Bible Encyclopedias
Creature

The 1901 Jewish Encyclopedia

A loose rendering in the A. V. of:

1. "Nefesh" ("a breathing thing"; Genesis 1:20 et seq., 2:19, 9:10 et seq.; Leviticus 11:46).
2. "Beri'ah" ("creation"; R. V. better, "a new thing"; Numbers 16:30).
3. "Ḥayyot" ("heavenly animals"; Ezekiel 1:5 et seq., 10:15; Septuagint, ζῶον).

In Apocryphal literature "creature" is the translation of κτίσμα or κτίσις ( or ), and denotes either creation in general (Wisdom. 5:17, 19:6; Judith 9:12, 16:14; III Macc. 2:2) or mankind (Ecclus. [Sirach] 16:16; Wisdom 16:24). In rabbinical literature "beriyyot" is the regular term for fellow creatures or mankind (Abot 1:12, "Love the creatures"; ib. 2:10, 3:11; Ber. 19b, "Respect of the creatures"). Hence, also, Mark 16:15; Colossians 1:23; Romans 8:19; and 2:13 (A. V. renders, incorrectly, "every human ordinance"; see Taylor, "Sayings of the Jewish Fathers," 2d ed., pp. 21, 141).

The phrase "a new creature," in the sense of "regeneration," which occurs in 2 Corinthians 5:17, and Galatians 6:15, represents the rabbinical "beriyyah ḥadashah." See BAPTISM.