שׁוֹר78 H7794
ox, bull; a single head of cattle used in agricultural, legal, sacrificial, and poetic contexts
Hebrew shor designates an individual bovine animal — ox, bull, or cow — as distinct from the collective term baqar ('herd, cattle'). The word pervades the legal codes: the goring ox of Exodus 21:28-36 is a foundational case in biblical jurisprudence, and the ox appears in the Decalogue's sabbath commandment (Exod 20:17; Deut 5:14). In sacrifice, the shor serves as a premier offering. Poetically, the golden calf episode is recalled as Israel exchanging their glory for 'the image of an ox that eats grass' (Ps 106:20). The multilingual evidence — Spanish buey/toro, French boeuf, German Ochse/Rind — reflects the dual agricultural and sacrificial range.
Senses
1. ox, bull — An individual bovine animal, whether a working ox or a sacrificial bull, distinct from the collective baqar ('herd'). Central to Israelite legal tradition — the goring-ox laws (Exod 21:28-36) and the sabbath rest commandment (Exod 20:17; Deut 5:14) — and prominent in sacrificial contexts. The golden calf is memorably described as 'an ox that eats grass' (Ps 106:20). Spanish buey/toro and German Ochse/Rind together capture the working-animal and sacrificial-animal dimensions. 79×
AR["الثَّوْرُ", "بَقَرٍ", "ثَوراً", "ثَورٌ", "ثَورٍ", "ثَوْرًا", "ثَوْرٌ", "ثَوْرٍ"]·ben["গরু", "গরু-", "গরুর", "বলদ", "বলদের", "বৃষ", "ষাঁড়", "ষাঁড়কে"]·DE["Ochse", "Rind", "ein-Ochse", "einen-Stier", "von-ein-Ochse"]·EN["an-ox", "of-an-ox", "ox"]·FR["boeuf", "bœuf", "de-un-boeuf", "un-boeuf"]·heb["שור"]·HI["बैल", "बैल-का", "बैल-को", "बैल-ने"]·ID["baik", "lembu"]·IT["bue", "di-un-bue", "un-bue"]·jav["lembu", "sapi", "sapi-jaler", "sapi-jaler,"]·KO["소", "소-에게", "소가", "소나", "소든", "소라면", "소를", "소와", "소의", "황소", "황소의"]·PT["boi"]·RU["бык", "быка", "быком", "быку", "вол", "вола", "волу"]·ES["a-buey", "buey", "toro"]·SW["ng'ombe", "ng’ombe", "wa-ng'ombe", "ya-ng'ombe"]·TR["sığır", "sığırın", "öküz", "öküzü", "öküzün"]·urd["بیل", "بیل-کا"]
Gen 32:5, Gen 49:6, Exod 21:28, Exod 21:28, Exod 21:28, Exod 21:29, Exod 21:29, Exod 21:32, Exod 21:33, Exod 21:35, Exod 21:35, Exod 21:35 (+38 more)
Related Senses
H6629 1. flock, sheep/goats (small livestock) (274×)H1241 1. cattle, herd (bovine livestock) (183×)H0352a 1. ram (male sheep) (156×)H6499 1. young bull, bullock (130×)H3532 1. lamb, young male sheep (105×)H2543 1. donkey (male ass) (96×)H7462b 1. shepherd (agent noun) (76×)H5795 1. she-goat(s), female goat(s) (68×)H7462b 2. to shepherd, tend, pasture (60×)H1581 1. camel (domestic animal) (54×)H0738b 1. lion (46×)G4263 1. sheep (39×)H5739 1. flock or herd of livestock (38×)H5695 1. calf, young bull (35×)H0738a 1. lion (large predatory feline) (34×)H0860 1. female donkey (34×)H3611 1. dog (animal) (32×)H3715a 1. young lion, lion cub (31×)G0721 1. Lamb (29×)H6260 1. male goat, he-goat (28×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
שׁוֹר78 n.m. Ne 5:18 a head of cattle, bullock, ox, etc. (often + חֲמוֹר, שֶׂה, etc.);—שׁ׳ abs. Is 1:3 +, cstr. Ex 21:35 +, sf. שׁוֹרוֹ 20:17 +, etc.; pl. שְׁוָרִים Ho 12:12;—usually a single head of cattle, without emphasis on sex (opp. בָּקָר coll. Ex 21:37; Nu 7:3): as property, spoil of war, etc. Ex 20:17 (E; Gi v 14) = Dt 5:18, cf. Dt 5:14; Ex 21:33 (E) ‖ Dt 22:4; Ex 21:37(×2) (‖ בָּקָר of…