Lexical Summary
cheva or chevah: Beast, animal
Original Word:חֵיוָא
Part of Speech:Noun Feminine
Transliteration:cheyva'
Pronunciation:khay-vah
Phonetic Spelling:(khay-vaw')
KJV: beast
NASB:beasts, beast, beast's
Word Origin:[(Aramaic) fromH241 (אוֹזֶן - ear)8]
1. an animal
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
beast
(Aramaic) fromchaya'; an animal -- beast.
see HEBREWchaya'
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin(Aramaic) corresponding to
chayyahDefinitionbeast
NASB Translationbeast (6), beast's (1), beasts (13).
Topical Lexicon
Meaning and Scope of the Termחֵיוָא denotes a living creature, most often a land animal, whether literal or symbolic. In the Aramaic chapters of Daniel (Daniel 2–7) it consistently renders “beast,” serving both as a concrete description of the fauna of Nebuchadnezzar’s realm and as a prophetic cipher for human empires that oppose the purpose of God.
Occurrences in Daniel’s Narrative
1. Nebuchadnezzar’s dominion (Daniel 2:38) – “in whose hands He has placed mankind and the beasts of the field and the birds of the air.” Here the term highlights Adam-like authority temporarily granted to Babylon’s king.
2. The royal dream (Daniel 4:12, 14–16, 21, 23, 25, 32) – Eight uses describe the creatures sheltering beneath the cosmic tree and the animals that would receive a bestial Nebuchadnezzar. When the king is driven from men, he is made “to eat grass like an ox, and his body was drenched with the dew of heaven, until his hair grew like the feathers of an eagle and his nails like the claws of a bird” (Daniel 4:33). The word underscores the humiliation of human pride: the greatest monarch becomes as one of the beasts whose care had been entrusted to him.
3. Belshazzar’s warning (Daniel 5:21) – The retelling of Nebuchadnezzar’s abasement reminds Belshazzar that the Most High “sets over it whomever He chooses.” חֵיוָא again marks the boundary between creaturely life and divine sovereignty.
Symbolic Beasts inDaniel 7
InDaniel 7 the term leaps from zoology to apocalyptic typology:
• “Four great beasts came up out of the sea, different from one another” (Daniel 7:3).
• The lion-like, bear-like, leopard-like, and indescribably terrifying fourth beast (Daniel 7:4–7, 19, 23) represent successive world powers. Verse 17 makes the identification explicit: “These four great beasts are four kings who will arise from the earth.”
חֵיוָא thus becomes a literary bridge between creation language and eschatological vision. Every empire, however formidable, remains a mere creature before God.
Historical Perspective
The Babylonian and Persian courts were steeped in omen literature that routinely used animal imagery. Daniel’s record co-opts that symbolism, turning it from pagan divination to inspired revelation. By presenting beasts as subservient to divine decree, the book dismantles ancient Near Eastern ideas that cosmic forces are capricious. Yahweh alone governs the destinies of kings and creatures alike.
Theological Threads
1. Sovereignty: Whether literal herds (Daniel 4) or composite monsters (Daniel 7), חֵיוָא emphasizes that every beastly being is subject to the “Ancient of Days” (Daniel 7:9).
2. Human Identity: Man, created a little lower than the angels yet over the animals, falls to bestiality when he refuses to acknowledge God (Psalm 49:12;Daniel 4:25).
3. Eschatology: The rise and fall of beast-kingdoms culminate in the everlasting dominion of “One like a Son of Man” (Daniel 7:13–14), drawing a deliberate contrast between beastly empires and the truly human reign of Messiah.
Practical Ministry Applications
• Humility before God: Nebuchadnezzar’s experience warns leaders and laypeople alike against pride.
• Discernment of worldly power:Daniel 7 equips believers to view political systems realistically—as temporary, often beastly, yet overseen by providence.
• Hope in Christ’s Kingdom: The fall of the beasts assures the triumph of the Son of Man. This fosters perseverance amid cultural pressures that mirror the hostility of the beasts.
Christological Echoes and New Testament Resonance
Jesus appropriates Daniel’s imagery at His trial (Matthew 26:64) and in teaching on the end times (Matthew 24:30), identifying Himself as the victorious Son of Man who overcomes the beasts. Revelation develops the motif further, contrasting the harlot-riding beast with the Lamb—another creature term transfigured to reveal God’s redemptive plan. Thus, the humble believer, redeemed by the Lamb, awaits the blessed day when every beastly kingdom bows and “the kingdom and dominion and greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High” (Daniel 7:27).
Forms and Transliterations
חֵֽיוְתָא֙ חֵֽיוָתָ֔א חֵֽיוָתָא֙ חֵיוְתָ֣א חֵיוְתָ֥א חֵיוַ֣ת חֵיוַ֤ת חֵיוַ֧ת חֵיוַ֨ת חֵיוָ֖ה חֵיוָ֣ה חֵיוָה֩ חֵיוָן֙ חֵיוָתָ֣א חיוה חיון חיות חיותא לְחֵ֣יוְתָ֔א לחיותא cheiVah cheiVan cheiVat cheivaTa cheiveTa cheivTa ḥê·wā·ṯā ḥê·wāh ḥê·wān ḥê·waṯ ḥê·wə·ṯā ḥêwāh ḥêwān ḥêwaṯ ḥêwāṯā ḥêwəṯā lə·ḥê·wə·ṯā leCheiveTa ləḥêwəṯā
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