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hef´ẽr (פרה, paÌ„raÌ„h, in Nu 19 (see following article) and ; עגלה, ‛eghlaÌ„h, elsewhere in the Old Testament; δαÌμαλις, daÌmalis, in ):For the “heifer of three years old†in the King James Version, the Revised Version margin of ; , see EGLATH-SHELISHIYAH. A young cow (contrast BULLOCK). The ‛eghlaÌ„h figures specifically in religious rites only in the ceremony of -9 for the cleansing of the land, where an unexpiated murder had been committed. This was not a sacrificial rite - the priests are witnesses only, and the animal was slain by breaking the neck - but sacrificial purity was required for the heifer. Indeed, it is commonly supposed that the rite as it now stands is a rededication of one that formerly had been sacrificial. In the sacrifices proper the heifer could be used for a peace offering (), but was forbidden for the burnt () or sin (, ) offerings. Hence, the sacrifice of was a peace offering. In the ceremony of the ratification of the covenant by God makes use of a heifer and a she-goat, but the reason for the use of the females is altogether obscure. Compare following article.
Figuratively: The heifer appears as representing sleekness combined with helplessness in (compare the comparison of the soldiers to 'stalled calves' in the next verse). In ; , the heifer is pictured as engaged in threshing. This was particularly light work, coupled with unusually abundant food (), so that the threshing heifer served especially well for a picture of contentment. (“Wanton†in , however, is an unfortunate translation in the Revised Version (British and American).) Hosea, in contrast, predicts that the “heifers†shall be set to the hard work of plowing and breaking the sods. In , Samson uses “heifer†in his riddle to refer to his wife. This, however, was not meant to convey the impression of licentiousness that it gives the modern reader.