SEV Biblia, Chapter 23:22
Dios los ha sacado de Egipto; tiene fuerzas como de unicornio.
Clarke's Bible Commentary - Numbers 23:22
Verse 22. The strength of a unicorn.] mar reem and myar reim. It is generally allowed that there is no such beast in nature as the unicorn; i. e., a creature of the horse kind, with one long rich curled horn in the forehead. The creature painted from fancy is represented as one of the supporters of the royal arms of Great Britain. It is difficult to say what kind of beast is intended by the original word. The Septuagint translate the word monokerwv, the unicorn, or one-horned animal; the Vulgate, sometimes, unicornus; and in the text rhinocerotis, by which the rhinoceros, a creature which has its name from the horn on its nose, is supposed to be meant.
That no single-horned animal can be intended by the reem of Moses, is sufficiently evident from this, that Moses, speaking of Joseph, says, "he has the HORNS of A unicorn," or reem, where the horns are spoken of in the plural, the animal in the singular. The creature referred to is either the rhinoceros, some varieties of which have two horns on the nose, or the wild bull, urus, or buffalo; though some think the beast intended is a species of goat; but the rhinoceros seems the most likely. There is literally a monoceros, or unicorn, with one large curled ivory horn growing horizontally out of his snout; but this is not a land animal, it is the modiodan or nurwal, a marine animal of the whale kind, a horn of which is now before me, measuring seven feet four inches; but I believe the rhinoceros is that intended by the sacred writers.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 22. God brought them out of Egypt , etc.] With a mighty hand and stretched out arm, and he will conduct them through the wilderness, and bring them safe to Canaan’s land; he that brought them from thence will not suffer them to perish by any means; it is in vain to attempt to curse a people that is in such hands, and for whom he has done such great things:
Jarchi thinks this stands opposed to what Balak had said, ( Numbers 22:5), thou sayest, “lo, a people is come out of Egypt”; “they did not come out of themselves, but God brought them:” he hath as it were the strength of an unicorn ; that is, not God, but the people he brought out of Egypt, being a mighty people, able to push their enemies and subdue them, being numerous and strong, especially as strengthened by the mighty God of Jacob; and therefore their strength is expressed by the strength of this creature; for be it what it will, whether the rhinoceros or the wild ox, or one kind of goats, as Bochart thinks; whatever is meant by the term here must be a strong creature, (see Deuteronomy 33:17 Job 39:10,11
