Prayer Tents Bible References - Prayer Tents

HUNTING

People of biblical times hunted for food, sport, and the protection of humans, domestic animals, and crops. Hunting was an important source of food; Heb. ṣayiḏ, “hunting,” can also mean “food” or “game.” There are numerous references to wild animals such as deer, gazelles, roebuck, ibex, antelope, wild goat, mountain sheep, and various wild fowl as sources of food (e.g., Deut. 14:5; the Story of Sinuhe). Named among the descendants of Solomon’s servants is Pochereth-hazzebaim (“catcher of gazelles”; Ezra 2:56 = Neh. 7:59), perhaps preserving the name of a family responsible for supplying royal provisions (cf. 1 Kgs. 4:23).

Nimrod, a heroic hunter, is identified in the Table of Nations as the founder of many cities in Mesopotamia (Gen. 10:9) and later is called a “mighty one” or warrior (cf. 1 Chr. 1:10; Mic. 5:6[MT 5]). Hunting was often connected with the activity of heroes and warriors in the ancient Near East (cf. Story of Aqhat; Gilgamesh Epic; Jer. 16:16). Many of the skills and weapons used in hunting are transferable to warfare. Some of the weapons and techniques used for hunting include the bow and arrow (Gen. 27:3), swords, knives, slings, rods, staffs (Ps. 23:4), spears, nets, pits, and traps.

Hunting is primarily a nomadic or rural activity. Esau was a skillful hunter of the open field, which endeared him to Isaac (Gen. 25:27-28). Ishmael, another inhabitant of the wilderness, is depicted as an archer (Gen. 21:20).

Hunting as a sport and symbol of royal power is common in Egyptian and Assyrian art and history. The Assyrians held lions in pits, releasing them for royal hunting purposes (cf. Benaiah, 2 Sam. 23:20 = 1 Chr. 11:22); this may explain their presence in Darius’ court (Dan. 6:7-24).

Hunting as a form of protection is especially connected with a shepherd’s defending the flock from predators (1 Sam. 17:34-37). Lions, bears, leopards, cheetahs, wolves, and jackals are known to have inhabited Palestine. The imagery of wild animals attacking is used to describe Israel and its enemies (Jer. 5:6). Predators and prey living in harmony are used metaphorically to describe the peace and harmony of the messianic age (Isa. 11:6-7).

Bibliography. O. Borowski, Every Living Thing: Daily Use of Animals in Ancient Israel (Walnut Creek, Calif., 1998); V. H. Matthews and D. C. Benjamin, Old Testament Parallels: Laws and Stories of the Ancient Near East, rev. ed. (New York, 1997); J. D. Wineland, “Hunting and Fishing,” in By the Sweat of Thy Brow: Labor and Laborers in the Biblical World, ed. G. Mattingly (Sheffield, forthcoming).

John D. Wineland

Prayer Tents Bible References - Prayer Tents

HUNTING

Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible (2000)