Unicorns and the Bible
Bodie Hodge, M.Sc., B.Sc., PEI
Biblical Authority Ministries May 13, 2025 (Donate)
But my horn shalt thou exalt like the horn of an unicorn: I shall be anointed with fresh oil. (Psalms 92:10, KJV)
Is The Bible A Laughingstock
Because It Mentions Unicorns?
After all, we all
know that unicorns are mythological one-horned white horses with magical
powers—right? Yet, right there in the Bible, the word “unicorn” appears—well,
in older translations and some foreign ones, that is. Consider these examples:
Numbers 23:22:
· Geneva: God brought them out of Egypt: their strength is as an unicorn.
· KJV: God brought them out of Egypt; he hath as it were the strength of an unicorn.
· TRC (Tyndale, Rogers, Coverdale): God that brought them out of Egypt, is as the strength of an unicorn unto them,
· Webster’s: God brought them out of Egypt; he hath as it were the strength of a unicorn.
· Coverdale’s: God hath brought the out of Egipte, his stregth is as of an Vnicorne.
· Wycliffe: The Lord God ledde hym out of Egipt, whos strengthe is lijk an vnicorn;
· Ainsworth: God brought them forth out of Egypt; he hath as the strengths of an unicorn.
Even some foreign
translations would use unicorn in the past as well. Consider these:
· Danish (1871): Gud er den, som førte dem ud af Ægypten, de have megen Styrke som Enhjørningen.
· Spanish (2017) RV: Dios los ha sacado de Egipto; tiene fuerzas como de unicornio.
Note that the Reina
Valera Spanish translation still used “unicorn” as recently as 2017. The term
“unicorn” in older Bible translations, such as the King James Version (KJV), is
a translation of the Hebrew word re’em (reim). This term appears nine
times in the Old Testament, including passages like Numbers 23:22, Deuteronomy
33:17, Job 39:9–12, and Psalm 29:6 and 92:10.
The re’em is
believed to refer to a real, now-extinct animal known for its strength and
untamable nature. The “unicorn” found in older Bible translations does not
refer to the mythical, horse-like creature popularized in modern folklore.
Many modern
scholars associate the re’em with the aurochs (Bos primigenius),
a massive, dual-horned wild ox that once roamed Europe and the Middle East. The
aurochs was known for its size and power, which partially aligns with the
biblical descriptions of the re’em. This interpretation is relatively
recent from a historical perspective.
The translation of re’em
as “unicorn” stems from very early translations. The Septuagint (LXX), a Greek
translation of the Hebrew Old Testament from around 200–250 BC, rendered re’em
as monokeros (meaning “one-horned”).
Jerome’s Latin
Vulgate (~AD 400), which prioritized translating from Hebrew over the LXX, used
unicornis. For example, Psalm 92:10 says, et exaltabitur sicut
unicornis cornu meum et senectus mea in misericordia uberi. These
translations preceded the usage of “unicorn” by Wycliffe, Tyndale, Webster, and
the KJV.
Again, in biblical
context, the re’em symbolizes immense strength and power. For instance,
Numbers 23:22 states: “God brought them out of Egypt; he hath as it were the
strength of an unicorn.” This metaphor emphasizes God’s might and the
formidable nature of the creature.
Furthermore, Job
39:9–10 portrays the re’em as untamable:
Will
the unicorn be willing to serve thee, or abide by thy crib? Canst thou bind the
unicorn with his band in the furrow? Or will he harrow the valleys after thee?
(KJV)
Modern Bible translations, in part aiming to avoid associations with the mythical unicorn, have replaced the term with “wild ox” (interpreted as aurochs, Bos primigenius). However, oxen—including aurochs—have been domesticated and used for plowing. They have been “banded in the furrow.”
Psalm 92:10 indicates that this creature has but one horn. Aurochs and oxen are a two-horned creatures. Therefore, this may not be the most accurate interpretation of re’em.
Nevertheless,
“unicorn” in older Bible translations refers not to a mythical creature, but to
a real, powerful animal known in ancient times—one that was strong and
untamable.
What Is A "Unicorn" In The Bible?
Interestingly, the Latin Vulgate (~AD 400) also calls this creature a rhinoceros. Numbers 23:22 in the Latin version says: Deus eduxit eum de Aegypto cuius fortitudo similis est rinocerotis. Notice the word rinocerotis—the Latin name for rhinoceros?
Anyone familiar
with the rhinoceros family should take notice. Most modern rhinoceroses are
two-horned (Rhinoceros bicornis), but there is still a living one-horned
species: the Indian Rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis). In the past, an
even larger one-horned rhinoceros roamed the earth: the elasmotherium—also
called the Giant Rhinoceros or the Giant Siberian Unicorn—which thrived in
Eurasia before eventually going extinct.
To add more
intrigue, the scientific names still used today include “unicorn”:
- Rhinoceros bicornis — two-horned
rhinoceros
- Rhinoceros unicornis —
one-horned rhinoceros
With little doubt,
the creature referenced in the Bible may well have been the massive one-horned Rhinoceros
unicornis, or even its larger relative, the elasmotherium—the Giant
Siberian Unicorn. Scholar Adam Clarke writes,
“The
animal in question, called reim, is undoubtedly the rhinoceros,
who has the latter name from the horn that grows on his nose. The
rhinoceros is known by the name of reim in Arabia to the present day. He
is allowed to be a savage animal, showing nothing of the intellect of the
elephant. His horn enables him to combat the latter with great success;
for, by putting his nose under the elephant’s belly, he can rip him up. His skin
is like armor, and so very hard as to resist sabers, javelins, lances, and even
musket-balls; the only penetrable parts being the belly, the eyes, and about
the ears.”[1]
Jaimeson, Faussett,
and Brown in their commentary on the Bible writes,
“The
Hebrew reem conveys the idea of loftiness and power
(compare Ramah; Indian, Ram; Latin, Roma). The rhinoceros was
perhaps the original type of the unicorn. The Arab rim is a two-horned
animal.”[2]
Scholars have often
entertained the one-horned rhino as the creature in question, but in days gone
by, any type of rhinoceros was rare and hard to access for study, unlike today.
Indian Rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis); Image by Clément Bardot, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rhinoc%C3%A9ros_Indien.JPG)
Conclusion
In biblical
context, the re’em symbolizes immense strength and untamable power.
People and animals alike avoid confrontation with rhinos. They are strong,
dangerous, and command respect. If you’re in their path—you move.
They fit the
description God uses of these creatures brilliantly. The one-horned rhinoceros
is a fitting metaphor to represent God’s strength and power, especially in the
context of leading the Israelites out of Egypt.
Most likely, re’em
refers to a variation of the single-horned rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis
or the larger elasmotherium), and this understanding is how early
translators arrived at the word “unicorn.”
