ANTELOPE

ANTELOPE . In ancient times various species of antelope of the group Hippotraginae existed in Ereẓ Israel and surrounding countries. They have completely disappeared from Israel and are found only in the Arabian Peninsula and in Africa. Sundry species of antelope have been identified with some of the seven clean animals, cloven-hooved ruminants, enumerated in Deuteronomy 14:5. Apparently the dishon is the antelope, since the Septuagint renders it πύγαργος, i.e., pygargos, which means "having a white rump," the reference being to the Addax nasomaculatos (a large antelope with hollow horns, with black spots on its neck and head, but otherwise white). Some also identify the zemer (AV "chamois") with a species of antelope, the Oryx leucoryx, but others say that it refers to a species of wild sheep. The re'em mentioned in Psalms 92:11 as having long horns has also been identified with the Oryx. It was this animal, depicted in profile, which gave rise to the legend of the unicorn. In other passages, however, the re'em seems to be the wild ox (see *Wild Bull).

bibliography:

S. Bodenheimer, Ha-Ḥai be-Arẓot ha-Mikra, 1 (1950), 79; J. Feliks, Animal World of the Bible (1962), 9, 13, 18; Lewysohn, Zool, 114, 149.

[Jehuda Feliks]

an·te·lope / ˈantlˌōp/ • n. (pl. same or antelopes ) a swift-running deerlike ruminant of the cattle family with smooth hair and upward-pointing horns, native to Africa and Asia. ∎ another term for pronghorn.ORIGIN: late Middle English (name of a mythical creature): via Old French, ultimately from late Greek antholops.

antelope Hollow-horned, speedy ruminant found throughout the Old World except in Madagascar, Malaysia and Australasia; most antelopes occur in Africa. They range in size from that of a rabbit to that of an ox. In some species both sexes bear horns of varied shapes and sizes; in others, only the males are horned. Family Bovidae.

antelope See BOVIDAE.

antelope XV. — OF. antelop (once) or medL. ant(h)alopus — medGr. anthólops.