בקר, in Arabic _bœkerre_ and _bykar_, the male of horned cattle
of the beeve kind, at full age, when fit for the plough. Younger ones
are called bullocks. Michaëlis, in his elaborate work on the laws of
Moses, has proved that castration was never practised. The rural economy
of the Israelites led them to value the ox as by far the most important
of domestic animals, from the consideration of his great use in all the
operations of farming. In the patriarchal ages, the ox constituted no
inconsiderable portion of their wealth. Thus Abraham is said to be very
rich in cattle, Gen. xxiv, 35. Men of every age and country have been
much indebted to the labours of this animal. So early as in the days of
Job, who was probably contemporary with Isaac, the oxen were ploughing,
and the asses were feeding beside them,” when the Sabeans fell upon
them, and took them away. In times long posterior, when Elijah was
commissioned to anoint Elisha, the son of Shaphat, prophet in his stead,
he found him ploughing with twelve yoke of oxen, 1 Kings xix, 19. For
many ages the hopes of oriental husbandmen depended entirely on their
labours. This was so much the case in the time of Solomon, that he
observes, in one of his proverbs, Where no oxen are, the crib is clean,”
or rather empty; but much increase is by the strength of the ox,” Prov.
xiv, 4. The ass, in the course of ages was compelled to bend his
stubborn neck to the yoke, and share the labours of the ox; but still
the preparation of the ground in the time of spring depended chiefly on
the more powerful exertions of the latter. When this animal was employed
in bringing home the produce of the harvest, he was regaled with a
mixture of chaff, chopped straw, and various kinds of grain, moistened
with acidulated water. But among the Jews, the ox was best fed when
employed in treading out the corn; for the divine law, in many of whose
precepts the benevolence of the Deity conspicuously shines, forbad to
muzzle him, and, by consequence, to prevent him from eating what he
would of the grain he was employed to separate from the husks. The ox
was also compelled to the labour of dragging the cart or wagon. The
number of oxen commonly yoked to one cart appears to have been two, Num.
vii, 3, 7, 8; 1 Sam. vi, 7; 2 Sam. vi, 3, 6.
The _wild ox_, תאן, Deut. xiv, 5, is supposed to be the oryx of the
Greeks, which is a species of large stag.
of the beeve kind, at full age, when fit for the plough. Younger ones
are called bullocks. Michaëlis, in his elaborate work on the laws of
Moses, has proved that castration was never practised. The rural economy
of the Israelites led them to value the ox as by far the most important
of domestic animals, from the consideration of his great use in all the
operations of farming. In the patriarchal ages, the ox constituted no
inconsiderable portion of their wealth. Thus Abraham is said to be very
rich in cattle, Gen. xxiv, 35. Men of every age and country have been
much indebted to the labours of this animal. So early as in the days of
Job, who was probably contemporary with Isaac, the oxen were ploughing,
and the asses were feeding beside them,” when the Sabeans fell upon
them, and took them away. In times long posterior, when Elijah was
commissioned to anoint Elisha, the son of Shaphat, prophet in his stead,
he found him ploughing with twelve yoke of oxen, 1 Kings xix, 19. For
many ages the hopes of oriental husbandmen depended entirely on their
labours. This was so much the case in the time of Solomon, that he
observes, in one of his proverbs, Where no oxen are, the crib is clean,”
or rather empty; but much increase is by the strength of the ox,” Prov.
xiv, 4. The ass, in the course of ages was compelled to bend his
stubborn neck to the yoke, and share the labours of the ox; but still
the preparation of the ground in the time of spring depended chiefly on
the more powerful exertions of the latter. When this animal was employed
in bringing home the produce of the harvest, he was regaled with a
mixture of chaff, chopped straw, and various kinds of grain, moistened
with acidulated water. But among the Jews, the ox was best fed when
employed in treading out the corn; for the divine law, in many of whose
precepts the benevolence of the Deity conspicuously shines, forbad to
muzzle him, and, by consequence, to prevent him from eating what he
would of the grain he was employed to separate from the husks. The ox
was also compelled to the labour of dragging the cart or wagon. The
number of oxen commonly yoked to one cart appears to have been two, Num.
vii, 3, 7, 8; 1 Sam. vi, 7; 2 Sam. vi, 3, 6.
The _wild ox_, תאן, Deut. xiv, 5, is supposed to be the oryx of the
Greeks, which is a species of large stag.