Re'em

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For the kibbutz in Israel, see Re'im. For the moshav, see Bnei Re'em.
Detail of a former floor mosaic dating from year 1213, Basilica of San Giovanni Evangelista, Ravenna.
Oryx in Yotvata Hai-Bar Nature Reserve in Israel

A re'em, also reëm (Hebrew: רְאֵם), is an animal mentioned nine times in the Hebrew Bible.[note 1] It has been translated as "unicorn" in the King James Version, and in some Christian Bible translations as "oryx" (which was accepted as the referent in Modern Hebrew),[citation needed] "wild ox", "wild bull", "buffalo" or "rhinoceros".[1] Rabbi Natan Slifkin argues that it is the aurochs.[2]

Translation[edit]

The King James Version of the Book of Job followed the Septuagint and Jerome's Vulgate in the translation of re'em into unicorn:

Will the unicorn be willing to serve thee, or abide by thy crib? Canst thou bind the unicorn with his band in the furrow? or will he harrow the valleys after thee? Wilt thou trust him, because his strength is great? or wilt thou leave thy labour to him? Wilt thou believe him, that he will bring home thy seed, and gather it into thy barn?

— Job 39:9–12

Some Bible translations into English, including the American Standard Version and New American Standard Bible, interpret re'em as "wild ox".[citation needed]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Job 39:9–10, Deuteronomy 33:17, Numbers 23:22 and 24:8; Psalms 22:21, 29:6 and 92:10; and Isaiah 34:7.
  1. ^ "Numbers 23:22 - Bible Gateway". www.biblegateway.com. Retrieved 2021-02-07.
  2. ^ Slifkin, Natan (2015). "Aurochs". The Torah Encyclopedia of the Animal Kingdom. Maggid Books. pp. 277–286. ISBN 9781592644049.
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