Topic
Creature, Living
21 passages cited, from 1 classic reference work.
These works date from 1915 and are in the public domain. They reflect the Protestant scholarship of their time: their history, archaeology and dates can be out of date, and where they interpret, other traditions read the text differently. The verses are shown in the King James Version, the wording these works were written against.
The verses
The passages the works cite, those cited by more of them first.
- Ezekiel 1:5ISBE
Also out of the midst thereof came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance; they had the likeness of a man.
- Ezekiel 1:13ISBE
As for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance was like burning coals of fire, and like the appearance of lamps: it went up and down among the living creatures; and the fire was bright, and out of the fire went forth lightning.
- Ezekiel 3:12ISBE
Then the spirit took me up, and I heard behind me a voice of a great rushing, saying, Blessed be the glory of the LORD from his place.
- Ezekiel 3:13ISBE
I heard also the noise of the wings of the living creatures that touched one another, and the noise of the wheels over against them, and a noise of a great rushing.
- Ezekiel 9:3ISBE
And the glory of the God of Israel was gone up from the cherub, whereupon he was, to the threshold of the house. And he called to the man clothed with linen, which had the writer’s inkhorn by his side;
- Ezekiel 10:2ISBE
And he spake unto the man clothed with linen, and said, Go in between the wheels, even under the cherub, and fill thine hand with coals of fire from between the cherubims, and scatter them over the city. And he went in in my sight.
- Ezekiel 10:3ISBE
Now the cherubims stood on the right side of the house, when the man went in; and the cloud filled the inner court.
- Ezekiel 10:12ISBE
And their whole body, and their backs, and their hands, and their wings, and the wheels, were full of eyes round about, even the wheels that they four had.
- Ezekiel 10:13ISBE
As for the wheels, it was cried unto them in my hearing, O wheel.
- Ezekiel 10:15ISBE
And the cherubims were lifted up. This is the living creature that I saw by the river of Chebar.
- Ezekiel 10:17ISBE
When they stood, these stood; and when they were lifted up, these lifted up themselves also: for the spirit of the living creature was in them.
- Ezekiel 10:20ISBE
This is the living creature that I saw under the God of Israel by the river of Chebar; and I knew that they were the cherubims.
Show 9 more
- 1 Corinthians 15:44 ISBE
- Revelation 4:6 ISBE
- Revelation 5:6 ISBE
- Revelation 6:1 ISBE
- Revelation 7:11 ISBE
- Revelation 7:17 ISBE
- Revelation 14:3 ISBE
- Revelation 15:7 ISBE
- Revelation 19:4 ISBE
In the reference works
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (1915) · 24 references
(chayyah; zoon): "Living creature" (chayyah) is the designation of each of the composite figures in Ezekiel's visions (Eze 1:5,13 ff; 3:13; 10:15,17,20) and, the Revised Version (British and American), of the similar beings in the visions of the Apocalypse, instead of the extremely unfortunate translation of zoon in the King James Version by "beasts" (Re 4:6 ff; 5:6 ff; 6:1 ff; 7:11; 14:3; 15:7; 19:4), which, however, went back to Wycliff, in whose time the word had not the low meaning which "beast," "beastly" have with us; hence, he translates 1Co 15:44, "It is sowen beestli body," meaning simply animal (see Trench's Select Glossary); in Re "the beasts of the earth," the "beasts" that came up, the notable "beast" that men worshipped, represent the Greek therion, "a wild beast."
The "living creatures" in Ezekiel's vision (Eze 1:5 ff) were four in number, "with the general appearance of a man, but each with four faces and four wings, and straight legs with the feet of an ox. Under their wings are human hands, and these wings are so joined that they never require to turn. The front face is that of a man; right and left of this are the faces of a lion and (of) an ox, and behind, that of an eagle .... out of the midst of them gleam fire, torches, lightnings, and connected with them are four wheels that can turn in every direction, called whirling wheels (Eze 10:12,13). Like the creatures, these are alive, covered with eyes, the sign of intelligence; the spirit of the living creatures is in them. They are afterward discovered by the prophet to be cherubim" (Schultz, Old Testament Theology, II, 233). See CHERUBIM. In Ezekiel's vision they seem to be the bearers of the throne and glory of God; the bearers of His presence and of His revelation (Eze 9:3; 10:3). They also sound forth His praise (Eze 3:12; 10:2). (See Schultz as above.)
The four living creatures in Re 4:6 are not under the throne but "in the midst of the throne" (the American Revised Version, margin "before"; see Re 7:17; compare Re 5:6) and "round about the throne." They are also cherubim, and seem to represent the four beings that stand at the head of the four divisions of the creation; among the untamed animals the lion; among cattle the calf or ox; among birds the eagle; among all created beings the man. It gives "a perfect picture of true service, which should be as brave as the lion, patient as the ox, aspiring as the eagle, intelligent as man" (Milligan in the place cited.). They represent the powers of Nature--of the creation, "full of eyes" as denoting its permeation with the Divine Reason, the wings signifying its constant, ready service, and the unceasing praise the constant doing of God's will. The imagery is founded on Ezekiel as that had been modified in apocalyptic writings and as it was exalted in the mind of the Seer of Patmos.
W. L. Walker
Texts: International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (1915), from the CrossWire SWORD modules (public domain). Verse references were parsed from the works' own markup and checked against the KJV verse list.