Menu

Numbers 23:22 — Word Study

Depth

WLCאֵ֖ל מוֹצִיאָ֣ם מִמִּצְרָ֑יִם כְּתוֹעֲפֹ֥ת רְאֵ֖ם לֽוֹ׃

BSAGodʼêl [Elohim, the supreme Creator] brought them outyâtsâʼ [as a deliverer, leading them forth] of EgyptMitsrayim [a land of bondage, northeastern Africa] with strengthtôwʻâphâh [power, mighty force] like a wild oxrᵉʼêm [comparable to, resembling, aurochs, a large and powerful animal, unicorn]

Word
Listen & take awayNumbers 23
English ↓ Download MP3 The Berean Standard Bible chapter audio already hosted for the site's Bible section — verse 22 is in this chapter.
Hebrew ↓ Download MP3 The Masoretic text of this chapter, read aloud. Read by Abraham Shmuelof, courtesy of Audio Scriptures International. Chapter divisions by the Academy of Ancient Languages..
Say the word Each Hebrew word carries its transliteration (lo) — no per-word recordings of the Hebrew exist to link to.
Take it away
Numbers 23:22quick helps
In a sentenceGod delivers His people from Egypt with immense power.
Who is speakingThe speaker is God, affirming His might in delivering Israel.
Where we areThis verse is part of a prophecy regarding Israel's strength.
The hard wordרְאֵם
Take awayGod's strength in deliverance is likened to the power of a wild ox.
8 commentators on this verse Gill, Jamieson, Poole, Ellicott & more — read them › clause The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
How rare are these words?in the Old Testament

Every word here is used elsewhere in the Old Testament.

Bars are logarithmic — אֵת, the commonest word in the Hebrew Bible, stands about 11,000 times, so a linear scale would leave everything else invisible. Click a row to open that word.

Deep Study — Numbers 23:22

Sections marked generated are written from the data on this page rather than by a named author. Everything else — the lexicon entries, the cross references, the manuscript readings, the counts — is quoted from its source unchanged.

Context — A Prophecy of Israel's Strengthgenerated

21He considers no disaster for Jacob; He sees no trouble for Israel. The LORD their God is with them, and the shout of the King is among them.
22God brought them out of Egypt with strength like a wild ox.
23For there is no spell against Jacob and no divination against Israel. It will now be said of Jacob and Israel, ‘What great things God has done!’
24Behold, the people rise like a lioness; they rouse themselves like a lion, not resting until they devour their prey and drink the blood of the slain.”

Numbers 23:22 is part of a larger narrative where Balaam, a prophet, is speaking about Israel's unique relationship with God. This verse emphasizes God's power in bringing Israel out of Egypt, contrasting their previous bondage with the strength they now possess. It highlights God's protective presence and the assurance of His favor over His people, as seen in the surrounding verses.


Cross References

ReferenceText (BSB)
1Numbers 22:5he sent messengers to Balaam son of Beor at Pethor, which is by the Euphrates in the land of his people. “Behold, a people has come out of Egypt,” said Balak. “They cover the face of the land and have settled next to me.
2Numbers 24:8God brought him out of Egypt with strength like a wild ox, to devour hostile nations and crush their bones, to pierce them with arrows.
3Exodus 9:16But I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display My power to you, and that My name might be proclaimed in all the earth.
4Exodus 14:18The Egyptians will know that I am the LORD when I am honored through Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen.”
5Exodus 20:2“I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 9 references, hung on the phrase they belong to


The Key Word אֵל, 'elgenerated

The Hebrew word אֵל (*'el*) means 'God' and conveys the idea of might or strength. It is often used to refer to the one true God of Israel, emphasizing His power and authority. The parsing indicates that it is a common noun, masculine singular, used here to denote the supreme Creator.

In this context, אֵל serves as the subject of the action, highlighting God's role as the deliverer who brings His people out of bondage. This word sets the tone for the verse, establishing the divine strength that characterizes God's actions.


How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated

This study reads the verse in the Berean Standard Bible, so the BSB is the wording every comparison below is made against.


Sentence Structuregenerated

The finite verb מוֹצִיאָ֣ם governs the entire verse, indicating the action of bringing out. The subject is אֵל, and the prepositional phrase מִמִּצְרָ֑יִם specifies the origin from which they are brought.

The structure emphasizes God's active role in the deliverance, with the phrase כְּתוֹעֲפֹ֥ת introducing a simile that compares God's strength to that of a wild ox, enhancing the imagery of power.


Septuagint Backgroundgenerated

In the Septuagint, the Hebrew אֵל is rendered as θεὸς (*theos*), which retains the meaning of 'God' and emphasizes His divine nature. This choice aligns with the understanding of God as the powerful deliverer.

The Greek term μονοκέρωτος is used for רְאֵם, suggesting a similar imagery of strength associated with a horned creature, reinforcing the idea of might.


In plain words — the whole versegenerated

Numbers 23:22 tells us that God brought the Israelites out of Egypt with great strength, comparing His power to that of a wild ox. This verse emphasizes God's might in delivering His people from bondage.


Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated

What does it mean that God brought them out of Egypt?

This signifies God's intervention and deliverance of the Israelites from slavery, demonstrating His power and commitment to His people.

Why is God's strength compared to a wild ox?

The comparison to a wild ox highlights the immense power and might of God, suggesting that His strength is unmatched and capable of overcoming any obstacle.

What is the significance of Egypt in this verse?

Egypt represents a place of bondage and oppression, and God's action in bringing His people out signifies liberation and the beginning of a new journey.

How does this verse relate to the overall theme of deliverance in the Bible?

This verse is a key example of God's deliverance, which is a recurring theme throughout the Bible, illustrating His faithfulness to rescue His people from oppression.


Reflection Questionsgenerated

  1. In what ways have I experienced God's deliverance in my life?
  2. How can I recognize and appreciate God's strength in my daily challenges?
  3. What does it mean to me that God is compared to a wild ox in terms of His power?
  4. How can I share the story of God's deliverance with others?

Commentators on this verse — 8 expositors, verse by verse

Each of these wrote on Numbers 23:22 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.

John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

God brought them out of Egypt,.... With a mighty hand and stretched out arm, and he will conduct them through the wilderness, and bring them safe to Canaan's land; he that brought them from thence

Read John Gill on Numbers 23 →
Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's Commentary

And he took up his parable, and said, Rise up, Balak, and hear; hearken unto me, thou son of Zippor: `Rise up, Balak, and hear! Hearken unto me, thou son of Zippori!

Read Robert Jamieson on Numbers 23 →
Matthew Poole1624–1679Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy Bible

God brought them out of Egypt, to wit, by a strong hand, and in spite of all their enemies, and therefore it is in vain to seek or hope to overcome them. He; either, 1. God, last mentioned. But so the comparison is mean and unbecoming. Or rather, 2. Israel, whom God brought out of Egypt; such change of numbers being very common in the Hebrew language. The sense is, Israel is not now what he was in Egypt, a poor, weak, dispirited, unarmed people, but high, and strong, and invincible. The great strength and fierceness of a unicorn is celebrated in Scripture, 92:10. But whether it be a unicorn, or a rhinoceros, or a strong and fierce kind of wild goat, which is here called reem, it is not…

Read Matthew Poole on Numbers 23 →
Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(22) God brought them out of Egypt.—Literally, is bringing them. The use of the participle denotes the continuance of the action. He who brought them forth out of Egypt was still conducting them on their march. There is an obvious allusion in these words to those of Balak in Numbers 22:5 : “Behold, there is a people come out from Egypt.” Seeing that the people did not come out of Egypt in obedience to their own caprice, but under Divine guidance, it was vain for Balak to resist them on their course, seeing that to contend with them was to contend against God. The strength of an unicorn.—Better, of a buffalo. (Comp. Deuteronomy 33:17—a passage closely resembling the present—from which it…

Read Charles John Ellicott on Numbers 23 →
AdamClarkeAdam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible

Verse 22. The strength of a unicorn.] ראם reem and ראים reim. It is generally allowed that there is no such beast in nature as the unicorn; i. e., a creature of the horse kind, with one long rich curled horn in the forehead. The creature painted from fancy is represented as one of the supporters of the royal arms of Great Britain. It is difficult to say what kind of beast is intended by the original word. The Septuagint translate the word μονοκερως, the unicorn, or one-horned animal; the Vulgate, sometimes, unicornus; and in the text rhinocerotis, by which the rhinoceros, a creature which has its name from the horn on its nose, is supposed to be meant. That no single-horned animal can be…

Read AdamClarke on Numbers 23 →
CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

22. He hath as it were the horns of the wild-ox] ‘He’ means Israel, not God. The word for ‘horns’ is rare; but Deuteronomy 33:17 helps to decide the meaning. In Psalms 95:4 it denotes mountain peaks. The wild-ox (re’çm) ‘is the rîmu of the Assyrian inscriptions. It is represented on the Assyrian sculptures as a huge species (now extinct) of the bovine kind.’ See art. ‘Unicorn’ in Hastings’ DB. iv. 23a. For divination is not in Jacob, and soothsaying is not in Israel] This appears to explain Israel’s victorious strength by the fact that they were free from these heathen practices. But the words are strange in the midst of a passage describing the fierce and irresistible advance of an army…

Read Cambridge on Numbers 23 →
Albert Barnes1798–1870Barnes' Notes on the Bible

An unicorn - A wild bull, the now extinct Aurochs, formidable for its size, strength, speed, and ferocity.

Read Albert Barnes on Numbers 23 →
Daniel Denison Whedon1808–1885Whedon's Commentary on the Bible

22. God brought them — Literally, is bringing; implying that the act was still going on.

Read Daniel Denison Whedon on Numbers 23 →

The verse in English, compared — 17 translations, and where they part company

Every translation on this page is a decision someone had to make and commit to. Read down a column and you see one translator's judgement; read across a row and you see the range the Greek actually allows. The BSB is the wording the rest of this page is measured against, so it is listed first.

