Bullock
Bullock
In the Bible, a bullock (a young bull or ox) is a powerful metaphor symbolizing patient labor, immense strength, sacrifice, but, conversely, stubbornness or false worship. They represent service, atonement, and the strength needed to produce a harvest, often highlighting devotion to God or rebellion against Him.
There are several word translate bullock which are said to be a key sacrificial animal in the book of Leviticus in Old Testament.
The bullock may represent the high cost of atonement for sin. The true meaning of atonement is some for of reconciliation and restoration of a broken relationship, especially between God and humanity but also man and society. By paying recompence or making amends for wrongdoing your relationship to society is restored.
As a personal sacrifice, a bullock, would be signifying a substantial offering which would be correlated with the "giving up" of self, the purification of outer consciousness, and the dedication to the way of God and of life to God.
Strength of a bullock and his steady ability to plow suggests his persona represents a steady and diligent service: This was due to their use in plowing, bullocks symbolize untiring, productive, and patient labor in service to others, as well as the strength required to achieve a fruitful harvest.
Stubbornness and Rebellion: In prophetic literature, a bullock (or heifer) is used to illustrate Israel's stubbornness, obstinacy, and resistance to divine guidance, such as in Hosea 4:16.
Idolatry and False Worship: Due to the golden calf incident, the bullock is associated with misplaced worship, representing a departure from true, spiritual worship toward human-made, idolatrous practices.
Knowledge and Recognition of God: In Isaiah 1:3, the ox/bullock is used as a metaphor for an animal that recognizes its owner, contrasting the obedient animal with the lack of understanding in God's people.
The "Good of the External Man": Symbolically, bullocks represent the qualities of innocence and charity within the external or natural life of a person.
Baqar
First place we see bullock in Leviticus is Leviticus 1
Leviticus 1:5 And he shall kill the bullock (אֶת־בֶּ֥ן הַבָּקָ֖ר AlefTav BeitNun HeyBeitKufReish AlefTav habbāqār[1] Ben[2] ) before the LORD: and the priests, Aaron s sons, shall bring the blood, and sprinkle the blood round about upon the altar that [is by] the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.
We see bullock again in Leviticus 4 but it is translated from two different words.
In Leviticus 4:3 we see בָּקָ֥ר bāqār[3] in the phrase פר בן־בקר (per ben- beker) "the young son of a bull". The word בָּקָ֥ר is also 01239 בָּקַר baqar v to seek; 01240 בְּקַר bëqar (Aramaic) v to seek, enquire; 01241 בָּקָר baqar herd; 01242 בֹּקֶר boqer morning.
What does a bullocks, to seek, a herd, and morning have to do with each other.
If the sacrifices were only burning sheep and cows up so the smoke to God then it
"If the priest that is anointed do sin according to the sin of the people; then let him bring[4] for his sin, which he hath sinned, a young bullock[5] without blemish unto the LORD for a sin offering." Leviticus 4:3
בָּקָר (baqar) designates domestic bovine animals—usually oxen or cattle—and appears about one hundred eighty-three times across the Hebrew canon. Its occurrences stretch from the wealth of the patriarchs to the imagery of the prophets, touching almost every sphere of Old Testament life.
The word is not the same we see in Genesis 33:17 when Jacob "made booths(עָשָׂ֣ה סֻכֹּ֔ת) for his cattle (וּלְמִקְנֵ֙הוּ):[6]
בָּקָר (baqar) designates domestic cattle but the Prophets used cattle to expose complacency or impending disaster. Amos rebuked the “cows of Bashan” who oppressed the poor (Amos 4:1). Isaiah portrayed future blessing when “the oxen and donkeys that work the ground” would eat seasoned fodder (Isaiah 30:24),
- Stewardship: Scripture treats cattle as entrusted resources, urging responsible management.
- Worship: True devotion requires unblemished, costly offerings—ultimately fulfilled in Christ.
- Mercy and Justice: Laws safeguarding cattle mirror God’s concern for all creation and demand fairness toward neighbors.
- Eschatological Hope: Prophetic visions of flourishing herds accompany the messianic age, portraying restoration of both people and land.
From patriarchal tents, Tabernacle of the congregation, to the prophetic horizon, בָּקָר threads through Scripture as a witness to God’s provision, a charitable responsibility man, and the anticipation of the perfect sacrifice who brings complete atonement.
Par
פַר (par) refers to a mature male bovine—“bull” or “young bull”—appearing about 133 times across the Old Testament. From the patriarchal narratives through the post-exilic prophets, the bull stands at the intersection of agricultural prosperity, covenant worship, and vivid metaphor.
