Original Word: ζῷον
Part of Speech: Noun, Neuter
Transliteration: zóon
Pronunciation: ZO-on
Phonetic Spelling: (dzo'-on)
KJV: beast
NASB: living creatures, creature, animals, living creature
Word Origin: [neuter of a derivative of G2198 (ζάω - live)]

1. a live thing, i.e. an animal

beast.

Neuter of a derivative of zao; a live thing, i.e. An animal -- beast.

see GREEK zao

2226 zṓon (from 2198 /záō, "living") – a living creature (literally, "something alive"). 2226 /zṓon ("living creature") is often mistranslated "beast" (rather than "living being" or "living creature").

Word Origin
from zóos (alive)
Definition
a living creature
NASB Translation
animals (3), creature (4), living creature (3), living creatures (13).

STRONGS NT 2226: ζοων

ζοων (or ζοων (so L WH uniformly, Treg. in Heb. and Rev.; see Etym. Magn. 413, 24, and references under the word Iota)), ζοωυ, τό, (ζοως alive);

1. a living being.

2. an animal, brute, beast: Hebrews 13:11; 2 Peter 2:12; Jude 1:10; Revelation 4:6-9 (on Revelation 4:8 cf. Buttmann, 130 (114)), etc. [SYNONYMS: ζοων differs from θηρίον (at least etymologically; but cf. Schmidt as below) in giving prominence to the vital element, while θηρίον emphasizes the bestial element. Hence, in Revelation as above ζοων is fitly rendered living creature in contradistinction to the θηρίον beast, cf. Revelation 11:7; Revelation 13:1, etc. See Trench, § lxxxi.; Schmidt ii., chapter 70.]

Occurrences and Scope

The term appears twenty-three times, concentrated in Revelation, with strategic uses in Hebrews 13:11, 2 Peter 2:12, and Jude 10. Its range extends from literal animals offered on the altar to exalted heavenly beings that surround the throne of God.

Heavenly Living Creatures in Revelation

John’s visions employ the word for the four living creatures who stand “in the center and around the throne” (Revelation 4:6). Their ceaseless cry—“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!” (Revelation 4:8)—anchors the book’s worship scenes. The creatures initiate each of the first four seal judgments (Revelation 6:1-8) and participate in the outpouring of the bowls (Revelation 15:7). They are distinct from angels (Revelation 5:11), yet unite with angels and elders in adoration (Revelation 5:14; 7:11; 19:4). Their fourfold appearance—lion, calf, man, and flying eagle (Revelation 4:7)—echoes Ezekiel’s cherubim, reinforcing scriptural continuity regarding throne guardianship and divine holiness.

Liturgical Function

The living creatures frame Revelation’s major worship liturgies. They lead the twenty-four elders in prostration (Revelation 5:8-10) and summon the heavenly host to acclaim the Lamb (Revelation 7:11-12). Their perpetual “Amen” (Revelation 5:14; 19:4) models unending praise and authenticates every heavenly decree. For Christian worship, they demonstrate that true liturgy centers on God’s character and the Lamb’s redemptive work.

Agents of Judgment and Redemption

By commanding the four horsemen (Revelation 6:1-8) and handing the golden bowls to the seven angels (Revelation 15:7), the living creatures reveal that divine wrath issues from the same throne of holiness that radiates grace. Their dual role underscores the seamless unity of God’s justice and mercy, cautioning believers against divorcing either attribute from the other.

Moral Contrast: Unreasoning Animals

2 Peter 2:12 and Jude 10 employ the plural “living creatures” to brand false teachers as “unreasoning animals, creatures of instinct” who “corrupt themselves in matters they do not understand” (cf. Jude 10). The Spirit contrasts brutish sensuality with the rational worship of the heavenly living creatures. The warning exhorts the church to reject sensuous license and to pursue the enlightened obedience that characterizes heaven.

Sacrificial Context

Hebrews 13:11 recalls the Day of Atonement: “The bodies of the animals whose blood is brought into the Most Holy Place… are burned outside the camp”. Here the term points to literal sacrificial victims and sets the stage for Jesus’ suffering “outside the gate” (Hebrews 13:12). The earthly animals prefigure the ultimate sacrifice of Christ, bringing the typology full circle: the Lamb who was slain now receives the worship of the living creatures (Revelation 5:6-10).

Theological and Pastoral Insights

1. Creation and Redemption converge: the same vocabulary embraces ordinary beasts, sacrificial victims, and exalted throne guardians, demonstrating that all life finds meaning in relation to God.
2. Worship is heaven’s primary occupation; believers anticipate that vocation now.
3. The passages unveil a hierarchy of being: those who deny truth descend to mere instinct, whereas those who yield to the Lamb ascend to rational, joyful praise.
4. Judgment and worship emanate from the same throne, reminding the church that eschatological hope includes both deliverance and holy accountability.

Summary

Strong’s Greek 2226 paints a sweeping biblical tableau—from sacrificial altars to apocalyptic glory—showing that every living creature, whether on earth or in heaven, ultimately serves the sovereign purposes of God in Christ.

ζωα ζωά ζώα ζῷα ζωον ζώον ζώόν ζῷον ζωου ζώου ζῴου ζωων ζώων ζῴων zoa zōa zôia zō̂ia zôion zṓion zṓiōn zō̂ion zṓiou zoon zōon zōōn zoou zōouInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts