Living Creature

Hebrew Word: חַי (chai) or נֶפֶשׁ חַיָּה (nefesh chayyah)

Meaning:

Chai means "living" or "alive" and is a broad term for anything with life, often applied to animals or humans.

Nefesh chayyah translates literally as "living soul" or "living being" and refers to creatures with the "breath of life," encompassing animals and sometimes humans (e.g., Genesis 2:7 for man, Genesis 1:20–21 for sea creatures and birds).

Genesis 9:10 (KJV): "And with every living creature (nefesh chayyah, literally ‘living soul’) that is with you, of the fowl, of the cattle, and of every beast of the earth with you."

Genesis 9:12: "Every living creature (nefesh chayyah) that is with you."

Genesis 9:15–16: Refers to "every living creature (nefesh chayyah) of all flesh."

Here, nefesh chayyah is a comprehensive term for all animals included in the covenant, encompassing fowl, cattle, beasts, and implicitly remes (creeping things).

The phrase "all living (kol-chai)" appears in Genesis 8:21 (KJV: "every living thing"), where God vows not to strike "every living thing" as He had done. Chai here is a broad category, including all creatures affected by the flood, such as those described as remes elsewhere.

Broader Biblical Context: Nefesh chayyah is used in Genesis 1:20–24 to describe sea creatures, birds, and land animals, while chai appears in contexts like Leviticus 11:10 to denote living creatures in contrast to the dead.