Reference: FISH, FISHER
American
The Hebrews have very few names of particular species of fish. Moses says in general, that all sorts of river, lake, or sea fish, which have scales and fins, may be eaten; all others shall be to the Hebrews an abomination, Le 11:9-12; De 14:9-10. The Nile had an early celebrity, which it still retains, for the abundance and excellence of its fish, Ex 7:18-21; Nu 11:5. The Sea of Tiberias also still abounds in fish, Lu 5:5; Joh 21:6-11. They were a common article of food among the Jews, Mt 7:10, and were obtained from the Mediterranean, Ne 13:16, and from the Jordan. They were caught with hooks, Am 4:2, spears, Job 41:7, and nets, Isa 19:8-10. The "great fish," Jon 1:17, which swallowed Jonah, may have been of the shark genus, as this animal is common in the Mediterranean. The original word, both in Hebrew and Greek, Mt 12:40, means a fish, and not specifically a "whale." See WHALE. Fishermen are often spoken of in the Bible, and a large proportion of the twelve apostles of our Lord were of that occupation. Christ made them "fishers of men," Mt 4:18-22.
The early Christians, in times of persecution, used to engrave the form of a fish on their medals, seals, and tombs, as a tacit confession of their faith; as the five letters of the Greek word for fish are the initial letters of five words, signifying "Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Savior." This symbol has thus become the subject of a superstitious regard.
See Verses Found in Dictionary
And the fish that are in the river shall die, and the river shall stink; and the Egyptians shall loathe to drink the water of the river. And the LORD spoke unto Moses, Say unto Aaron, Take thy rod and stretch out thine hand upon the waters of Egypt, upon their rivers, upon their streams, and upon their ponds, and upon all their pools of water, that they may become blood and that there may be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, both in vessels of wood and in vessels of stone. read more. And Moses and Aaron did so, as the LORD commanded; and lifting up the rod, he smote the waters that were in the river, in the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his slaves; and all the waters that were in the river were turned to blood. And the fish that were in the river died; and the river became corrupted, so that the Egyptians could not drink the water of the river; and there was blood throughout all the land of Egypt.
These shall you eat of all that are in the waters: whatever has fins and scales in the waters, in the seas, and in the rivers, those shall you eat. But all that have not fins and scales in the seas and in the rivers, of any reptile in the waters, and of any living thing which is in the waters, they shall be an abomination unto you; read more. they shall be an abomination unto you; ye shall not eat of their flesh, and ye shall have their carcasses in abomination. Whatever has no fins nor scales in the waters, that shall be an abomination unto you.
We remember the fish, which we freely ate in Egypt, the cucumbers and the melons and the leeks and the onions and the garlic,
These ye shall eat of all that are in the waters: all that have fins and scales shall ye eat, but whatever does not have fins and scales ye may not eat; it is unclean unto you.
There dwelt men of Tyre also therein, who brought fish and all manner of merchandise, and sold on the sabbath to the sons of Judah in Jerusalem.
Canst thou cut his skin with knives or his head with a fish spear?
The fishermen also shall mourn, and all those that cast fishhooks into the river shall lament, and those that spread nets upon the waters shall languish. Moreover those that work in fine flax and those that weave networks shall be confounded. read more. Because all their nets shall be broken; all that make ponds to raise fish shall be discontented.
The Lord GOD has sworn by his holiness that, behold, the days shall come upon you that he will take you away with hooks, and your posterity in fishing boats.
Now the LORD had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.
And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon, called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishers. And he said unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. read more. And they straightway left their nets and followed him. And going on from there, he saw another two brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. And they immediately left the ship and their father and followed him.
for as Jonah was three days and three nights in the whale's belly, so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night and have taken nothing; nevertheless, at thy word I will let down the net.
And he said unto them, Cast the net on the right hand side of the ship, and ye shall find. They cast therefore, and now they were not able to draw it for the multitude of fishes. Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved said unto Peter, It is the Lord. Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he girt his fisher's coat unto him (for he was naked) and cast himself into the sea. read more. And the other disciples came in the little ship (for they were not far from land, but as it were two hundred cubits), dragging the net with the fishes. As soon then as they were come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and a fish laid thereon, and bread. Jesus said unto them, Bring of the fish which ye have now caught. Simon Peter went up and drew the net to land full of great fishes, one hundred and fifty-three; and being so many, yet the net was not broken.