Wolf
woolf ((1) ze'ebh (Gen 49:27; 11:6; 65:25; Jer 5:6; Ezek
22:27; Hab 1:8; Zeph 3:3; also as proper name, Zeeb, prince
of Midian, Jdg 7:25; 8:3; Ps 83:11); compare Arabic dhi'b,
colloquial dhib, or dib; (2) lukos (Mt 7:15; 10:16; Lk 10:3;
Jn 10:12; Acts 20:29; Ecclesiasticus 13:17; compare 2 Esdras
5:18, lupus); (3) 'iyim, the Revised Version (British and
American) "wolves" (Isa 13:22; 34:14; Jer 50:39)):
While the wolf is surpassed in size by some dogs, it is the
fiercest member of the dog family (Canidae), which includes
among others the jackal and the fox. Dogs, wolves and
jackals are closely allied and will breed together. There is
no doubt that the first dogs were domesticated wolves. While
there are local varieties which some consider to be distinct
species, it is allowable to regard all the wolves of both
North America, Europe, and Northern Asia (except the
American coyote) as members of one species, Canis lupus. The
wolf of Syria and Israel is large, light colored, and does
not seem to hunt in packs. Like other wolves it is
nocturnal. In Israel it is the special enemy of the sheep
and goats. This fact comes out in two of the seven passages
cited from the Old Testament, in all from the New Testament,
and in the two from Apocrypha. In Gen 49:27 Benjamin is
likened to a ravening wolf. In Ezek 22:27, and in the
similar Zeph 3:3, the eiders of Jerusalem are compared to
wolves. In Jer 5:6 it is a wolf that shall destroy the
people of Jerusalem, and in Hab 1:8 the horses of the
Chaldeans "are swifter than leopards, and are more fierce
than the evening wolves." Babylon and Edom (Isa 13:22;
34:14; Jer 50:39) are to be the haunts of 'iyim (the Revised
Version (British and American) "wolves") and other wild
creatures.
The name of Zeeb, prince of Midian (Jdg 7:25; 8:3), has its
parallel in the Arabic, Dib or Dhib, which is a common name
today. Such animal names are frequently given to ward off
the evil eye.
See also TOTEMISM.
Alfred Ely Day
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-Ravenous
Ge 49:27; Jer 5:6; Eze 22:27; Zep 3:3; Joh 10:12
-FIGURATIVE
Of the enemies of the righteous
Mt 7:15; 10:16; Joh 10:12; Ac 20:29
Of the reconciling power of the gospel
Isa 11:6
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There can be little doubt that the wolf of Israel is the
common Canis lupus, and that this is the animal so frequently
mentioned in the Bible. (The wolf is a fierce animal of the
same species as the dog, which it resembles. The common color
is gray with a tinting of fawn, and the hair is long and
black. The Syrian wolf is of lighter color than the wolf of
Europe it is the dread of the shepherds of Israel. --ED.)
Wolves were doubtless far more common in biblical times than
they are now, though they are occasionally seen by modern
travellers. The following are the scriptural allusions to the
wolf: Its ferocity is mentioned in Ge 49:27, Eze 22:27; Habb
1:8; Matt 7:15
its nocturnal habits, in Jer 5:6; Zep 3:3; Habb 1:8
its attacking sheep and lambs, Mt 10:16; Lu 10:3; Joh
10:12 Isaiah Isa 11:6; 65:25 foretells the peaceful reign of
the Messiah under the metaphor of a wolf dwelling with a lamb:
cruel persecutors are compared with wolves. Mt 10:16; Ac 20:29
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Heb. zeeb, frequently referred to in Scripture as an emblem
of
treachery and cruelty. Jacob's prophecy, "Benjamin
shall ravin
as a wolf" (Gen. 49:27), represents the warlike
character of
that tribe (see Judg. 19-21). Isaiah represents the
peace of
Messiah's kingdom by the words, "The wolf also shall
dwell with
the lamb" (Isa. 11:6). The habits of the wolf are
described in
Jer. 5:6; Hab. 1:8; Zeph. 3:3; Ezek. 22:27; Matt.
7:15; 10:16;
Acts 20:29. Wolves are still sometimes found in
Israel, and
are the dread of shepherds, as of old.
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zeeb. The Canis lupus. Fierce (Genesis 49:27; Ezekiel 22:27;
Habakkuk 1:8; Matthew 7:15); prowling in the night (Jeremiah
5:6; Zephaniah 3:3); devouring lambs and sheep (John 10:12);
typifying persecutors and heretical leaders (Matthew 10:16;
Matthew 7:15; Acts 20:29); hereafter about to associate
peacefully with the lamb under Messiah's reign (Isaiah 11:6;
Isaiah 65:25). Tawny in color in Asia Minor.
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Wherefore a lion out of the forest shall slay them, [and] a
wolf of the evenings shall spoil them, a leopard shall watch
over their cities: every one that goeth out thence shall be
torn in pieces: because their transgressions are many, [and]
their backslidings are increased.
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The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall
eat straw like the bullock: and dust [shall be] the serpent's
meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain,
saith the LORD.
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The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall
lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the
fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.
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Wolf. - Frequently mentioned in the Scriptures as a special foe to flocks (Sirach 13:21; Matthew 7:15), and an emblem of treachery, ferocity, and bloodthirstiness. Wolves usually prowl at night around the sheepfolds, and, though fewer in numbers than jackals, are much more harmful. The tribe of Benjamin, owing to its warlike character, was compared to a wolf.
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