In the context of the Bible, the term "buffalo" is not directly mentioned in most traditional translations. However, the Hebrew word "re'em," often translated as "wild ox" or "unicorn" in older translations, is sometimes thought to refer to a type of large, horned animal that could be akin to the buffalo or a similar wild bovine. The Berean Standard Bible does not specifically use the term "buffalo," but understanding the cultural and historical context of the biblical text can provide insight into how these animals were perceived in ancient times.

Biblical References and Symbolism

The creature referred to as "re'em" appears in several passages, often symbolizing strength and untamed power. In Numbers 23:22 , it is written, "God brought them out of Egypt; He is for them like the horns of the wild ox." This verse highlights the strength and might of God, likening it to the formidable power of the wild ox, which some scholars suggest could be a reference to a buffalo-like creature.

Similarly, in Deuteronomy 33:17 , the blessing of Joseph is described: "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 imagery of the wild ox's horns conveys a sense of dominance and authority, attributes that are bestowed upon the tribe of Joseph.

Cultural and Historical Context

In the ancient Near East, large bovine animals were often associated with strength, fertility, and virility. They were integral to agricultural societies, providing labor, milk, and meat. The biblical authors, familiar with these animals, used them as powerful symbols in their writings. The "re'em" or wild ox, possibly akin to the buffalo, would have been seen as a creature of great power and majesty, untamed by human hands.

Theological Implications

The use of buffalo-like imagery in the Bible serves to illustrate the might and sovereignty of God. By comparing divine power to the strength of these formidable creatures, the biblical text communicates the idea that God's power is both awe-inspiring and beyond human control. This symbolism reinforces the understanding of God as the ultimate authority, capable of guiding and protecting His people with unmatched strength.

Modern Interpretations

While modern readers may not immediately associate the biblical "re'em" with the buffalo, the underlying themes of strength and divine power remain relevant. The imagery continues to inspire believers to recognize the greatness of God and His ability to work powerfully in the world. As such, the buffalo, whether directly mentioned or not, serves as a reminder of the enduring strength and majesty of the Creator.(n.) Plural of Buffalo.

The Idol which Shed Tears.
... Hence the present practice. After the Goobbe procession had waited a long time,
fifteen buffaloes and a few sheep were brought and sacrificed near the idol. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/hodson/old daniel/chapter ten the idol which.htm

The Prairie Pasture
... Out on the prairie in one of the western states where buffaloes and wild horses
once had roamed at their pleasure and where cacti and yuccas still thrived and ...
/.../byrum/how john became a man/chapter i the prairie pasture.htm

From a Hindu Point of view
... Government may step in and stop the public clubbing to death of buffaloes, and the
impaling of goats and fowls in sacrifice, but it cannot stop the private ...
/.../wilson-carmichael/things as they are/chapter xxvi from a hindu.htm

January 26. "I Called Him Alone and Blessed Him" (Isa. Li. 2).
... The rice is sown on a morass of mud and water, ploughed up by great buffaloes, and
after a few weeks it springs up and appears above the water with its ...
/.../simpson/days of heaven upon earth /january 26 i called him.htm

Wesley's Letters and Friends
... Here they anchored in a fine cove and found abundance of wild deer and buffaloes,
with which they victualed; and sailing southward, in three months got into ...
/.../wesley/the journal of john wesley/wesleys letters and friends.htm

Concerning the Wife of Solomon; Concerning his Wisdom and Riches ...
... ten fat oxen, and twenty oxen out of the pastures, and a hundred fat lambs; all
these were besides what were taken by hunting harts and buffaloes, and birds ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/chapter 2 concerning the wife.htm

Carey's Family and Friends
... I advise you to abstain from hunting buffaloes or other animals, because, though
I think it lawful to kill noxious animals, or to kill animals for food, yet ...
/.../smith/the life of william carey/chapter viii careys family and.htm

Six Years in North Bengal --Missionary and Indigo Planter
... "I am no hunter," he wrote, while Thomas was shooting wild buffaloes, but he was
ever adding to his store of observations of the people, the customs and ...
/.../smith/the life of william carey/chapter iv six years in.htm

The American Experiments, 1734-1762.
... treacherous. They spent their time in hunting buffaloes, smoking pipes,
lolling in the sun, and scalping each other's heads. They ...
/.../hutton/history of the moravian church/chapter xiv the american experiments.htm

The First Theban Empire
History Of Egypt, Chaldaea, Syria, Babylonia, and Assyria, V 2. <. ...
/.../chapter iiithe first theban empire.htm

Buffaloes (2 Occurrences)
... Multi-Version Concordance Buffaloes (2 Occurrences). Psalms 22:21 Save me from the
lion's mouth. Yea, from the horns of the buffaloes hast thou answered me. ...
/b/buffaloes.htm - 7k

Buffalo (5 Occurrences)

/b/buffalo.htm - 8k

Kine (24 Occurrences)
... parah, ie, "fruitful"), mentioned in Pharaoh's dream (Genesis 41:18). Here the word
denotes "buffaloes," which fed on the reeds and sedge by the river's brink. ...
/k/kine.htm - 16k

Buffalo's (1 Occurrence)

/b/buffalo's.htm - 6k

Skin (115 Occurrences)
... 5:37) with the marginal addition "that is, skins used as bottles." These skin bottles
were made of the skins of goats, sheep, oxen or buffaloes; the former had ...
/s/skin.htm - 44k

Cattle (277 Occurrences)
... About the Sea of Tiberias and the Jordan valley and in the plain of Coele-Syria
there exist today Indian buffaloes (Bos bubalus) some feral and some in a state ...
/c/cattle.htm - 52k

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