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Bible Encyclopedias
Hunting
Kitto's Popular Cyclopedia of Biblical Literature
or The pursuit and capture of beasts of the field was the first means of sustenance which the human race had recourse to, this mode of gaining a livelihood having naturally preceded the engagements of agriculture, as it presented food already provided, requiring only to be taken and slaughtered; whereas tillage must have been an afterthought, and a later resource, since it implies accumulated knowledge, skill, and such provision aforehand of subsistence as would enable a clan or a family to wait till the fruits of the earth were matured. Hunting was, therefore, a business long before it was a sport. And originally, before man had established his empire on the earth, it must have been not only a serious but a dangerous pursuit. In process of time, however, when civilization had made some progress, when cities were built and lands cultivated, hunting was carried on not so much for the food which it brought as for the recreation it gave and its conduciveness to health.
The East—the cradle of civilization—presents us with hunting in both the characters now spoken of, originally as a means of support, then as a manly amusement. In the early records of history we find hunting held in high repute, partly, no doubt, from its costliness, its dangers, its similitude to war, its capability of combining the energies of many, and also from the relief which it afforded to the stagnant monotony of a court, in the high and bounding spirits that it called forth. Hunting has always borne somewhat of a regal character, and down to the present hour has worn an aristocratic air. In Babylon and Persia this attribute is presented in bold relief. Immense parks were enclosed for nurturing and preserving beasts of the chase. The monarch himself led the way to the sport, not only in these preserves, but also over the wide surface of the country, being attended by his nobles, especially by the younger aspirants to fame and warlike renown.
In the Bible we find hunting connected with royalty so early as in Genesis 10. The great founder of Babel was in general repute as 'a mighty hunter before the Lord.' The patriarchs, however, are to be regarded rather as herdsmen than hunters, if respect is had to their habitual mode of life. The condition of the herdsman ensues next to that of the hunter in the early stages of civilization; and so we find that even Cain was a keeper, of sheep. This, and the fact that Abel is designated 'a tiller of the ground,' would seem to indicate, a very rapid progress in the arts and pursuits of social life. The same contrast and similar hostility we find somewhat later, in the case of Jacob and Esau; the first, 'a plain man dwelling in tents;' the second, 'a cunning hunter, a man of the field' (Genesis 25 sq.). The account given of Esau in connection with his father seems to show that hunting was, conjointly with tillage, pursued at that time as a means of subsistence, and that hunting had not then passed into its secondary state, and become an amusement.
In Egypt the children of Israel would be spectators of hunting carried on extensively and pursued in different manners, but chiefly, as appears probable, with a view rather to recreation than subsistence. That the land of promise into which the Hebrews were conducted on leaving Egypt was plentifully supplied with beasts of the chase appears clear from , 'I will not drive them out in one year, lest the land become desolate and the beast of the field multiply against thee' (comp. ). And from the regulation given in , it is manifest that hunting was practiced after the settlement in Canaan, and was pursued with the view of obtaining food. proves that hunting animals for their flesh was an established custom among the Hebrews, though the turn of the passage may serve to show that, at the time it was penned, sport was the chief aim. If hunting was not forbidden in the 'year of rest,' special provision was made that not only the cattle, but 'the beast of the field' should be allowed to enjoy and flourish on the uncropped spontaneous produce of the land (; ). That the lion and other ravenous beasts of prey were not wanting in Palestine, many passages of the Bible make obvious (;; ). The lion was even made use of to catch other animals (), and Harmer long ago remarked, that as in the vicinity of Gaza, so also in Judea, leopards were trained and used for the same purpose (Harmer iv. 358; ). That lions were taken by pitfalls as well as by nets appears from; (Shaw, p. 172). In the latter verse the words of the prophet, 'and spread their net over him,' allude to the custom of enclosing a wide extent of country with nets, into which the animals were driven by hunters. The spots thus enclosed were usually in a hilly country and in the vicinity of water-brooks; whence the propriety and force of the language of 'As the (hunted) hart panteth after the water brooks.' These places were selected because they were those to which the animals were in the habit of repairing in the morning and evening. Scenes like the one now supposed are found portrayed in the Egyptian paintings. Hounds were used for hunting in Egypt, and, if the passage in Josephus (Antiq. iv. 8. 9) may be considered decisive, in Palestine as well. From , 'Now take thy weapons, thy quiver and thy bow,' we learn what arms were employed at least in capturing game. Bulls, after being taken, were kept at least for a time in a net (). Various missiles, pitfalls, snares, and gins were made use of in hunting (;; ). That hunting continued to be followed till towards the end of the Jewish state appears from Josephus, who speaks of Herod as 'ever a most excellent hunter, for in one day he caught forty wild beasts.' The same passage makes it clear that horses were employed in the pursuits of the chase.
Public Domain.
Kitto, John, ed. Entry for 'Hunting'. "Kitto's Popular Cyclopedia of Biblical Literature". https://www.studylight.org/encyclopedias/eng/kbe/h/hunting.html.
