Rhinoceros
TextsWhat is the meaning of Rhinoceros in the Bible?
The word 'rhinoceros' appears in the margin of the King James Version of Isaiah 34:7 as an alternative reading for the Hebrew term re'em, but modern scholarship rejects this identification as historically and zoologically inaccurate.
TEXTUAL SIGNIFICANCE
Recognizing that the rhinoceros is not the intended animal helps readers correctly interpret the biblical imagery of the re'em as a powerful, untamable wild ox or aurochs, thereby preserving the original poetic emphasis on strength and wildness rather than introducing a geographically implausible creature.
Bible Study Quick-Reference Guide
- Why did the biblical author mention Rhinoceros in this passage?
- What cultural or historical assumption does Rhinoceros clarify?
Source Attribution
Built upon the 1915 International Standard Bible Encyclopedia and Easton's Bible Dictionary (1897). Entries have been modernized, checked for academic truthfulness, and shortened for clarity.