This is a continuing look into Psalm 22 as the music in Jesus’ heart as He endured the cross.
|
Masoretic Text |
Septuagint | ||
| Psalm 22:21 (Tanakh/KJV) | Psalm 22:21 (NET) | Psalm 21:22 (NETS) |
Psalm 21:22 (Elpenor English) |
| Save me from the lion’s mouth: for thou hast heard me from the horns of the unicorns (רֵמִ֣ים). | Rescue me from the mouth of the lion and from the horns of the wild oxen (rᵊ’ēm, רמים). You have answered me. | Save me from a lion’s mouth, and my lowliness from the horns of unicorns (μονοκερώτων)! | Save me from the lion’s mouth; and [regard] my lowliness from the horns of the unicorns (μονοκερώτων). |
The English word unicorn conjures an image “of fantasy or rarity[4]” in my mind (see picture), much like what is described in the Wikipedia article titled Unicorn.
The unicorn is a legendary creature that has been described since antiquity as a beast with a single large, pointed, spiraling horn projecting from its forehead.
In European literature and art, the unicorn has for the last thousand years or so been depicted as a white horse-like or goat-like animal with a long straight horn with spiralling grooves, cloven hooves, and sometimes a goat’s beard…In medieval and Renaissance times, the tusk of the narwhal was sometimes sold as a unicorn horn.
…An equine form of the unicorn was mentioned by the ancient Greeks in accounts of natural history by various writers, including Ctesias, Strabo, Pliny the Younger, Aelian[2] and Cosmas Indicopleustes.[3]
The note (50) in the NET reads:
The Hebrew term רֵמִים (remim) appears to be an alternate spelling of רְאֵמִים (rʾemim, “wild oxen”; see BDB 910 s.v. רְאֵם).
The Tanakh on chabad.org had wild oxen for רֵמִ֣ים (rᵊ’ēm). Though both English translations of the Septuagint had unicorns for μονοκερώτων (a form of μονόκερως), rhinoceros was also listed as a possible definition. Whatever this animal was called, יהוה (Yᵊhōvâ), the Lord (NET), gave a fairly detailed description of its relationship to human beings.
|
Masoretic Text |
Septuagint | ||
| Job 39:9-12 (Tanakh/KJV) | Job 39:9-12 (NET) | Job 39:9-12 (NETS) |
Job 39:9-12 (English Elpenor) |
| Will the unicorn (רֵ֣ים) be willing to serve thee, or abide by thy crib? | Is the wild ox (rᵊ’ēm, רים) willing to be your servant? Will it spend the night at your feeding trough? | “And will the unicorn (μονόκερως) be willing to be your slave or to lie down at your manger? | And will the unicorn (μονόκερως) be willing to serve thee, or to lie down at thy manger? |
| Canst thou bind the unicorn (רֵ֖ים) with his band in the furrow? or will he harrow the valleys after thee? | Can you bind the wild ox (rᵊ’ēm, רים) to a furrow with its rope; will it till the valleys, following after you? | And will you bind its yoke with straps, or will it draw your furrows in the plain? | And wilt thou bind his yoke with thongs, or will he plough furrows for thee in the plain? |
| Wilt thou trust (הֲתִבְטַח) him, because his strength is great? or wilt thou leave thy labour to him? | Will you rely (bāṭaḥ, התבטח) on it because its strength is great? Will you commit your labor to it? | Again, do you trust (πέποιθας) it, because its strength is great, and will you discharge to it your work? | And dost thou trust (πέποιθας) him, because his strength is great? and wilt thou commit thy works to him? |
| Wilt thou believe (הֲתַֽאֲמִ֣ין) him, that he will bring home thy seed, and gather it into thy barn? | Can you count (‘āman, התאמין) on it to bring in your grain and gather the grain to your threshing floor? | And will you believe (πιστεύσεις) that it will return your seed to you and bring it to your threshing floor? | And wilt thou believe (πιστεύσεις) that he will return to thee thy seed, and bring [it] in [to] thy threshing-floor? |
Though strong and probably admired for its strength, this animal was wild, not particularly useful or trustworthy for any necessary work. Here again רֵ֣ים (rᵊ’ēm) was translated wild ox in the Tanakh on chabad.org.
