Question:
Unicorns in the Bible? What's the explanation?
guyster
2009-05-04 15:11:44 UTC
Unicorns are mentioned NINE times in the bible.* Some translate "unicorn" as "wild ox", but it doesn't fit the description that it "cannot be tamed".

Dragons are mentioned 25 times (although sometimes as future events).

Satyrs are mentioned twice.

How can the rest of the Bible be reliable?


* Numbers 23:22; 24:8; Deuteronomy 33:17; Job 39:9, 10; Psalm 22:21; 29:6; 92:10; Isaiah 34:7
Thirteen answers:
anonymous
2009-05-04 15:19:17 UTC
Early Christians found the horns of Narwhals washed up on beaches, and said they belonged to unicorns.



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narwhal
Pink Roses
2009-05-04 23:33:40 UTC
Numbers 23:22 It is God who brought him out of Egypt, a wild bull of towering might. (A wild bull of towering might: the reference is to Israel, rather than to God).



Deut 33:17 The majestic bull, his father's first-born, whose horns are those of the wild ox With which to gore the nations, even those at the ends of the earth." (These are the myriads of Ephraim, and these the thousands of Manasseh.)



Job 39:9 Will the wild ox consent to serve you, and to pass the nights by your manger? Job 39:10 Will a rope bind him in the furrow, and will he harrow the valleys after you?



Pslam 22:21 Deliver me from the sword, my forlorn life from the teeth of the dog.



Psalm 29:6 Makes Lebanon leap like a calf, and Sirion like a young bull. (Sirion: the Phoenician name for Mount Hermon. Cf Deut 3:9).



Deut 3:9 (which is called Sirion by the Sidonians and Senir by the Amorites)



Psalm 92:10 Indeed your enemies, LORD, indeed your enemies shall perish; all sinners shall be scattered.



Pagans worshipped the Mythical Satyrs. The verses in the Bible referencing Satyrs is referencing the Pagans and their worship thereof. (Oracles against the "PAGAN" Nations):



Isaiah 13:21 But wildcats shall rest there and owls shall fill the houses; There ostriches shall dwell, and satyrs shall dance. (Satyrs: in the popular mind, demons of goatlike form dwelling in ruins, symbols of immorality; cf Lev 17:7).



Lev 17:7 No longer shall they offer their sacrifices to the satyrs to whom they used to render their wanton worship. This shall be an everlasting ordinance for them and their descendants.



Isaiah 34:7 Wild oxen shall be struck down with fatlings, and bullocks with bulls; Their land shall be soaked with blood, and their earth greasy with fat.



Dragons description (Revelations) is symbolic as is most of Revelations. Most Christians get this, I guess some non-Christians don't seem to "get it."



On the other hand, if you are looking for real mythology in "scripture-like," material, research the Buraq of Islam, the smaller than a horse but larger than a donkey like creature with a human head and wings on its thighs that can go from "here" to "there" in a blink of an eye, who used to transport Abraham to a fro Egypt nightly so Abraham could visit Hagar (according to Islam) and during the Miraj (second half of Muhammad's night flight/journey - depending on which Hadith you believe - the Buraq flew Muhammad to Heaven for a quick one night tour). Make sure you research the Miraj and not just the first half of that infamous journey - the Isra. The 2nd half of the journey, the Miraj, is much more exciting! Many Hadith reference it. There's even some place in the Middle East which has become shrine-like due to a few Hadiths mention that Muhammad hitched the Buraq there before he went into the "far Mosque" (1st part of the journey - the Isra). And there's a whole Islamic Holiday commemorating these events of the Isra and the Miraj. Warning: Even though there's an Islamic holiday honoring the event which includes the Buraq etc, you'll REALLY have to put in some hours getting to all the Hadith. I'm still working on getting all of them myself - AND IT HASN'T BEEN EASY LET ME TELL YOU!
anonymous
2009-05-05 13:09:29 UTC
Well, the primary and simple explanation is that this appears only in one bible (as far as I know), an archaic translation done by scholars who believed in the existence of such creatures.



For more detailed explanation



Unicorn and Satyr explained

http://www.christiancourier.com/articles/880-what-about-the-unicorn-and-the-satyr



A more complete explanation of unicorn

http://shoshanna.org/prisca/general/unicorn.html



It's interesting that the same depiction used to arrive at a translation of "unicorn" in ancient times is used today to arrive at the translation "wild bull" - which is equally uncertain.



Good answers for all of these can be found here

http://www.bible-history.com/eastons/C/Cockatrice/



Jim, http://www.bible-reviews.com
nekrorider
2009-05-04 22:16:45 UTC
The Bible may still be reliable, but not taking every passage literally and word by word. For example, many denominations do not regard the Bible as always literal and infallible (such as a Catholicism).
cl_freemason
2009-05-05 00:36:56 UTC
it is an alchemical symbol.



most think joseph's profession (tekton) means carpenter, but from the 3rd century bc a more common use was 'master of the craft', craft being alchemy or metallurgy.



in the old testament, when the tribe was wandering after being led from egypt, God gave them a snake totem to touch should anyone be bitten by a snake --- of course, some might say that's another bad translation too, and for them, that is fine. everyone can onl understand according to their ability and readiness
MCSHughes
2009-05-04 22:21:42 UTC
Many of these types of animals were pictured laterally, thus superimposing one horn upon the other, thus giving a "unicorn" appearance to an animal with two horns.
anonymous
2009-05-04 22:18:39 UTC
Look these up in a modern English translation. You'll see the translation is different for unicorns. can't remember the rest.
anonymous
2009-05-04 22:15:41 UTC
Unicorns = Rhinoceros
Quailman
2009-05-04 22:16:16 UTC
how does "wild ox" not fit that definition? Wild implies not being able to be tamed.
anonymous
2009-05-04 22:14:30 UTC
Bad trasnaltion.



You would be able to research these for yourself if you go to blueletterbible.com and go to the verses and check the originals.



The NET bible goes in to which manuscripts contained which words & why certain words are chosen as the translation.

http://www.bible.org/netbible/index.htm
gina
2009-05-04 22:18:50 UTC
http://www.watchtower.org/e/20080501a/article_01.htm
Derrick S
2009-05-04 22:16:05 UTC
There is also a talking snake.

Think about it...
GodWinsInTheEnd
2009-05-04 22:15:36 UTC
satan could twist scripture as well.


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