Psalms 114:4 — Word Study
WLCהֶֽ֭הָרִים רָקְד֣וּ כְאֵילִ֑ים גְּ֝בָע֗וֹת כִּבְנֵי־ צֹֽאן׃
BSAthe mountainshar [jumping with joy, like goats] skippedrâqad■ like ramsʼayil [a mighty man; a post] the hillsgibʻâh [small elevations] like lambsbên [young sheep, innocent]
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| הֶֽ֭הָרִים | the mountains | Particle, noun common masculine plural absolute |
| רָקְד֣וּ | they skipped about | Verb, Qal, perfect third person common plural |
| כְאֵילִ֑ים | like rams | Preposition, noun common masculine plural absolute |
| גְּ֝בָע֗וֹת | hills | Noun common, feminine plural absolute |
| כִּבְנֵי־ | like young ones of | Preposition, noun common masculine plural construct |
| צֹֽאן׃ | sheep | Noun common, both singular absolute |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | the mountains skipped like rams, the hills like lambs. |
| KJV | The mountains skipped like rams, and the little hills like lambs. |
| ASV | The mountains skipped like rams, The little hills like lambs. |
| YLT | The mountains have skipped as rams, Heights as sons of a flock. |
| WEB | The mountains skipped like rams, the little hills like lambs. |
| BBE | The mountains were jumping like goats, and the little hills like lambs. |
Where they part company is רָקְד֣וּ — see How Translations Differ.
Two main subjects with their respective comparisons create a parallel structure, enhancing the poetic nature of the verse.
8 commentators on this verse
Gill, Jamieson, Poole, Trapp & more — read them ›
clause
subjectגִּבְעָה
verbרָקַד
The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
Every word here is used elsewhere in the Old Testament.
Bars are logarithmic — אֵת, the commonest word in the Hebrew Bible, stands about 11,000 times, so a linear scale would leave everything else invisible. Click a row to open that word.
Deep Study — Psalms 114:4
Sections marked generated are written from the data on this page rather than by a named author. Everything else — the lexicon entries, the cross references, the manuscript readings, the counts — is quoted from its source unchanged.
Context — The Response of Naturegenerated
Psalm 114:4 illustrates a vivid scene where the mountains and hills respond to God's presence with joy, depicted through the act of skipping. This verse is part of a larger narrative that describes the miraculous events during the Exodus, emphasizing God's power over creation. The imagery evokes a sense of celebration and awe, as nature itself seems to participate in the divine action, reminiscent of other passages that highlight God's might, such as Exodus 19:18.
Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Psalm 39:6 | Surely every man goes about like a phantom; surely he bustles in vain; he heaps up riches not knowing who will haul them away. |
| 2 | Psalm 68:16 | Why do you gaze in envy, O mountains of many peaks? This is the mountain God chose for His dwelling, where the LORD will surely dwell forever. |
| 3 | Exodus 19:18 | Mount Sinai was completely enveloped in smoke, because the LORD had descended on it in fire. And the smoke rose like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked violently. |
| 4 | Exodus 20:18 | When all the people witnessed the thunder and lightning, the sounding of the ram’s horn, and the mountain enveloped in smoke, they trembled and stood at a distance. |
| 5 | Judges 5:4–5 | O LORD, when You went out from Seir, when You marched from the land of Edom, the earth trembled, the heavens poured out rain, and the clouds poured down water. |
The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 11 references, hung on the phrase they belong to
The Key Word — רָקְד֣וּ, ra.ke.Dugenerated
The verb רָקַד (raqad) means 'to skip about' or 'to leap', conveying a sense of lively movement often associated with joy. This word is used to describe celebratory actions, such as dancing or joyful jumping, which aligns with the context of nature rejoicing.
In this verse, the use of רָקְד֣וּ indicates that the mountains are not just moving, but doing so with a sense of excitement and jubilation, reflecting the grandeur of God's actions.
How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated
This study reads the verse in the Berean Standard Bible, so the BSB is the wording every comparison below is made against.
Sentence Structuregenerated
The structure of the verse features a main clause with a finite verb רָקְד֣וּ, they skipped, followed by two prepositional phrases that describe the subjects: הֶֽ֭הָרִים and גְּ֝בָע֗וֹת. This arrangement emphasizes the action of skipping as the focal point.
