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חַיּוּת

𐤇𐤉𐤅𐤕

chayûwth

H2424 noun

SILEX Entry

Root חיה to live, to be alive

Definition

Animate life or living beings; refers to vitality, the principle of life, or creatures characterized by living activity. In several contexts, used for living beings, especially animals, or expressions of life-force or vitality in general. Distinct from abstract or metaphorical uses focused solely on the state or principle of 'life.'

Semantic Range

vitality, livingness, animation; living beings, living creatures (especially in visionary or supernatural contexts); (rare) life-force, energy

Root / Etymology

From the root חיה (ḥ-y-h), meaning 'to live, be alive.' חַיּוּת is a feminine abstract noun formation (with -וּת suffix), indicating the state, quality, or sphere of being alive, i.e., 'livingness' or 'vitality.' Derived directly from the root, it often functions concretely for 'living beings' rather than as a purely abstract concept.

Historical & Contextual Notes

חַיּוּת appears most notably in Ezekiel, where it designates the extraordinary living beings ('living creatures') encountered in the prophet's vision (Ezek 1, 10). English versions often render it as 'living creatures'; some older translations use 'living things' or 'beasts,' but the Hebrew emphasizes their animated, vital character rather than classification as animals per se. Outside Ezekiel, the nominal form is extremely rare, with the more common חַיָּה ('animal, living thing') used elsewhere for animals or creatures. The term does not, in biblical usage, refer to 'life' in a general or philosophical sense, nor to human or social vitality—rather, its biblical attestation focuses on the extraordinary, animate beings in visionary contexts, in contrast to other terms for animals or creatures. The LXX translates it as ζῷον ('living being, animal'), a term later often used for apocalyptic or visionary creatures. In later Jewish literary and mystical tradition, חַיּוּת acquires additional meanings, especially as a technical term for celestial beings.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from חָיָה; life; [idiom] living.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

חיה (ḥ-y-h) — to live, be alive

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H2416 חַי in the lives
H2417 חַי the living one
H2418 חֲיָא Live!
H2421 חָיָה I will cause to live
H2422 חָיֶה living ones

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H2424-01 חַיּֽוּת chayut HNcfsa living livingness 1

Occurrences in Scripture

1 total occurrence

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H2424-01 2 Samuel 20:3 חַיּֽוּת chayut HNcfsa living livingness
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