What Are Biblical "Kinds"?
Genesis 1:11-12, 20-21, 24-25; Leviticus 11:13-19, 21-22, 29-30.
The word “kind” in Genesis 1 and Leviticus 11 is from the Hebrew word “miyn” – meen. It means “to portion out.” It can be used for “species” or for “kind.” It is similar to the Hebrew word “min,” which means “from” or “out of.” The term “kind” can be applied in a broad manner: all the “fish kind;” or in a more limited manner: all the “whale kind.”
Genesis 1:11-12 – Herbs and fruit trees that yield seed.
11 “And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.
12 And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good.”
Genesis 1:20-21 – Life forms that swim, and life forms that fly.
20 “And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.
21 And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good.”
Genesis 1:24-25 – Land animals and insects.
24 “And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so.
25 And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good.”
One of the things Leviticus 11 focuses on, is which things were allowed to be eaten, and which things were not.
Leviticus 11:13-19 – Different types of fowl.
13 “And these are they which ye shall have in abomination among the fowls; they shall not be eaten, they are an abomination: the eagle, and the ossifrage, and the ospray,
14 And the vulture, and the kite after his kind;
15 Every raven after his kind;
16 And the owl, and the night hawk, and the cuckow, and the hawk after his kind,
17 And the little owl, and the cormorant, and the great owl,
18 And the swan, and the pelican, and the gier eagle,
19 And the stork, the heron after her kind, and the lapwing, and the bat.”
Leviticus 11:21-22 – Different kinds of insects.
21 “Yet these may ye eat of every flying creeping thing that goeth upon all four, which have legs above their feet, to leap withal upon the earth;
22 Even these of them ye may eat; the locust after his kind, and the bald locust after his kind, and the beetle after his kind, and the grasshopper after his kind.”
29 “These also shall be unclean unto you among the creeping things that creep upon the earth; the weasel, and the mouse, and the tortoise after his kind,
30 And the ferret, and the chameleon, and the lizard, and the snail, and the mole.”
Leviticus 11:29-30 – Different land animals.
The Bible doesn’t teach “fixity of species.” There might be many different species of dogs, but they are still of the dog “kind.” But, each species of dog, could be considered a different “kind” also. In Leviticus 11, owls, little owls, and great owls were each considered a different “kind.” So, “kind” can apply to “dog kind,” or each individual species of dog.
The important thing is, dogs produce dogs, cats produce cats, all “after their “kinds.” There are no “dats” or “cogs” running around. However, change within a “kind” is acceptable.
In scientific terms, this could be considered the Law of Kinds. Laws are based on repeated observations. No exceptions have ever been observed.