“But my horn shall you exalt like the horn of an unicorn: I shall be anointed with fresh oil” (Psalms 92:10 KJV).
This verse from the Psalms (as translated in the King James version of the Bible) is sometimes said to be an example of how the Bible contains inaccurate and unscientific statements – in this case a reference to the mythical unicorn.
The Hebrew word found in the text of the Bible itself (re’eym) is thought to have signified the antelope-like oryx or the wild ox, though the rhinocerous (the ultimate “unicorn”!) is also possible. The exact animal intended is unsure, but the problem is largely restricted to the King James version which translates re’eym as “unicorn” in this verse and in a number of other passages such as Numbers 23:22.
Almost all modern versions translate the word re’eym as “wild ox,” which fits well with occurrences of its use such as Job 39:9-10: “Will the wild ox consent to serve you? Will it stay by your manger at night? Can you hold it to the furrow with a harness? Will it till the valleys behind you?” Although the King James version uses “unicorn” in this scripture, it is clearly the wild ox that is being contrasted with the domesticated ox. So the word “unicorn” is not really found in the Bible itself, only in the antiquated vocabulary of the KJV and some other older translations of the Bible.
As for the first part of the verse, where the Psalmist speaks of his horn being exalted, this is clearly a figure of speech, but what does it mean? For the ancient biblical writers the “horn” was symbolic of an animal’s power and strength, just as the words “bow” or “sword” were often used of the strength of individuals and nations. In fact, the word “horn” was also used frequently in the Bible as a simile or metaphor for an individual’s – especially a ruler’s – strength (Daniel 8:20-22, 1 Samuel 2:10, etc.). The word is used in the same way in an allusion to the Messiah in Psalm 132:17 “…I will make a horn grow for David and set up a lamp for my anointed one.”
So Psalms 92:10 is a good example of the need to understand both poetic usage in the Old Testament writings and the need for comparison among translations. It is certainly not a strange, mythical, or zoologically inaccurate scripture!