Modern formal

BSBBerean Standard Bible2020

God brought them out of Egypt with strength like a wild ox.

WEBWorld English Bible2000

God brings them out of Egypt. He has as it were the strength of the wild ox.

MSBMajority Standard Bible2022

God brought them out of Egypt with strength like a wild ox.

NETBNew English Translation2006

God brought them out of Egypt. They have, as it were, the strength of a wild bull.

Tyndale line

KJVKing James Version1611

God brought them out of Egypt; he hath as it were the strength of an unicorn.

ASVAmerican Standard Version1901

God bringeth them forth out of Egypt; He hath as it were the strength of the wild-ox.

RVARevised Version, American1894

God bringeth them forth out of Egypt; He hath as it were the strength of the wild-ox.

NWBWebster's Bible1833

God brought them out of Egypt; he hath as it were the strength of a unicorn.

GNVGeneva Bible1599

God brought them out of Egypt: their strength is as an vnicorne.

Strictly literal

DBYDarby Translation1890

God brought him out of Egypt; he hath as it were the strength of a buffalo.

YLTYoung's Literal Translation1862

God is bringing them out from Egypt, As the swiftness of a Reem is to him;

LSVLiteral Standard Version2020

God is bringing them out from Egypt, || As the swiftness of a wild ox for him;

ILTInterlinear Literal Translation2000

God, who brought them out of Egypt, is to them like the heights of the reem.

ULBUnlocked Literal Bible2017

God brought them out of Egypt with strength like that of a wild ox.

From the Latin

DRADouay-Rheims (Challoner)1899

God hath brought him out of Egypt, whose strength is like to the rhinoceros.

Simplified

FBVFree Bible Version2020

God led them out of Egypt with great power, as strong as an ox.

BBEBible in Basic English1949

It is God who has taken them out of Egypt; his horns are like those of the mountain ox.

Counted from the translations carried on this site, not from a survey of every English Bible. A rendering shared by many versions is usually inherited rather than independently arrived at — the Tyndale line in particular runs through most of them.


The sentence as the grammar sees it — from the MACULA Hebrew treebank

This is not our own analysis: it is the scholarly syntax tree for the verse, showing how the clause actually holds together.

clausenoun phrase · subjectאֵ֖לGodnoun phraseclauseverbמוֹצִיאָ֣[is].bringingobjectםthem.outprepositional phrase · prepositionalמִfromמִּצְרָ֑יִםEgyptprepositional phrase · predicateכְּlike.[the]noun phraseתוֹעֲפֹ֥תhornsרְאֵ֖םof.a.wild.oxprepositional phrase · prepositionalלֽ[belong].toוֹhim

Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.


The four witnesses to this verse — Masoretic, Septuagint, Samaritan, Qumran

The Masoretic Text is supported by the Samaritan Pentateuch, which agrees word for word. The Septuagint matches five of the six words, though its word order differs. The Dead Sea Scrolls fragment contains three of the words, with the rest supplied by an editor.

Masoretic TextLeningrad Codex, c. AD 1008 — the text this page is built on

אֵ֖ל מוֹצִיאָ֣ם מִמִּצְרָ֑יִם כְּתוֹעֲפֹ֥ת רְאֵ֖ם לֽוֹ׃

Septuagintthe Greek the translators chose, word by word
אֵ֖לθεὸςמִמִּצְרָ֑יִםαἰγύπτουכְּתוֹעֲפֹ֥תδόχαרְאֵ֖םμονοκέρωτοςלֽוֹ׃αὐτῷ

5 of the 6 words are matched. This is the word-by-word correspondence, not the Septuagint's own sentence — its word order and its articles are its own.

Samaritan Pentateuchthe Torah as the Samaritan community kept it

אל מוציאם ממצרים כתועפת ראם לו

Agrees with the Masoretic Text here, word for word.

Dead Sea Scrolls — 4Q27a copy a thousand years older than the Leningrad Codex

[אל] [מוציא׳ם] [ממצרים]

3 words of the verse are on this fragment — 3 supplied entire by an editor.

Four traditions, not one. “On the leather” means the letters physically survive on the scroll, as against letters an editor has supplied to fill a hole in it — a restoration is a scholar’s reading, not a reading of the manuscript. Words in [square brackets] are supplied; the notes count them apart from what survives.


The map of this verse — what each word keeps company with

This is a map of two things, both counted rather than judged. Company kept: which words stand within three words of each of these, anywhere in the Hebrew Bible — the thicker the line, the more often the pair meet compared with chance. Built from: the words a word is made out of, taken from its own Strong’s entry. It is not a map of meaning: nothing here claims two words mean the same thing. Click any circle to see the numbers behind it.