In the table below the behavior of a calf (ʿēḡel, עֵ֑גֶל) was compared to that of a young unicorn (rᵊ’ēm, רְאֵמִֽים) in the Masoretic text: the cedars of Lebanon…skip like a calf…and…like a young unicorn (Tanakh, KJV) or a young ox (NET).
|
Masoretic Text |
Septuagint | ||
| Psalm 29:5, 6 (Tanakh/KJV) | Psalm 29:5, 6 (NET) | Psalm 28:5, 6 (NETS) |
Psalm 28:5, 6 (English Elpenor) |
| The voice of the LORD breaketh the cedars; yea, the LORD breaketh the cedars of Lebanon. | The Lord’s shout breaks the cedars; the Lord shatters the cedars of Lebanon. | The Lord’s voice, as he crushes cedars, and the Lord will crush the cedars of Lebanon. | [There is] the voice of the Lord who breaks the cedars; the Lord will break the cedars of Libanus. |
| He maketh them also to skip like a calf (עֵ֑גֶל); Lebanon and Sirion like a young unicorn (רְאֵמִֽים). | He makes them skip like a calf (ʿēḡel, עגל), Lebanon and Sirion like a young ox (rᵊ’ēm, ראמים). | And he will pulverize them, as the bull calf (τὸν μόσχον), the Lebanon, and he that is beloved is like a son of unicorns (υἱὸς μονοκερώτων). | And he will beat them small, [even] Libanus itself, like a calf (τὸν μόσχον); and the beloved one is as a young unicorn (υἱὸς μονοκερώτων). |
The Septuagint reads differently than the Masoretic text. The calf (τὸν μόσχον) and the son of unicorns (υἱὸς μονοκερώτων) were still associated, though possibly contrasted there. I won’t spend time trying to decipher the apparent differences between the Masoretic text and the Septuagint. Here again רְאֵמִֽים (rᵊ’ēm) was translated a young wild ox in the Tanakh on chabad.org.
The next table, however, contains an intriguing detail.
|
Masoretic Text |
Septuagint | ||
| Psalm 92:10 (Tanakh/KJV) | Psalm 92:10 (NET) | Psalm 91:11 (NETS) |
Psalm 91:11 (English Elpenor) |
| But my horn shalt thou exalt like the horn of an unicorn (כִּרְאֵ֣ים): I shall be anointed with fresh oil. | You exalt my horn like that of a wild ox (rᵊ’ēm, כראים). I am covered with fresh oil. | And my horn will be exalted like a unicorn’s (μονοκέρωτος), and my old age with thick oil. | But my horn shall be exalted [as the horn] of a unicorn (μονοκέρωτος); and mine old age with rich mercy. |
According to the same article on Wikipedia:
A creature with a single horn, conventionally called a unicorn is the most common image [see picture] on the soapstone stamp seals of the Bronze Age Indus Valley Civilization (“IVC”), from the centuries around 2000 BC. It has a body more like a cow than a horse, and a curved horn that goes forward, then up at the tip.
It is interesting to wonder if the psalmist was thinking of a horn that curved up at the tip, or near the end. The Tanakh on chabad.org had a wild ox for כִּרְאֵ֣ים (rᵊ’ēm) here.