The Hebrew word order places the subjects before the verb, highlighting the mountains and hills as the primary actors in this joyful response.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
In the Septuagint, the Hebrew רָקְד֣וּ is rendered as ἐσκίρτησαν, which carries a similar meaning of leaping or skipping. This choice reflects the translators' understanding of the joyous nature of the movement described.
The Greek term ἐσκίρτησαν emphasizes the lively and spirited action, aligning with the overall theme of nature rejoicing in God's presence.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Psalm 114:4 describes how the mountains and hills joyfully skip as if they were rams and lambs. This poetic imagery illustrates nature's response to God's power, emphasizing a celebration of His might.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
The skipping of the mountains symbolizes joy and celebration in response to God's powerful actions.
Hills are compared to lambs to evoke innocence and gentleness, contrasting with the strength of the mountains.
This verse reflects the miraculous events during the Exodus, where nature itself responded to God's presence and power.
Similar imagery can be found in passages like Psalm 68:16 and Exodus 20:18, where creation responds to God's actions.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- What does the joyful imagery of nature tell us about God's power and presence?
- How can we see God's hand in the natural world around us?
- What does it mean for us to 'skip' in joy like the mountains when we experience God's goodness?
- How can we respond to God's actions in our lives with joy and celebration?
Commentators on this verse — 8 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Psalms 114:4 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire BibleThe mountains skipped like rams,.... The mountains of Sinai and Horeb quaked and moved at the presence of the Lord, when he descended thereon to give the law; these saw his glory and trembled, Exodus 19:18.
Read John Gill on Psalms 114 →Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryThe mountains skipped like rams, and the little hills like lambs. The mountains (namely, Sinai) skipped like rams, and the little hills like lambs - (Psalms 29:6). The fact alluded to is Exodus 19:18 (cf.
Read Robert Jamieson on Psalms 114 →Matthew Poole1624–1679Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy BibleHoreb and Sinai, two tops of one mountain, and other neighbouring hills or mountains. Compare ,10.
Read Matthew Poole on Psalms 114 →John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New TestamentsPsalms 114:4 The mountains skipped like rams, [and] the little hills like lambs.Ver. 4. The mountains skipped like rams] sc. At the giving of the law, Exodus 19:18, which also causeth heartquakes in believers; but the unjust knoweth no shame, Zephaniah 3:5; is past feeling, Ephesians 4:19.
Read John Trapp on Psalms 114 →Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers(4) Skipped.—The Hebrew word thus rendered is translated “dance” in Ecclesiastes 3:4. (See Psalms 18:7.) Exodus 19:18 was no doubt in the poet’s thought, but the leaping of the hills formed part of every theophany.
Read Charles John Ellicott on Psalms 114 →CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges4. A poetical description of the earthquake which accompanied the giving of the Law at Sinai (Exodus 19:18; cp. Judges 5:4; Psalms 68:8). For the figure cp. Psalms 29:6.
Read Cambridge on Psalms 114 →Albert Barnes1798–1870Barnes' Notes on the BibleThe mountains skipped like rams - As flocks in their gambols. They seemed to move from place to place; everything seemed to be unsettled, and acknowledged the presence of the Omnipotent One.
Read Albert Barnes on Psalms 114 →Daniel Denison Whedon1808–1885Whedon's Commentary on the Bible4. Mountains skipped—That is, Horeb and Sinai moved to and fro. The word rendered skip, here, indicates a hasty, undulating motion, a coming and retiring, as from fright.
Read Daniel Denison Whedon on Psalms 114 →The verse in English, compared — 17 translations, and where they part company
Every translation on this page is a decision someone had to make and commit to. Read down a column and you see one translator's judgement; read across a row and you see the range the Greek actually allows. The BSB is the wording the rest of this page is measured against, so it is listed first.
Modern formal
the mountains skipped like rams, the hills like lambs.
The mountains skipped like rams, the little hills like lambs.
the mountains skipped like rams, the hills like lambs.
The mountains skipped like rams, the hills like lambs.
Tyndale line
The mountains skipped like rams, and the little hills like lambs.
The mountains skipped like rams, The little hills like lambs.
The mountains skipped like rams, the little hills like young sheep.
The mountains skipped like rams, and the little hills like lambs.
The mountaines leaped like rams, and the hils as lambes.
Strictly literal
The mountains skipped like rams, the hills like lambs.
The mountains have skipped as rams, Heights as sons of a flock.
The mountains have skipped as rams, || Heights as sons of a flock.
The mountains skipped like wethers, the hills like lambs.
The mountains skipped like rams, the hills skipped like lambs.
