Topical Bible: The Calf: The Young of the Herd

◄ The Calf: The Young of the Herd ►

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Topical Encyclopedia

In biblical literature, the calf is often mentioned as the young offspring of cattle, symbolizing innocence, vitality, and sometimes idolatry. The calf holds significant cultural and religious connotations throughout the Scriptures, appearing in various contexts that reflect both its agricultural importance and its symbolic meanings.

Agricultural Significance

In ancient Israel, calves were an integral part of agrarian life. They were valued for their role in sustaining the livelihood of the people, providing milk, meat, and labor. The calf, as the young of the herd, represented the promise of future prosperity and continuity of the herd. In Leviticus 9:3, the Israelites are instructed to bring a calf for a sin offering, highlighting its role in sacrificial practices: "Then speak to the Israelites and say, ‘Take a male goat for a sin offering, a calf and a lamb, both a year old and without blemish, for a burnt offering.’" .

Symbol of Innocence and Joy

The calf is often depicted as a symbol of innocence and joy. In the prophetic literature, the imagery of a calf is used to convey peace and the restoration of creation. Isaiah 11:6 describes a harmonious kingdom where "the calf and the young lion and the fatling will be together, and a little child will lead them" . This vision of peace and innocence reflects the ideal state of creation, unmarred by sin and conflict.

Idolatry and Rebellion

Conversely, the calf is also a potent symbol of idolatry and rebellion against God. The most notable instance is the golden calf incident in Exodus 32, where the Israelites, in Moses' absence, demand Aaron to make them a god. Aaron complies, fashioning a golden calf, which the people worship, saying, "These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!" (Exodus 32:4). This act of idolatry provokes God's wrath and serves as a cautionary tale against turning away from the true worship of Yahweh.

The calf reappears in the narrative of Jeroboam, who sets up golden calves in Bethel and Dan to prevent the Israelites from going to Jerusalem to worship (1 Kings 12:28-30). This act of rebellion further entrenches the calf as a symbol of apostasy and false worship.

Sacrificial Role

In the sacrificial system of the Old Testament, calves were often used as offerings to atone for sin and to express devotion to God. The requirement for a calf to be "without blemish" underscores the demand for purity and the best of what one has to offer to God. The sacrificial calf is a precursor to the ultimate sacrifice of Christ, who is described as the Lamb of God, without blemish or defect, who takes away the sin of the world.

Messianic Imagery

The calf also appears in messianic prophecies, symbolizing the coming of a new era of righteousness and divine favor. Malachi 4:2 speaks of the righteous who "will go out and leap like calves from the stall" , portraying the joy and freedom that will accompany the fulfillment of God's promises through the Messiah.

In summary, the calf in biblical texts serves as a multifaceted symbol, representing innocence, joy, idolatry, and sacrifice. Its presence in Scripture underscores the complex relationship between humanity and the divine, reflecting both the potential for purity and the propensity for rebellion.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Job 21:10
Their bull engenders, and fails not; their cow calves, and casts not her calf.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Jeremiah 31:12
Therefore they shall come and sing in the height of Zion, and shall flow together to the goodness of the LORD, for wheat, and for wine, and for oil, and for the young of the flock and of the herd: and their soul shall be as a watered garden; and they shall not sorrow any more at all.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

And After. (xxx, xxxi, xxxix-Xliv. )
... With the corn, the new wine, the fresh oil, The young of the flock and the herd;
Till their ... Thou hast chastened me, chastened I am, Like a calf untrained. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/smith/jeremiah/4 and after xxx xxxi.htm

Letter Xlv (Circa AD 1120) to a Youth Named Fulk, who Afterwards ...
... To the honourable young man Fulk, Brother Bernard, a sinner, wishes such joy in
youth as ... If he demands a lamb from the flock, a calf from the herd, and no ...
/.../some letters of saint bernard abbot of clairvaux/letter xlv circa a d 1120.htm

An Appreciation of John Wesley's Journal
... Those were the days of the Calf's Head Club and feastings ... as well known as Alfred
in the neat-herd's hut, and ... business of his life, just as the young Pitt came ...
/.../wesley/the journal of john wesley/an appreciation of john wesleys.htm

Light at Evening Time
... Oxford who met together to pray those six young men were ... blessed: thou canst remember
the day when the calf was in ... the fold and there shall be no herd in the ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 3 1857/light at evening time.htm

Letter Lxvi. To Pammachius.
... large that on an emergency he could bring a picked body of young men into ... of his
guests, upon his own shoulders he brought home a fat calf from the herd. ...
/.../jerome/the principal works of st jerome/letter lxvi to pammachius.htm

Matt. x. 34
... anger against them; both when they made the calf, and when ... It stops my breath that
this fellow, young as he ... in his own person he ran to the herd, and snatched ...
/.../chrysostom/homilies on the gospel of saint matthew/homily xxxv matt x 34.htm

The Holy City; Or, the New Jerusalem:
... shall flow together to the goodness of the Lord, for [spiritual] wheat, and for
wine, and for oil, and for the young of the flock and of the herd; and their ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/the holy city or the.htm

The Political Constitution of Egypt
... In that case there was no law or custom to prevent a young and beautiful widow ... they
took from a common father raised them all above the vulgar herd but those ...
/.../chapter ithe political constitution of.htm

Appeal to the Christian Women of the South
... Look at Abraham, though so great a man, going to the herd himself and fetching a
calf from thence and serving it up with his own hands, for the entertainment ...
/.../an appeal to the christian women of the south/appeal to the christian women.htm

Period iii. The Critical Period: AD 140 to AD 200
... Now the story of their initiation of young novices is as detestable as it
is well known. An infant covered with meal, so as to deceive ...
/.../a source book for ancient church history/period iii the critical period .htm