God (‘ēl, אל) was likened to the strength (NET) or glory (Septuagint) of a unicorn in Balaam’s (Numbers 22-24) second oracle.
|
Masoretic Text |
Septuagint | ||
| Numbers 23:22 (Tanakh) | Numbers 23:22 (NET) | Numbers 23:22 (NETS) |
Numbers 23:22 (Elpenor English) |
| G-d who brought them forth out of Egypt is for them like the lofty horns of the wild-ox (רְאֵ֖ם). | God brought them out of Egypt. They have, as it were, the strength of a wild bull (rᵊ’ēm, ראם). | God was the one who brought them out of Egypt; like a unicorn’s (μονοκέρωτος) glory he was to him, | It was God who brought him out of Egypt; he has as it were the glory of a unicorn (μονοκέρωτος). |
God has brought them out of Egypt with the strength of His loftiness, the Tanakh on chabad.org reads. In context this seems to relate to the firmness of his purpose:
|
Masoretic Text |
Septuagint | ||
| Numbers 23:19 (Tanakh) | Numbers 23:19 (NET) | Numbers 23:19 (NETS) |
Numbers 23:19 (Elpenor English) |
| G-d is not a man, that He should lie; neither the son of man, that He should repent: when He hath said, will He not do it? or when He hath spoken, will He not make it good? | God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a human being, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not make it happen? | God is not to be put upon like man, nor is he to be threatened like a son of man. When he himself has said, shall he not do? Shall he speak and not make good? | God is not as man to waver, nor as the son of man to be threatened; shall he say and not perform? shall he speak and not keep [to his word]? |
Balaam’s third oracle contains the same comparison to God but with a warning for Balak.
|
Masoretic Text |
Septuagint | ||
| Numbers 24:8, 9 (Tanakh) | Numbers 24:8, 9 (NET) | Numbers 24:8, 9 (NETS) |
Numbers 24:8, 9 (Elpenor English) |
| G-d who brought him forth out of Egypt is for him like the lofty horns of the wild-ox (רְאֵ֖ם); he shall eat up the nations that are his adversaries, and shall break their bones in pieces, and pierce them through with his arrows. | God brought them out of Egypt. They have, as it were, the strength of a young bull (rᵊ’ēm, ראם); they will devour hostile people, and will break their bones, and will pierce them through with arrows. | A god guided him out of Egypt; like a unicorn’s (μονοκέρωτος) glory he was to him. He shall devour his enemies’ nations and de-marrow their stoutness and shall shoot down an enemy with his missiles. | God led him out of Egypt; he has as it were the glory of a unicorn (μονοκέρωτος): he shall consume the nations of his enemies, and he shall drain their marrow, and with his darts he shall shoot through the enemy. |
| He couched, he lay down as a lion, and as a lioness; who shall rouse him up? Blessed be every one that blesseth thee, and cursed be every one that curseth thee. | They crouch and lie down like a lion, and as a lioness, who can stir him? Blessed is the one who blesses you, and cursed is the one who curses you!’” | He lay down and rested like a lion and like a whelp. Who will raise him up? Blessed are those who bless you, and cursed are those who curse you.” | He lay down, he rested as a lion, and as a young lion; who shall stir him up? they that bless thee are blessed, and they that curse thee are cursed. |
Balak had hired Balaam to curse Israel. Here רְאֵ֖ם (rᵊ’ēm) was translated loftiness in the Tanakh on chabad.org.
The next table is from the end of the blessing Moses pronounced upon the descendants of Joseph.
|
Masoretic Text |
Septuagint | ||
| Deuteronomy 33:17 (Tanakh) | Deuteronomy 33:17 (NET) | Deuteronomy 33:17 (NETS) |
Deuteronomy 33:17 (English Elpenor) |
| His firstling bullock, majesty is his; and his horns are the horns of the wild-ox (רְאֵם֙); with them he shall gore the peoples all of them, even the ends of the earth; and they are the ten thousands of Ephraim, and they are the thousands of Manasseh. | May the firstborn of his bull bring him honor, and may his horns be those of a wild ox (rᵊ’ēm, ראם); with them may he gore all peoples, all the far reaches of the earth. They are the ten thousands of Ephraim, and they are the thousands of Manasseh.” | A firstborn of a bull—his beauty! His horns are horns of a unicorn (μονοκέρωτος); with them he will gore nations, all at once as far as earth’s end. These are the myriads of Ephraim; these the thousands of Manasse. | His beauty [is as] the firstling of his bull, his horns [are] the horns of a unicorn (μονοκέρωτος); with them he shall thrust the nations at once, even from the end of the earth: these [are] the ten thousands of Ephraim, and these [are] the thousands of Manasse. |
Here the horns of the wild ox (rᵊ’ēm, רְאֵם֙) symbolize the strength of Ephraim and Manasseh to gore all peoples…of the earth. In the Tanakh on chabad.org the Hebrew was transliterated re’em.
