Lexical Summary ayyal: Deer, stag, hart Original Word: אַיָּל Strong's Exhaustive Concordance hart An intensive form of 'ayil (in the sense of ram); a stag or male deer -- hart. see HEBREW 'ayil NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom the same as ulam Definition a hart, stag, deer NASB Translation deer (8), stag (3). Brown-Driver-Briggs אַיָּל noun [masculine] (feminine Psalm 42:2) hart, stag, deer (Aramaic id.,  , Arabic  , Assyrian ailu Dlw, but dubious, see HptBAS i. 170; Ethiopic  = leader ? compare אַיִל) Arabic  = ibex (i. q.  ,  ). — ׳א absolute Deuteronomy 12:15 6t.; plural אַיָּלִים Songs 2:9 3t.; — hart, stag, allowed as food Deuteronomy 12:15,22; Deuteronomy 15:22 (all "" צְבִי); Deuteronomy 14:5; ("" צְבִי, יַחְמוּר etc.); eaten in Solomon's household 1 Kings 5:3 ("" as Deuteronomy 14:5); simile of leaping Isaiah 35:6; id. ׳עֹפֶר הָא Songs 2:9,17; Songs 8:14 (all "" צְבִי); as in search of pasture, simile of princes of Judah Lamentations 1:6; as longing for water, simile of longing for ׳י Psalm 42:2. Topical Lexicon Zoological Identity and Natural Habitat The Hebrew term אַיָּל (ayyal) denotes the mature male of the deer family—the stag or hart—native to the woodlands and highlands of the Levant. Swift, sure-footed, and endowed with branching antlers, the stag is portrayed in Scripture as an animal of beauty, vigor, and freedom. Its agility was proverbial among the ancients who watched it scale rocky cliffs and leap across ravines with effortless grace. Clean Status and Dietary Laws In the Mosaic legislation the stag belongs to the list of clean game permitted for consumption. Deuteronomy 12:15 and Deuteronomy 14:5 class it alongside the gazelle and ibex, reinforcing both the goodness of creation and Israel’s call to grateful stewardship. The repetition of the phrase “just as the gazelle or deer” (for example, Deuteronomy 12:22) reminds the covenant people that everyday meals—even far from the central sanctuary—were occasions to remember the Lord who “enlarged your borders” and supplied their tables. Royal Provision and Economic Prosperity When Solomon’s daily household provision is cataloged, “deer” are mentioned among the delicacies supplied for the king’s court (1 Kings 4:23). The presence of such game testifies to national peace, administrative organization, and overflowing abundance during the height of Israel’s united monarchy. The note also hints at the responsibility of leaders to channel prosperity toward the welfare and joy of God’s people. Poetic Symbolism: Longing for God Psalm 42:1 employs the stag’s most familiar trait—its thirst after an exhausting chase—to picture spiritual yearning: “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul longs for You, O God.” (Psalm 42:1) The image captures a soul pursued by trials yet instinctively driven to the only Source able to sustain life. For worshipers in every generation, the hart’s desperate search for flowing streams becomes a mirror of saving faith that clings to God alone. Love and Courtship Imagery In Song of Songs the young stag embodies youthful vitality and desirous pursuit: “My beloved is like a gazelle or a young stag.” (Song of Songs 2:9) “Turn, my beloved, and be like a gazelle or a young stag on the mountains of Bether.” (Song of Songs 2:17) The repeated simile conveys masculine strength tempered by gentleness, highlighting biblical celebration of marital affection. The hart’s alertness and swiftness also signify the eager responsiveness expected between bridegroom and bride, whether in earthly marriage or the deeper union of Christ and His Church. Transformation in Messianic Hope Isaiah foresees a day when the lame “leap like a deer” (Isaiah 35:6), announcing kingdom restoration marked by physical healing and ecstatic praise. The stag’s effortless leap becomes a promise that infirmity and sorrow will yield to resurrection power. The Gospels record Jesus fulfilling such prophecies (Matthew 11:5), inviting believers to anticipate the consummated age when weakness will be swallowed up in life. Judgment and Loss Lamentations 1:6 pictures Judah’s princes stripped of splendor, “like deer that find no pasture,” a stark inversion of the stag’s usual vigor. Starved and hunted, they portray the anguish of a people who forsook covenant fidelity. The contrast warns every generation that privilege without obedience ends in desolation. Practical Ministry Reflections 1. Spiritual Thirst: As the hart cannot survive without fresh water, so disciples must cultivate continual dependence on Scripture, prayer, and the indwelling Spirit. Summary Across law, poetry, prophecy, and narrative, the stag (אַיָּל) conveys life, longing, love, and liberation. Whether illustrating the soul’s thirst for God, the joy of covenant marriage, the exhilaration of redeemed bodies, or the tragedy of covenant breach, the image calls readers to earnest pursuit of the Lord whose provisions satisfy every hunger and whose promises grant strength “swift as the deer” to those who trust Him. Forms and Transliterations אַיָּ֥ל איל הָ֣אַיָּ֔ל הָֽאַיָּלִ֑ים הָֽאַיָּלִ֔ים הָאַיָּלִ֖ים האיל האילים וְכָאַיָּֽל׃ וכאיל׃ כְּאַיָּ֗ל כְּאַיָּלִים֙ כָּֽאַיָּל֙ כאיל כאילים מֵֽאַיָּ֤ל מאיל ’ay·yāl ’ayyāl aiYal hā’ayyāl hā’ayyālîm hā·’ay·yā·lîm hā·’ay·yāl haaiYal haaiyaLim kā’ayyāl kā·’ay·yāl kaaiYal kə’ayyāl kə’ayyālîm kə·’ay·yā·lîm kə·’ay·yāl keaiYal keaiyaLim mê’ayyāl mê·’ay·yāl meaiYal vechaaiYal wə·ḵā·’ay·yāl wəḵā’ayyālLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Deuteronomy 12:15 HEB: יֹאכְלֶ֔נּוּ כַּצְּבִ֖י וְכָאַיָּֽל׃ NAS: of it, as of the gazelle and the deer. KJV: thereof, as of the roebuck, and as of the hart. INT: may eat of the gazelle and the deer Deuteronomy 12:22 Deuteronomy 14:5 Deuteronomy 15:22 1 Kings 4:23 Psalm 42:1 Songs 2:9 Songs 2:17 Songs 8:14 Isaiah 35:6 Lamentations 1:6 11 Occurrences |
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