חַיָּה
chay.yah
living thing
Lexicon Entry
Lexicon data from STEPBible TIPNR, Tyndale House, Cambridge. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.
What Original Readers Understood
Supported# חַיָּה (chay.yah): Living Thing The Hebrew term חַיָּה designates animate beings—creatures that possess life. With 106 occurrences across the biblical text, this word represents a foundational category in the Hebrew semantic system for distinguishing the living from the non-living. The term appears with sufficient frequency to indicate it served as a standard vocabulary choice when biblical authors needed to refer to animals or living creatures generally. The definition "living thing" suggests the word functioned as a broad classificatory term rather than denoting any particular species or type of creature. This generality would have made it useful in contexts ranging from creation accounts to legal regulations, allowing writers to group diverse animate beings under a single conceptual umbrella. The specific contexts and patterns of its 106 biblical uses would reveal whether it carried specialized meanings in particular domains—such as wild animals versus domesticated ones, or creatures in specific theological narratives—but such distinctions cannot be determined from the statistical data alone. The substantial number of occurrences indicates that the concept of "living thing" held genuine importance in biblical discourse, whether in discussions of creation, covenant, dietary law, or symbolic meaning. Without access to individual passage contexts, we can only conclude that חַיָּה provided ancient Hebrew speakers with an essential vocabulary for discussing the animate world as a category distinct from inanimate objects.
Source data & methodology
Occurrences in Scripture
106 total occurrences across the text — showing 50
Joash king of Israel sent to Amaziah king of Judah, saying, “The thistle that was in Lebanon sent to the cedar that was in Lebanon, saying, ‘Give your daughter to my son as his wife. Then a wild animal that was in Lebanon passed by, and trampled down the thistle.
Job 5:22You will laugh at destruction and famine, neither will you be afraid of the animals of the earth.
Job 5:23For you will be allied with the stones of the field. The animals of the field will be at peace with you.
Job 33:18He keeps back his soul from the pit, and his life from perishing by the sword.
Job 33:20so that his life abhors bread, and his soul dainty food.
Job 33:22Yes, his soul draws near to the pit, and his life to the destroyers.
Job 33:28He has redeemed my soul from going into the pit. My life will see the light.’
Job 36:14They die in youth. Their life perishes among the unclean.
Job 37:8Then the animals take cover, and remain in their dens.
Job 38:39“Can you hunt the prey for the lioness, or satisfy the appetite of the young lions,
Job 39:15and forgets that the foot may crush them, or that the wild animal may trample them.
Job 40:20Surely the mountains produce food for him, where all the animals of the field play.
Psalms 50:10For every animal of the forest is mine, and the livestock on a thousand hills.
Psalms 68:30Rebuke the wild animal of the reeds, the multitude of the bulls, with the calves of the peoples. Being humbled, may it bring bars of silver. Scatter the nations that delight in war.
Psalms 74:19Don’t deliver the soul of your dove to wild beasts. Don’t forget the life of your poor forever.
Psalms 78:50He made a path for his anger. He didn’t spare their soul from death, but gave their life over to the pestilence,
Psalms 79:2They have given the dead bodies of your servants to be food for the birds of the sky, the flesh of your saints to the animals of the earth.
Psalms 104:11They give drink to every animal of the field. The wild donkeys quench their thirst.
Psalms 104:20You make darkness, and it is night, in which all the animals of the forest prowl.
Psalms 104:25There is the sea, great and wide, in which are innumerable living things, both small and large animals.
Psalms 143:3For the enemy pursues my soul. He has struck my life down to the ground. He has made me live in dark places, as those who have been long dead.
Psalms 148:10wild animals and all livestock; small creatures and flying birds;
Isaiah 35:9No lion will be there, nor will any ravenous animal go up on it. They will not be found there; but the redeemed will walk there.
Isaiah 40:16Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, nor its animals sufficient for a burnt offering.
Isaiah 43:20The animals of the field, the jackals and the ostriches, shall honor me, because I give water in the wilderness and rivers in the desert, to give drink to my people, my chosen,
Isaiah 46:1Bel bows down. Nebo stoops. Their idols are carried by animals, and on the livestock. The things that you carried around are heavy loads, a burden for the weary.
Isaiah 56:9All you animals of the field, come to devour, all you animals in the forest.
Isaiah 56:9All you animals of the field, come to devour, all you animals in the forest.
Isaiah 57:10You were wearied with the length of your ways; yet you didn’t say, ‘It is in vain.’ You found a reviving of your strength; therefore you weren’t faint.
Jeremiah 12:9Is my heritage to me as a speckled bird of prey? Are the birds of prey against her all around? Go, assemble all the animals of the field. Bring them to devour.
Jeremiah 27:6Now I have given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my servant. I have also given the animals of the field to him to serve him.
Jeremiah 28:14For Yahweh of Armies, the God of Israel says, “I have put a yoke of iron on the neck of all these nations, that they may serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; and they will serve him. I have also given him the animals of the field.” ’ ”
Ezekiel 1:5Out of its center came the likeness of four living creatures. This was their appearance: They had the likeness of a man.
Ezekiel 1:13As for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance was like burning coals of fire, like the appearance of torches. The fire went up and down among the living creatures. The fire was bright, and lightning went out of the fire.
Ezekiel 1:13As for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance was like burning coals of fire, like the appearance of torches. The fire went up and down among the living creatures. The fire was bright, and lightning went out of the fire.
Ezekiel 1:14The living creatures ran and returned as the appearance of a flash of lightning.
Ezekiel 1:15Now as I saw the living creatures, behold, there was one wheel on the earth beside the living creatures, for each of the four faces of it.
Ezekiel 1:15Now as I saw the living creatures, behold, there was one wheel on the earth beside the living creatures, for each of the four faces of it.
Ezekiel 1:19When the living creatures went, the wheels went beside them. When the living creatures were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up.
Ezekiel 1:19When the living creatures went, the wheels went beside them. When the living creatures were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up.
Ezekiel 1:20Wherever the spirit was to go, they went. The spirit was to go there. The wheels were lifted up beside them; for the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels.
Ezekiel 1:21When those went, these went. When those stood, these stood. When those were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up beside them; for the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels.
Ezekiel 1:22Over the head of the living creature there was the likeness of an expanse, like an awesome crystal to look at, stretched out over their heads above.
Ezekiel 3:13I heard the noise of the wings of the living creatures as they touched one another, and the noise of the wheels beside them, even the noise of a great rushing.
Ezekiel 5:17I will send on you famine and evil animals, and they will bereave you. Pestilence and blood will pass through you. I will bring the sword on you. I, Yahweh, have spoken it.’ ”
Ezekiel 7:13For the seller won’t return to that which is sold, although they are still alive; for the vision concerns the whole multitude of it. None will return. None will strengthen himself in the iniquity of his life.
Ezekiel 7:13For the seller won’t return to that which is sold, although they are still alive; for the vision concerns the whole multitude of it. None will return. None will strengthen himself in the iniquity of his life.
Ezekiel 10:15The cherubim mounted up. This is the living creature that I saw by the river Chebar.
Ezekiel 10:17When they stood, these stood. When they mounted up, these mounted up with them; for the spirit of the living creature was in them.
Ezekiel 10:20This is the living creature that I saw under the God of Israel by the river Chebar; and I knew that they were cherubim.