Numbers 23:22אֵלGodGodאֵליָצָא[is] bringi[is] bringing oיָצָאמִצְרַ֫יִםfrom Egyptfrom Egyptמִצְרַ֫יִםתּוֹעָפָהlike [the] like [the] hornתּוֹעָפָהרְאֵםa wild oxa wild oxרְאֵםוֹ[belong] to[belong] to himוֹאַ֫יִלramramאַ֫יִליָעֵףto faintto faintיָעֵףרָאַםto riseto riseרָאַםמָצוֹרEgyptEgyptמָצוֹרקַנָּאjealousjealousקַנָּאשַׁדַּיAlmightyAlmightyשַׁדַּיקָרָאto encountto encounter: mקָרָאגּוֹרָלallottedallottedגּוֹרָלכּוּשׁEthiopiaEthiopiaכּוּשׁפַּרְעֹהPharaohPharaohפַּרְעֹהרְאֵםwild oxwild oxרְאֵםאֵלgodgodאֵלתּוֹעָפָהpeakpeakתּוֹעָפָהקֶ֫רֶןhornhornקֶ֫רֶן
meets it a little oftener than chancemeets it far oftener than chancebuilt from the same roottwo words of the verse share ita word of this versea related word

Lexicons — every word in Numbers 23:22

One dossier per word, with every reference work grouped by kind — Hebrew lexicons, morphology, Bible dictionaries, topical chains and the English of the translators themselves. The verse sits at the head of each block with the word under study lit, so you never lose your place. The panel above gives the short answer; this is the long one, and it is the part of the page worth indexing.

Every entry below is the lexicographer's own text. On the Hebrew: Brown-Driver-Briggs entire and its gloss set, Strong's Hebrew Dictionary, and Tyndale House's Translators Brief lexicon. Where a cell says a work has no entry, that work genuinely has none for this word.

God [is] bringing out them from Egypt like [the] horns of a wild ox [belong] to him
אֵ֖ל'el God H410 Noun common · masculine singular absolute
241× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
In the Bible, 'el means strength or power, and is often used to refer to God or false gods. It describes something or someone as mighty or powerful, like the Almighty. This concept is central to understanding the Bible's view of God.
Amplified meaning
Elohim, the supreme Creator
Tyndale gloss
god
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Hebrew word אֵל (*'el*) primarily means 'god' and conveys the idea of might or strength. It can refer to the one true God of Israel, as well as to other deities, angels, and mighty men. The entries highlight its use in various contexts, including nature and power, but do not present significant disagreement among lexicons.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

אֵל n.m. god, but with various subordinate applications to express the idea of might

applied to men of might and rank

angels

gods of the nations

Ēl

as characterizing mighty things in nature

God, the one only and true God of Israel

אֵל strength, power

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H410 אֵל god, but with various subordinate applications to express the idea of might . applied to men of might and rank

. angels

. gods of the nations

. Ēl

. as characterizing mighty things in nature

. God, the one only and true God of Israel

. אֵל strength, power

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

410 'el ale

shortened from 352; strength; as adjective, mighty;

especially the Almighty (but used also of any deity):--God

(god), X goodly, X great, idol, might(-y one), power, strong.

Compare names in "-el."

see HEBREW for 0352

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

אֵל (el) — God.

This name means god, god-like one, mighty one, strength, power

Another name of ye.ho.vah (יהוה "LORD" H3068G)

אֵל (el) — El (Berith).

This name means god, god-like one, mighty one, strength, power

Combined with "Berith" (berith בְּרִית H1286)

אֵל (el) — El (Elohe).

Another name of ye.ho.vah (יהוה "LORD" H3068G)

This name means god, god-like one, mighty one, strength, power

Combined with "God" (elohim אֱלֹהִים H0430)

אֵל (el) — El (Most High).

Another name of ye.ho.vah (יהוה "LORD" H3068G)

This name means god, god-like one, mighty one, strength, power

Combined with "Most High" (el.yon עֶלְיוֹן H5945B)

אֵל (el) — god.

: god

1) god, god-like one, mighty one

1a) mighty men, men of rank, mighty heroes

1b) angels

1c) god, false god, (demons, imaginations)

1d) God, the one true God, Jehovah

2) mighty things in nature

3) strength, power

Read the full entry →
Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
N-ms — Noun common · masculine singular absolute
HNcmsa
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

god ('Elohim, 'El, [`Elyon], Shadday, Yahweh; Theos):

