בְּהֵמָה187 H0929
Beast, animal, cattle — a large land creature, either wild or domesticated; collectively, livestock or animals in general.
Behemah is one of the Hebrew Bible's most common animal terms, covering everything from wild beasts to farm livestock. In creation accounts (Gen 1:24-25), it names a whole category of land creatures distinct from birds and creeping things. Yet in laws about Sabbath rest (Exod 20:10) and ownership (Gen 36:6), the same word narrows to domesticated herds — the cattle and livestock a household depends on. German translations make this beautifully visible: 'Tier' for the generic beast, but 'Vieh' for owned livestock. The famous plural behemot in Job 40:15 draws on this word's broadest sense to name a creature of incomprehensible power.
Senses
1. beast, large animal (generic) — Any large land animal or quadruped, used generically for beasts of the field or animals as a class distinct from humanity, birds, fish, and creeping things. German renders this sense as 'Tier' (animal) while Spanish uses 'bestia/animal.' Prominent in judgment oracles where destruction sweeps 'from man to beast' (Exod 9:25; Jer 50:3; Ps 135:8). In Gen 6:7 and 7:23, behemah encompasses all large creatures caught in the Flood's devastation. 133×
AR["الْ-بَهِيمَةِ", "الْبَهَائِمِ", "الْبَهِيمَةِ", "بَهِيمَةً", "بَهِيمَةٍ", "وَ-بَهِيمَةٌ", "وَ-بَهِيمَةٍ", "وَبَهيمَةً"]·ben["এবং-পশু", "ও-পশু", "পশু", "পশুর"]·DE["Tier", "und-Tier", "und-in-sie", "zum-Vieh"]·EN["and-animal", "and-beast", "beast"]·FR["bête", "et-bête", "et-dans-ils", "et-in-ils"]·heb["בהמה", "ו-בהמה"]·HI["और-पशु", "पशु", "पशु-का", "पशु-के", "पशुओं-के"]·ID["binatang", "dan-binatang", "dan-dari-ladang", "dengan-hewan", "hewan", "ternak"]·IT["beast", "bestia", "e-bestia", "e-in-essi"]·jav["kewan", "kéwan", "kéwan-ingon", "lan-kewan", "lan-kéwan"]·KO["가축", "그리고-동물은", "그리고-짐승-을", "그리고-짐승과", "짐승", "짐승을", "짐승이", "짐승이든", "집승", "집승의"]·PT["animal", "animal;", "besta", "e-animal"]·RU["животному", "и-животного", "и-скот", "и-скота", "скот", "скота", "скотом"]·ES["animal", "bestia", "ganado", "o-de-animal", "y-bestia"]·SW["mifugo", "mnyama", "na-mnyama", "na-wanyama", "wa-mnyama", "wa-wanyama"]·TR["hayvan", "hayvan-", "hayvana", "hayvanla", "hayvanı", "hayvanın", "ve-hayvan", "ve-hayvanı"]·urd["اور-جانور", "اور-حیوان-کو", "اور-مویشیوں-سے", "جانور", "جانور-", "جانور-کا", "جانور-کی", "جانور-کے"]
Gen 6:7, Gen 7:23, Exod 9:9, Exod 9:22, Exod 9:25, Exod 11:5, Exod 11:7, Exod 12:12, Exod 12:29, Exod 13:12, Exod 13:15, Exod 19:13 (+38 more)
2. livestock, cattle (domesticated) — Domesticated herd animals — cattle, livestock — kept for agricultural labor, food, or economic value. The possessive constructions ('your beast,' 'his beast') signal ownership and husbandry. German consistently shifts to 'Vieh' (livestock) and Spanish to 'ganado' (cattle/herd) in these contexts. Central to covenant life: Sabbath rest extends to your behemah (Exod 20:10), and the righteous person cares for the life of his behemah (Prov 12:10). 57×
AR["-البَهَائِمِ", "البَهائِمَ", "الْ-بَهِيمَةِ", "الْبَهَائِمَ", "الْبَهَائِمِ", "بَهَائِمِكَ", "وَ-مِنَ-الْ-بَهِيمَةِ", "وَبِـ-الْـ-بَهَائِمِ"]·ben["-পশু", "এবং-পশুতে", "তোমার-পশুর", "পশু", "পশুপাল", "সেই-পশু", "সেই-পশুর"]·DE["Vieh", "das-Vieh", "dein-Vieh", "dem-Vieh", "der-Vieh", "und-an-Vieh", "und-in-der-Tier"]·EN["and-in-the-beast", "the-beast", "the-livestock", "your-livestock"]·FR["et-dans-le-bête", "le-bétail", "le-bête", "ton-bétail"]·heb["בהמתך", "ה-בהמה", "ו-ב-ה-בהמה"]·HI["-पशुओं", "-पशुओं-को", "उस-पशु", "और-पशु-में", "और-पशुओन-मेइन", "पशु", "पशुओं", "पशुओं-तेरे-का", "पशुओन", "पशुओन-को"]·ID["dan-ternak", "hewan", "ternak", "ternakmu"]·IT["e-in-il-bestia", "il-bestiame", "il-livestock", "la-bestia", "tuo-bestiame"]·jav["ing-kéwan-ingon", "kewan", "kewan-ingon", "kéwan", "lan-ing-kéwan-ingon", "lan-kéwan", "raja-kaya-panjenengan"]·KO["그-가축", "그-가축-을", "그-가축과", "그리고-에-그-가축", "그리고-에-짐승", "그리고-에-짐승을", "네-가축-의"]·PT["e-de-gado", "e-em-animal", "o-animal", "o-gado", "teu-gado"]·RU["-скот", "-скота", "-скоту", "и-в-скоте", "и-из-скота", "скот", "скота", "скота-твоего"]·ES["el-ganado", "tu-ganado", "y-en-bestia", "y-en-el-ganado"]·SW["la-mifugo-yako", "mifugo", "mifugo-ya", "mnyama-wa-kufugwa", "na-mifugo", "na-ya-wanyama", "wanyama"]·TR["-hayvan", "-hayvandan", "-hayvanı", "-hayvanın", "-sığıra", "-sığırı", "-sığırın", "hayvan", "hayvanları", "hayvanlarının", "ve-hayvanda"]·urd["-مویشی", "اور-جانوروں-میں", "اور-سے-جانور", "اور-میں-جانوروں", "تیرے-مویشیوں-کا", "جانور-اُس", "جانوروں", "جانوروں-اُن", "مویشیاں", "مویشیوں-کو", "مویشیوں-کے"]
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×)H4480a 1. source or separation (1198×)H5892b 1. city, town (1093×)G1519 1. direction: into, to, toward (1061×)H3427 1. Qal: to dwell, inhabit (937×)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×)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×)G2443 1. so that, in order that (purpose/result) (665×)G0575 1. from (649×)G1223 1. through, by means of (582×)H3541 1. thus, so, in this manner (569×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
בְּהֵמָה187 n.f. beast, animal, cattle (Arabic بَهِيمَةٌ )—בּ׳ Gn 1:24 + 137 times; cstr. בֶּהֱמַת Nu 3:41(×2) + 10 times; sf. בְּהֶמְתְּךָ Lv 19:19 + 4 times; בְּהֶמְתֶּ֑ךָ Ex 20:10 + 4 times; בְּהֶמְתּוֹ Gn 36:6 Pr 12:10; pl. abs. בְּהֵמוֹת Dt 32:24 + 6 times + ψ 73:22 (v. infr.); cstr. בַּהֲמוֹת ψ 8:8 + 5 times;—beast, & coll. beasts (Gn 8:1 + very often) 1. of living creatures other than man…