Peacocks in the Bible
Hebrew: tuk or tukkiyim, apparently borrowed from the Tamil: tokei
Hebrew: רֶנֶ —transliteration: renen —meaning: Joyful shout, cry of joy, rejoicing
This bird is indigenous to India. It was brought to Solomon by his ships from Tarshish (1 Kings 10:22; 2 Chronicles 9:21), which in this case was probably a district on the Malabar coast of India, or in Ceylon.
The word for peacock appears in 2 verses.
For the king had at sea the ships of Tarshish with the ships of Hiram; once every three years the ships of Tarshish came carrying gold and silver, ivory and apes and peacocks. —1 Kings 10:22
For the king had ships which went to Tarshish with the servants of Huram; once every three years the ships of Tarshish came carrying gold and silver, ivory and apes and peacocks. —2 Chronicles 9:21
More information
- Is India mentioned in the Bible?
- Who is King Solomon?
- What is Tarshish?
- Merchants in the Bible
- Ships in the Bible
Job 39:13 King James Version
Gavest thou the goodly wings unto the peacocks? —Job 39:13 KJV excerpt
The Hebrew word רֶנֶ translated “peacock” in the KJV literally means wild, tumultuous crying, cry of joy, or rejoicing, and indicates the female ostrich, not the peacock.
Modern translations prefer “ostrich.”
The wings of the ostrich wave proudly… —Job 39:13 NKJV, ESV, ASV, RSV, WEB excerpt
The ostriches’ wings flap joyously… —Job 39:13 NASB95, LSB, SEB, NIV excerpt
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