The bull’s size and economic value made its sacrifice a costly acknowledgment of the gravity of sin and foreshadowed the greater cost of ultimate redemption where we may offer our lives like Christ in love so that we may approach atonement. (Hebrews 9:13-14).
The bull’s repeated appearance as a metaphor for real sacrifice urges every generation to embrace and practice the greater sacrifice in service and love that it foreshadowed.
The idolatrous bull
This of course includes the golden calf of Exodus 32 which chronicles Israel’s first national apostasy with a statue of a young bullocks made from the golden earrings of the people establishing Idolatry in Israel which was covetousness. The word for calf is the Hebrew 05695 egel.[7]
We see another negative element in Psalms 22:12, associated with Jesus at the crucifixion, where in Strong bulls of Bashan surround me”. Here the bull depicts oppressive power, as [13] "as a ravening and a roaring lion" [16] "For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me:" [29] "all they that go down to the dust shall bow before him: and none can keep alive his own soul." but [30] "A (spiritual)[8]seed[9] shall serve him( יַֽעַבְדֶ֑נּוּ)[10] "[31] They shall come, and shall declare his righteousness unto a people that shall be born, that he(The Holy Spirit) hath done this."
Then there are the spoils of Idolatry which are the wages of unrighteousness. The Nations of people drunk on the blood of their neighbor and the flesh of the next generation because of their appetite for conquest are likened to frolicking calves and fattened bulls destined for slaughter in Jeremiah 50:11, 27.
The bull of prophesy
From altar to prophecy, פַר threads through Scripture as a tangible witness to human sin, divine holiness, and the recompence through the practice of loving neighbor rather than oppressing them through the covetous practices of the world.
- John 15:13 "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."
In verse 4 we see a different word הַפָּ֗ר, happār[11]
"And he shall bring the bullock(הַפָּ֗ר, happār)[11] unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the LORD; and shall lay his hand upon the bullock's head, and kill[12] the bullock(הַפָּ֗ר, happār)[11] before the LORD."
In Leviticus 4:10 we see another word when it speaks of "bullock of the sacrifice" is the word שׁוֹר showr consisting of the letters ShinVavReish that can have the meaning of "have the power" "to cut or divide" as "a watcher" and "a wall" and finally a "bull".
"As it was taken off from the bullock[13] of the sacrifice of peace offerings: and the priest shall burn[14] them upon the altar of the burnt offering." Leviticus 4:10
Showr
Leviticus 4:10 "As it was taken off from the bullock(מִשּׁ֖וֹר)[15] of the sacrifice of peace offerings: and the priest shall burn them(וְהִקְטִירָם֙)[14] upon the altar of the burnt offering."
Shor designates the domesticated bovine, male or female, used for plowing, threshing, transport, sacrifice, food, and as a monetary standard. The term spans the whole life-cycle—from calf to mature animal—and therefore appears in narrative, legal, poetic, and prophetic contexts. This may be in part to Shor is used interchangeably when the emphasis falls on the owner’s domestic herd (Numbers 7:3, 7:17; Numbers 15:11).
Any thing domestic is within the Family which falls within a sacred jurisdiction. “Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain” (Deuteronomy 25:4).
Paul’s teaching in 1 Corinthians 9:9 and 1 Timothy 5:18) is not limited to ministerial support but extends to the labor of everyman which includes the prohibition of returning to the bondage of Egypt.
And the priest shall burn these offerings so that the smoke goes up. The word burn here is from qatar (קָטַר) portrays the rising of smoke from something set aflame. By extension it denotes the cultic act of burning animal parts, grain, or aromatic resins so that their fragrant vapor “ascends” toward God. The imagery of vertical movement supports its frequent pairing with phrases like “a pleasing aroma to the LORD.”
Footnotes
- ↑ 01241 בָּקָר baqar [baw-kawr’] BeitKufReish from 01239 BeitKufReish baqar seek; n m; [BDB-133a] [{See TWOT on 274 @@ "274a" }] AV-ox 78, herd 44, beeves 7, young 18, young + 01121 17, bullock 6, bullock + 01121 2, calf + 01121 2, heifer 2, kine 2, bulls 1, cattle 1, cow’s 1, great 1; 182
- 1) cattle, herd, oxen, ox
- 1a) cattle (generic pl. but sing. in form-coll)
- 1b) herd (particular one)
- 1c) head of cattle (individually)
- 1) cattle, herd, oxen, ox
- ↑ 01121 בֵּן ben [bane] from 01129 build; n m; [BDB-119b, BDB-122a] [{See TWOT on 254 }] AV-son 2978, children 1568, old 135, first 51, man 20, young 18, young + 01241 17, child 10, stranger 10, people 5, misc 92; 4906
- 1) son, grandson, child, member of a group
- 1a) son, male child
- 1b) grandson
- 1c) children (pl. — male and female)
- 1d) youth, young men (pl.)
