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Bible Dictionaries
Horn
Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary
or By horns the Hebrews sometimes understood an eminence, or angle, a corner, or a rising. By horns of the altar of burnt offerings, many understand the angles of that altar; but there were also horns, or eminences, at the corners of that altar, Exodus 27:2; Exodus 30:2 . Horn also signifies glory, brightness, rays. God's "brightness was as the light, he had horns coming out of his hand," Habakkuk 3:4; that is refulgent beams issuing from the hollow of it. As the ancients frequently used horns to hold liquors, vessels containing oil and perfumes are often called horns, whether made of horn or not. "Fill thine horn with oil," says the Lord to Samuel, "and anoint David," 1 Samuel 16:1 . Zadok took a horn of oil out of the tabernacle, and anointed Solomon, 1 Kings 1:39 . Job called one of his daughters Kerenhappuch, horn of antimony, or horn to put antimony ( stibium ) in, which the women of the east still use at this day, Job 43:14. The principal defence and strength of horned beasts consist in their horns; and hence the Scripture mentions the horn as a symbol of strength. The Lord exalted the horn of David, the horn of his people; he breaketh the horn of the ungodly; he cutteth off the horn of Moab; he cutteth off the horn of Israel; he promiseth to make the horn of Israel to bud forth; to reestablish the honour of it, and restore its former vigour. Moses compares Joseph to a young bull, and says that he has horns like those of a unicorn. Kingdoms and great powers are often in Scripture described by the symbol of horns. In Daniel 7, 8, horns represent the power of the Persians, of the Greeks, of Syria, of Egypt, or of Pagan and Papal Rome. The prophet represents three animals as having many horns, one of which grew from the other. This emblem is a natural one, since in the east are rams which have many horns.
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Watson, Richard. Entry for 'Horn'. Richard Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary. https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/eng/wtd/h/horn.html. 1831-2.