I. INTRODUCTION TO THE GENERAL IDEA

1. The Idea in Experience and in Thought

2. Definition of the Idea

3. The Knowledge of God

4. Ethnic Ideas of God

(1) Animism

(2) Fetishism

(3) Idolatry

(4) Polytheism

(5) Henotheism

(6) Pantheism

(7) Deism

(8) Semitic Monolatry

(9) Monotheism

II. THE IDEA OF GOD IN THE OLD TESTAMENT

1. The Course of Its Development

2. Forms of Its Manifestation

(1) The Face or Countenance of God

(2) The Voice and Word of God

(3) The Glory of God

(4) The Angel of God

(5) The Spirit of God

(6) The Name of God

(7) Occasional Forms

3. The Names of God

(1) Generic

(2) Attributive

(3) Yahweh

4. Pre-prophetic Conceptions of God

(1) Yahweh Alone Is the God of Israel

(a) His Early Worship

(b) Popular Religion

(c) Polytheistic Tendencies

(i) Coordination

(ii) Assimilation

(iii) Disintegration

(d) No Hebrew Goddesses

(e) Human Sacrifices

Easton's Bible Dictionary

God

(A.S. and Dutch God; Dan. Gud; Ger. Gott), the name of the Divine Being. It is the rendering (1) of the Hebrew ’El, from a word meaning to be strong; (2) of ’Eloah_, plural _’Elohim. The singular form, Eloah, is used only in poetry. The plural form is more commonly used in all parts of the Bible, The Hebrew word Jehovah (q.v.), the only other word generally employed to denote the Supreme Being, is uniformly rendered in the Authorized Version by “LORD,” printed in small capitals. The existence of God is taken for granted in the Bible. There is nowhere any argument to prove it. He who disbelieves this truth is spoken of as one devoid of understanding (Ps. 14:1).

The arguments generally adduced by theologians in proof of the being of God are:

(1.) The a priori argument, which is the testimony afforded by reason.

Smith's Bible Dictionary

(good). Throughout the Hebrew Scriptures two chief names are used for the one true divine Being--ELOHIM, commonly translated God in our version, and JEHOVAH, translated Lord . Elohim is the plural of Eloah (in Arabic Allah); it is often used in the short form EL (a word signifying strength , as in EL-SHADDAI, God Almighty, the name by which God was specially known to the patriarchs. (Genesis 17:1; 28:3; Exodus 6:3) The etymology is uncertain, but it is generally agreed that the primary idea is that of strength, power of effect , and that it properly describes God in that character in which he is exhibited to all men in his works, as the creator, sustainer and supreme governor of the world. The plural form of Elohim has given rise to much discussion. The fanciful idea that it…

American Tract Society Bible Dictionary

This name, the derivation of which is uncertain, we give to that eternal, infinite, perfect, and incomprehensible Being, the Creator of all things, who preserves and governs all by his almighty power and wisdom, and is the only proper object of worship. The proper Hebrew name for God is JEHOVAH, which signifies He is. But the Jews, from a feeling of reverence, avoid pronouncing this name, substituting for it, wherever it occurs in the sacred test, the word ADONAI, Lord; except in the expression, ADONAI JEHOVAH, Lord Jehovah, for which they put, ADONAI ELOHIM, Lord God. This usage, which is not without an element of superstition, is very ancient, dating its origin some centuries before Christ; but there is no good ground for assuming its existence in the days of the inspired Old Testament writers. The proper word for God is ELOHIM, which is plural in its form, being thus used to signify…

God [is] bringing out them from Egypt like [the] horns of a wild ox [belong] to him
מוֹצִיאָ֣םmo.tzi.'Am [is] bringing out them H3318 Verb hiphil participle (active) masculine singular common · suffix
1,067× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
In the Bible, this Hebrew word means to go out or come out, and it's used in many different ways, like leaving a place or starting a new journey, as seen in Genesis and Exodus.
Amplified meaning
as a deliverer, leading them forth
Tyndale gloss
to come out: come
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

יָצָא (yatsa') is a Hebrew verb meaning to go or come out, with various applications including departure, escape, and emergence. It can refer to both animate and inanimate subjects and emphasizes the idea of origin or source. The verb appears in different forms, such as Qal, Hiphil, and Hophal, indicating actions like leading out or being brought forth.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

יָצָא 1068 vb. go or come out

Qal

go or come out or forth

from (מִן) a place

go forth from (the presence of) a person

in technical senses

of flight, involving escape

depart

of inanimate things

with especial emphasis on idea of origin, source

of children as going forth from loins (of father)

go forth to a place

go forward, proceed to or toward something

come or go forth, with esp. ref. to purpose or result

of combinations

Hiph.

cause to go or come out, bring out, lead out

fig. obj. persons, bring out of (מִן) distress, etc.

bring out animals

inanimate obj.

fig. subj. י׳, bring forth from (מִן)

Hoph. be brought forth

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H3318 יָצָא go or come out .. go or come out or forth . from (מִן) a place

. go forth from (the presence of) a person

. in technical senses

. of flight, involving escape

. depart

. of inanimate things

. with especial emphasis on idea of origin, source

. of children as going forth from loins (of father)

. . go forth to a place

. go forward, proceed to or toward something

. come or go forth, with esp. ref. to purpose or result

. of combinations

. . cause to go or come out, bring out, lead out

. fig. obj. persons, bring out of (מִן) distress, etc.

. bring out animals

. inanimate obj.

. fig. subj. י׳, bring forth from (מִן)

. be brought forth

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

3318 yatsa' yaw-tsaw'

a primitive root; to go (causatively, bring) out, in a great

variety of applications, literally and figuratively, direct

and proxim.:--X after, appear, X assuredly, bear out, X

begotten, break out, bring forth (out, up), carry out, come

(abroad, out, thereat, without), + be condemned,

depart(-ing, -ure), draw forth, in the end, escape, exact,

fail, fall (out), fetch forth (out), get away (forth, hence,

out), (able to, cause to, let) go abroad (forth, on, out),

going out, grow, have forth (out), issue out, lay (lie) out,

lead out, pluck out, proceed, pull out, put away, be risen, X

scarce, send with commandment, shoot forth, spread, spring

out, stand out, X still, X surely, take forth (out), at any

time, X to (and fro), utter.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

יָצָא (ya.tsa) — to come out: come.

