Topical Bible: Beasts: Clean: Wild Ox

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Topical Encyclopedia

The wild ox, often referred to in biblical texts, is considered a clean animal according to the dietary laws outlined in the Old Testament. The Hebrew term often associated with the wild ox is "reem," which some translations render as "unicorn," though this is generally understood to refer to a strong, horned animal, likely the aurochs or a similar species.

Biblical References:

1. Deuteronomy 14:4-5 · The wild ox is listed among the clean animals that the Israelites were permitted to eat. The passage states: "These are the animals you may eat: the ox, the sheep, the goat, the deer, the gazelle, the roe deer, the wild goat, the ibex, the antelope, and the mountain sheep."

2. Job 39:9-12 · The strength and untamable nature of the wild ox are highlighted in God's discourse with Job. The text reads: "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 till the valleys behind you? Can you rely on it to bring in your grain and gather it to your threshing floor?"

3. Psalm 92:10 · The wild ox is used metaphorically to describe strength and exaltation: "But You have exalted my horn like that of a wild ox; I have been anointed with fresh oil."

4. Numbers 23:22 and 24:8 · In Balaam's oracles, the strength of Israel is compared to that of a wild ox: "God brought them out of Egypt; they have the strength of a wild ox."

Symbolism and Characteristics:

The wild ox is emblematic of strength, power, and untamed nature. Its inclusion among clean animals signifies its acceptability for consumption under Mosaic Law, reflecting its status as a creature created by God for the benefit of humanity. The wild ox's depiction in Scripture often serves as a metaphor for divine strength and the might of God's people.

Cultural and Historical Context:

In ancient Near Eastern culture, the wild ox was a symbol of power and virility. The aurochs, a now-extinct species of large wild cattle, is often identified as the creature referred to in biblical texts. These animals were known for their impressive size and strength, characteristics that made them a fitting symbol for the attributes ascribed to them in Scripture.

The wild ox's role in biblical literature underscores the broader theological themes of God's provision and the natural order established by divine command. As a clean animal, it represents the harmony between creation and the laws given to Israel, highlighting the relationship between humanity and the animal kingdom as ordained by God.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

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.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

The Gospel was Preached to Jews and Gentiles in Hades.
... word; and, when once tamed, is made clean, just as ... daughters of the sparrows, and
all the beasts of the ... the number of unclean animals, the wild beasts of the ...
/.../clement/the stromata or miscellanies/chapter vi the gospel was preached.htm

The Creation of Fowl and Water Animals.
... you will find that the soul of beasts is earth ... distinction which Scripture sets up
between clean and unclean ... is calling me to describe wild beasts, reptiles and ...
/.../basil/basil letters and select works/homily viii the creation of.htm

The New Heart
... for man has all the worst attributes of the beasts and none ... I, a wild asses colt,
a fool that knoweth nothing ... like the barn-door fowl on the clean grain, unless ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 4 1858/the new heart.htm

The History of Saul
... wickedness of his house shall not be made clean with sacrifices ne ... to a wain and
put in it two wild kine, which ... And your asses and beasts he also shall take to ...
/.../wells/bible stories and religious classics/the history of saul.htm

Second Part of the Book.
... will to receive, if that their vessel be clean and empty ... for I live by beastly meat
as other beasts do that ... And S. Austin; "the flesh is as a wild colt, which ...
/.../second part of the book.htm

Psalm CIV.
... it flow, as at once to satisfy the wild ass, and ... fear, not only the creeping things
innumerable, and beasts both small ... Wash you, make you clean," saith Isaiah. ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/augustine/exposition on the book of psalms/psalm civ.htm

The Flight into Egypt and St. John the Baptist in the Desert
... of the Nativity till it was beautifully clean." ' She told of ... entrance was hidden
and grown over by wild plants so ... some shepherds came to water the beasts at a ...
/.../emmerich/the life of the blessed virgin mary/xvi the flight into egypt.htm

The Epistle of Saint Jude.
... for what they know naturally as brute beasts, in those ... Moreover, they are like wild
waves of the sea; that is ... Spirit by faith, and have been made clean; but as ...
/.../the epistle of saint jude.htm

The Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem
... Brethren, do you think me wild and fanatical in talking ... Christ's kingdom, then, shall
care for beasts as well ... professor of religion could be quite clean in his ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 7 1861/the triumphal entry into jerusalem.htm

That the Scriptures are Divinely Inspired.
... Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth ... but which, as being in the
number of clean beasts, Moses commands ... [2779] Tragelaphus; "wild goat," Auth ...
/.../origen/origen de principiis/chapter i that the scriptures are.htm