Topical Bible: The Mule: Food of

◄ The Mule: Food of ►

Jump to: Torrey's • Library • Subtopics • Terms

Topical Encyclopedia

In biblical times, the mule was a significant animal, often associated with royalty and used for transportation and labor. The diet of mules, while not extensively detailed in the Scriptures, can be inferred from the general practices of animal husbandry in ancient Israel and the surrounding regions.

Mules, being hybrids of horses and donkeys, share dietary needs similar to those of their parent species. They primarily consumed a diet of grains, hay, and pasture, which was typical for equines in the ancient Near East. The Bible provides insights into the agricultural practices of the time, which can help us understand what mules might have been fed.

In 1 Kings 4:28 , it is noted: "They also brought to the required place their quotas of barley and straw for the chariot horses and other horses." This passage highlights the provision of barley and straw, which were common feed for equines, including mules. Barley, a staple grain in ancient Israel, was likely a significant component of the mule's diet, providing necessary energy and nutrients.

The provision of straw, mentioned alongside barley, suggests its use as both bedding and roughage. Straw would have been an essential part of the diet, aiding in digestion and providing fiber. The combination of barley and straw indicates a balanced approach to feeding, ensuring that the animals had both energy-rich grains and fibrous material to maintain their health.

In addition to grains and straw, mules would have grazed on available pasture. The lush valleys and plains of Israel, as described in various biblical passages, would have provided ample grazing opportunities. Psalm 104:14 states, "He makes the grass grow for the livestock and provides crops for man to cultivate, bringing forth food from the earth." This verse underscores the provision of grass for livestock, which would naturally include mules.

While the Bible does not explicitly detail the feeding of mules, the agricultural context and references to the feeding of other equines allow us to infer that mules were sustained on a diet of barley, straw, and pasture. These elements were integral to the sustenance of these valuable animals, ensuring their strength and endurance for the tasks they were required to perform.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

1 Kings 4:28
Barley also and straw for the horses and dromedaries brought they to the place where the officers were, every man according to his charge.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

1 Kings 18:5
And Ahab said to Obadiah, Go into the land, to all fountains of water, and to all brooks: peradventure we may find grass to save the horses and mules alive, that we lose not all the beasts.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

God's Care Over Me
... For some time I lay senseless on the ground, but the mule stood still, not moving ...
Often after giving him food or water I would find myself tasting of what was ...
/.../cole/trials and triumphs of faith/chapter xvi gods care over.htm

His Studies in Paris, and Other Incidents of his Life
... According to his resolve, he took neither food nor drink. ... Donna Leonora gave Calisto
a mule and money to take him to the court of the King of Portugal. ...
/.../loyola/the autobiography of st ignatius/chapter vii his studies in.htm

The Northern Mountains
... Our party consisted of a bat-mule, with food and clothes, two or three ,
a horse for me, another for general use in case of break-down; and four ...
//christianbookshelf.org/kingsley/at last/chapter xi the northern mountains.htm

If the Members Rise, must they Discharge the Same Functions as Now ...
... lower animals, though possessed of wombs, do not bear, such as the mule; and the ...
had submitted to the other conditions of the flesh,"I mean food, drink, and ...
/.../chapter iii if the members rise.htm

David's Sorrow.
... After David had passed over into Gilead the people of that land brought food, and
dishes ... Absalom, who rode on a mule, was caught by his long thick hair in the ...
/.../lathbury/childs story of the bible/chapter xxv davids sorrow.htm

Psalm LV.
... was in weaving: in each case we hear, there is ended; but the food so that it ... the
Maker Himself reproveth, saying, "Do not become like horse and mule, in which ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/augustine/exposition on the book of psalms/psalm lv.htm

On the Words of the Gospel, John v. 19, "The Son Can do Nothing of ...
... "Be ye not like to horse and mule, which have ... the Angels rejoice, the Angels feed
Thereon and live; Whereon they feed faileth not, nor is their food minished. ...
/.../sermons on selected lessons of the new testament/sermon lxxvi on the words.htm

On the Animals
... The locusts are the people; in the gospel: his food, moreover, was locusts ... The mule
is an irrational man; in the psalm: do not wish to become like the horse and ...
/.../eucherius/the formulae of st eucherius of lyons/iv on the animals.htm

Come Now, if Some Philosopher Affirms, as Laberius Holds...
... of Pythagoras, that a man may have his origin from a mule, a serpent ... the conviction
that, on account of this, they should even abstain from eating animal food? ...
//christianbookshelf.org/tertullian/apology/chapter xlviii come now if.htm

Actions to be Judged of from their Motive, not from Externals. ...
... say, when you are told of the great number of Catholic virgins, a she-mule is a ... which
of these two do you regard as living most abstemiously in food and drink? ...
/.../chapter 13 name to be.htm