From the Latin
And I called upon the name of the Lord. O Lord, deliver my soul.
Simplified
Mountains jumped in fright like rams, hills startled like lambs.
The mountains were jumping like goats, and the little hills like lambs.
Counted from the translations carried on this site, not from a survey of every English Bible. A rendering shared by many versions is usually inherited rather than independently arrived at — the Tyndale line in particular runs through most of them.
The sentence as the grammar sees it — from the MACULA Hebrew treebank
This is not our own analysis: it is the scholarly syntax tree for the verse, showing how the clause actually holds together.
Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.
The four witnesses to this verse — Masoretic, Septuagint, Samaritan, Qumran
The Masoretic Text and the Septuagint agree on the wording of this verse, with all six words matched in the Hebrew and Greek texts. This consistency highlights the shared understanding of the joyful imagery presented in the verse.
הֶֽ֭הָרִים רָקְד֣וּ כְאֵילִ֑ים גְּ֝בָע֗וֹת כִּבְנֵי־ צֹֽאן׃
6 of the 6 words are matched. This is the word-by-word correspondence, not the Septuagint's own sentence — its word order and its articles are its own.
Four traditions, not one. “On the leather” means the letters physically survive on the scroll, as against letters an editor has supplied to fill a hole in it — a restoration is a scholar’s reading, not a reading of the manuscript. Words in [square brackets] are supplied; the notes count them apart from what survives.
The map of this verse — what each word keeps company with
This is a map of two things, both counted rather than judged. Company kept: which words stand within three words of each of these, anywhere in the Hebrew Bible — the thicker the line, the more often the pair meet compared with chance. Built from: the words a word is made out of, taken from its own Strong’s entry. It is not a map of meaning: nothing here claims two words mean the same thing. Click any circle to see the numbers behind it.
Lexicons — every word in Psalms 114:4
One dossier per word, with every reference work grouped by kind — Hebrew lexicons, morphology, Bible dictionaries, topical chains and the English of the translators themselves. The verse sits at the head of each block with the word under study lit, so you never lose your place. The panel above gives the short answer; this is the long one, and it is the part of the page worth indexing.
Every entry below is the lexicographer's own text. On the Hebrew: Brown-Driver-Briggs entire and its gloss set, Strong's Hebrew Dictionary, and Tyndale House's Translators Brief lexicon. Where a cell says a work has no entry, that work genuinely has none for this word.
הַר (har) means 'mountain' or 'hill,' and can refer to a range of hills or hill-country. It is derived from a root that suggests elevation and can be used figuratively. The entries consistently highlight its geographical connotations without significant disagreement.
הַר 568 n.m. mountain, hill, hill-country
mountain, hill
hill-country, mountain-region
base
H2022 הַר mountain, hill, hill-country
2022 har har
a shortened form of 2042; a mountain or range of hills
(sometimes used figuratively):--hill (country), mount(-ain), X
promotion.
see HEBREW for 02042
הַר (har) — mountain: mount.
: mount/hill
hill, mountain, hill country, mount
הַר (har) — mountain: hill country.
: hill_country
hill, mountain, hill country, mount
A sub-meaning of har (הַר ": mount" H2022)
Art | N-mp — Particle · noun common masculine plural absoluteHTd/Ncmpa
Are among the most sublime and impressive of the Creator’s works on earth, and from the noblest and most enduring monuments of great events. Most of the mountains of Scripture thus stand as witnesses for God—every view of their lofty summits, and every recurrence to them in thought reminding us of the sacred facts and truths connected with them. Thus Mount Ararat is a standing memorial of the deluge of man’s sin, God’s justice, and God’s mercy. Mount Sinai asserts the terrors of the divine law. Mount Carmel summons us, like the prophet Elijah of old, not to "halt between two opinions;" but if Jehovah is God, to love and serve him. The mount of the Transfiguration still shines with the glory of the truths there taught, and Mounts Ebal and Gerizim still echo the curses and the blessings once so solemnly pronounced from them. So Mount Hor, Nebo, Lebanon, and Gilboa have been signalized by…
- The elevated parts of the earth
Ge 7:19,20
- GOD
. Formed
. Set fast
. Gives strength to
. Weighs, in a balance
. Waters, from his chambers
רָקַד (raqad) is a Hebrew verb meaning to skip about or leap. It encompasses various forms including dancing and jumping, with specific uses in different stems: Qal for skipping, Piel for dancing, and Hiphil for causing others to skip. The entries highlight a joyful or lively movement, but do not provide specific verse references.
