An animal in both the Old and New Testaments. Sometimes it is used metaphorically. The word has many meanings in the Old Testament. This is sometimes translated differently because several Hebrew words can mean “living creature” as well as “beast,” but are only translated as “beast.” In the Old Testament, therefore, beast can refer to the following:
In general, any animal (e.g., Genesis 1:24; Psalm 36:6), but not fish, birds, and insects (e.g., Genesis 6:7; Leviticus 11:2; Deuteronomy 4:17; Job 12:7; 35:11; Zephaniah 1:3).
A pet or trained animal (e.g., Exodus 19:13; 22:10; Numbers 3:13; 31:47; Judges 20:48; Proverbs 12:10; Jeremiah 21:6; Zechariah 8:10).
A wild and sometimes meat-eating animal (e.g., Genesis 37:20; Exodus 23:11; Deuteronomy 28:26; 1 Samuel 17:44; Ezekiel 14:15).
Figurately, “beast” is used most in Daniel and Revelation. In Daniel (especially Daniel 7), the beast is a symbol of a world ruler who persecutes and oppresses the people of God. In Revelation, the apostle John applies this concept to speak about the final persecution of God’s people at the end of history. John’s "beast" is similar to the “antichrist” in his earlier letters (1 John 2:18, 22; 4:3; 2 John 1:7) and Paul’s “man of lawlessness” (2 Thessalonians 2:3). Many Bible commentators think the three terms all reference the same person.