Bible Dictionaries
Yoke

Holman Bible Dictionary

A wooden frame placed on the backs of draft animals to make them pull in tandem. The simple yokes consisted of a bar with two loops either of rope or wood which went around the animals' necks. More elaborate yokes had shafts connected to the middle with which the animals pulled plows or other implements. The word is used most often in the Bible to speak of slavery, bondage, and hardship (1 Kings 12:4 , Jeremiah 27:8 ). Positive usages include the yoke of Christ (Matthew 11:29-30 ) and the joint nature of the church's work (Philippians 4:3 ).