ζῷον G2226
A living creature or animal; in Revelation, the four heavenly living beings around God's throne
Zōon (from zaō, 'to live') means simply 'a living being' — broader than our English 'animal,' since it encompasses any animate creature. In the New Testament it appears almost exclusively in Revelation, where the four zōa around God's throne echo Ezekiel's cherubim: lion, ox, human, eagle (Rev 4:6-8). German 'Lebewesen' (living being) and Spanish 'seres vivientes' (living beings) preserve the etymological transparency that English 'beast' (KJV) unfortunately obscures. Outside Revelation, Hebrews 13:11 uses it for sacrificial animals, 2 Peter 2:12 for irrational creatures, and Jude 10 compares false teachers to unreasoning animals — all closer to the classical Greek zoological sense.
Senses
1. living creatures — The four heavenly living creatures around God's throne in Revelation — plural zōa describing the cherubic beings of chapters 4-5 who ceaselessly worship, saying 'Holy, holy, holy.' They appear with six wings and full of eyes (Rev 4:6-8), fall before the Lamb (5:8,14), and announce the horsemen (6:1-7). German 'Lebewesen' and Spanish 'seres vivientes' appropriately avoid the misleading English 'beasts.' 13×
AR["الكائِناتُ-الحَيَّةُ", "الكائِناتِ الحَيَّةُ", "كائِناتٍ-حَيَّةٍ"]·ben["জীবন্ত-প্রাণী", "জীবন্ত-প্রাণী,", "জীবন্ত-প্রাণীর", "জীবন্ত-প্রাণীর,", "জীবের"]·DE["Lebewesen"]·EN["living-creatures"]·FR["Lebewesen"]·heb["הַחַיּוֹת", "חַיּוֹת"]·HI["प्राणियों", "प्राणियों,", "प्राणी", "प्राणी,"]·ID["makhluk-hidup", "makhluk-hidup,"]·IT["creatura-vivente"]·jav["makhluk", "makluk-gesang", "titah-gesang"]·KO["생물들", "생물들-은", "생물들-의", "생물들-이", "생물이"]·PT["seres-viventes"]·RU["животные", "животных", "животных,", "существ", "существа", "существами,"]·ES["seres-vivientes", "seres-vivientes,"]·SW["viumbe-hai", "viumbe-hai,"]·TR["canlı", "canlı-varlıklar", "canlı-varlıkların", "canlılar", "canlıların", "canlının"]·urd["جاندار", "جانداروں-میں-سے", "جانداروں-نے", "جانداروں-کے"]
2. living creature — A single heavenly living creature — the same Revelation beings referred to individually, as when each of the four is described in turn (Rev 4:7, with lion-face, ox-face, human-face, eagle-face) or when one speaks at the opening of each seal (Rev 6:3,5,7). The singular form focuses attention on each creature's distinct identity within the fourfold company. 7×
AR["الكائِنَ-الحَيَّ", "الكائِنُ-الحَيُّ", "الكائِنِ-الحَيِّ"]·ben["জীবন্ত-প্রাণী", "জীবন্ত-প্রাণী,", "জীবন্ত-প্রাণীর"]·DE["Lebewesen"]·EN["living-creature"]·FR["Lebewesen"]·heb["חַיָּה"]·HI["प्राणी", "प्राणी,"]·ID["makhluk-hidup", "makhluk-hidup,"]·IT["creatura-vivente"]·jav["makluk-gesang"]·KO["생물-은", "생물-의", "생물-이"]·PT["ser-vivente"]·RU["животного", "животное", "животное,"]·ES["ser-viviente"]·SW["kiumbe-hai", "kiumbe-hai,"]·TR["canlı", "canlının", "canlıyı"]·urd["جاندار", "جاندار-نے", "جاندار-کی"]
3. animals — An animal in the ordinary zoological sense — any living creature, especially an irrational or non-human being. Hebrews 13:11 speaks of sacrificial animals whose blood is brought into the sanctuary; 2 Peter 2:12 compares false teachers to irrational zōa born for capture and destruction; Jude 10 echoes this comparison. Spanish 'animales' and German 'Tiere' mark the shift from heavenly beings to earthly creatures. 3×
amh["እንስሳት"]·AR["حيوانات", "حَيَواناتٍ", "حَيَوَانَات"]·ben["পশু", "পশুদের", "প্রাণী"]·ces["zvířata"]·dan["dyr,"]·DE["Lebewesen", "Tiere"]·ell["ζώα,"]·EN["animals", "of-animals"]·FR["Lebewesen", "animaux,"]·guj["પ્રાણીઓ,"]·hat["bèt"]·hau["dabbobi"]·heb["חַיּוֹת", "חַיוֹת", "חיות"]·HI["जानवर", "पशु", "पशुओं-का"]·hun["állatok"]·ID["binatang", "binatang.", "hewan-hewan"]·IT["bestie", "creatura-vivente"]·jav["kewan", "kewan-kewan", "kewan."]·JA["動物たち"]·KO["짐승들-의", "짐승들.", "짐승처럼"]·mar["प्राणी,"]·mya["တိရိစ္ဆာန်များ"]·nld["dieren"]·nor["dyr"]·pnb["جانور"]·pol["zwierzęta"]·PT["animais", "de-animais"]·ron["animale,"]·RU["животные", "животных"]·ES["animales", "de-animales"]·SW["wanyama", "ya-wanyama"]·swe["djur"]·tam["மிருகங்கள்"]·tel["జంతువులు"]·tgl["hayop"]·TH["สัตว์"]·TR["hayvanlar", "hayvanlar,", "hayvanların"]·ukr["тварини"]·urd["جانور", "جانوروں-کا", "جانور۔"]·VI["con-vật"]·yor["ẹranko,"]·yue["牲畜"]·ZH["牲畜"]
Related Senses
H3808 1. simple negation (not) (4839×)G1722 1. locative: in, within (2442×)H1004b 1. house, dwelling, building (2015×)G3756 1. not (negation particle) (1635×)H7200 1. Qal: to see, perceive (1257×)H4480a 1. source or separation (1198×)H5892b 1. city, town (1093×)G4771 2. you (singular address) (1077×)G1519 1. direction: into, to, toward (1061×)H3427 1. Qal: to dwell, inhabit (937×)H8085 1. Qal: hear, perceive aurally (921×)G1537 1. from, out of (source/origin) (886×)H8034 1. Name (designation / identifier) (856×)G3361 1. subjective negation (not) (834×)G1909 1. on, upon (spatial surface) (757×)H0859a 1. you (2nd person masculine singular pronoun) (743×)H0369 1. existential negation: there is not (738×)H5869a 1. in the eyes/sight of (evaluative) (734×)H5650 1. Servant, attendant, subject (723×)H0408 1. prohibitive negation do-not (712×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
ζῷον, τό, living being, animal, Refs 5th c.BC+; ζῷα, opposed to φυτά, Refs; ζ. θαλάττιον, χερσαῖον, Refs 1st c.BC+.; contemptuously, ὅπως ἡ χώρα τοῦ τοιούτου ζῴου καθαρὰ γίγνηται may be free from this kind of animal (i.e. beggars), Refs 5th c.BC+; ζ. πονηρόν, of women, Refs 2nd c.AD+ __II in art, figure, image, not necessarily of animals (compare ζῴδιον), ζῷον δέ οἱ ἐνῆν, ἀνὴρ ἱππεύς Refs 5th…