In the next table the unicorns (Tanakh, KJV) are among those animals killed in a sacrifice of the Lord in the Masoretic text.
|
Masoretic Text |
Septuagint | ||
| Isaiah 34:6, 7 (Tanakh/KJV) | Isaiah 34:6, 7 (NET) | Isaiah 34:6, 7 (NETS) |
Isaiah 34:6, 7 (English Elpenor) |
| The sword of the LORD is filled with blood, it is made fat with fatness, and with the blood of lambs and goats, with the fat of the kidneys of rams: for the LORD hath a sacrifice in Bozrah, and a great slaughter in the land of Idumea. | The Lord’s sword is dripping with blood, it is covered with fat; it drips with the blood of young rams and goats and is covered with the fat of rams’ kidneys. For the Lord is holding a sacrifice in Bozrah, a bloody slaughter in the land of Edom. | The dagger of the Lord is filled with blood; it is gorged with the fat of lambs and with the fat of goats and rams, because the Lord has a sacrifice in Bosor and a great slaughter in Idumea. | The sword of the Lord is filled with blood, it is glutted with fat, with the blood of goats and lambs, and with the fat of goats and rams: for the Lord has a sacrifice in Bosor, and a great slaughter in Idumea. |
| And the unicorns (רְאֵמִים֙) shall come down with them, and the bullocks with the bulls; and their land shall be soaked with blood, and their dust made fat with fatness. | Wild oxen (rᵊ’ēm, ראמים) will be slaughtered along with them, as well as strong bulls. Their land is drenched with blood, their soil is covered with fat. | And the prominent ones (ἁδροὶ) shall fall with them, both the rams and the bulls. And the land shall become drunk with blood, and it shall be filled with fat. | And the mighty ones (ἁδροὶ) shall fall with them, and the rams and the bulls; and the land shall be soaked with blood, and shall be filled with their fat. |
But the rabbis who translated the Septuagint understood רְאֵמִים֙ (rᵊ’ēm) as an allusion to ἁδροὶ (a form of ἁδρός), prominent ones (NETS), mighty ones (English Elpenor). I’ll pick this up in another essay.
Tables comparing Psalm 22:21; Job 39:9; 39:10; 39:11; 39:12; Psalm 29:5; 29:6; 92:10; Numbers 23:22; 23:19; 24:8; 24:9; Deuteronomy 33:17; Isaiah 34:6 and 34:7 in the Tanakh, KJV and NET, and tables comparing the Greek of Psalm 22:21 (21:22); Job 39:9; 39:10; 39:11; 39:12; Psalm 29:5 (28:5); 29:6 (28:6); 92:10 (91:11); Numbers 23:22; 23:19; 24:8; 24:9; Deuteronomy 33:17; Isaiah 34:6 and 34:7 in the Septuagint (BLB and Elpenor) follow.
