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Bible Dictionaries
Rams Horns
Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary
or We read of rams-horns made use of by Joshua's army, at the command of the Lord, in the destruction of Jericho. (Joshua 6:4-5) An English reader, in the perusal of this Scripture, will unavoidably connect in his ideas the ordinary horns of the ram with which he is acquainted. But this would be erroneous. No doubt, we have borrowed the word Ram from the original Hebrew; but have very differently applied it. The word Ram, in the Hebrew, signifies somewhat that is raised up, elevated, or exalted. Probably the horns made use of at the siege of Jericho were the wild bull's, from his height and size; and if not the bull's, it might be of the beef kind. But be this as it may, no doubt there was a sweet and gracious instruction intended from the use of such feeble instruments, to teach the church in all ages, that as there was no comparison between the weapon and the work, the church should be always looking off from themselves, in order to be always eyeing the Lord. His is the work, and his the glory. But over and above this very obvious instruction, I venture to think that in the appointment of those horns there was somewhat in allusion to the Lord Jesus. I hope the Lord will pardon me if I err. But when we consider what an eminent type of Christ Joshua was, we may expect every thing connected with his ministry may be supposed to bear some reference to him. Moses, as a type of the law he was the minister of, could not bring the children of God into Canaan. The law never did; it never was designed for that purpose, for it is the ministration of death. This was reserved for Joshua, whose very name is the same with Jesus. And if we find Joshua entering on his ministry with the instruments of rams-horns, may we not, yea, must we not connect with it what is said of Jesus as the horn of salvation to his people, which JEHOVAH promised to raise up? Luke 1:69. Let the reader connect with this view what Moses, in his dying moments, when the spirit of prophecy was upon him, spake of Joseph typical of the Lord Jesus Christ: "His glory (said he) is like the firstling of his bullock, and his horns are like the horns of unicorns with them he shall push the people together to the ends of the earth; and they are the ten thousands of Ephraim, and the thousands of Manasseh." (Deuteronomy 33:17) And Habakkuk, under the same spirit of prophecy, speaks of the Lord Jesus Christ, (Habakkuk 3:4.) as having horns coming out of his hand, and there was the hiding of his power. I would not speak pre sumptuously on this or any other subject connected with matters of such infinite moment; but as the Lord Jesus Christ is the visible JEHOVAH in our nature for all the purposes of redemption, and as every part of the Bible testifies that the grand design of all revelation is to exalt him, I humbly conceive that it is of Jesus wholly the Holy Ghost is continually speaking in all the great events connected with his church and people.
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Hawker, Robert D.D. Entry for 'Rams Horns'. Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance and Dictionary. https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/eng/pmd/r/rams-horns.html. London. 1828.
