קוד: ציצת נבל בתנ"ך
סוג: פרטים1
מאת: אבנר רמו
אל:
An ancient Greek saying: katorussómenon hupò ton 'elaphon kéras means: “He put all his money on a ram’s horn.”
In the Talmud a similar idea appears as: הניח מעותיו על קרן הצבי - “had put his money on deer’s horn” (Mishnah: ketuboth 13:2).
Dama dama
While the ram’s horn is a permanent hollow appendage of the skin, the deer’s antler has a dense bony structure. The antlers begin growing in the winter, and fall off after the mating season (autumn).
The Bible indicates that several species of animal have horns.
In the Book of Genesis we read about ram’s horns:
וישא אברהם את עיניו, וירא והנה איל אחר, נאחז בסבך בקרניו; וילך אברהם ויקח את- - -
האיל, ויעלהו לעלה תחת בנו.
“And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in the thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt-offering in the stead of his son” (Gen 22:13; see also: Dan 8:3, 6, 7, 20).
In the Book of Deuteronomy we read about wild-ox (?) horns:
בכור שורו הדר לו, וקרני ראם קרניו - -בהם עמים ינגח --
“His firstling bullock, majesty is his; and his horns are the horns of the wild-ox; with them he shall gore the peoples” (Deu 33:17; see also: Ps 22:22; 92:11).
The Psalmist wrote: שור פר מקרן - “a bullock that has horns” (Ps 69:32).
In the Book of Daniel we also read about the he-goat’s horn:
וצפיר העזים הגדיל עד מאד; וכעצמו, נשברה הקרן הגדלה, -
“And the he-goat magnified himself exceedingly; and when he was strong, the great horn was broken” (Dan 8:8; see also: Dan 8:5, 21; Ezr 6:17; 8:31; 2 Ch 29:21).
We also read in the Bible about an animal named צבי (tsvi) which was translated by the Greeks (and the English) to: “gazelle” (Deu 12:15, 22; 14:5; 15:22; 2 Sam 2:18; 1 Ki 5:3; Is 13:14; Pro 6:5; Cant 2:9, 17; 4:5; 7:4; 8:14). As indicated above in Gen 22:13 איל was translated to “ram” but in the Book of Deuteronomy the pair: כצבי וכאיל were translated by the Greeks (and English) as “as of the gazelle, and as of the deer” (Deu 12:15, 22; 4:5; 15:22). As both ram and gazelle are types of antelopes, it appears possible that the translators did not differentiate between them and refer to both of these species as: איל (ayl). This leads us to conclude that in the pair: כצבי וכאיל the word צבי (tsevi) is the “deer.”
Unlike the Talmud, in the Bible there are no references to “deer’s horns.”
In the Book of Isaiah we read about: והיתה ציצת נבל צבי תפארתו, אשר על ראש - translated to English (and similarly to Greek) as: “And the fading flower of his glorious beauty, which is on the head” (Is 28:5; see also: Is 28:1).
However it appears not unlikely that we read here about some object on the head of a צבי - “deer” that is the basis to its beauty, and this object is referred to as: ציצת נבל (tsitsath novel) that may mean: “the shedding antlers.”
Fallow deer antler
In the Book of Ezekiel we read:
וישלח תבנית יד, ויקחני בציצת ראשי; ותשא אתי רוח בין הארץ ובין השמים ותבא אתי -
ירושלמה במראות אלהים,
“And the form of a hand was put forth, and I was taken by a lock of my head; and a spirit lifted me up between the earth and the heaven, and brought me in the visions of God to Jerusalem” (Eze 8:3).
The Greek translator wrote here: “by the top of my head”, but it is possible that in this vision Ezekiel believed that he was lifted up by his proverbial antlers.
The Prophet Ezekiel relates to Moab as to a צבי (tsevi) - “deer” (Eze 25:9), and the Prophet Jeremiah said: תנו ציץ למואב - - “Give wings unto Moab” (Jer 48:9).
It is not clear how the English translator determined that here ציץ (tsits) means “wings” and such an understanding is not supported by the Greek translator. However, if as Ezekiel said, Moab is like a deer, then according to Jeremiah, buttered Moab deserves to get back its ציץ (tsits) - “antler.”