רָקַד vb. skip about
Qal skip about
Pi. dance, leap
Hiph. he (י׳) made them skip like calves
base
H7540 רָקַד skip about
7540 raqad raw-kad'
a primitive root; properly, to stamp, i.e. to spring about
(wildly or for joy):--dance, jump, leap, skip.
רָקַד (ra.qad) — to skip about.
1) to skip about
1a) (Qal) to skip about
1b) (Piel) to dance, leap
1c) (Hiphil) to make to skip
V-Qal-Perf-3cp — Verb · Qal · perfect third person common pluralHVqp3cp
a-bout': The use of this word as a preposition, in the sense of "around," is confined to the Old Testament. In the New Testament, generally an adverb, for Greek hos or "hosei." The Revised Version (British and American) adopts it in several idiomatic translations of mello, referring to what is about to be, i.e. on the point of occurring, or immediately impending, amending the King James Version, in Ac 5:35; 27:2; Re 12:4, etc.
אַ֫יִל (ayil) encompasses several meanings, including 'ram,' 'projecting pillar or pilaster,' 'leader or chief,' and 'terebinth.' It is derived from a root meaning strength, suggesting a connection to might and support. The term appears in various contexts, reflecting its diverse applications in the Old Testament.
אַ֫יִל 156 n.m. ram (as leader of flock)
base
אַ֫יִל n.[m.] projecting pillar or pilaster
base
[אַ֫יִל ?] n.m. leader, chief
base
[אַ֫יִל ?] n.m. terebinth
base
H352a אַ֫יִל ram H352b אַ֫יִל projecting pillar or pilaster H352c אַ֫יִל leader, chief H352d אַ֫יִל terebinth
352 'ayil ah'-yil
from the same as 193; properly, strength; hence, anything
strong; specifically a chief (politically); also a ram (from
his strength); a pilaster (as a strong support); an oak or
other strong tree:--mighty (man), lintel, oak, post, ram,
tree.
see HEBREW for 0193
אַ֫יִל (a.yil) — ram.
1) ram
1a) ram (as food)
1b) ram (as sacrifice)
1c) ram (skin dyed red, for tabernacle)
אַ֫יִל (a.yil) — pillar.
pillar, door post, jambs, pilaster
אַ֫יִל (a.yil) — leader.
strong man, leader, chief
אַ֫יִל (a.yil) — terebinth.
mighty tree, terebinth
Aramaic equivalent: i.lan (אִילָן "tree" H0363)
Prep | N-mp — Preposition · noun common masculine plural absoluteHR/Ncmpa
גִּבְעָה (gib'ah) means 'hill' and refers to a small elevation of land. It can denote a place of worship or be used in place names, often associated with illicit worship. The word is feminine and is derived from a related term for a hillock. It appears in various contexts, including poetic uses.
גִּבְעָה n.f. hill
base
H1389 גִּבְעָה hill
1389 gib`ah ghib-aw'
feminine from the same as 1387; a hillock:--hill, little
hill.
see HEBREW for 01387
גִּבְעָה (giv.ah) — Gibeath-(elohim).
Gibeath - a place or worship
This name means hill
1a) hill
גִּבְעָה (giv.ah) — Gibeath-(haaraloth).
This name means hill
Another name of gil.gal (גִּלְגָּל "Gilgal" H1537G)
גִּבְעָה (giv.ah) — hill.
1) hill
1a) hill (lower than a mountain)
1b) as a place of illicit worship
1c) poetic for mountain
1d) used in place names
גִּבְעָה (giv.ah) — Gibeat.
This name means hill
Another spelling of giv.ah (גִּבְעָה "Gibeah" H1390H)
N-fp — Noun common · feminine plural absoluteHNcfpa
From the Hebrew Gibeah, meaning a curved round hill. But our translators have also employed the same English word for the very different term har , which has a much more extended sense than gibeah , meaning a whole district. For instance, in (Exodus 24:4) the "hill" is the same which is elsewhere in the same chapter, vs. (Exodus 24:12,13,18) etc., and book consistently and accurately rendered "mount" and "mountain." The "country of the hills," in (1:7; Joshua 9:1; 10:40; 11:16) is the elevated district of Judah, Benjamin and Ephraim, which is correctly called "the mountain" in the earliest descriptions of Palestine, (Numbers 13:29) and in many subsequent passages.
