What is a Spirit Being?

What is a spirit being? They are beings, that have no physical body, they were created by God. The Bible calls them angels, arch angels, cherubim, seraphim, host of heaven, Sons of God, and other names as well. Some remain loyal to God, others have rebelled. The Bible calls those rebellious spirit beings, satan, princes, fallen sons of god.

What is a spirit being and when were they created?

Job 38:4-7 English Standard Version
4 “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding. 5 Who determined its measurements—surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? 6 On what were its bases sunk, or who laid its cornerstone, 7 when the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy?

The words, "morning stars" and "sons of God" are just two examples of words and terms used to describe spirit beings. Its best to understand spirit beings by their nature, status or heirarchy, or function within the spirital realm, as opposed to the realm of the physical universe.

• The “nature,” of spirits is they typically have no physical body
• The “status”, of spirits is their rank within the spiritual realm
• The “function,” of spirits describes what their role is in service to God

The Job passage above, tells us that the "morning stars" and "sons of God," watched the earth being created, which happend on the third day of creation.

Genesis 1:9-13 Lexham English Bible
9 And God said, “Let the waters under heaven be gathered to one place, and let the dry ground appear.” And it was so. 10 And God called the dry ground “earth,” and he called the collection of the waters “seas.” And God saw that it was good. 11 And God said, “Let the earth produce green plants that will bear seed—fruit trees bearing fruit in which there is seed—according to its kind, on the earth.” And it was so. 12 And the earth brought forth green plants bearing seed according to its kind, and trees bearing fruit in which there was seed according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening and there was morning, a third day.

Bible verses describing the nature of spirit beings

1 Kings 22:19-23 Lexham English Bible
19 And he said, “Therefore, hear the word of Yahweh. I saw Yahweh sitting on his throne with all the hosts of heaven standing beside him from his right hand and from his left hand. 20 And Yahweh said, ‘Who will entice Ahab so that he will go up and fall at Ramoth-Gilead?’ Then this one was saying one thing and the other one was saying another. 21 Then a spirit came out and stood before Yahweh and said, ‘I will entice him,’ and Yahweh said to him, ‘How?’ 22 He said, ‘I will go out and I will be a false spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.’ And he said, ‘You shall entice and succeed, go out and do so.’ 23 So then, see that Yahweh has placed a false spirit in the mouth of all of these your prophets, and Yahweh has spoken disaster concerning you.”

Verse 21 describes “all the host of heaven,” as “spirit,” which by nature is having no physical body like those of “human beings.” Verse 22-23 identifies a “lying spirit,” a member of “all the hosts of heaven, awaiting instructions from Yahweh. This “lying spirit,” took control of the minds of Ahab’s prophets and influenced them to speak the same deceptive message to King Ahab.

Old Testament Hebrew Terms That Describe a Spirit’s Nature

Spirit … Hebrew transliteration “ruah,” singular and “ruahot” plural

Heavenly Ones, also host of heaven... Hebrew transliteration “has-sa-ma-yim.” This term is used over 400 times in the Old Testament. Heaven referring to the visible sky above the earth or the spiritual realm beyond the visible shy where God dwells.

Stars… Hebrew transliteration “kokebim.” The point of God’s heavenly hosts being considered stars as personified spirit beings since their abode is not on earth, but in heaven and the heaven of heavens,

Holy Ones… Hebrew transliteration “qedosim.” The term “holy ones,” doesn’t denote some level of perfection. God does charge his “holy ones,” with sin…

Job 4:17-18 Lexham English Bible
17 Can a human being be more righteous than God, or can a man be more pure than his Maker? 18 Look, he does not trust in his servants and he charges his angels with error.

Gods/Divine Beings … Hebrew transliteration “elohim.”

Terms that describe “status” or “hierarchy” of spirits

Terms that describe function to help you understand
what is a spirit being

These are terms that describe what members of the Heavenly Hosts do in service to God the Father, a job description for what is a spirit being.

Angel, Hebrew “malak” (s), “malakim” (p), meaning a messenger. The English word “angel,” is actually a translation from a Greek word, “angelos,” which is a Greek translation of the Hebrew word, "malak."

Ministers... Hebrew “mesortay.”
Psalm 103:20-21 English Standard Version
20 Bless the Lord, O you his angels, you mighty ones who do his word, obeying the voice of his word! 21 Bless the Lord, all his hosts, his ministers, who do his will!

Watcher, Aramaic “ir” (s), “irin” (p) This Aramaic word is found 3 times in OT
Daniel 4:13 English Standard Version
13 “I saw in the visions of my head as I lay in bed, and behold, a watcher, a holy one, came down from heaven.17 The sentence is by the decree of the watchers, the decision by the word of the holy ones, to the end that the living may know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will and sets over it the lowliest of men.’23 And because the king saw a watcher, a holy one, coming down from heaven and saying, ‘Chop down the tree and destroy it, but leave the stump of its roots in the earth, bound with a band of iron and bronze, in the tender grass of the field, and let him be wet with the dew of heaven, and let his portion be with the beasts of the field, till seven periods of time pass over him,’

These Hebrew, Greek and Aramaic terms are just a few Old Testament and New Testament terms used to describe what a spirit being is.

Both God's spirit family and human family require certain shared attributes to serve Him, each other and mankind.