: Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association.