| Psalm 22:21 (KJV) | ||
| Save me from the lion’s mouth: for thou hast heard me from the horns of the unicorns. | Save me from the lion’s mouth: for thou hast heard me from the horns of the unicorns. | Rescue me from the mouth of the lion and from the horns of the wild oxen. You have answered me. |
| σῶσόν με ἐκ στόματος λέοντος καὶ ἀπὸ κεράτων μονοκερώτων τὴν ταπείνωσίν μου | σῶσόν με ἐκ στόματος λέοντος καὶ ἀπὸ κεράτων μονοκερώτων τὴν ταπείνωσίν μου |
| Save me from a lion’s mouth, and my lowliness from the horns of unicorns! | Save me from the lion’s mouth; and [regard] my lowliness from the horns of the unicorns. |
| Job 39:9 (KJV) | ||
| Will the unicorn be willing to serve thee, or abide by thy crib? | Will the unicorn be willing to serve thee, or abide by thy crib? | Is the wild ox willing to be your servant? Will it spend the night at your feeding trough? |
| βουλήσεται δέ σοι μονόκερως δουλεῦσαι ἢ κοιμηθῆναι ἐπὶ φάτνης σου | βουλήσεται δέ σοι μονόκερως δουλεῦσαι ἢ κοιμηθῆναι ἐπὶ φάτνης σου |
| “And will the unicorn be willing to be your slave or to lie down at your manger? | And will the unicorn be willing to serve thee, or to lie down at thy manger? |
| Job 39:10 (KJV) | ||
| Canst thou bind the unicorn with his band in the furrow? or will he harrow the valleys after thee? | Canst thou bind the unicorn with his band in the furrow? or will he harrow the valleys after thee? | Can you bind the wild ox to a furrow with its rope; will it till the valleys, following after you? |
| δήσεις δὲ ἐν ἱμᾶσι ζυγὸν αὐτοῦ ἢ ἑλκύσει σου αὔλακας ἐν πεδίῳ | δήσεις δὲ ἐν ἱμᾶσι ζυγὸν αὐτοῦ ἢ ἑλκύσει σου αὔλακας ἐν πεδίῳ |
| And will you bind its yoke with straps, or will it draw your furrows in the plain? | And wilt thou bind his yoke with thongs, or will he plough furrows for thee in the plain? |
| Job 39:11 (KJV) | ||
| Wilt thou trust him, because his strength is great? or wilt thou leave thy labour to him? | Wilt thou trust him, because his strength is great? or wilt thou leave thy labour to him? | Will you rely on it because its strength is great? Will you commit your labor to it? |
| πέποιθας δὲ ἐπ᾽ αὐτῷ ὅτι πολλὴ ἡ ἰσχὺς αὐτοῦ ἐπαφήσεις δὲ αὐτῷ τὰ ἔργα σου | πέποιθας δὲ ἐπ᾿ αὐτῷ, ὅτι πολλὴ ἡ ἰσχὺς αὐτοῦ, ἐπαφήσεις δὲ αὐτῷ τὰ ἔργα σου |
| Again, do you trust it, because its strength is great, and will you discharge to it your work? | And dost thou trust him, because his strength is great? and wilt thou commit thy works to him? |
| Job 39:12 (KJV) | ||
| Wilt thou believe him, that he will bring home thy seed, and gather it into thy barn? | Wilt thou believe him, that he will bring home thy seed, and gather it into thy barn? | Can you count on it to bring in your grain and gather the grain to your threshing floor? |
| πιστεύσεις δὲ ὅτι ἀποδώσει σοι τὸν σπόρον εἰσοίσει δέ σου τὸν ἅλωνα | πιστεύσεις δὲ ὅτι ἀποδώσει σοι τὸν σπόρον, εἰσοίσει δέ σου τὸν ἅλωνα |
| And will you believe that it will return your seed to you and bring it to your threshing floor? | And wilt thou believe that he will return to thee thy seed, and bring [it] in [to] thy threshing-floor? |
| Psalm 29:5 (KJV) | ||
| The voice of the LORD breaketh the cedars; yea, the LORD breaketh the cedars of Lebanon. | The voice of the LORD breaketh the cedars; yea, the LORD breaketh the cedars of Lebanon. | The Lord’s shout breaks the cedars; the Lord shatters the cedars of Lebanon. |
