Unicorns Aren't Real... Right?

When you hear the word unicorn, you probably think of a little girl's best friend: A white horse galloping on a rainbow (decked out with pink and purple sparkles). If we put that image aside and take a look at the 1828th edition Webster's Dictionary, however, we may start to picture unicorns a bit differently: "an animal with one horn; the monoceros. this name is often applied to the rhinoceros."

Whilst a far less dramatic description than what we're used to, make no mistake about it: Unicorns are real animals. In fact, Nathan Hoffman noted that unicorns are mentioned nine times in the King James Version of the Old Testament! I've included a few examples below for your reference (emphasis mine):

• "Save me from the lion's mouth: for thou hast heard me from the horns of the unicorns" (Psalm 22:21).
• "But my horn shalt thou exalt like the horn of an unicorn: I shall be anointed with fresh oil" (Psalm 92:10).
• "Will the unicorn be willing to serve thee, or abide by thy crib? Canst thou bind the unicorn with his band in the furrow? or will he harrow the valleys after thee?" (Job 39:9-10).

In Job 39, God mentioned unicorns alongside other animals like goats (39:1) and peacocks (39:13). If we closely consider the various descriptions given to unicorns in the Bible, these animals are clearly more fearsome than how they're traditionally depicted today. For example, David referred to unicorns and lions in the same breath and pleaded with God for deliverance from their horns. The Creator outright said that their "strength is great" (Job 39:11), a clear contrast from how they were portrayed in, say, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.

This is yet another reason why we should draw our conclusions from the Word of God instead of popular culture. As I mentioned in my article on dragons, these majestic creatures were created by God to bring Him glory as the all-powerful Creator. In writing this, I'm reminded of the majestic song from Revelation 4:11:

"Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created" (Revelation 4:11).

Unicorns were created by God on Day Six of the Creation Week (Genesis 1:24-25) and evidently known by human beings over the centuries. I appreciate what Eric Hovind said concerning the identity of unicorns:

"If we could start fresh and read what the Bible says about unicorns, we might find that a stocky strong reptile like the Triceratops or Monoclonius would fit the description much better."

We can draw more accurate conclusions about fascinating creatures like unicorns if we start by building our thinking on the history of the Bible. Ultimately, though, their strength is dwarfed by the power of the One who created all things six millennia ago! Lastly, My prayer is that all of us would seriously consider the words that God the Holy Spirit gave to the prophet Balaam:

"God brought him [Israel] forth out of Egypt; he hath as it were the strength of an unicorn: he shall eat up the nations his enemies, and shall break their bones, and pierce them through with his arrows. He couched, he lay down as a lion, and as a great lion: who shall stir him up? Blessed is he that blesseth thee, and cursed is he that curseth thee" (Numbers 24:8-9; emphasis added).

Thanks for reading,

Angel