: come/go_out/escape

1) to go out, come out, exit, go forth

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to go or come out or forth, depart

1a2) to go forth (to a place)

1a3) to go forward, proceed to (to or toward something)

1a4) to come or go forth (with purpose or for result)

1a5) to come out of

1b) (Hiphil)

1b1) to cause to go or come out, bring out, lead out

1b2) to bring out of

1b3) to lead out

1b4) to deliver

1c) (Hophal) to be brought out or forth

יָצָא (ya.tsa) — to come out: send.

: send/take_out/release

1) to go out, come out, exit, go forth

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to go or come out or forth, depart

1a2) to go forth (to a place)

1a3) to go forward, proceed to (to or toward something)

1a4) to come or go forth (with purpose or for result)

1a5) to come out of

1b) (Hiphil)

1b1) to cause to go or come out, bring out, lead out

1b2) to bring out of

1b3) to lead out

1b4) to deliver

Read the full entry →
Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
V-Hiphil | Suff — Verb hiphil participle (active) masculine singular common · suffix
HVhrmsc/Sp3mp
God [is] bringing out them from Egypt like [the] horns of a wild ox [belong] to him
מִמִּצְרָ֑יִםmi.mitz.Ra.yim from Egypt H4714 Preposition · noun proper
641× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This word means Egypt, a country in northeastern Africa, and is used in the Bible to describe the land and its people. It appears in books like Genesis and Isaiah, often referring to the Nile River and the Egyptians. Egypt is an important setting for many biblical events.
Amplified meaning
a land of bondage, northeastern Africa
Tyndale gloss
(Sea of) Egypt
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

מִצְרַ֫יִם (mitsrayim) refers to Egypt, a country in northeastern Africa known for the Nile River. The term can denote both the land and its inhabitants, the Egyptians. It is derived from a dual form suggesting Upper and Lower Egypt, and is linked to the biblical figure Mizraim, a son of Ham. The lexicons note its significance in the context of the table of nations.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

מִצְרַ֫יִם 681 n.pr.terr. et gent. Egypt, Egyptians

of land, Egypt

combinations

of people:

in table of nations, personif. as second son of Ham

= Egypt (as a people), Egyptians

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H4714 מִצְרַ֫יִם Egypt, Egyptians . . of land, Egypt

. combinations

. of people: . in table of nations, personif. as second son of Ham

. = Egypt (as a people), Egyptians

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

4714 Mitsrayim mits-rah'-yim

dual of 4693; Mitsrajim, i.e. Upper and Lower Egypt:--Egypt,

Egyptians, Mizraim.

see HEBREW for 04693

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

מִצְרַ֫יִם (mits.ra.yim) — Egypt.

§ Egypt = "land of the Copts"

a country at the northeastern section of Africa, adjacent to Palestine, and through which the Nile flows

Egyptians = "double straits"

מִצְרַ֫יִם (mits.ra.yim) — Egypt.

A man living at the time of the Patriarchs, first mentioned at Gen.10.6;

son of: Ham (H2526);

brother of: Canaan (H3667), Cush (H3568) and Put (H6316);

father of: Ludim (H3866), Anamim (H6047), Lehabim (H3853), Naphtuhim (H5320), Pathrusim (H6625), Casluhim (H3695) and Caphtorim (H3732)

§ Egypt = "land of the Copts"

1) a country at the northeastern section of Africa, adjacent to Palestine, and through which the Nile flows

Egyptians = "double straits"

adj

2) the inhabitants or natives of Egypt

מִצְרַ֫יִם (mits.ra.yim) — (Sea of) Egypt.

§ Egypt = "land of the Copts"

Read the full entry →
Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Prep | N-proper — Preposition · noun proper
HR/Npl
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

e'-jipt:

I. THE COUNTRY

1. The Basis of the Land 2. The Nile Valley 3. Earliest Human Remains 4. Climate 5. Conditions of Life 6. The Nile 7. The Fauna 8. The Flora 9. The Prehistoric Races

II. THE HISTORY

1. 1st and 2nd Ages: Prehistoric 2. 3d Age: Ist and IInd Dynasties 3. 4th Age: IIIrd through VIth Dynasties 4. 5th Age: VIIth through XIVth Dynasties 5. 6th Age: XVth through XXIVth Dynasties 6. 7th Age: XXVth Dynasty to Roman Times 7. 8th Age: Arabic 8. Early Foreign Connections

III. THE OLD TESTAMENT CONNECTIONS

1. Semitic Connections 2. Abramic Times 3. Circumcision 4. Joseph 5. Descent into Egypt 6. The Oppression 7. The Historic Position 8. The Plagues 9. Date of the Exodus 10. Route of the Exodus 11. Numbers of the Exodus 12. Israel in Canaan 13. Hadad 14. Pharaoh's Daughter 15. Shishak 16. Zerakh 17. The Ethiopians 18. Tahpanhes 19. Hophra 20. The Jews of Syene 21. The New Jerusalem…

Easton's Bible Dictionary

Egypt

The land of the Nile and the pyramids, the oldest kingdom of which we have any record, holds a place of great significance in Scripture.

