Topic
Heifer
28 passages cited, from 4 classic reference works.
These works date from 1884–1915 and are in the public domain. They reflect the Protestant scholarship of their time: their history, archaeology and dates can be out of date, and where they interpret, other traditions read the text differently. The verses are shown in the King James Version, the wording these works were written against.
The verses
The passages the works cite, those cited by more of them first.
- Judges 14:18Easton · Smith · ISBE · Nave Used for pulling
And the men of the city said unto him on the seventh day before the sun went down, What is sweeter than honey? and what is stronger than a lion? And he said unto them, If ye had not plowed with my heifer, ye had not found out my riddle.
- Hosea 4:16Easton · Smith · ISBE · Nave Intractable
For Israel slideth back as a backsliding heifer: now the LORD will feed them as a lamb in a large place.
- Hosea 10:11Easton · Smith · ISBE · Nave Used for treading out wheat
And Ephraim is as an heifer that is taught, and loveth to tread out the corn; but I passed over upon her fair neck: I will make Ephraim to ride; Judah shall plow, and Jacob shall break his clods.
- Hebrews 9:13Easton · ISBE · Nave The red heifer used for the water of separation
For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh:
- Numbers 19:1–22ISBE · Nave The red heifer used for the water of separation
And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, This is the ordinance of the law which the LORD hath commanded, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring thee a red heifer without spot, wherein is no blemish, and upon which never…
- Numbers 19:2Easton · Nave When used as sacrifice, must be without blemish and must not have come under the yoke
This is the ordinance of the law which the LORD hath commanded, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring thee a red heifer without spot, wherein is no blemish, and upon which never came yoke:
- Deuteronomy 21:1–9ISBE · Nave An atonement for murder
If one be found slain in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee to possess it, lying in the field, and it be not known who hath slain him: Then thy elders and thy judges shall come forth, and they shall measure unto the cities which are round about…
- Isaiah 7:21Easton · Smith
And it shall come to pass in that day, that a man shall nourish a young cow, and two sheep;
- Isaiah 15:5Easton · ISBE
My heart shall cry out for Moab; his fugitives shall flee unto Zoar, an heifer of three years old: for by the mounting up of Luhith with weeping shall they go it up; for in the way of Horonaim they shall raise up a cry of destruction.
- Jeremiah 46:20Easton · ISBE
Egypt is like a very fair heifer, but destruction cometh; it cometh out of the north.
- Jeremiah 48:34Easton · ISBE
From the cry of Heshbon even unto Elealeh, and even unto Jahaz, have they uttered their voice, from Zoar even unto Horonaim, as an heifer of three years old: for the waters also of Nimrim shall be desolate.
- Jeremiah 50:11Easton · ISBE
Because ye were glad, because ye rejoiced, O ye destroyers of mine heritage, because ye are grown fat as the heifer at grass, and bellow as bulls;
Show 16 more
- Genesis 15:9 ISBE
- Genesis 41:2 Easton
- Leviticus 1:3 ISBE
- Leviticus 3:1 ISBE
- Leviticus 4:3 ISBE
- Leviticus 4:14 ISBE
- Numbers 19:1–10 Easton
- Deuteronomy 21:3 Nave When used as sacrifice, must be without blemish and must not have come under the yoke
- Deuteronomy 21:4 Easton
- Deuteronomy 21:6 Easton
- Deuteronomy 25:4 ISBE
- Deuteronomy 26:4 Smith
- 1 Samuel 6:7–12 Smith
- 1 Samuel 16:2 ISBE
- Job 21:10 Smith
- Amos 4:1 Easton
In the reference works
Easton's Bible Dictionary (1897) · 15 references
Heb. ‘eglah, (Deut. 21:4, 6; Jer. 46:20). Untrained to the yoke (Hos. 10:11); giving milk (Isa. 7:21); ploughing (Judg. 14:18); treading out grain (Jer. 50:11); unsubdued to the yoke an emblem of Judah (Isa. 15:5; Jer. 48:34).
Heb. parah (Gen. 41:2; Num. 19:2). Bearing the yoke (Hos. 4:16); “heifers of Bashan” (Amos 4:1), metaphorical for the voluptuous females of Samaria. The ordinance of sacrifice of the “red heifer” described in Num. 19:1-10; comp. Heb. 9:13.
Smith's Bible Dictionary (1884) · 7 references
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (1915) · 18 references
hef'-er (parah, in Nu 19 (see following article) and Ho 4:16; `eghlah, elsewhere in the Old Testament; damalis, in Heb 9:13):For the "heifer of three years old" in the King James Version, the Revised Version margin of Isa 15:5; Jer 48:34, see EGLATH-SHELISHIYAH. A young cow (contrast BULLOCK). The `eghlah figures specifically in religious rites only in the ceremony of De 21:1-9 for the cleansing of the land, where an unexpiated murder had been committed. This was not a sacrificial rite--the priests are witnesses only, and the animal was slain by breaking the neck--but sacrificial purity was required for the heifer. Indeed, it is commonly supposed that the rite as it now stands is a rededication of one that formerly had been sacrificial. In the sacrifices proper the heifer could be used for a peace offering (Le 3:1), but was forbidden for the burnt (Le 1:3) or sin (Le 4:3,14) offerings. Hence, the sacrifice of 1Sa 16:2 was a peace offering. In Ge 15:9 the ceremony of the ratification of the covenant by God makes use of a heifer and a she-goat, but the reason for the use of the females is altogether obscure. Compare following article.
Figuratively: The heifer appears as representing sleekness combined with helplessness in Jer 46:20 (compare the comparison of the soldiers to `stalled calves' in the next verse). In Jer 50:11; Ho 10:11, the heifer is pictured as engaged in threshing. This was particularly light work, coupled with unusually abundant food (De 25:4), so that the threshing heifer served especially well for a picture of contentment. ("Wanton" in Jer 50:11, however, is an unfortunate translation in the Revised Version (British and American).) Hosea, in contrast, predicts that the "heifers" shall be set to the hard work of plowing and breaking the sods. In Jud 14:18, Samson uses "heifer" in his riddle to refer to his wife. This, however, was not meant to convey the impression of licentiousness that it gives the modern reader.
Burton Scott Easton
In the topical indexes
Nave's Topical Bible (1896) · 11 references, grouped by sub-topic
- → When used as sacrifice, must be without blemish and must not have come under the yoke Nu 19:2; De 21:3
- → An atonement for murder De 21:1-9
- → The red heifer used for the water of separation Nu 19; Heb 9:13
- → Used for pulling Jud 14:18
- → Used for treading out wheat Ho 10:11
- → Tractable Ho 10:11
- → Intractable Ho 4:16
- → See KINE
- → See OFFERING
- → FIGURATIVE
Texts: Easton's Bible Dictionary (1897); Smith's Bible Dictionary (1884); International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (1915); Nave's Topical Bible (1896), from the CrossWire SWORD modules (public domain). Verse references were parsed from the works' own markup and checked against the KJV verse list.