Topical Bible: The Ox: Heifer of a Beloved Wife

◄ The Ox: Heifer of a Beloved Wife ►

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Topical Encyclopedia

In biblical literature, the ox is a significant animal, often symbolizing strength, service, and sacrifice. The imagery of the ox is deeply woven into the fabric of Israelite culture and religious practice. The term "heifer of a beloved wife" is a metaphorical expression that draws upon the characteristics and roles of the ox, particularly the heifer, in the context of familial and covenantal relationships.

Symbolism and Role in Ancient Israel

The ox, particularly the heifer, was a valuable asset in ancient agrarian societies. It was used for plowing fields, threshing grain, and as a source of food and sacrificial offerings. The heifer, a young female cow that has not borne a calf, is often associated with purity and potential fertility. In the context of a beloved wife, the heifer symbolizes cherished value, nurturing potential, and the promise of future prosperity.

Biblical References

The Bible frequently references oxen in various contexts, highlighting their importance in daily life and religious rituals. In the sacrificial system, the heifer played a crucial role. Numbers 19:2-3 describes the ordinance of the red heifer, a unique sacrifice for purification: "This is the statute of the law that the LORD has commanded: Tell the Israelites to bring you a red heifer without blemish or defect and that has never been under a yoke. Give it to Eleazar the priest, and he will have it brought outside the camp and slaughtered in his presence."

The heifer's role in sacrifice underscores its symbolic purity and the necessity of unblemished offerings to God. This imagery can be extended to the concept of a beloved wife, who is seen as pure and cherished within the covenant of marriage.

Cultural and Theological Implications

In the cultural context of ancient Israel, the relationship between a husband and a beloved wife was one of mutual respect, love, and covenantal commitment. The metaphor of the heifer reflects the husband's view of his wife as a precious and integral part of his household, much like the valued heifer in his livestock.

Theologically, the metaphor can be seen as an illustration of God's covenantal relationship with His people. Just as a husband cherishes his beloved wife, God cherishes His covenant people, nurturing and providing for them. Hosea 11:4 captures this sentiment: "I led them with cords of kindness, with ropes of love; I lifted the yoke from their necks and bent down to feed them."

Conclusion

The ox, and specifically the heifer, serves as a rich symbol in biblical literature, representing strength, service, and sacrificial purity. The metaphor of the heifer of a beloved wife encapsulates the values of love, commitment, and cherished relationship, both in the human and divine realms. Through this imagery, the Bible communicates profound truths about the nature of love, sacrifice, and covenant.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Judges 14:18
And the men of the city said to him on the seventh day before the sun went down, What is sweeter than honey? And what is stronger than a lion? and he said to them, If you had not plowed with my heifer, you had not found out my riddle.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

The Polity Settled by Moses; and How He Disappeared from among ...
... and wash their hands over the head of the heifer; and they ... and if the son of her
that is beloved be the ... what is lost, excepting the case of an ox, for which ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/chapter 8 the polity settled.htm

Letter cviii. To Eustochium.
... is he that soweth beside the waters where the ox and the ... [2832] Here year by year
a red heifer was burned ... the Song of Songs it is written: "my beloved is white ...
/.../jerome/the principal works of st jerome/letter cviii to eustochium.htm

The Gods of Egypt
... enemies"The Star-gods: the Haunch of the Ox, the Hippopotamus ... Pacing it is the cat
of Maut, the wife of Amon ... Sibu, the father, was a bull, and Hathor a heifer. ...
/.../chapter ii the gods of egypt.htm

Solomon's Temple Spiritualized
... not gifts, that makes us sons, and the beloved of God ... of goats, and the ashes of
an heifer sprinkling the ... lady, a queen, the bride, the Lamb's wife; and prophets ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/solomons temple spiritualized.htm

The Pilgrim's Progress
... Let them acquainted be, too, how they are Beloved of their ... My name is Christiana;
I was the wife of that pilgrim ... she desires the mire; the fatter the ox is, the ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/the pilgrims progress.htm

A Few Sighs from Hell;
... chambers of death; nothing appears but a bed richly furnished, and a promise of
solacing him with loves; but he that followeth after her, goeth as an ox to the ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/a few sighs from hell.htm