- 1e) young (of animals)
- 1f) sons (as characterisation, i.e. sons of injustice [for unrighteous men] or sons of God [for angels]
- 1g) people (of a nation) (pl.)
- 1h) of lifeless things, i.e. sparks, stars, arrows (fig.)
- 1i) a member of a guild, order, class
- ↑ 01241 בָּקָר baqar [baw-kawr’] BeitKufReish from 01239 BeitKufReish baqar seek; n m; [BDB-133a] [{See TWOT on 274 @@ "274a" }] AV-ox 78, herd 44, beeves 7, young 18, young + 01121 17, bullock 6, bullock + 01121 2, calf + 01121 2, heifer 2, kine 2, bulls 1, cattle 1, cow’s 1, great 1; 182
- 1) cattle, herd, oxen, ox
- 1a) cattle (generic pl. but sing. in form-coll)
- 1b) herd (particular one)
- 1c) head of cattle (individually)
- 1) cattle, herd, oxen, ox
- ↑ 07126 ^ברק^ qarab \@kaw-rab’\@ a primitive root; v; {See TWOT on 2065} AV-offer 95, (come, draw, … ) near 58, bring 58, (come, draw, … ) nigh 18, come 12, approach 10, at hand 4, presented 2, misc 13; 280
- 1) to come near, approach, enter into, draw near
- 1a) (Qal) to approach, draw near
- 1b) (Niphal) to be brought near
- 1c) (Piel) to cause to approach, bring near, cause to draw near
- 1d) (Hiphil) to bring near, bring, present
- 1) to come near, approach, enter into, draw near
- ↑ 01241 בָּקָר baqar [baw-kawr’] BeitKufReish from 01239 BeitKufReish baqar seek; n m; [BDB-133a] [{See TWOT on 274 @@ "274a" }] AV-ox 78, herd 44, beeves 7, young 18, young + 01121 17, bullock 6, bullock + 01121 2, calf + 01121 2, heifer 2, kine 2, bulls 1, cattle 1, cow’s 1, great 1; 182
- 1) cattle, herd, oxen, ox
- 1a) cattle (generic pl. but sing. in form-coll)
- 1b) herd (particular one)
- 1c) head of cattle (individually)
- 1) cattle, herd, oxen, ox
- ↑ Return everyman
- Leviticus 25:10 "And ye shall hallow the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout [all] the land unto all the inhabitants thereof: it shall be a jubile unto you; and ye shall return every man unto his possession, and ye shall return every man unto his family."
- Leviticus 25:41 "And [then] shall he depart from thee, [both] he and his children with him, and shall return unto his own family, and unto the possession of his fathers shall he return."
- Isaiah 49:24 ¶ "Shall the prey be taken from the mighty, or the lawful captive delivered? 25 But thus saith the LORD, Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the terrible shall be delivered: for I will contend with him that contendeth with thee, and I will save thy children."
- Isaiah 61:1 ¶ "The Spirit of the Lord GOD [is] upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to [them that are] bound;"
- Jeremiah 34:13 "Thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel; I made a covenant with your fathers in the day that I brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondmen, saying, 14 At the end of seven years let ye go every man his brother an Hebrew, which hath been sold unto thee; and when he hath served thee six years, thou shalt let him go free from thee: but your fathers hearkened not unto me, neither inclined their ear. 15 And ye were now turned, and had done right in my sight, in proclaiming liberty every man to his neighbour; and ye had made a covenant before me in the house which is called by my name: 16 But ye turned and polluted my name, and caused every man his servant, and every man his handmaid, whom ye had set at liberty at their pleasure, to return, and brought them into subjection, to be unto you for servants and for handmaids. 17 Therefore thus saith the LORD; Ye have not hearkened unto me, in proclaiming liberty, every one to his brother, and every man to his neighbour: behold, I proclaim a liberty for you, saith the LORD, to the sword, to the pestilence, and to the famine; and I will make you to be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth."