It is rather interesting that the Prophet Jeremiah compares Moab also to an antelope:
נגדעה קרן מואב, וזרעו נשברה
“The horn of Moab is cut off, and his arm is broken” (Jer 48:25).
The last hymn (in the Hebrew version) of Book of Psalms says:
הללוהו בתקע שופר; הללוהו בנבל וכנור.
הללוהו בתף ומחול; הללוהו במנים ועגב.
הללוהו בצלצלי שמע; הללוהו בצלצלי תרועה. -
כל הנשמה תהלל יה: הללו יה. -
Praise Him.; praise Him with the psaltery and harpblast of the hornPraise Him with the “.with the timbrel and dance; praise Him with stringed instruments and the pipe.sounding cymbals; praise Him with the clanging cymbals-Praise Him with the loud 6).-(Ps 150:3 ”Hallelujah.YHs breath praise thing that haLet every
We also read in the same book:
הריעו ליהוה, כל הארץ; פצחו ורננו וזמרו. -
זמרו ליהוה בכנור; בכנור, וקול זמרה.
בחצצרות וקול שופר הריעו, לפני המלך יהוה. -
.sing praises, all the earth; break forth and sing for joy, YHWHto Shout “.with the harp; with the harp and the voice of melody YHWHto Sing praises 6).-(Ps 98:4 ”YHWHbefore the King, oushout y sound of the hornWith trumpets and
The Greek translator wrote here: “the sound of a horn trumpet” which suggests that it was believed that שופר (shophar) was a type of a trumpet made of a horn.
A modern Shofar made of ram’s horn
The source of the word שופר (shophar) which appears in the Bible 68 times is not certain. Some have suggested that it related to the Akkadian “sapparu.” However, “sapparu” is the Akkadian name of fallow deer, and as this animal has antlers and not horns, it is unlikely that שופר
(shophar) relates to the Akkadian “sapparu.”
In the Book of Daniel we read:
והנה צפיר העזים בא מן המערב על פני כל הארץ, ואין נוגע בארץ; והצפיר קרן חזות בין - - - - -
עיניו
“And a he-goat came from the west over the face of the whole earth, and touched not the ground; and the goat had a conspicuous horn between his eyes” (Dan 8:5; see also: Dan 8:8, 21; Ezr 6:17; 8:35; 2 Ch 29:21).
We are told by Daniel the צפיר (tsphir) - “he-goat” has horns, and it is possible that those that “came from the west” may have belonged to a species of antelopes that had particularly large horns, fit for making a שופר (shophar). We should also notice that שופר (shophar) may be a צ
(ts) - ש (sh) sibilant- letter exchange variant of צופר (tsophar), a word from the same root as צפיר (tsphir) - “he-goat.”
In the Book of Jeremiah we read:
מעי מעי אחולה)אחילה(קירות לבי המה לי לבי - -לא אחרש: כי קול שופר שמעתי)שמעת(- --
נפשי, תרועת מלחמה.
שבר על שבר נקרא, כי שדדה כל הארץ; פתאם שדדו אהלי, רגע יריעתי. - -
עד מתי אראה נס - -אשמעה קול שופר. - - --
“My bowels my bowels! I writhe in pain! The chambers of my heart! My heart moans within me! I cannot hold my peace! Because did you hear my soul, the sound of the horn, the alarm of war. Destruction follows upon destruction, for the whole land is spoiled; suddenly are my tents spoiled, my curtains in a moment. How long shall I see the standard, shall I hear the sound of the horn?” (Jer 4:19-21; see also: Jer 42:14).
Clearly, the sound of the horn was an alert about an approaching calamity.
Now in the Book of Ezekiel we read:
באה הצפירה אליך יושב הארץ; בא העת, קרוב היום מהומה - -ולא הד הרים. -- -
“The turn is come to you, inhabitant of the land; the time is come, the day of tumult is near, and not an echo of mountains” (Eze 7:7).
It is not clear how the English translator determined that here צפירה (tsephirah) means “turn” and this understanding is not supported by the Greek translator. However, the comparison between these verses suggests that צפירה (tsephirah) is the same as שפירה (shephirah) - “the sound of the שופר (shophar) - “the horn” warning of an approaching catastrophe