The Egyptians belonged to the white race, and their original home is still a matter of dispute. Many scholars believe that it was in Southern Arabia, and recent excavations have shown that the valley of the Nile was originally inhabited by a low-class population, perhaps belonging to the Nigritian stock, before the Egyptians of history entered it. The ancient Egyptian language, of which the latest form is Coptic, is distantly connected with the Semitic family of speech.

Egypt consists geographically of two halves, the northern being the Delta, and the southern Upper Egypt, between Cairo and the First Cataract. In the Old Testament, Northern or Lower Egypt is called Mazor, “the fortified land” (Isa.…

A celebrated country in the north of Africa, at the eastern part of the Mediterranean Sea. The Hebrews called it Mizraim, Ge 10:6, and hence it is now called by the Arabs, Mizr. The Greeks and Romans called it Aegyptus, whence Egypt; but the origin of this name is unknown.

The habitable land of Egypt is for the most part a great valley, through which the river Nile pours its waters, extending in a straight line from north to south, and skirted on the east and west by ranges of mountains, which approach and recede from the river more or less in different parts. Where this valley terminates, towards the north, the Nile divides itself, about forty or fifty miles from the seacoast, into several arms, which inclose the so-called Delta. The ancients numbered seven arms and mouths; the eastern was that of Pelusium, now that of Tineh; and the…

God [is] bringing out them from Egypt like [the] horns of a wild ox [belong] to him
כְּתוֹעֲפֹ֥תke.to.'a.Fot like [the] horns of H8443 Preposition · noun common feminine plural construct
4× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
The Hebrew word for peak refers to a lofty summit or eminence, and can also imply weariness or toil, as in obtaining treasure or achieving great strength.
Amplified meaning
power, mighty force
Tyndale gloss
peak
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

תּוֹעָפָה (tow`aphah) refers to a peak or eminence, specifically relating to towering horns or summits. The term is derived from a root meaning weariness or toil, suggesting a connection to strength or plenty. It appears only in the plural collective form.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

[תּוֹעָפָה] n.f. eminence; of towering horns

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H8443 תּוֹעָפָה

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

8443 tow`aphah to-aw-faw'

from 3286; (only in plural collective) weariness, i.e. (by

implication) toil (treasure so obtained) or speed:--plenty,

strength.

see HEBREW for 03286

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

תּוֹעָפָה (to.a.phah) — peak.

1) eminence, lofty horns, summit

1a) eminence (of towering horns, peaks, silver)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Prep | N-fp — Preposition · noun common feminine plural construct
HR/Ncfpc
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

ov:

(1) In Anglo-Saxon, had the meaning "from," "away from" (as the strengthened form "off" has still), and was not used for genitive or possessive relations, these being expressed by special case-forms. In the Norman period, however, "of" was taken to represent the French de (a use well developed by the time of Chaucer), and in the Elizabethan period both senses of "of" were in common use. But after about 1600 the later force of the word became predominant, and in the earlier sense (which is now practically obsolete) it was replaced by other prepositions. In consequence the King James Version (and in some cases the Revised Version (British and American)) contains many uses of "of" that are no longer familiar--most of them, to be sure, causing no difficulty, but there still being a few responsible for real obscurities.

English usagewhat the translators’ English meant
Webster's Dictionary (1828), Webster's Unabridged (1913), Webster's Dictionary (1806)

OF, preposition ov. [Gr.]

1. From or out of; proceeding from, as the cause, source, means, author or agent bestowing.

I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered to you. 1 Corinthians 11:1.

For it was of the Lord to harden their hearts. Joshua 11:1.

It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed.

Lamentations 3:1.

The whole disposing thereof is of the Lord. Proverbs 16:1.

Go, inquire of the Lord for me. 2 Chronicles 34:2.

That holy thing that shall be born of thee. Luke 1:1.

