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Colt; Foal

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

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International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
• Colt; Foal
Lexicons
• בֵּן בְּנו, , לַבֵּן
• עִיר , עַיִר

kōlt ( עיר , ‛ayı̄r , בּן , ben ; πῶλος , pō̇los , υἱός , huiós , with some word such as ὑποζυγίου , hupozugı́ou , understood; huios alone = "son"): The English words "colt" and "foal" are used in the Bible of the ass everywhere except in Genesis 32:15 , where the word "colt" is used of the camel in the list of animals destined by Jacob as presents for Esau. In most cases ‛ayir (compare Arabic ‛air , "ass") means "ass's colt," but it may be joined with ben , "son," as in Zechariah 9:9 , where we have: ‛al -ḥămōr we‛al -‛ayir ben -'ăthōnōth , literally, "on an ass, and on an ass's colt, the son of the she-asses"; compare Matthew 21:5 ἐπὶ ὄνον καὶ ἐπὶ πῶλον υἱὸν ὑποζυγίου , epı́ ónon kaı́ epı́ pō̇lon huión hupozugı́ou , "upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass." In John 12:15 we have ἐπὶ πῶλον ὄνου , epı́ pō̇lon ónou , and in the previous verse the diminutive, ὀνάριον , onárion ̌ . The commonest New Testament word for "colt" is pōlos , akin to which is German Fohle and English "foal" and "filly." The Latin pullus signifies either "foal" or "chicken," and in the latter sense gives rise to French poulet and English "pullet."

In view of the fact that horses are but little mentioned in the Bible, and that only in connection with royal equipages and armies, it is not surprising that "colt" does not occur in its ordinary English sense.