| φωνὴ κυρίου συντρίβοντος κέδρους καὶ συντρίψει κύριος τὰς κέδρους τοῦ Λιβάνου | φωνὴ Κυρίου συντρίβοντος κέδρους, καὶ συντρίψει Κύριος τὰς κέδρους τοῦ Λιβάνου |
| The Lord’s voice, as he crushes cedars, and the Lord will crush the cedars of Lebanon. | [There is] the voice of the Lord who breaks the cedars; the Lord will break the cedars of Libanus. |
| Psalm 29:6 (KJV) | ||
| He maketh them also to skip like a calf; Lebanon and Sirion like a young unicorn. | He maketh them also to skip like a calf; Lebanon and Sirion like a young unicorn. | He makes them skip like a calf, Lebanon and Sirion like a young ox. |
| καὶ λεπτυνεῗ αὐτὰς ὡς τὸν μόσχον τὸν Λίβανον καὶ ὁ ἠγαπημένος ὡς υἱὸς μονοκερώτων | καὶ λεπτυνεῖ αὐτὰς ὡς τὸν μόσχον τὸν Λίβανον, καὶ ὁ ἠγαπημένος ὡς υἱὸς μονοκερώτων |
| And he will pulverize them, as the bull calf, the Lebanon, and he that is beloved is like a son of unicorns. | And he will beat them small, [even] Libanus itself, like a calf; and the beloved one is as a young unicorn. |
| Psalm 92:10 (KJV) | ||
| But my horn shalt thou exalt like the horn of an unicorn: I shall be anointed with fresh oil. | But my horn shalt thou exalt like the horn of an unicorn: I shall be anointed with fresh oil. | You exalt my horn like that of a wild ox. I am covered with fresh oil. |
| καὶ ὑψωθήσεται ὡς μονοκέρωτος τὸ κέρας μου καὶ τὸ γῆράς μου ἐν ἐλαίῳ πίονι | καὶ ὑψωθήσεται ὡς μονοκέρωτος τὸ κέρας μου καὶ τὸ γῆράς μου ἐν ἐλαίῳ πίονι |
| And my horn will be exalted like a unicorn’s, and my old age with thick oil. | But my horn shall be exalted [as the horn] of a unicorn; and mine old age with rich mercy. |
| Numbers 23:22 (KJV) | ||
| G-d who brought them forth out of Egypt is for them like the lofty horns of the wild-ox. | God brought them out of Egypt; he hath as it were the strength of an unicorn. | God brought them out of Egypt. They have, as it were, the strength of a wild bull. |
| θεὸς ὁ ἐξαγαγὼν αὐτοὺς ἐξ Αἰγύπτου ὡς δόξα μονοκέρωτος αὐτῷ | Θεὸς ὁ ἐξαγαγὼν αὐτοὺς ἐξ Αἰγύπτου· ὡς δόξα μονοκέρωτος αὐτῷ |
| God was the one who brought them out of Egypt; like a unicorn’s glory he was to him, | It was God who brought him out of Egypt; he has as it were the glory of a unicorn. |
| Numbers 23:19 (KJV) | ||
| G-d is not a man, that He should lie; neither the son of man, that He should repent: when He hath said, will He not do it? or when He hath spoken, will He not make it good? | God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good? | God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a human being, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not make it happen? |
| οὐχ ὡς ἄνθρωπος ὁ θεὸς διαρτηθῆναι οὐδὲ ὡς υἱὸς ἀνθρώπου ἀπειληθῆναι αὐτὸς εἴπας οὐχὶ ποιήσει λαλήσει καὶ οὐχὶ ἐμμενεῗ | οὐχ ὡς ἄνθρωπος ὁ Θεὸς διαρτηθῆναι, οὐδ’ ὡς υἱὸς ἀνθρώπου ἀπειληθῆναι· αὐτὸς εἴπας, οὐχὶ ποιήσει; λαλήσει, καὶ οὐχὶ ἐμμενεῖ |
| God is not to be put upon like man, nor is he to be threatened like a son of man. When he himself has said, shall he not do? Shall he speak and not make good? | God is not as man to waver, nor as the son of man to be threatened; shall he say and not perform? shall he speak and not keep [to his word]? |
| Numbers 24:8 (KJV) | ||
