The term "pygarg" appears in the Bible in the context of dietary laws given to the Israelites. It is mentioned specifically in Deuteronomy 14:5, where it is listed among the clean animals that the Israelites were permitted to eat. The Berean Standard Bible translates this verse as follows: "the deer, the gazelle, the roe deer, the wild goat, the ibex, the antelope, and the mountain sheep."

The Hebrew word translated as "pygarg" is "דִּישֹׁן" (dishon), which has been a subject of debate among scholars and translators. The exact identity of the pygarg is uncertain, as the term does not correspond directly to any specific animal known today. However, it is generally understood to refer to a type of antelope or a similar hoofed animal.

In ancient times, the pygarg was likely recognized by the Israelites as a distinct species, possibly characterized by certain physical features such as a white rump or specific horn shape. The Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures, uses the word "pygargos," which means "white-rumped," suggesting that the animal had a notable white patch on its hindquarters.

The inclusion of the pygarg in the list of clean animals highlights the importance of dietary laws in the Old Testament, which were given to set the Israelites apart as a holy people. These laws were not only about physical health but also about spiritual obedience and identity. The clean and unclean distinctions served as a constant reminder of the Israelites' covenant relationship with God and their call to be distinct from the surrounding nations.

The pygarg, like other clean animals, would have been part of the diet that supported the Israelites' physical sustenance while also reinforcing their spiritual discipline. The dietary laws, including the permission to eat animals like the pygarg, were part of the broader Mosaic Law, which governed various aspects of life for the Israelite community.

In modern times, the exact identification of the pygarg remains elusive, but it is often associated with animals such as the addax or the scimitar-horned oryx, both of which are antelope species with distinctive features that could match the ancient descriptions. These animals are native to regions that would have been familiar to the Israelites, such as North Africa and the Middle East.

The mention of the pygarg in Scripture, though brief, serves as a reminder of the detailed and specific nature of God's instructions to His people. It reflects the care with which God provided for the needs of the Israelites, both physically and spiritually, through the laws He established.Pygarg

occurs, (14:5) in the list of clean animals as the rendering of the Heb. dishon , the name apparently of one species of antelope, though it is by no means easy to identify it.

Pygarg

White-rump. This is properly the name of a species of eagle; but is applied, in De 14:5, to a quadruped, apparently a species of gazelle or antelope. So the Syriac version and Targums. Both the Arabic versions refer it to a species of mountain goat.

Hebrews dishon, "springing", (Deuteronomy 14:5), one of the animals permitted for food. It is supposed to be the Antelope addax. It is described as "a large animal, over 3 1/2 feet high at the shoulder, and, with its gently-twisted horns, 2 1/2 feet long. Its colour is pure white, with the exception of a short black mane, and a tinge of tawny on the shoulders and back.", Tristram's Natural History. (n.) Alt. of Pygargus.PYGARG

pi'-garg (dishon; Septuagint pugargos; compare proper nouns, "Dishon" and "Dishan" (Genesis 36:21-30 1 Chronicles 1:38-42); according to BDB, Hommel, Saugethiere, derives... from dush, Arabic das, "to tread," and compare Assyrian dashshu, "mountain-goat"): Dishon as the name of an animal occurs only in Deuteronomy 14:5 in the list of clean beasts. Both the King James Version and the Revised Version (British and American) have "pygarg," which is not the recognized name of any animal whatever. The Septuagint pugargos (from puge, "rump," and argos, "white") was used by Herodotus (iv.192) as the name of an antelope. A white rump is a very common feature of deer and antelopes, and is commonly explained as enabling the fleeing herd easily to keep in sight of its leaders. It has been used as a specific name of Cervus pygargus, the Tartarian roe, and Bubalis pygargus, a small South African antelope. The Arabic Bible has ri'm, "a white gazelle," a kindred word to re'em, the King James Version "unicorn," the Revised Version (British and American) "wild-ox." Tristram, Tristram, Natural History of the Bible, considers dishon to be the addax, Antilope addax or Addax nasomaculatus. There is excellent reason, however, for believing that the range of this African antelope does not extend into Palestine, Sinai or Arabia. For a discussion of the animal names in Deuteronomy 14:4, 5, see ZOOLOGY.

Alfred Ely Day

1788. dishon -- mountain goat (a cermonially clean animal)
... An antelope -- pygarg. From duwsh; the leaper, ie An antelope -- pygarg. see
HEBREW duwsh. 1787, 1788. dishon. 1789 . Strong's Numbers.
/hebrew/1788.htm - 6kPygarg (1 Occurrence)
...PYGARG. ... Both the King James Version and the Revised Version (British and American)
have "pygarg," which is not the recognized name of any animal whatever. ...
/p/pygarg.htm - 9k

Wild-goat (1 Occurrence)
... Wild-goat (1 Occurrence). Deuteronomy 14:5 The hart, and the roebuck, and the
fallow-deer, and the wild-goat, and the pygarg, and the wild ox, and the chamois. ...
/w/wild-goat.htm - 6k

Fallow-deer (2 Occurrences)
... Deuteronomy 14:5 The hart, and the roebuck, and the fallow-deer, and the
wild-goat, and the pygarg, and the wild ox, and the chamois. (WBS). ...
/f/fallow-deer.htm - 7k

Fallow (5 Occurrences)
... (WEB JPS ASV DBY NAS RSV). Deuteronomy 14:5 The hart, and the roebuck, and the fallow
deer, and the wild goat, and the pygarg, and the wild ox, and the chamois. ...
/f/fallow.htm - 9k

Dishan (5 Occurrences)
... di'-shan, di'-shon (dishan, dishon, "antelope," "pygarg"): A Horite clan, mentioned
as the youngest "son" and elsewhere as the "grandson" of Seir. ...
/d/dishan.htm - 8k

Dishon (7 Occurrences)
... di'-shan, di'-shon (dishan, dishon, "antelope," "pygarg"): A Horite clan, mentioned
as the youngest "son" and elsewhere as the "grandson" of Seir. ...
/d/dishon.htm - 8k

Mountain-sheep (1 Occurrence)
... Deuteronomy 14:5 the hart, and the gazelle, and the roebuck, and the wild goat,
and the pygarg, and the antelope, and the chamois. (See JPS RSV). ...
/m/mountain-sheep.htm - 6k

Puzzled (3 Occurrences)

/p/puzzled.htm - 7k

Pyramid

/p/pyramid.htm - 7k

Cud (9 Occurrences)
... the animals considered clean are therefore included the ox, the sheep, the goat,
the hart, the gazelle, the roebuck, the wild goat, the pygarg, the antelope ...
/c/cud.htm - 11k

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