- Luke 1:74 "That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear,"
- Luke 4:18 "The Spirit of the Lord [is] upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,"
- Matthew 19:6 "Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder."
- Mark 10:9 "What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder."
- ↑ 05695 ^לגע^ ‘egel \@ay-ghel\@ AyinGimelLamed from the same as 05696 לגע ‘agol AyinGimelLamed meaning "round" associated with the word revolve or even earing as in 05694 ליגע ‘agiyl AyinGimelYodLamed ; n m; {See TWOT on 1560 @@ "1560a"} AV-calf 33, bullock 2; 35
- 1) calf, bull-calf
- ↑ "Though זֶרַע is physically concrete in Hebrew Scripture, its trajectory embraces spiritual realities. The Servant-Songs anticipate a progeny birthed by atonement: “He will see His offspring; He will prolong His days” (Isaiah 53:10). New Testament writers draw the line explicitly: the singular “seed” is Christ, and all who are “in Christ” become Abraham’s seed, heirs according to promise (Galatians 3:29)."
- ↑ name="zera">02233 זֶרַע zera‘ zeh’-rah ZayinReishAyin from 02232 sow; n m; [BDB-282a] {See TWOT on 582 @@ "582a" } AV-seed 221, child 2, carnally + 07902 2, carnally 1, fruitful 1, seedtime 1, sowing time 1; 229
- 1) seed, sowing, offspring
- 1a) a sowing
- 1b) seed
- 1c) semen virile
- 1d) offspring, descendants, posterity, children
- 1e) of moral quality
- 1e1) a practitioner of righteousness (fig.)
- 1f) sowing time (by meton)
- 1) seed, sowing, offspring
- ↑ 05647 ^דבע^ ‘abad \@aw-bad’\@ a primitive root AyinBeitDalet; v; AV-serve 227, do 15, till 9, servant 5, work 5, worshippers 5, service 4, dress 2, labour 2, ear 2, misc 14; 290
- 1) to work, serve
- 1a) (Qal)
- 1a1) to labour, work, do work
- 1a2) to work for another, serve another by labour
- 1a) (Qal)
- 1a3) to serve as subjects
- 1a4) to serve (God)
- 1a5) to serve (with Levitical service)
- 1b) (Niphal)
- 1b1) to be worked, be tilled (of land)
- 1b2) to make oneself a servant
- 1c) (Pual) to be worked
- 1d) (Hiphil)
- 1d1) to compel to labour or work, cause to labour, cause to serve
- 1d2) to cause to serve as subjects
- 1e) (Hophal) to be led or enticed to serve
- Also see the verb 05648 ^דבע^ AyinBeitDalet;
- The word worshipper does not appear in the Old Testament except as a translation of abad which clearly means to serve. The word for worship is shachah. Study Aboda
- ע Ayin also U. Divine Providence "eye" or "fountain" of five states of kindness or severity. AlefYodNun or nothingness as opposed to AlefShin something [eye, watch] (Numeric value: 70)
- ב Beit Purpose: God's Dwelling Place Below - a house or God's house here. [household, in, into] (Numeric value: 2)
- ד Dalet Selflessness – Charity, back and forth or through a door or pathway, to enter like a fish (Numeric value: 4)
- Genesis 2:5 till; Genesis 2:15 dress; Genesis 14:4 king Bera served (עָבְד֖וּ) <05647> Chedorlaomer and then rebelled <04775>. The text include 0853 ’et- אֶת־ which is untrànslated but modifies serve. "Though silently rendered in most English versions, its presence guides readers to recognize what, precisely, is being acted upon, thereby sharpening narrative clarity, reinforcing covenantal specificity, and underscoring theological emphasis."
- 1) to work, serve
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 06499 פַר par [par] or פר par [pawr] PeiReish from 06565 פָרַר parar PeiDouble Reish, to break, make void... disannul; n m; [BDB-830b] [{See TWOT on 1831 @@ "1831a" }] AV-bullock 127, bulls 2, oxen 2, calves 1, young 1; 133
- 1) young bull, steer, bullock
- פ ף Pei Communication; follows Ayin to suggest that seeing and understanding must preceed: The Oral Torah The mouth, blow, edge. [Mouth speak open word] (Numeric value: 80)
- ר Reish Process of Clarification The "head" or "beginning". Life's revelation. [Head... Person head highest] (Numeric value: 200).
