Topical Bible: Wild Ox: Intractable

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The wild ox, often referred to in biblical texts, is a symbol of untamed strength and power. The Hebrew term "re'em" is commonly translated as "wild ox" in modern Bible versions, including the Berean Standard Bible . This creature is depicted as a formidable and intractable animal, embodying the raw and unrestrained forces of nature.

In the Old Testament, the wild ox is mentioned in several passages, highlighting its strength and untamable nature. In Job 39:9-12 , God challenges Job with a series of questions that underscore the wild ox's independence and power: "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? Can you rely on its great strength? Will you leave your heavy work to it? Can you trust it to bring in your grain and gather it to your threshing floor?" These rhetorical questions emphasize the wild ox's resistance to domestication and its inability to be controlled by human hands.

The wild ox is also mentioned in Numbers 23:22 and 24:8 , where it is used metaphorically to describe the strength of Israel: "God brought them out of Egypt; He is for them like the horns of a wild ox." Here, the wild ox's horns symbolize the might and protection that God provides to His people, suggesting that just as the wild ox is powerful and unyielding, so too is the divine support for Israel.

In Deuteronomy 33:17 , the wild ox is again used as a metaphor for strength and vigor: "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." This imagery conveys the idea of dominance and the ability to overcome adversaries, further reinforcing the wild ox's association with power.

The intractable nature of the wild ox serves as a reminder of the limits of human control over creation. It symbolizes the untamed aspects of the natural world that remain beyond human mastery, pointing to the sovereignty and majesty of God as the ultimate Creator. The wild ox, in its strength and independence, reflects the awe-inspiring aspects of God's creation that elicit both respect and reverence.

In summary, the wild ox in the Bible is a powerful symbol of strength, independence, and the untamable aspects of nature. Its presence in Scripture serves to illustrate the might of God and His creation, as well as the limitations of human power in the face of divine sovereignty.

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Job 39:9-12
Will the unicorn be willing to serve you, or abide by your crib?
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... The slaying of an ox or the destruction of an agricultural implement was ... Shortly
after this, three other Median chiefs, hitherto intractable"Uppis of Par ...
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