To every animal of the earth, and to every bird of the sky, and to everything that creeps on the earth, in which there is life, I have given every green herb for food;” and it was so.
All animals, including sharks, lions, and parasites, were originally vegetarians.
Biology
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The cited passage
What current science says
Carnivores have existed for hundreds of millions of years. Fossils show predators with sharp teeth designed for eating meat long before humans existed. Animals like tapeworms have body structures that could never digest plants - they evolved specifically to live inside other animals.
What the text says
Genesis 1:30 has God giving every green plant as food to all the animals, implying that every creature - including predators and parasites like sharks, lions, and tapeworms - was originally a plant-eater.
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.