- The word הַפָּ֖ר often appears with the untranslated ’eṯ- אֶת־ or AlefTav."The bull reminds believers that true worship involves sacrifice—of self, time, and resources—rendered willingly in response to grace (Romans 12:1)." "the bull stands at the intersection of agricultural prosperity, covenant worship, and vivid metaphor" for the fruit you bring to the altar. פָרַר (parar) depicts the act of breaking
- 06500 para פָרָא, to bear fruit or 06501 a wild donkey: "פֶרֶא functions in Scripture as a vivid emblem of unrestrained independence—sometimes admirable, often perilous."
- ↑ 07819 טחשׁ shachat shaw-khat’ a primitive root ShinChetTet see 07818; ;AV-kill 42, slay 36, offer 1, shot out 1, slaughter 1; 81 v
- 1) to kill, slaughter, beat
- ↑ 07794 שׁוֹר showr [shore] ShinVavReish from 07788; n m; [BDB-1004a] [{See TWOT on 2355 @@ "2355a" }] AV-ox 62, bullock 12, cow 2, bull 1, wall 1; 78
- 1) ox, bull, a head of cattle
- 1a) for plowing, for food, as sacrifice
- 07786 (שׂוּר) suwr-6 reign, have power;
07787 (שׂוּר) suwr-7 cut-v;
07788 (שׂוּר) shuwr-8 went, sing, to travel;
07789 (שׂוּר) shuwr-9 behold-v;
07790 (שׂוּר) shuwr-0 watcher, enemy;
07791 (שׂוּר) shuwr-1 wall;
07792 (שׂוּר) shuwr-2 (Aramaic) wall;
07793 (שׂוּר) Shuwr-3 name Shur=Wall;
07794 (שׂוּר) showr-4 ox[62+], bull, a head of cattle.
- ש Shin Eternal Flame of Spiritual Revelation, bound to the coal of righteousness, the Divine Essence. [sun... teeth... consume destroy] (Numeric value: 300)
- ו Vav Connection, Connecting realms and worlds or the dividing veil between them. [nail... And, Add, secure, hook] (Numeric value: 6)
- ר Reish Process of Clarification The "head" or "beginning". Life's revelation. [Head... Person head highest] (Numeric value: 200).
- 1) ox, bull, a head of cattle
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 06999 ^רטק^ qatar \@kaw-tar’\@ a primitive root [identical with 07000 through the idea of fumigation in a close place and perhaps thus driving out the occupants]; AV-incense 59, burn 49, offer 3, kindle 1, offering 1, misc 4; 117 v
- 1) to sacrifice, burn incense, burn sacrifices, make sacrifices smoke
- 1a) (Piel)
- 1a1) to make sacrifices smoke
- 1a2) to sacrifice
- 1b) (Pual) to smoke a sacrifice
- 1c) (Hiphil)
- 1c1) to make sacrifices smoke
- 1c2) to cause incense to smoke, offer incense
- 1c3) to make smoke upon
- 1d) (Hophal) to be made to smoke
- 1a) (Piel)
- n m
- 2) incense
- n f
- 3) incense-altar
- 1) to sacrifice, burn incense, burn sacrifices, make sacrifices smoke
- ↑ 07794 שׁוֹר showr [shore] ShinVavReish from 07788; n m; [BDB-1004a] [{See TWOT on 2355 @@ "2355a" }] AV-ox 62, bullock 12, cow 2, bull 1, wall 1; 78
- 1) ox, bull, a head of cattle
- 1a) for plowing, for food, as sacrifice
- 07786 (שׂוּר) suwr-6 reign, have power;
07787 (שׂוּר) suwr-7 cut-v;
07788 (שׂוּר) shuwr-8 went, sing, to travel;
07789 (שׂוּר) shuwr-9 behold-v;
07790 (שׂוּר) shuwr-0 watcher, enemy;
07791 (שׂוּר) shuwr-1 wall;
07792 (שׂוּר) shuwr-2 (Aramaic) wall;
07793 (שׂוּר) Shuwr-3 name Shur=Wall;
07794 (שׂוּר) showr-4 ox[62+], bull, a head of cattle.
- ש Shin Eternal Flame of Spiritual Revelation, bound to the coal of righteousness, the Divine Essence. [sun... teeth... consume destroy] (Numeric value: 300)
- ו Vav Connection, Connecting realms and worlds or the dividing veil between them. [nail... And, Add, secure, hook] (Numeric value: 6)
- ר Reish Process of Clarification The "head" or "beginning". Life's revelation. [Head... Person head highest] (Numeric value: 200).
- 1) ox, bull, a head of cattle