Dale Pollard
The exact identity of the “wild ox” mentioned in Job 39 is unknown, but the text implies a powerful and strong beast whose strength was beyond human control.
One alternative theory is that it might just be referring to the extinct woolly rhinoceros—one of the largest mammals of the ice age.
God asks Job:
“Will the re’em be willing to serve you? Will he spend the night at your manger? Can you bind the re’em in the furrow (earthen trench made by plowing) with ropes? …will you trust him because his strength is great?” (39.9-12).
Unlike oxen, rhinos have never been successfully domesticated, despite their tremendous strength. A modern rhino could easily pull half of its body weight, and they’ve used been known to use their sheer neck and shoulder strength to toss multi-ton objects, including hippos, water buffaloes, and entire cars—into the air (BBC Science Focus Mag., Top 10 Strongest Animals).
The woolly rhino was among the largest land mammals of the past. Fossil remains discovered in Russia, Germany, France, England, and Kazakhstan reveal that it grew to be 13 feet long and stood over 6 feet at the shoulder. It weighed in at around 8,000lbs and its prominent front horn has been measured at 4-6 feet in length. Preserved carcasses in the chilly permafrost of Siberia have even retained their reddish-brown fur, skin, and their last meals still sitting in their bellies.
The Greek translation of the Old Testament– or Septuagint– translates the Hebrew re’em as monokeros, meaning “one-horned.” Jerome’s Latin Vulgate translated it as rhinoceros. The translators lived far closer to the biblical world than modern readers and evidently associated the re’em with a rhino-like creature.
No woolly rhinos have ever been uncovered in the region where Job was thought to have lived (modern Palestine), however several references in Job seem to indicate the right conditions that would allow our big-horned brute to feel right at home. Some theologians date Job towards the end of the ice age—here’s a few verses used as evidence.
“Which is dark and turbid by reason of the ice, and wherein the snow is hidden” (6.16).
“By the breath of God ice is given, and the broad waters are frozen fast” (37.10).
“From whose womb comes the ice? And the frost of heaven, who gives birth to it? The waters harden like stone, and the surface of the deep is frozen” (38.29-30).
Is the re’em really a giant woolly rhino? There’s no way to know for certain, and since there’s no definitive answer– it makes the theory a cool one (little pun there for ya, pilgrim).
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