Jackal

See FOX

JACKAL.—Although the word ‘jackal’ does not occur in the AV [Note: Authorized Version.] , there is no doubt that this animal is several times mentioned in OT: it occurs several times in RV [Note: Revised Version.] where AV [Note: Authorized Version.] has ‘fox.’ (1) shû’âl is used in Heb. for both animals, but most of the references are most suitably tr. [Note: translate or translation.] ‘jackal.’ The only OT passage in which the fox is probably intended is Neh 4:3. (2) tannîm (pl.), AV [Note: Authorized Version.] ‘dragons,’ is in RV [Note: Revised Version.] usually tr. [Note: translate or translation.] ‘jackals.’ See Isa 34:13, Jer 9:11; Jer 10:22 etc. Post considers ‘wolves’ would be better. (3) ’iyyîm, tr. [Note: translate or translation.] AV [Note: Authorized Version.] ‘wild beasts of the island’ (Isa 13:22; Isa 34:14, Jer 50:39), is in RV [Note: Revised Version.] tr. [Note: translate or translation.] ‘wolves,’ but Post thinks these ‘howling creatures’ (as word implies) were more probably jackals. (4) ’ôhîm, ‘doleful creatures’ (Isa 13:21), may also have been jackals. The jackal (Canis aureus) is exceedingly common in Palestine; its mournful cries are heard every night. During the day jackals hide in deserted ruins, etc. (Isa 13:22; Isa 34:13; Isa 35:7), but as soon as the sun sets they issue forth. They may at such times be frequently seen gliding backwards and forwards across the roads seeking for morsels of food. Their staple food is carrion of all sorts (Psa 63:10). At the present day the Bedouin threaten an enemy with death by saying they will ‘throw his body to the jackals.’ Though harmless to grown men when solitary, a whole pack may be dangerous. The writer knows of a case where a European was pursued for miles over the Philistine plain by a pack of jackals. It is because they go in packs that we take the shu’âlim of Jdg 15:4 to be jackals rather than foxes. Both animals have a weakness for grapes (Son 2:15). Cf. art. Fox.

E. W. G. Masterman.

jak´ôl:

(1) תּנּים, tannı̄m, “jackals,” the King James Version “dragons”; compare Arabic tı̂nân, “wolf”; and compare תּנּין, tannı̄n, Arab tinnı̂n, “sea monster” or “monster” the English Revised Version “dragon” (Job 7:12 m; Psa 74:13; Psa 148:7; Isa 27:1; Isa 51:9; Jer 51:34), “serpent” (Exo 7:9, Exo 7:10, Exo 7:12; Deu 32:33; Psa 91:13), the King James Version “whale” (Gen 1:21; Job 7:12); but תּנּין, tannı̄n, “jackals,” the King James Version “sea monsters” (Lam 4:3), “jackal’s well,” the King James Version “dragon well” (Neh 2:13), and tannı̄m, “monster,” the King James Version and the English Revised Version “dragon” (Eze 29:3; Eze 32:2).

(2) איּים, ’ı̄yı̄m, “wolves,” the King James Version “wild beasts of the islands”; compare אי, ’ı̄, plural איּים, ’ı̄yı̄m, “island”; also איּה, ’ayyāh, “a cry,” אוה, ’āwāh, “to cry,” “to howl”; Arabic ‛auwa’, “to bark” (of dogs, wolves, or jackals); ’ibn ’âwa’, colloquially, wâwı̂, “jackal.”

(3) ציּים, cı̄yı̄m, “wild beasts of the desert.”

(4) אחים, ’oḥı̄m, “doleful creatures.”

“Jackals” occurs as a translation of tannı̄m, the King James Version “dragons,” in Job 30:29; Psa 44:19; Isa 13:22; Isa 34:13; Isa 35:7; Isa 43:20; Jer 9:11; Jer 10:22; Jer 14:6; Jer 49:33; Jer 51:37; of the feminine plural form tannōth in Mal 1:3, and of tannı̄n in Neh 2:13 and Lam 4:3. Tannı̄m is variously referred to a root meaning “to howl,” and to a root meaning “to stretch out” trop. “to run swiftly, i.e. with outstretched neck and limb extended” (Gesenius). Either derivation would suit “wolf” equally as well as “jackal.” The expression in Jer 10:22, “to make the cities of Judah a desolation, a dwelling-place of jackals,” seems, however, especially appropriate of jackals. The same is true of Isa 34:13; Jer 9:11; Jer 49:33, and Jer 51:37.

The jackal (from Persian shaghâl), Canis aureus, is found about the Mediterranean except in Western Europe. It ranges southward to Abyssinia, and eastward, in Southern Asia, to farther India. It is smaller than a large dog, has a moderately bushy tail, and is reddish brown with dark shadings above. It is cowardly and nocturnal. Like the fox, it is destructive to poultry, grapes, and vegetables, but is less fastidious, and readily devours the remains of others’ feasts. Jackals generally go about in small companies. Their peculiar howl may frequently be heard in the evening and at any time in the night. It begins with a high-pitched, long-drawn-out cry. This is repeated two or three times, each time in a higher key than before. Finally there are several short, loud, yelping barks. Often when one raises the cry others join in. Jackals are not infrequently confounded with foxes. They breed freely with dogs.

