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Ass
Excerpt from the Lexham Bible Dictionary, the most advanced Bible dictionary.
An animal frequently referenced throughout the Bible. The general Hebrew word for the donkey (or ass) was chamor. The Old Testament uses four additional Hebrew terms for donkeys, contrasting male (חֲמוֹר‎, chamor; or עַיִר‎, ayir) and female (אָתוֹן‎, athon; Gen 12:16; 32:15) or designating undomesticated animals (פֶרֶא‎, phere'; [Gen 16:12] or עָרוֹד‎, arod; [Job 39:5]). The word ayir is also used to refer to a foal or young donkey (Zech 9:9). The domesticated donkey was used in the biblical world for riding (Num 22:21), for tilling (Isa 30:24), and for carrying burdens (Gen 45:23). Zechariah 9:9 describes the triumphal entry of the Messiah into Jerusalem on a donkey, and Matt 21:5 describes the fulfillment.
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The Lexham Bible Dictionary
Ass
Donkey (חֲמוֹר‎, chamor; ὄνος, onos). An animal frequently referenced throughout the Bible. The general Hebrew word for the donkey (or ass) was chamor. The Old Testament uses four additional Hebrew terms for donkeys, contrasting male (חֲמוֹר‎, chamor; or עַיִר‎, ayir) and female (אָתוֹן‎, athon; Gen 12:16;
The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Revised
Ass
Ass [Heb. ḥamôr, ’aṯôn, ‘ayir; Akk. atânu; Gk. ónos, hypozýgion (Mt. 21:5; 2 Pet. 2:16)]; AV also ASS COLT (‘ayir, Jgs. 10:4; 12:14), YOUNG ASS (‘ayir, Isa. 30:6, 24); NEB also DONKEY, BEAST OF BURDEN (Mt. 21:5), BEAST (2 Pet. 2:16); HE-ASS [Heb. ḥamôr (Gen. 12:16), ‘ayir (32:15)]; AV also
The HarperCollins Bible Dictionary (Revised and Updated)
Ass
ass, a four-footed equine mammal common in both the wild and domesticated state in biblical times. The domestic version is sometimes called a donkey to distinguish it from an ass, which then, by definition, is wild. The nrsv generally preserves this distinction and uses “donkey” for the domestic animal.
Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible
Ass
AssAn animal of the genus Equus, which includes the wild ass (Equus africanus, asinus, hemionus) and its descendant the domesticated donkey. The most frequent Hebrew term for “ass” is ḥămôr, which refers to the male domesticated animal and relates to a Semitic root meaning reddish (though the ass
Eerdmans Bible Dictionary
Ass
Ass. Any of several varieties of hardy, gregarious mammals (Equus asinus), smaller than donkeys, either domesticated or wild.
Catholic Bible Dictionary
Ass
ASS An animal belonging to the genus Equus found in two varieties, the wild ass and the domesticated ass. The domesticated ass was a very common animal in the ancient Near East, so it is no surprise to find it mentioned in Israelite Law (Exod 20:17; 21:33). It was used as a beast of burden (Gen 44:13;
Smith’s Bible Dictionary
Ass
Ass. Five Hebrew names of the genus Asinus occur in the Old Testament.1. Chamôr denotes the male domestic ass. 2. Athôn, the common domestic she-ass. 3. Aı̂r, the name of a wild ass, which occurs Gen. 32:15; 49:11. 4. Pere, a species of wild ass mentioned Gen. 12:16. 5. Arôd occurs only in Job 39:5;
Easton’s Bible Dictionary
Ass
Ass—frequently mentioned throughout Scripture. Of the domesticated species we read of, (1.) The she ass (Heb. ʾathon), so named from its slowness (Gen. 12:16; 45:23; Num. 22:23; 1 Sam. 9:3). (2.) The male ass (Heb. hamor), the common working ass of Western Asia, so called from its red colour. Issachar
He-ass
He-ass—Heb. hamor, (Gen. 12:16), the general designation of the donkey used for carrying burdens (Gen. 42:26) and for ploughing (Isa. 30:24). It is described in Gen. 49:14, 2 Sam. 19:26. (See ASS.)
Harper’s Bible Dictionary
Ass
Assass, a four-footed mammal related to the horse, common both in the wild and domesticated state in biblical times. The wild ass is portrayed most vividly in Job 39:5-8: it enjoys the freedom of the desert and finds its own pasture, scornful of the bustle of the city and heedless of the animal driver.
Dictionary of Biblical Imagery
Donkey, Ass
Donkey, AssWe must take care not to read our own attitudes toward the donkey into the biblical materials. In Christian tradition the ass is a symbol of absurdity (cf. the motif of the ass musician) and obstinacy, as well as the mount of the demon of sloth; and the red donkey becomes a figure of Satan.
See also
Topics & Themes
Mammals