בֵּן (ben) means 'son' or 'male child' and encompasses a wide range of meanings, including descendants, young animals, and even figurative uses like sparks or arrows. It can refer to members of a tribe or class and is used in various contexts throughout the Old Testament, such as in 1 Chronicles 24:26. The word is derived from a root meaning 'to build' and implies a connection to family or lineage.
בֵּן 4870 n.m. son
son, male child, born of a woman
children (male and female)
youth, young men
the young of animals
of plant shoots
fig. of lifeless things, sparks, stars, arrows
member of a guild, order or class
of animals son of (the) herd
ב׳ as n. relat. followed by word of quality, characteristic, etc.
n. relat. of age
base
בְּנוֹ 1 Ch 24:26, 27 as n.pr.m. in AV, RV, but render: the sons of Jaaziah his son, & the sons of Merari by Jaaziah his son, cf. VB & Be Öt.
done
H1121a בֵּן son . son, male child, born of a woman
. children (male and female)
. youth, young men
. the young of animals
. of plant shoots
. fig. of lifeless things, sparks, stars, arrows
. . member of a guild, order or class
. of animals son of (the) herd
. ב׳ as n. relat. followed by word of quality, characteristic, etc.
. n. relat. of age
H1121b בְּנוֹ as n. pr. m. in AV, RV, but render: the sons of Jaaziah his son, & the sons of Merari by Jaaziah his son
1121 ben bane
from 1129; a son (as a builder of the family name), in the
widest sense (of literal and figurative relationship,
including grandson, subject, nation, quality or condition,
etc., (like 1, 251, etc.)):--+ afflicted, age, (Ahoh-)
(Ammon-) (Hachmon-) (Lev-)ite, (anoint-)ed one, appointed to,
(+) arrow, (Assyr-) (Babylon-) (Egypt-) (Grec-)ian, one born,
bough, branch, breed, + (young) bullock, + (young) calf, X
came up in, child, colt, X common, X corn, daughter, X of
first, + firstborn, foal, + very fruitful, + postage, X in, +
kid, + lamb, (+) man, meet, + mighty, + nephew, old, (+)
people, + rebel, + robber, X servant born, X soldier, son, +
spark, + steward, + stranger, X surely, them of, + tumultuous
one, + valiant(-est), whelp, worthy, young (one), youth.
see HEBREW for 01129
see HEBREW for 01
see HEBREW for 0251
בֵּן (ben) — son: child.
: child/son
בְּנוֹ (be.no) — Beno.
A man of the tribe of Levi living at the time of Divided Monarchy, first mentioned at 1Ch.24.26;
son of: Jaaziah (H3269);
brother of: Shoham (H7719), Zaccur (H2139I) and Ibri (H5681)
§ Beno = "his son"
the sons of Jaaziah and the sons of Merari by Jaahziah (his son)
בֵּן (ben) — son: descendant/people.
: descendant, people, tribe, nation
A sub-meaning of ben (בֵּן ": child" H1121)
§ : child/son
בֵּן (ben) — son: young animal.
: calf/lamb/young(ANIMAL)
A sub-meaning of ben (בֵּן ": child" H1121)
§ : descendant
בֵּן (ben) — son: type of.
: rebel/son(Belial)
A sub-meaning of ben (בֵּן ": child" H1121)
§ : people/men/nation/tribe
בֵּן (ben) — son.
: [inheriting]son/heir
A sub-meaning of ben (בֵּן ": child" H1121)
בֵּן (ben) — son: warrior.
: warrior/son(strong)
Prep | N-mp — Preposition · noun common masculine plural constructHR/Ncmpc
ov:
(1) In Anglo-Saxon, had the meaning "from," "away from" (as the strengthened form "off" has still), and was not used for genitive or possessive relations, these being expressed by special case-forms. In the Norman period, however, "of" was taken to represent the French de (a use well developed by the time of Chaucer), and in the Elizabethan period both senses of "of" were in common use. But after about 1600 the later force of the word became predominant, and in the earlier sense (which is now practically obsolete) it was replaced by other prepositions. In consequence the King James Version (and in some cases the Revised Version (British and American)) contains many uses of "of" that are no longer familiar--most of them, to be sure, causing no difficulty, but there still being a few responsible for real obscurities.
OF, preposition ov. [Gr.]
1. From or out of; proceeding from, as the cause, source, means, author or agent bestowing.
I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered to you. 1 Corinthians 11:1.