| G-d who brought him forth out of Egypt is for him like the lofty horns of the wild-ox; he shall eat up the nations that are his adversaries, and shall break their bones in pieces, and pierce them through with his arrows. | God brought him forth out of Egypt; he hath as it were the strength of an unicorn: he shall eat up the nations his enemies, and shall break their bones, and pierce them through with his arrows. | God brought them out of Egypt. They have, as it were, the strength of a young bull; they will devour hostile people, and will break their bones, and will pierce them through with arrows. |
| θεὸς ὡδήγησεν αὐτὸν ἐξ Αἰγύπτου ὡς δόξα μονοκέρωτος αὐτῷ ἔδεται ἔθνη ἐχθρῶν αὐτοῦ καὶ τὰ πάχη αὐτῶν ἐκμυελιεῗ καὶ ταῗς βολίσιν αὐτοῦ κατατοξεύσει ἐχθρόν | Θεὸς ὡδήγησεν αὐτὸν ἐξ Αἰγύπτου, ὡς δόξα μονοκέρωτος αὐτῷ· ἔδεται ἔθνη ἐχθρῶν αὐτοῦ καὶ τὰ πάχη αὐτῶν ἐκμυελιεῖ καὶ ταῖς βολίσιν αὐτοῦ κατατοξεύσει ἐχθρόν |
| A god guided him out of Egypt; like a unicorn’s glory he was to him. He shall devour his enemies’ nations and de-marrow their stoutness and shall shoot down an enemy with his missiles. | God led him out of Egypt; he has as it were the glory of a unicorn: he shall consume the nations of his enemies, and he shall drain their marrow, and with his darts he shall shoot through the enemy. |
| Numbers 24:9 (KJV) | ||
| He couched, he lay down as a lion, and as a lioness; who shall rouse him up? Blessed be every one that blesseth thee, and cursed be every one that curseth thee. | He couched, he lay down as a lion, and as a great lion: who shall stir him up? Blessed is he that blesseth thee, and cursed is he that curseth thee. | They crouch and lie down like a lion, and as a lioness, who can stir him? Blessed is the one who blesses you, and cursed is the one who curses you!’” |
| κατακλιθεὶς ἀνεπαύσατο ὡς λέων καὶ ὡς σκύμνος τίς ἀναστήσει αὐτόν οἱ εὐλογοῦντές σε εὐλόγηνται καὶ οἱ καταρώμενοί σε κεκατήρανται | κατακλιθεὶς ἀνεπαύσατο ὡς λέων καὶ ὡς σκύμνος· τίς ἀναστήσει αὐτόν; οἱ εὐλογοῦντές σε εὐλόγηνται, καὶ οἱ καταρώμενοί σε κεκατήρανται |
| He lay down and rested like a lion and like a whelp. Who will raise him up? Blessed are those who bless you, and cursed are those who curse you.” | He lay down, he rested as a lion, and as a young lion; who shall stir him up? they that bless thee are blessed, and they that curse thee are cursed. |
| Deuteronomy 33:17 (KJV) | ||
| His firstling bullock, majesty is his; and his horns are the horns of the wild-ox; with them he shall gore the peoples all of them, even the ends of the earth; and they are the ten thousands of Ephraim, and they are the thousands of Manasseh. | His glory is like the firstling of his bullock, and his horns are like the horns of unicorns: with them he shall push the people together to the ends of the earth: and they are the ten thousands of Ephraim, and they are the thousands of Manasseh. | May the firstborn of his bull bring him honor, and may his horns be those of a wild ox; with them may he gore all peoples, all the far reaches of the earth. They are the ten thousands of Ephraim, and they are the thousands of Manasseh.” |