While tannı̄m is the only word translated “jackal” in English Versions of the Bible, the words ’ı̄yı̄m, cı̄yı̄m, and ’oḥı̄m deserve attention. They, as well as tannı̄m, evidently refer to wild creatures inhabiting desert places, but it is difficult to say for what animal each of the words stands. All four (together with b^enōth ya‛ănāh and s^e‛ı̄rı̄m) are found in Isa 13:21, Isa 13:22: “But wild beasts of the desert (cı̄yı̄m) shall lie there; and their houses shall be full of doleful creatures (’oḥı̄m); and ostriches (b^enōth ya‛ănāh) shall dwell there, and wild goats (s^e‛ı̄rı̄m) shall dance there. And wolves (’ı̄yı̄m) shall cry in their castles, and jackals (tannı̄m) in the pleasant palaces.”

In the King James Version ’ı̄yı̄m (Isa 13:22; Isa 34:14; Jer 50:39) is translated “wild beasts of the islands” (compare ’ı̄yı̄m, “islands”). the King James Version margin has merely the transliteration iim, the Revised Version (British and American) “wolves,” the Revised Version margin “howling creatures.” Gesenius suggests the jackal, which is certainly a howler. While the wolf has a blood-curdling howl, it is much more rarely heard than the jackal.

Cı̄yı̄m (Psa 72:9; Psa 74:14; Isa 13:21; Isa 23:13; Isa 34:14; Jer 50:39) has been considered akin to cı̄yāh, “drought” (compare ’erec cı̄yāh, “a dry land” (Psa 63:1)), and is translated in the Revised Version (British and American) as follows: Psa 72:9, “they that dwell in the wilderness”; Psa 74:14, “the people inhabiting the wilderness”; Isa 23:13, “them that dwell in the wilderness,” the Revised Version margin “the beasts of the wilderness”; Isa 13:21; Isa 34:14; Jer 50:39, “wild beasts of the desert.” There would be some difficulty in referring cı̄yı̄m in Psa 72:9 to beasts rather than to men, but that is not the case in Psa 74:14 and Isa 23:13. “Wild cats” have been suggested.

’Oḥı̄m, “doleful creatures,” perhaps onomatopoetic, occurs only in Isa 13:21. The translation “owls” has been suggested, and is not unsuitable to the context.

It is not impossible that tannı̄m and ’ı̄yı̄m may be different names of the jackals. ’Īyı̄m, cı̄yı̄m, and tannı̄m occur together also in Isa 34:13, Isa 34:14, and ’ı̄yı̄m and cı̄yı̄m in Jer 50:39. Their similarity in sound may have much to do with their collocation. The recognized word for “wolf,” z^e’ēbh (compare Arabic dhi’b), occurs 7 times in the Old Testament. See DRAGON; WOLF; ZOOLOGY.

Jackal. The prophet Isaiah spoke of jackals-- wild dogs that make their dens in desolate places (Isa 34:13). As scavengers, jackals also fed on garbage in towns and villages in Bible times.

Jackals have an unpleasant smell, and they make a yapping and howling noise at night. They are also agricultural pests. Palestinian farmers put up shelters for watchmen, who guarded their cucumber fields against jackals. Some farmers heaped up whitewashed stones to frighten the jackals, just as scarecrows are used in other places.

Bible references to jackals are confusing, since jackal, fox, dragon, and wolf may be used interchangeably, depending on the translation. The "foxes" to whose tails Samson tied torches were probably jackals which, unlike foxes, travel in packs (Jdg 15:4). Also see Fox.

A kind of wild dog that stays where

there are no people. Jackals usually hunt

together in a pack.

The jackal (Canis aureus) is smaller than a true wolf and has a shorter tail. It resembles a fox but has a wider head, shorter ears, and longer legs. Unlike solitary foxes, jackals are social. Their tails can be either drooping or upright, unlike the fox's long, horizontal tail. Jackals hunt at night and sleep during the day in areas with thick bushes or plants. They hunt alone, in pairs, or in groups. They live in open grasslands and plains with few trees. Jackals eat small mammals, poultry, fruit, vegetables, and carrion. Often, they scavenge from larger meat-eaters. Jackals can run up to 53 kilometers (33 miles) per hour.

The jackal can grow to around 51 centimeters (20 inches) tall, roughly the size of a German shepherd dog. Its back is pale yellow with dark, almost black, flanks. Its lips are black and its ears are white on the inside. The jackal's howl sounds like a crying child or a mourning person's wail (Micah 1:8; compare Job 30:29). To other jackals, the howl is an invite to hunt. It calls the pack together for its nightly hunt.

Old Testament references are mainly to jackals in ruined cities and wilderness areas (Nehemiah 2:13; Psalm 44:19; Isaiah 13:22; 34:13; 35:7; Jeremiah 9:11; 14:6; 49:33; 51:37; Lamentations 4:3; 5:18; Malachi 1:3). Many of these references are translated “dragon” in the King James Version, but “jackal” is more appropriate.

See also Animals.

Aquifer Open Bible Dictionary © 2026 Mission Mutual, an adaptation of the Tyndale Open Bible Dictionary © 2023 Tyndale House Publishers. Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.