Hence of is the sign of the genitive case, the case that denotes production; as the son of man, the son proceeding from man, produced from man. This is the primary sense, although we now say, produced by man. 'Part of these were slain; ' that is, a number separate, for part denotes a division; the sense then is, a number from or out of the whole were slain. So also, 'some of these were slain; ' that is…

The company it keepswords that stand beside it more often than chance
God [is] bringing out them from Egypt like [the] horns of a wild ox [belong] to him
רְאֵ֖םre.'Em a wild ox H7214 Noun common · masculine singular absolute
9× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
The wild ox, or aurochs, was a large and powerful animal that is now extinct. The Bible describes it as a unicorn, although the exact meaning is not known, and it is mentioned in various passages as a symbol of strength.
Amplified meaning
comparable to, resembling, aurochs, a large and powerful animal, unicorn
Tyndale gloss
wild ox
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

רְאֵם (r'em) refers to a wild ox, possibly the extinct aurochs. The term is derived from the root meaning 'to see' or 'to be conspicuous,' indicating its notable appearance. While the exact identity of the animal is uncertain, it is mentioned in various contexts, including biblical texts.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

רְאֵם n.m. wild ox

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H7214 רְאֵם wild ox

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

7214 r'em reh-ame'

or rieym {reh-ame'}; or reym {rame}; or rem {rame}; from

7213; a wild bull (from its conspicuousness):--unicorn.

see HEBREW for 07213

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

רְאֵם (re.em) — wild ox.

probably the great aurochs or wild bulls which are now extinct. The exact meaning is not known.

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
N-ms — Noun common · masculine singular absolute
HNcmsa
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

(re'em): The word "unicorn" occurs in the King James Version in Nu 23:22; 24:8; De 33:17; Job 39:9,10; Ps 22:21; 29:6; 92:10; Isa 34:7 (the King James Version margin "rhinoceros"). the Revised Version (British and American) has everywhere "wild-ox" (margin "ox-antelope," Nu 23:22). The Septuagint has monokeros, "one-horned," except in Isa 34:7, where we find hoi hadroi, "the large ones," "the bulky ones." In this passage also the Septuagint has hoi krioi, "the rams," instead of English Versions of the Bible…

God [is] bringing out them from Egypt like [the] horns of a wild ox [belong] to him
לֽוֹ׃lo [belong] to him H9033 Preposition · suffix
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

וֹ (o) — him.

Personal object pronoun - suffix for propositions and verbs without an object: 3rd person masculine singular

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
HRd/Sp3ms — Preposition · suffix
HRd/Sp3ms
Sources on this page. Lexicons and dictionaries imported from the CrossWire SWORD modules — Abbott-Smith, Strong's, Dodson, the Intermediate Liddell-Scott-Jones, Robinson and Packard, Webster and Cawdrey. Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament (Harper, 1889 — Grimm’s Wilke’s Clavis Novi Testamenti, translated, revised and enlarged by Joseph Henry Thayer) is public domain and is set here from the Internet Archive page scan greekenglishlex00grim; it is uncorrected OCR, marked as such on the entry itself, and the Strong’s numbers — which Thayer’s own edition does not carry — were matched by lemma against the other modules on this page. Trench’s Synonyms of the New Testament (Macmillan, 1880) and Moulton and Milligan’s Vocabulary of the Greek Testament (Hodder & Stoughton, 1930, which entered the United States public domain on 1 January 2026) are set from Internet Archive page scans synonymsofnewtes00treniala and vocabularyofgree00mouluoft, and are likewise uncorrected OCR matched to Strong’s numbers by lemma. Trench treats a group of words at once, so the same essay stands on the page of each word it compares. The Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary is © 1993 and is used here by permission for non-commercial use, www.teknia.com/greek-dictionary. The full Liddell-Scott-Jones and the Hebrew word data (TAHOT) come from STEPBible.org, CC BY 4.0. Brown-Driver-Briggs is the OpenScriptures digitisation, public domain. Syntax analysis is the Nestle 1904 Lowfat treebank (biblicalhumanities.org); the concordance and morphology are built from the tagged Nestle 1904 text. Septuagint occurrences use the Open Scriptures Septuagint lemma index, derived from CCAT (University of Pennsylvania) and the Rahlfs 1935 dataset by Eliran Wong, CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 — used here on a non-commercial ministry site. Greek of Josephus and Barnabas from the Perseus Digital Library, CC BY-SA 4.0. Commentaries and the Ante-Nicene Fathers are public-domain texts hosted on this site. Everyday Greek from the Duke Databank of Documentary Papyri, CC BY 3.0, with dates and provenance from the Heidelberger Gesamtverzeichnis. Philo and the Apostolic Fathers from Open Greek and Latin (First1KGreek), CC BY-SA 4.0. The apparatus and the fifth Greek column are the SBL Greek New Testament, © 2010 SBL and Logos Bible Software, CC BY 4.0. The Latin is the Clementine Vulgate (public domain); the Syriac New Testament is the ETCBC edition (MIT licence). The Hebrew behind the Greek is computed here from the Septuagint index and TAHOT, not taken from any aligned edition. The translation spread and the per-word edition marks come from the Translators Amalgamated Greek NT (STEPBible, CC BY 4.0); clause roles from the Nestle 1904 Lowfat treebank (CC BY-SA 4.0); place identifications and their confidence from OpenBible.info Bible Geocoding (CC BY 4.0), with map tiles © OpenStreetMap contributors. Gospel parallels are computed here from shared uncommon vocabulary, not taken from any printed harmony. Cross references are the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge and the subject headings are Nave’s Topical Bible, both public domain. Works under Creative Commons licences are used unchanged apart from markup removal.

Everything we make is available for free because of a generous community of supporters.

Donate