A reptile is a cold-blooded, vertebrate, air-breathing animal. The Hebrew term for reptiles comes from the verb za·chalʹ, meaning “glide.” As stated at Deuteronomy 32:24, among the things that would bring trouble upon idolatrous Israel was “the venom of reptiles of the dust,” evidently referring there to poisonous snakes. (Compare Jer 8:17.) At Micah 7:17, the nations that are overwhelmed by God’s power are spoken of as coming out of their defensive positions like excited reptiles.

In addition to serpents, other reptiles mentioned in the Bible are the chameleon, the gecko and other lizards.​—See comments under their individual names.