By horns the Hebrews sometimes understood an eminence, or angle, a
corner, or a rising. By horns of the altar of burnt offerings, many
understand the angles of that altar; but there were also horns, or
eminences, at the corners of that altar, Exod. xxvii, 2; xxx, 2. Horn
also signifies glory, brightness, rays. God’s “brightness was as the
light, he had horns coming out of his hand,” Hab. iii, 4; that is,
refulgent beams issuing from the hollow of it. As the ancients
frequently used horns to hold liquors, vessels containing oil and
perfumes are often called horns, whether made of horn or not. “Fill
thine horn with oil,” says the Lord to Samuel, “and anoint David,” 1
Sam. xvi, 1. Zadok took a horn of oil out of the tabernacle, and
anointed Solomon, 1 Kings i, 39. Job called one of his daughters
Kerenhappuch, horn of antimony, or horn to put antimony (_stibium_) in,
which the women of the east still use at this day, Job xliii, 14. The
principal defence and strength of horned beasts consist in their horns;
and hence the Scripture mentions the horn as a symbol of strength. The
Lord exalted the horn of David, the horn of his people; he breaketh the
horn of the ungodly; he cutteth off the horn of Moab; he cutteth off the
horn of Israel; he promiseth to make the horn of Israel to bud forth; to
reëstablish the honour of it, and restore its former vigour. Moses
compares Joseph to a young bull, and says that he has horns like those
of a unicorn. Kingdoms and great powers are often in Scripture described
by the symbol of horns. In Daniel vii, viii, horns represent the power
of the Persians, of the Greeks, of Syria, of Egypt, or of Pagan and
Papal Rome. The prophet represents three animals as having many horns,
one of which grew from the other. This emblem is a natural one, since in
the east are rams which have many horns.
corner, or a rising. By horns of the altar of burnt offerings, many
understand the angles of that altar; but there were also horns, or
eminences, at the corners of that altar, Exod. xxvii, 2; xxx, 2. Horn
also signifies glory, brightness, rays. God’s “brightness was as the
light, he had horns coming out of his hand,” Hab. iii, 4; that is,
refulgent beams issuing from the hollow of it. As the ancients
frequently used horns to hold liquors, vessels containing oil and
perfumes are often called horns, whether made of horn or not. “Fill
thine horn with oil,” says the Lord to Samuel, “and anoint David,” 1
Sam. xvi, 1. Zadok took a horn of oil out of the tabernacle, and
anointed Solomon, 1 Kings i, 39. Job called one of his daughters
Kerenhappuch, horn of antimony, or horn to put antimony (_stibium_) in,
which the women of the east still use at this day, Job xliii, 14. The
principal defence and strength of horned beasts consist in their horns;
and hence the Scripture mentions the horn as a symbol of strength. The
Lord exalted the horn of David, the horn of his people; he breaketh the
horn of the ungodly; he cutteth off the horn of Moab; he cutteth off the
horn of Israel; he promiseth to make the horn of Israel to bud forth; to
reëstablish the honour of it, and restore its former vigour. Moses
compares Joseph to a young bull, and says that he has horns like those
of a unicorn. Kingdoms and great powers are often in Scripture described
by the symbol of horns. In Daniel vii, viii, horns represent the power
of the Persians, of the Greeks, of Syria, of Egypt, or of Pagan and
Papal Rome. The prophet represents three animals as having many horns,
one of which grew from the other. This emblem is a natural one, since in
the east are rams which have many horns.