Topical Bible: Wild Ox: Horned

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The term "wild ox" in the Bible often refers to a powerful and untamed animal, symbolizing strength and majesty. The Hebrew word "re'em" is commonly translated as "wild ox" in many English versions of the Bible, including the Berean Standard Bible . This creature is frequently mentioned in the context of its impressive horns, which are emblematic of its might and authority.

Biblical References:

1. Numbers 23:22 : "God brought them out of Egypt with strength like a wild ox." This verse highlights the wild ox as a symbol of divine strength and deliverance. The comparison to a wild ox underscores the power and might with which God led the Israelites out of bondage.

2. Deuteronomy 33:17 : "His majesty is like a firstborn bull, and his horns are like the horns of a wild ox. With them he will gore the nations, even those at the ends of the earth." Here, the wild ox's horns are a metaphor for the strength and dominance of the tribes of Joseph, suggesting their ability to conquer and prevail over adversaries.

3. Job 39:9-10 : "Will the wild ox consent to serve you? Will it stay by your manger at night? Can you hold it to the furrow with a harness? Will it plow the valleys behind you?" In this passage, the wild ox is depicted as an untamable creature, emphasizing its independence and strength. The rhetorical questions posed to Job highlight the limitations of human control over such a powerful animal, pointing to the sovereignty and wisdom of God.

4. Psalm 92:10 : "But You have exalted my horn like that of a wild ox; with fine oil I have been anointed." The psalmist uses the imagery of the wild ox's horn to express a sense of empowerment and divine favor. The anointing with oil further signifies blessing and strength bestowed by God.

Symbolism and Interpretation:

In biblical literature, the wild ox is often associated with untamed power and natural majesty. Its horns, in particular, are a recurring symbol of strength and authority. The imagery of the wild ox serves to convey messages of divine empowerment, protection, and the futility of human efforts to control what God has made inherently free and powerful.

The wild ox's representation in Scripture aligns with the broader biblical theme of God's creation being both awe-inspiring and beyond human dominion. It serves as a reminder of the Creator's unmatched power and the respect due to His creation. The wild ox, with its formidable horns, stands as a testament to the strength and majesty that God imparts to His people and His purposes.

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Deuteronomy 33:17
His glory is like the firstling of his bullock, and his horns are like the horns of unicorns: with them he shall push the people together to the ends of the earth: and they are the ten thousands of Ephraim, and they are the thousands of Manasseh.
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Psalm 22:21
Save me from the lion's mouth: for you have heard me from the horns of the unicorns.
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Psalm 92:10
But my horn shall you exalt like the horn of an unicorn: I shall be anointed with fresh oil.
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Library

The Nile and Egypt
... The animals"such as the long and short-horned oxen, together with varieties of ... The
pig and the wild boar, the long-eared hare, the hedgehog, the ichneumon ...
/.../chapter i the nile and egypt.htm

The Creation of Fowl and Water Animals.
... [1643] "The ox knoweth his ... "Let the earth bring forth the living soul" of domestic
animals, of wild beasts, and ... What are we not told of the horned worm of India ...
/.../basil/basil letters and select works/homily viii the creation of.htm

Ancient Chaldaea
... such terrible consequences as that of the horned viper or ... The wild boar, and his
relative, the domestic hog ... besides the dog"namely, the ass, ox, goat, and ...
/.../chapter iancient chaldaea.htm

The Political Constitution of Egypt
... in it placed beside it on the dusty floor the quarters of the ox, previously
slaughtered in ... of old, he felt it a duty to his people to destroy wild beasts, and ...
/.../chapter ithe political constitution of.htm

Syria at the Beginning of the Egyptian Conquest
... not resume the kind of life to which they were accustomed in their own land, they
could, at least give full rein to their love of a free and wild existence. ...
/.../chapter iisyria at the beginning.htm

the Legendary History of Egypt
... Those who were not overcome by hunger and thirst at the outset were bitten by a
urasus, or horned viper, hidden with evil intent below the sand, and perished ...
/.../chapter iii -the legendary history of.htm

Chaldaean Civilization
... probably of beaten copper, provided with a piece to protect the back of the neck;
the heavy infantry were armed with a pike tipped with bronze ox-copper, an ...
/.../chapter iiichaldaean civilization.htm

The Iranian Conquest
... was considered the most efficacious, but an ox, a cow ... Croesus, having sown his wild
oats, was anxious to regain ... grinning muzzle of a lion, the horned profile of ...
/.../chapter ithe iranian conquest.htm