Protos

What does "Camel" mean in the Bible?

Camel, a well-known and highly useful animal in Eastern countries, and justly called "the ship of the desert." It is by the law of Moses unclean. Camel appears in 4 verses across 3 books of the Bible.

Bactrian camel
Bactrian camel · CC0, Pixabay

What does the Bible say about Camel?

CAM'EL, a well-known and highly useful animal in Eastern countries, and justly called "the ship of the desert." It is by the law of Moses unclean. Lev 11:4. The camel is usually about 6 feet in height to the saddle. Though he makes loud complaints when caused to kneel or receive a load, he is still docile, and marches on as under a painful sense of duty. He varies in color from white to black, but is ordinarily tawny. In the Bible lands the Arabian or one-humped camel ( Camelits dromedcuius) is found. Two-humped camels (C. Bactrianus) are rarely used except in Central Asia. The feet of this animal are provided with a tough, elastic sole, which prevents them from sinking in the sand. His hump serves as a cushion for loads, Isa 30:6, and a store-house of food against times of scarcity. There is a large callus on his breast and three pairs of calluses on his legs, which protect him from laceration when kneeling upon sharp stones. His nostrils are adapted for breathing with safety in a sandstorm. A horny mouth with divided upper lip is fitted for the harsh and thorny shrubs of the desert, which he seems to prefer to more tender herbage. The second stomach of the camel, which is a ruminant animal, is divided into hexagonal cells, and receives and retains for gradual use the water which is drunk. On a full supply he can live even 20 or 30 days. As the camel never sensibly perspires, there is no loss in this direction. These qualities all combine to

Definition text: Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible · 1898. Public domain.

Compiled by Protos: the verse list on this page. Where one name belongs to more than one person or place, each of them gets a separate entry.

What is the Hebrew word for Camel?

Hebrew · H1581

גָּמָל

ga.mal

camel

TBESH, STEPBible, licensed CC BY 4.0.

Where does Camel appear in the Bible?

Camel is referenced in 4 verses across 3 books. Every passage below is about this one, not just every verse the word turns up in.

What else appears in these passages?

These turn up in the same passages as Camel.

Common questions

How many times does the Bible mention Camel?

Camel appears in 4 verses across 3 books, most often in Genesis, which accounts for 2 of them.

Which books of the Bible mention Camel?

Genesis, Deuteronomy, Leviticus.

Where can I read every verse about Camel?

This page lists 4 of them. Protos carries all 4, and opens this entry on the verse you are reading rather than in a separate tab.

Read it in context

Read Genesis with "Camel" explained on the verse.

Tap any name, place, or word you do not recognize and the background opens on the verse you are reading. No second tab, no search, no losing your place.

The Protos reader open on Genesis 1 with the How to Read Genesis background sheet raised over it
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Fabio Jonathan ArifinFabio JonathanFounder of Protos · Portland Bible College graduate

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