the Week of Proper 28 / Ordinary 33
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Bible Dictionaries
Fox
Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament
or FOX (ἁλώπηξ).—Foxes and jackals are referred to indiscriminately in Scripture, although the fox is somewhat smaller in size, and is generally found singly, whereas jackals prowl around villages in small packs. Both animals are of a timid nature, and exhibit similar cunning and stealth in securing their prey, and live in deserted ruins and among the rocks of the mountain gorges. Christ’s allusion to them (Matthew 8:20, Luke 9:58) takes its meaning from the fact that while places of refuge and rest were definitely allotted to such outcast creatures, the Son of Man had not where to lay His head. His reference to Herod as a fox (Luke 13:32) is not only expressive of contempt, but may allude to the cause of the king’s hostility: he was the invader of vineyards who had taken his brother’s wife. The verses that follow also indicate that Christ’s death must be otherwise brought about. The petty and furtive intentions of Herod must give way to the grander rapacity of Jerusalem as the historical destroyer of the prophets.
G. M. Mackie.
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Hastings, James. Entry for 'Fox'. Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament. https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/eng/hdn/f/fox.html. 1906-1918.
