The fear of you and the dread of you will be on every animal of the earth, and on every bird of the sky. Everything that moves along the ground, and all the fish of the sea, are delivered into your hand.
All animals fear human beings.
Zoology
38
passages in this field
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The cited passage
What current science says
That’s false. Many animals fear humans, especially in the wild, because evolution favored avoiding large, dangerous predators. But plenty do not: Domesticated animals (dogs, cattle, many birds) are often comfortable around us; some wild animals (urban pigeons, rats, squirrels) quickly lose fear where people feed or tolerate them; large predators sometimes see us as prey or competitors, not just something to fear. Animal reactions to humans range from fear to indifference to curiosity, depending on their species, experience, and environment.
What the text says
According to this verse, all animals fear humans. Although it is true that many do, it is also true that some do not. Sharks and grizzly bears, for example, are generally much less afraid of us than we are of them.
Three honest ways to read this passage
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As history
The text records how its authors understood the world with the knowledge they had. Read this way, a difference from modern science is a window into the ancient mind, not a failure.
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As accommodation
The text speaks to its first audience in their own terms, to make a point that isn't mainly about physics or biology. Read this way, the scientific detail is the vehicle, not the cargo.
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As contradiction
The text makes a claim about the physical world that modern findings dispute. Read this way, the difference is a genuine factual disagreement worth naming.
GEBible doesn't pick one of these for you. Each entry shows the passage, what it says, and what current science says — nothing more.