Beast (Hastings' Dictionary)
Three words in Heb. are so translated in AV and RV. 1. ncn^i bihJ'mAh, the Arab. blhimah, which is defined as ' any quadraped, even if it live in water, or any animal not endowed with reason.'
In the sense of a quadruped, we have BEATING BEATITUDE 261 clean beasts (Gn 7') ; in contradistinction to nvM (Gn 6', Ex 9 "^ ") ; animals to be eaten (L» \1=); mammalia, as constituting or of the t'jui prin- cipal clajises of the vertebrates, beasts, fowls, creep- ing things, and fishes (1 K 4"); in the sense of the animai kingdom (Pr 30) ; of domestic ani- mtalt (1 K 18»), esp. riding animals (Neh 2"); of uiild animals (Dt 32^). This word is arbitrarily tr.
in both AV and RV cattle (Gn I"-" 2» 3" 7"-'^ »» Ps W etc. ). See Cattle. 2. i-r? be'ir (Ex 22», Nu 20»- " AV • beasta,' bnt t.« of the same chapter 'cattle.' 'Cattle' is read by RV in Nu 20<- »• ", and by AV, RV in Fs 78". Both give ' beasts ' in Gn ib", the only other occurrence of the word. 3. n'fj hayyah (?iaytho, poetic form, with old case ending, Gn I", Ps SO"* 79' etc.) It is used (1) of animals in general (Gn 8", Lv U' etc.); (2) in contradistinction to behemdh, i.e. xcUd b.
(Gn 7" 8' 9" etc.), specialised in the b. of the reed (marg. AV. text RV Ps es^") ; tvil b. (Gn 37- ■ etc.); 6. 0/' the field (Ex 23" etc.); ravenous b. (Is 35'). "The word hayyah is tr. in other places living creatures (Ezk'l» etc.); life (Ps 143', Is 57'°, RV quickening, etc.); appetite (Job 38*); living thing (Gn i' etc.) = Arab. hayaw&n, 'animal.' The words for beast in NT are chiefly : 1. Bijptor, Ac 28 of a viper ; Tit 1" of the Cretans ; more generally in He 12', Ja 3'.
It is the word used more than 3U times in Rev for the Beast of the Apocalypse (on which see Number, Revela- tion). 2. The word [uoy is used in Rev 4" foil, of the ' living ones ' who were round about the throne ( AV * beasts,' RV more soitably ' living creatures '). G. E. Post.
This topic also has an entry in the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. Both articles offer independent scholarly perspectives.
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia on Beast
Beast best: This word occurs often in both Old and New Testaments and denotes generally a mammal (though sometimes a reptile) in distinction to a man, a bird, or a fish. In this distinction the English is fairly in accord with the Hebrew and Greek originals. The commonest Hebrew words behemah and chai have their counterpart in the Arabic as do three others less often used, be`ir (Ge 45:17; Ex 22:5; Nu 20:8 the King James Version), nephesh (Le 24:18), and Tebhach (Pr 9:2). Behemah and A rabic bahimah are from a root signifying vagueness or dumbness and so denote primarily a dumb beast. Chai and Arabic chaiwan are from the root chayah (Arabic chaya), "to live," and denote primarily living creatures. Be`ir, "cattle," and its root-verb, ba`ar, "to graze," are identical with the Arabic ba`ir and ba`ara, but with a curious difference in meaning. Ba`ir is a common word for camel among the Bedouin and the root-verb, ba`ara, means "to drop dung," ba`rah being a common word for the dung of camels, goats, and sheep. Nephesh corresponds in every way with the Arabic nephs, "breath," "soul" or "se…
Fausset's Bible Dictionary on Beast
Representing two distinct Hebrew words, bihemah and chay, "cattle" and "living creature," or "animal." Beir means either collectively all cattle (Exo 22:4; Psa 78:48) or specially beasts of burden (Gen 45:17). The "beheemah" answer to the hoofed animals. In Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14 some principal divisions of the animal kingdom are given; the cloven footed, chewing the cud, ruminantia. The aim of Scripture is not natural science, but religion. Where system is needful for this, it is given simple and effective for the purposes of religion. If Scripture had given scientific definitions, they would have been irrelevant and even marring to the effect designed. The language is therefore phenomenal, i.e. according to appearances. Thus the hare and hyrax have not the four stomachs common to ruminant animals, but they move the jaw in nibbling like the ruminants. The hare chews over again undigested food brought up from the aesophagus though not a genuine ruminant. The teeth of the rodentia grow during life, so that they necessarily have to be kept down by frequent grinding with the ja…
References
- Orr, J. (ed.) (1915) The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. Chicago: Howard-Severance Company. [Public Domain]
- Easton, M.G. (1893) Easton's Bible Dictionary. 3rd edn. Thomas Nelson. [Public Domain]
- Nave, O.J. (1897) Nave's Topical Bible. Topical Bible Publishing Co.. [Public Domain]
- Hastings, J. (ed.) (1909) A Dictionary of the Bible. Edinburgh: T&T Clark. [Public Domain]
- Smith, W. (ed.) (1884) Smith's Bible Dictionary. London: John Murray. [Public Domain]
- Fausset, A.R. (1878) Fausset's Bible Dictionary. [Public Domain]A Critical and Expository Bible Cyclopaedia