Bible Dictionary
RHINOCEROS
Rhinoceros is an older proposed translation for the wild ox in Isaiah 34:7. The source notes that this identification is unlikely, since the passage concerns Edom and the biblical animal is better understood as a wild ox.
Definition
Rhinoceros is an older proposed rendering for the biblical re’emim in Isaiah 34:7. The King James Version margin gives “rhinocerots,” while the Revised Version uses “wild-oxen.” The rhinoceros identification is considered inappropriate to the passage, which concerns the land of Edom.
Biblical Usage
The word appears only as a marginal rendering in Isaiah 34:7 for the animals called “unicorns” in the King James Version and “wild-oxen” in the Revised Version.
Historical Background
The one-horned rhinoceros is confined to India, while other rhinoceroses occur in India and equatorial Africa. The material does not regard it as likely that the Hebrew writers meant these animals.
Related Figures
Historical Bible Dictionaries
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE)
<p>ri-nos'-er-os: This word is found in the King James Version margin to Isa 34:7 ("rhinocerots") for re'emim, the King James Version "unicorns," the Revised Version (British and American) "wild-oxen." The word is quite inappropriate to the passage, which refers to the land of Edom. The one-horned rhinoceros, Rhinoceros unicornis, is confined to India. Other rhinoceroses are found in India and in equatorial Africa, but it is hardly to be presumed that these animals were meant by the Hebrew writers.</p><p>See UNICORN.</p>