| πρωτότοκος ταύρου τὸ κάλλος αὐτοῦ κέρατα μονοκέρωτος τὰ κέρατα αὐτοῦ ἐν αὐτοῗς ἔθνη κερατιεῗ ἅμα ἕως ἐπ᾽ ἄκρου γῆς αὗται μυριάδες Εφραιμ καὶ αὗται χιλιάδες Μανασση | πρωτότοκος ταύρου τὸ κάλλος αὐτοῦ, κέρατα μονοκέρωτος τὰ κέρατα αὐτοῦ· ἐν αὐτοῖς ἔθνη κερατιεῖ ἅμα ἕως ἀπ᾿ ἄκρου γῆς. αὗται μυριάδες ᾿Εφραΐμ, καὶ αὗται χιλιάδες Μανασσῆ |
| A firstborn of a bull—his beauty! His horns are horns of a unicorn; with them he will gore nations, all at once as far as earth’s end. These are the myriads of Ephraim; these the thousands of Manasse. | His beauty [is as] the firstling of his bull, his horns [are] the horns of a unicorn; with them he shall thrust the nations at once, even from the end of the earth: these [are] the ten thousands of Ephraim, and these [are] the thousands of Manasse. |
| Isaiah 34:6 (Tanakh) | Isaiah 34:6 (KJV) | |
| The sword of the LORD is filled with blood, it is made fat with fatness, and with the blood of lambs and goats, with the fat of the kidneys of rams: for the LORD hath a sacrifice in Bozrah, and a great slaughter in the land of Idumea. | The sword of the LORD is filled with blood, it is made fat with fatness, and with the blood of lambs and goats, with the fat of the kidneys of rams: for the LORD hath a sacrifice in Bozrah, and a great slaughter in the land of Idumea. | The Lord’s sword is dripping with blood, it is covered with fat; it drips with the blood of young rams and goats and is covered with the fat of rams’ kidneys. For the Lord is holding a sacrifice in Bozrah, a bloody slaughter in the land of Edom. |
| ἡ μάχαιρα κυρίου ἐνεπλήσθη αἵματος ἐπαχύνθη ἀπὸ στέατος ἀρνῶν καὶ ἀπὸ στέατος τράγων καὶ κριῶν ὅτι θυσία κυρίῳ ἐν Βοσορ καὶ σφαγὴ μεγάλη ἐν τῇ Ιδουμαίᾳ | ἡ μάχαιρα τοῦ Κυρίου ἐνεπλήσθη αἵματος, ἐπαχύνθη ἀπὸ στέατος ἀρνῶν καὶ ἀπὸ στέατος τράγων καὶ κριῶν· ὅτι θυσία τῷ Κυρίῳ ἐν Βοσὸρ καὶ σφαγὴ μεγάλη ἐν τῇ ᾿Ιδουμαίᾳ |
| The dagger of the Lord is filled with blood; it is gorged with the fat of lambs and with the fat of goats and rams, because the Lord has a sacrifice in Bosor and a great slaughter in Idumea. | The sword of the Lord is filled with blood, it is glutted with fat, with the blood of goats and lambs, and with the fat of goats and rams: for the Lord has a sacrifice in Bosor, and a great slaughter in Idumea. |
| Isaiah 34:7 (KJV) | ||
| And the unicorns shall come down with them, and the bullocks with the bulls; and their land shall be soaked with blood, and their dust made fat with fatness. | And the unicorns shall come down with them, and the bullocks with the bulls; and their land shall be soaked with blood, and their dust made fat with fatness. | Wild oxen will be slaughtered along with them, as well as strong bulls. Their land is drenched with blood, their soil is covered with fat. |
| καὶ συμπεσοῦνται οἱ ἁδροὶ μετ᾽ αὐτῶν καὶ οἱ κριοὶ καὶ οἱ ταῦροι καὶ μεθυσθήσεται ἡ γῆ ἀπὸ τοῦ αἵματος καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ στέατος αὐτῶν ἐμπλησθήσεται | καὶ συμπεσοῦνται οἱ ἁδροὶ μετ᾿ αὐτῶν καὶ οἱ κριοὶ καὶ οἱ ταῦροι, καὶ μεθυσθήσεται ἡ γῆ ἀπὸ τοῦ αἵματος καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ στέατος αὐτῶν ἐμπλησθήσεται |
| And the prominent ones shall fall with them, both the rams and the bulls. And the land shall become drunk with blood, and it shall be filled with fat. | And the mighty ones shall fall with them, and the rams and the bulls; and the land shall be soaked with blood, and shall be filled with their fat. |