Hebrew word · H5697

עֶגְלָה

'eglah

heifer

A young bovine. The masculine ‘ēgel is a young bull, often a yearling in its prime (Lev 9:3; Mic 6:6). The feminine ‘eglâ is a heifer, a young cow used for work or sacrifice (Gen 15:9; Deut 21:3; Judg 14:18).

Appears 14 times in 13 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

heifer

Abridged from Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Hosea 10:5

Range of meaning

A young bovine. The masculine ‘ēgel is a young bull, often a yearling in its prime (Lev 9:3; Mic 6:6). The feminine ‘eglâ is a heifer, a young cow used for work or sacrifice (Gen 15:9; Deut 21:3; Judg 14:18). Used of the cult images: the 'molten calf' of Exodus 32 and Jeroboam's two calves at Bethel and Dan (1 Kgs 12:28–29).

Against the English

English 'calf' suggests a baby animal, small and weak. The image at Bethel was a young bull, the ancient Near Eastern emblem of strength, fertility and divine power. KJV/WEB 'calves' keep the plural; BSB/NIV/ESV make it singular to match the pronouns.

How it drifted

'Calf' in modern English has narrowed to a newborn or infant animal, and 'golden calf' has become a cartoon image. In Hebrew the word covers a young adult bull.

Used elsewhere in the period

Bulls appear as divine symbols or as the mounts of gods across the region: Ugaritic El is called 'Bull El', and storm gods (Baal/Hadad) are shown standing on bulls. A small bronze bull figurine was found at a hilltop site in Samaria (the 'Bull Site', Iron I). Hosea 8:5–6 and 13:2 also attack the calf ('men kiss calves').

From the study of Isaiah 15:5

Range of meaning

Literally 'heifer of the third'. Probably a compound place name, 'Eglath the Third', a third town called Eglath, distinguishing it from others of that name.

Against the English

KJV ('an heifer of three years old') and YLT ('a heifer of the third [year]') translate it as words, which makes it sound like a description of Zoar or of Moab as a young, untamed cow. BSB, ESV, NIV, NASB and WEB treat it as a place name.

How it drifted

The KJV followed the Septuagint and Vulgate, which both translated it as a three-year-old heifer.

Used elsewhere in the period

It appears again in Jer 48:34 in a list of towns ('from Zoar to Horonaim, Eglath-shelishiyah'). That context strongly supports a place name.

Where it appears

Genesis · 1

  1. Genesis 15:9 עֶגְלָ֣ה a heifer

    And the LORD said to him, “Bring Me a heifer, a goat, and a ram, each three years old, along with a turtledove and a young pigeon.”

Deuteronomy · 4

  1. Deuteronomy 21:3 עֶגְלַ֣ת a heifer of

    Then the elders of the city nearest the victim shall take a heifer that has never been yoked or used for work,

  2. Deuteronomy 21:4 הָֽעֶגְלָה֙ הָעֶגְלָ֖ה the heifer

    bring the heifer to a valley with running water that has not been plowed or sown, and break its neck there by the stream.

  3. Deuteronomy 21:6 הָעֶגְלָ֖ה the heifer

    Then all the elders of the city nearest the victim shall wash their hands by the stream over the heifer whose neck has been broken,

Judges · 1

  1. Judges 14:18 בְּעֶגְלָתִ֔י with heifer my

    Before sunset on the seventh day, the men of the city said to Samson: “What is sweeter than honey? And what is stronger than a lion?” So he said to them: “If you had not plowed with my heifer, you would not have solved my riddle!”

1 Samuel · 1

  1. 1 Samuel 16:2 עֶגְלַ֤ת a heifer of

    “How can I go?” Samuel asked. “Saul will hear of it and kill me!” The LORD answered, “Take a heifer with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the LORD.’

Isaiah · 2

  1. Isaiah 7:21 עֶגְלַ֥ת a heifer of

    On that day a man will raise a young cow and two sheep,

  2. Isaiah 15:5 עֶגְלַ֣ת Eglath

    My heart cries out over Moab; her fugitives flee as far as Zoar, as far as Eglath-shelishiyah. With weeping they ascend the slope of Luhith; they lament their destruction on the road to Horonaim.

    Here: The first half of a place name, 'Eglath-shelishiyah'. As an ordinary word, 'eglat means 'heifer of', which is why older translations rendered the phrase as an animal.

Jeremiah · 3

  1. Jeremiah 46:20 עֶגְלָ֥ה [is] a heifer

    Egypt is a beautiful heifer, but a gadfly from the north is coming against her.

  2. Jeremiah 48:34 עֶגְלַ֖ת Eglath

    There is a cry from Heshbon to Elealeh; they raise their voices to Jahaz, from Zoar to Horonaim and Eglath-shelishiyah; for even the waters of Nimrim have dried up.

  3. Jeremiah 50:11 כְּעֶגְלָ֣ה like a heifer

    “Because you rejoice, because you sing in triumph—you who plunder My inheritance—because you frolic like a heifer treading grain and neigh like stallions,

    Here: 'Like a heifer': a young cow full of energy and not yet broken to the yoke. Hosea 10:11 uses the same picture for Ephraim.

Hosea · 2

  1. Hosea 10:5 לְעֶגְלוֹת֙ for [the] heifers of

    The people of Samaria will fear for the calf of Beth-aven. Indeed, its people will mourn over it with its idolatrous priests—those who rejoiced in its glory—for it has been taken from them into exile.

    Here: The bull-calf image at Bethel, given an unexpected feminine plural form, probably as mockery ('calf-things, little heifers'). The preposition lə- marks what the people are afraid for: what will happen to it.

  2. Hosea 10:11 עֶגְלָ֤ה [was] a heifer

    Ephraim is a well-trained heifer that loves to thresh; but I will place a yoke on her fair neck. I will harness Ephraim, Judah will plow, and Jacob will break the hard ground.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.