Explanation

[Die Rote Fahne]

So, for you believers in Christianity, what's up with this?:

'Will the unicorn be willing to serve thee, or abide by thy crib? Can'st thou bind the unicorn with his band in the furrow? (job 39:9-12)

'But my horn shalt thou exalt like the horn of an unicorn.' (Psalms 92:10)

'Save me from the lion's mouth: for thou hast heard me from the horns of the unicorns.' (Psalms 22:21)


ps: don't give me "It refers to 'oxen'" bullshit.

[ComradeMan]

So, for you believers in Christianity, what's up with this?:

'Will the unicorn be willing to serve thee, or abide by thy crib? Can'st thou bind the unicorn with his band in the furrow? (job 39:9-12)

'But my horn shalt thou exalt like the horn of an unicorn.' (Psalms 92:10)

'Save me from the lion's mouth: for thou hast heard me from the horns of the unicorns.' (Psalms 22:21)


ps: don't give me "It refers to 'oxen'" bullshit.


What does the original Hebrew word mean? (re'em (רְאֵם‎

There are many possible explanations but the one preferred is that it refers to the aurochs, this is supported by the Assyrian (Semitic) word rimu. Other suggestions are that it could be a rhino.

The most convincing explanation, in my opinion, is that the unicorn was a single horned deer. Some species of deer are known to have a genetic mutation that causes them to form a single horn on their heads in the middle. This is also supported by the fact that unicorns were traditionally depicted with goat beards and cloven hoofed.

[hatzel]

What does the original Hebrew word mean?

Well in modern Hebrew it's one of these bad-boys:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3429/3769531900_795ce59563_z.jpg

Still a few things worth remembering:

1. The ol' Bible wasn't actually written in English. The use of the word 'unicorn' in (old) English translations is taken directly from the Latin 'unicornis', which was itself a translation of the the Greek 'monokeros' (that is to say, one-horned), which was often used to refer to, amongst other things, a rhino. Given the fact that the re'em is most often used in the phrase 'with the strength of a re'em' or 'strong as a re'em', it doesn't seem that far-fetched to believe that 'monokeros' may have been referring to a rhino. In the Greek translation. That doesn't, however, say anything of the accuracy of the Greek translation in the first place.

I mean, I don't want to be that guy or anything, but considering the ol' KJV that we're quoting here got the very first line or the entire thing totally wrong (by merely translating from the Vulgate), those of us in the Hebrew-language sphere have never really considered it the definitive version of the Bible, like those in the English-speaking sphere seem to. I mean, it's nice prose, much nicer than modern translations, but modern translations have a tendency to use some basic knowledge of Hebrew, which means that they are often much more accurate 'literal' translations. If a direct representation of the words themselves implies a more accurate translation, which I might question, but that's a whole other question that I won't approach here...

2. Of all the Books, picking examples from Psalms – that is to say, a bunch of songs, poems, explicitly metaphorical and lyrical artistic creations – isn't exactly the most productive thing to do to prove a point. Songwriters, poets, prose-writers, even (political) philosophers all use copious references to Greek mythology and such, and use various lyrical devices, and doing so isn't considered to somehow illegitimate their creation, so I fail to see why these lyrical creations should be treated any differently. I'm aware that the same word appears in other contexts (for instance "G-d brought them out of Egypt; he hath as it were the strength of an unicorn," but then that one is explicitly metaphorical, with the whole 'as it were' thing there, so maybe isn't of any use in this argument), and I would have sooner seen more non-Psalms examples here, so that we might be forced to concentrate more readily on the meaning of the word itself, rather than just brushing it off as obviously lyrical. I'm not saying that the rest of the Bible isn't actually lyrical and poetic and metaphorical. I mean, the Tanach and that whole tradition of Biblical hermeneutics exist for a reason, and that reason is that some of us haven't been taking it literally at any point in the last, say...at least two millennia. Maybe you Christians might catch up with us one day :tt2:

I acknowledge, by the way, that this whole entirely literal, the word is the word is the word and means exactly what it says and nothing else...approach to Christianity probably isn't older than a few centuries, and has emerged more as a backlash to the Enlightenment than anything else. So don't none of you Christians come here saying 'yo yo yo we don't actually do all that literalist stuff you're talking about,' because I knooooow, I was just cracking a funny :)

[Red_Devotchka]

oh you unbelievers! everyone knows tht it's great pink invisible unicorn, the only real god :p

[ComradeMan]

Seeing as the one horned mutation is known in deer, goat and oryx and the Rabbi has given us a good definition of the original Hebrew word, I think we've cleared up this little mystery.;)

In defense of the original writers- bear in mind there was little printing, books were expensive and some of the European writers/translators had probably little or know idea of what a rhino even was, perhaps not even an oryx in the absence of the Discovery Channel.... ;)

[Die Rote Fahne]

oh you unbelievers! everyone knows tht it's great pink invisible unicorn, the only real god :p

That's what I'm sayin!

[Red_Devotchka]

hey, invisible pink unicorn is a religion :O even if satirical

[Hebrew Hammer]

I do think it's funny how this thread is addressed to Christians even thought the cited verses are from the ketuvim of the Tanakh and not their gospels.

[ComradeMan]

I do think it's funny how this thread is addressed to Christians even thought the cited verses are from the ketuvim of the Tanakh and not their gospels.

Never heard of the "Old Testament"?:rolleyes:

[Die Rote Fahne]

I do think it's funny how this thread is addressed to Christians even thought the cited verses are from the ketuvim of the Tanakh and not their gospels.

Where do you think christianity comes from?

[Hebrew Hammer]

Never heard of the "Old Testament"?:rolleyes:

Duh, I'm just saying, why are Jews not being included into this? Just thought it was kind of odd only Christians were being specifically asked, what, do they have ownership of that now?


Where do you think christianity comes from?

Yeah, I know, I'm just saying.