Lexical Summary reem: Wild ox, unicorn Original Word: רְאֵם Strong's Exhaustive Concordance unicorn Or rieym {reh-ame'}; or reym {rame}; or rem {rame}; from ra'am; a wild bull (from its conspicuousness) -- unicorn. see HEBREW ra'am NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom raam Definition a wild ox NASB Translation wild ox (7), wild oxen (2). Brown-Driver-Briggs רְאֵם noun masculineJob 39:10 wild ox (Assyrian rêmu DlHWB 603 (ראם), HoughtonTSBA v (1877). 336 ff., and illustrated before p. 33 SchrKGF 135 ff., 530 HomNS 237 ff., 410, 436 f. DrDeuteronomy 33:17; on strength and ferocity, PlinNH viii. 21; Aramaic רְאֵמָא, רֵימָא, רֵימָנָא  (LagBN 58); Arabic  is white antelope, antilope leucoryx; ᵐ5 (erroneous) μονοκέρως (Isaiah 34:7 ἅδροι, ᵑ9 unicornis, and (oftener) rhinoceros); — absolute ׳ר Numbers 23:22 +, רְאֵים Psalm 92:11, רֵים Job 39:9,10; plural רְאֵמִים Isaiah 34:7; Psalm 29:6, רֵמִים Psalm 22:22 (see Baer); — wild ox, as fierce and strong Job 39:9,10; simile of strength of Israel, לוֺ ׳כְּתוֺעֲפוֺת ר Numbers 23:22 = Numbers 24:8 (JE), וַתָּרֶם כִּרְאֵם קַרְנִי Psalm 92:11; so figurative of Joseph, קַרְנַיו ׳קַרְנֵי ר Deuteronomy 33:17; figurative of princes of Edom Isaiah 34:7 ( +מָּרִים עִם אַבִּירִים); of powerful foes, מִקַּרְנֵי רֵמִים Psalm 22:22; in simile of skipping, leaping, בֶּןרְֿאֵמִים Psalm 29:6 ("" עֵגֶּל). Topical Lexicon Nature and Identification רְאֵם portrays a large, fearless bovine creature that roamed the ancient Near East in untamed freedom. Later writers equated it with the aurochs (Bos primigenius), an animal larger and stronger than domesticated cattle and now extinct. Older English versions sometimes rendered the term “unicorn,” reflecting a possible single-horned variety such as the Arabian oryx, yet every scriptural usage emphasizes raw, unharnessed power rather than an anatomical curiosity. Whichever exact species is intended, the creature stands in Scripture as the very embodiment of untamable strength. Occurrences and Theological Themes Numbers 23:22 and Numbers 24:8 introduce the רְאֵם as a simile for the might God grants Israel in her infancy as a nation: “God brought them out of Egypt; He has the strength of a wild ox”. The exodus was no fragile deliverance; its vigor matched the thunderous charge of the רְאֵם. Deuteronomy 33:17 celebrates Joseph’s tribal blessing—“His horns are like the horns of a wild ox”—projecting military supremacy that would “gore the nations.” The imagery anchors political dominion to divine promise. Job 39:9-10 contrasts God’s sovereign mastery of creation with human inability: no person can yoke this animal or make it plow. Yahweh alone rules over the uncontrollable. In Psalms the רְאֵם supplies varied poetic colors. Psalm 22:21 appeals for deliverance from mortal danger: “Save me from the mouth of the lion; at the horns of the wild oxen You have answered me”. The Messianic flavor of the psalm ties Christ’s suffering to rescue from overwhelming forces. Psalm 29:6 likens Lebanon’s mountains quaking under God’s voice to the skipping of a youthful רְאֵם, dramatizing the Lord’s majestic presence in a thunderstorm. Psalm 92:10 celebrates the Lord’s empowering grace: “You have exalted my horn like that of a wild ox; I have been anointed with fresh oil”. The believer’s renewed vitality echoes the animal’s elevated horn. Isaiah 34:7 places the רְאֵם amid end-time judgment. The mighty fall under divine wrath, showing that even creation’s strongest cannot withstand the Day of the Lord. Symbol of Strength and Sovereignty Throughout these nine appearances, the רְאֵם becomes shorthand for unconquerable vigor—whether bestowed (Israel, Joseph), admired (the psalmist’s anointed horn), or judged (Edom’s downfall). The horn motif conveys authority; elevated horns signal honor, shattered horns signal defeat. By repeatedly invoking the same animal, Scripture affirms one consistent truth: all genuine might is derivative, originating in the Creator who “gives strength to His people” and who also subdues every rebel power. Messianic Connections Psalm 22:21, fulfilled in the crucifixion narrative, pictures Messiah surrounded by predatory foes yet ultimately delivered. The reference to the wild oxen’s horns heightens the peril and the glory: if one so formidable as the רְאֵם is no match for the Lord’s saving purpose, then neither is death itself. Prophetic and Eschatological Resonance Isaiah’s oracle of Edom’s ruin (Isaiah 34:7) employs the animal to stress the completeness of judgment: the fiercest creatures lie slain. Future wrath will dismantle every stronghold, leaving only the sovereignty of the Holy One. The motif prepares readers for Revelation’s vision in which “the kings of the earth” fall before the Lamb. Ministerial Application 1. Courage for Service: Believers, like Israel marching from Egypt, receive power beyond natural capacity. Ministry undertaken in God’s strength mirrors the unstoppable energy of the רְאֵם. Thus, the רְאֵם stands in Scripture as a living sermon: strength originates with God, is granted for His purposes, and is accountable to His throne. Forms and Transliterations כִּרְאֵ֣ים כראים רְאֵ֖ם רְאֵם֙ רְאֵמִֽים׃ רְאֵמִים֙ רֵ֭ים רֵּ֣ים רֵמִ֣ים ראם ראמים ראמים׃ רים רמים kir’êm kir·’êm kirEim rə’êm rə’êmîm rə·’ê·mîm rə·’êm rê·mîm reEm reeMim reim rêm reMim rêmîmLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Numbers 23:22 HEB: מִמִּצְרָ֑יִם כְּתוֹעֲפֹ֥ת רְאֵ֖ם לֽוֹ׃ NAS: He is for them like the horns of the wild ox. KJV: he hath as it were the strength of an unicorn. INT: of Egypt the horns of the wild Numbers 24:8 Deuteronomy 33:17 Job 39:9 Job 39:10 Psalm 22:21 Psalm 29:6 Psalm 92:10 Isaiah 34:7 9 Occurrences |
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