For it was of the Lord to harden their hearts. Joshua 11:1.
It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed.
Lamentations 3:1.
The whole disposing thereof is of the Lord. Proverbs 16:1.
Go, inquire of the Lord for me. 2 Chronicles 34:2.
That holy thing that shall be born of thee. Luke 1:1.
Hence of is the sign of the genitive case, the case that denotes production; as the son of man, the son proceeding from man, produced from man. This is the primary sense, although we now say, produced by man. 'Part of these were slain; ' that is, a number separate, for part denotes a division; the sense then is, a number from or out of the whole were slain. So also, 'some of these were slain; ' that is…
צֹאן (tso'n) refers to small cattle, specifically sheep and goats, and is used to denote a flock or flocks. It can also be used metaphorically to describe a multitude. The term appears in contexts such as Psalm 144:13, where it emphasizes the collective nature of these animals.
צֹאן 273 n.coll.f. small cattle, sheep and goats, flock, flocks
base
H6629 צֹאן small cattle, sheep and goats, flock, flocks
6629 tso'n tsone
or tsaown (Psalm 144:13) {tseh-one'}; from an unused root
meaning to migrate; a collective name for a flock (of sheep or
goats); also figuratively (of men):--(small) cattle, flock
(+ -s), lamb (+ -s), sheep((-cote, -fold, -shearer, -herds)).
צֹאן (tson) — flock.
1) small cattle, sheep, sheep and goats, flock, flocks
1a) small cattle (usually of sheep and goats)
1b) of multitude (simile)
1c) of multitude (metaphor)
צֹאן (tson) — Sheep (Gate).
This name means sheep and goats
Also named: probatikos (προβατικός "Sheep Gate" G4262)
HNcbsa — Noun common · both singular absoluteHNcbsa
shep:
1. Names:
The usual Hebrew word is tso'n, which is often translated "flock," e.g. "Abel .... brought of the firstlings of his flock" (Ge 4:4); "butter of the herd, and milk of the flock" (De 32:14). The King James Version and the English Revised Version have "milk of sheep." Compare Arabic da'n. The Greek word is probaton. For other names, see notes under CATTLE; EWE; LAMB; RAM.
2. Zoology:
The origin of domestic sheep is unknown. There are 11 wild species, the majority of which are found in Asia, and it is conceivable that they may have spread from the highlands of Central Asia to the other portions of their habitat. In North America is found the "bighorn," which is very closely related to a Kamschatkan species. One species, the urial or sha, is found in India. The Barbary…
Sheep
Are of different varieties. Probably the flocks of Abraham and Isaac were of the wild species found still in the mountain regions of Persia and Kurdistan. After the Exodus, and as a result of intercourse with surrounding nations, other species were no doubt introduced into the herds of the people of Israel. They are frequently mentioned in Scripture. The care of a shepherd over his flock is referred to as illustrating God’s care over his people (Ps. 23:1, 2; 74:1; 77:20; Isa. 40:11; 53:6; John 10:1-5, 7-16).
“The sheep of Palestine are longer in the head than ours, and have tails from 5 inches broad at the narrowest part to 15 inches at the widest, the weight being in proportion, and ranging generally from 10 to 14 lbs.…
Sheep were an important part of the possessions of the ancient Hebrews and of eastern nations generally. The first mention of sheep occurs in (Genesis 4:2) They were used in the sacrificial offering,as, both the adult animal, (Exodus 20:24) and the lamb. See (Exodus 29:28; Leviticus 9:3; 12:6) Sheep and lambs formed an important article of food. (1 Samuel 25:18) The wool was used as clothing. (Leviticus 13:47) "Rams skins dyed red" were used as a covering for the tabernacle. (Exodus 25:5) Sheep and lambs were…
Of the Syrian sheep, according to Dr. Russell, there are two varieties; the one called Bedaween sheep, which differ in no respect from the larger kinds of sheep among us, except that their tails are somewhat longer and thicker; the others are those often mentioned by travellers on account of their extraordinary tails; and this species is by far the most numerous. The tail of one of these animals is very broad and large, terminating in a small appendage that turns back upon it. It is of a substance between fat and marrow, and is not eaten separately, but mixed with the lean meat in many of their dishes, and also often used instead of butter. A common sheep of this sort, without the head, feet, skin, and entrails, weighs from sixty to eighty pounds, of which the tail itself is usually ten or fifteen pounds, and when the animal is fattened, twice or thrice that weight, and very…