Beast

"beast; animal; domesticated animal; cattle; riding beast; wild beast." A cognate of this word appears in Arabic. Biblical Hebrew uses behemâ about 185 times and in all periods of history.

In Exod 9:25, this word clearly embraces even the larger "animals," all the animals in Egypt: "And the hail smote throughout all the land of Egypt all that was in the field, both man and beast…" This meaning is especially clear in Gen 6:7: "I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air…" in 1Ki 4:33, this word seems to exclude birds, fish, and reptiles: "He [Solomon] spake also of beasts, and of fowl, and of creeping things, and of fishes. The word behemâ can be used of all the domesticated beasts or animals other than man: "And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and [wild] beast of the earth after his kind…" (Gen 1:24, first occurrence). Psalm 8:7 uses behemâ in synonymous parallelism with "oxen" and "sheep," as though it includes both: "All sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field." The word can, however, be used of cattle only: "Shall not their cattle and their substance and every beast of theirs [nasb, "animals"] be ours" (Gen 34:23).

In a rare use of the word, it signifies a "riding animal," such as a horse or mule: "And I arose in the night, I and some few men with me; neither told I any man what my God had put in my heart to do at Jerusalem: neither was there any beast with me, save the beast that I rode upon" (Neh 2:12).

Infrequently, behemâ represents any wild, four-footed, undomesticated beast: "And thy carcase shall be meat unto all fowls of the air, and unto the beasts of the earth, and no man shall [frighten] them away" (Deut 28:26).

primarily denotes "a living being" (zoe, "life"). The Eng., "animal," is the equivalent, stressing the fact of life as the characteristic feature. In Heb 13:11 the AV and the RV translate it "beasts" ("animals" would be quite suitable). In 2Pe 2:12, Jud 1:10, the AV has "beasts," the RV "creatures." In the Apocalypse, where the word is found some 20 times, and always of those beings which stand before the throne of God, who give glory and honor and thanks to Him, Rev 4:6, and act in perfect harmony with His counsels, Rev 5:14, Rev 1:6-7, e.g., the word "beasts" is most unsuitable; the RV, "living creatures," should always be used; it gives to zoon its appropriate significance. See CREATURE.

to be distinguished from zoon, almost invariably denotes "a wild beast." In Act 28:4, "venomous beast" is used of the viper which fastened on Paul's hand. Zoon stresses the vital element, therion the bestial. The idea of a "beast" of prey is not always present. Once, in Heb 12:20, it is used of the animals in the camp of Israel, such, e.g., as were appointed for sacrifice: but in the Sept. therion is never used of sacrificial animals; the word ktenos (see below) is reserved for these.

Therion, in the sense of "wild beast", is used in the Apocalypse for the two antichristian potentates who are destined to control the affairs of the nations with Satanic power in the closing period of the present era, Rev 11:7, Rev 1:13-18, Rev 14:9, Rev 14:11, Rev 15:2, Rev 16:2, Rev 16:10, Rev 16:13, Rev 1:17-17, Rev 1:19-20, Rev 20:4, Rev 20:10.

primarily denotes "property" (the connected verb ktaomai means "to possess"); then, "property in flocks and herds." In Scripture it signifies, (a) a "beast" of burden, Luk 10:34, Act 23:24, (b) "beasts" of any sort, apart from those signified by thereion (see above), 1Co 15:39, Rev 18:13, (c) animals for slaughter; this meaning is not found in the NT, but is very frequent in the Sept.

"a four-footed beast" (tetra, "four," and pous, "a foot") is found in Act 10:12, Act 11:6, Rom 1:23.

from sphazo, "to slay," denotes "a victim slaughtered for sacrifice, a slain beast," Act 7:42, in a quotation from Amo 5:25.