Unicorns in the Bible
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Q: I have
read in the Bible of Unicorns. People have said to me that
it shows that the KJV is faulty. Can you explain to me what
those were?
A: I addressed the question
of unicorns in a Sunday School lesson on Job 39
(verses 9-12). I have copied some notes that I used from
that lesson to
show that the King James Bible is NOT faulty. I trust that
you will be able
to see that the new (per)versions and their supporters are
the ones who are
faulty, and they are in harmony with the enemies (pagans and
unsaved
skeptics) of God’s holy word.
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5 questions are presented to Job concerning “the
unicorn.” The questions
all pertain to the ability to domesticate this animal. The
answers are
obviously answered in the negative. This animal cannot be
domesticated.
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Speaking of questions related to the unicorn, there are
many folks out
there that would raise doubts about this animal even though
every word in
this chapter came out of the mouth of God:
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Most of the commentators wave the magic wand and
transform the unicorn
into a wild ox. This, of course, is done through unbelief.
They don’t
believe that there is such an animal as a unicorn.
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Most, if not all, of the new versions think that “the
unicorn” is a
mistranslation and should be translated as “the wild ox.” I
checked 4 of
them: the NIV, the NKJV, the NRSV, and the Living Bible.
Four for four.
There are some problems with making the unicorn a wild ox:
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The word unicorn means one-horned. That squares with Psalm
92:10 “But my
horn shalt thou exalt like the horn of an unicorn: I shall
be anointed with
fresh oil.” Wild oxen have 2 horns. The psalmist is likening
his one horn
to the one horn of the unicorn.
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In addition, that horn is said to be exalted in Psalm
92:10. To me that
indicates a straight horn that points up and not a couple of
curved horns.
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I read a comment in The Skeptics Annotated Bible, an
on-line assault on
the King James Bible. Here’s what this professing skeptic
had to say about
the unicorn in Job 39:9-10—“The unicorn referred to here is
probably not the
single-horned mythical creature, but rather a wild ox that
was mistranslated
in the KJV.” My question is: Where did this skeptic learn
that the word
unicorn was a mistranslation? Could it be that he/she has
been listening to
these Bible-correctors? If so, how embarrassing is that? How
would you
like your work and effort to be used by the enemies of God
and His word as
ammunition against the Lord’s children?
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In doing some internet research on the unicorn, I
stumbled upon a pagan
website. This character had a shrewd observation about
Christians who would
recommend changing the unicorn into a wild ox: “…most don't
realize that
proclaiming unicorns 'silly' inadvertently places direct
questions of
accuracy on their own Bible. There are no less than ten
verses in the KJV
making direct reference to unicorns....” That’s what
Bible-believers have
been saying for years about those who say, “A better
rendering would be…” or
“It’s unfortunate that the King James translators chose this
word…” or “The
originals say…!” Another beautiful thing is that this pagan
associated
Christians with the King James Bible.
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Of course, all of this reminds us of the first time the
LORD said
something to a human being on this earth and those words
were attacked by
devil himself. If you don’t know what I am talking about,
read Genesis 2-3
very carefully. It’s all right there.
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I came across a great article defending this passage this
week. It was
written by a man named Will Kinney. I have never heard of
him before, but
he offered an interesting guess as to what the unicorn might
be.
One definite possibility is the Indian rhinoceros, of which
there are still
about 2000 alive today. They used to cover large areas, but
are now limited
to India and Nepal. They weigh about 4,500 pounds, can run
at over 20 miles
an hour; they have one large horn on the snout and their
scientific name is
Rhinoceros UNICORNIS.
In the original 1611 edition of the KJB, the editors placed
“or Rhinoceros”
in the margin of Isaiah 34:7 where it reads: “And the
unicorns shall come
down with them.” It is still in the modern editions of the
KJB. So the KJB
editors were not ignorant of the possibility of the unicorn
being a
rhinoceros. I do not know, nor does any one else but God,
what the unicorn
was or is.
It was a one horned animal of great strength; it could not
be tamed, and it
is always used in a good and positive sense in Scripture.
The KJB is not in
error by translating this word as unicorn, but the modern
versions are just
taking a wild guess with their “wild oxen” and the other
scriptures show
their wild guess to be wrong.
I hope this was a help to you. If we can be of any further
assistance to
you, please let us know.
Kept by the power (1 Peter 1:5),
Karl Lohman
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