HEBREW WORD STUDY – UNICORN – TACHASH תחש Taw Cheth Shin

Exodus 25:5: “And rams’ skins dyed red, and badgers’ skins, and shittim wood”

Exodus 26:14: “And thou shalt make a covering for the tent [of] rams ‘skins dyed red, and a covering above [of] badgers ‘skins.

Numbers 23:22: “God brought them out of Egypt; he hath as it were the strength of a unicorn.”

Unicorns are mythical multi-colored horse-like creatures that had one horn growing out of its forehead. It was believed that the horn held magical powers of healing. Many cultures had stories of the unicorn, but there is no scientific evidence that such creatures existed. C.S. Lewis playfully suggested that they got left behind by Noah because they refused to listen to his warning and did not board the ark in time.

The unicorn is mentioned in the King James Version of the Bible as a rendering for the Hebrew word re’em and is used as a metaphor for strength. It is found eight times in the Old Testament. The allusion of a re’em is that of a wild, untamable animal of great strength and agility with a mighty horn or horns. However, the translators of the KJV followed the Septuagint uses the Greek word monokeros for the Hebrew word re’em and the Latin unicornis. Since the KJV, however, modern Archeologist have discovered a similar word in the Akkadian rimu from the same Semitic root and it is a reference to the aurochs a known species of a wild bull like or bison like animal that went extinct around 1627. It is related to the buffalo and wild yak, both very powerful creatures with two horns.

For this reason, you will not find the English word unicorn in your modern translations, they will render it was a wild ox or even a rhinoceros. Some may just transliterate the Hebrew to re’em. However, Bible scholars and linguists agree that the reference is to a wild bull like or ox-like creature and unicorn is really not an appropriate rendering. In fact, the most recent revision of the KJV has dropped the word unicorn in favor of a wild ox.

But there is hope for you unicorn fans. I read something very interesting in the Jerusalem Talmud. There were 15 different materials that were used in the tabernacle. The Midrash HaGodal (the great study) indicates that the temple is a really a picture of a human body and the 15 materials that were used in the construction of the tabernacle all related to some aspect of the human body. The tachash in the only one that is unidentifiable within a Christian understanding. Most of your Christian lexicons will say it means a badger and that is usually how it is translated. Badgers are related to otters, weasels, ferrets, and skunks. They are found in most parts of the world. But the lexicons also indicate that the word has an unknown origin.

Badger is only a guess by Christian commentators as to what tachash really means. There are many different renderings for tachash including, but not limited to, seals, cows, dolphins, manatees, and goats. Some translations just opt to call it fine leather or durable leather. This material was used for the outer roof of the tabernacle. The simple fact is, no one knows what a tachash really is. There are no equivalent words in other Semitic languages. So, we are just left to guess.

The Talmud, however, follows this theme that the tabernacle represents the human body and the 15 different materials represent 15 different parts of the human body. (If you want more information on this you can go to our All Access Subscription site and read my article under In-Depth Study – The Tabernacle.) According to the HaGodal the tachashrepresents the skin color of the human body. The tachash, according to the Talmud, was a multi-colored one-horned animal. Its colors expressed the skin tone of all human beings. Sort of like the old song we used to sing as children in Sunday school sung to the music of a Civil War song: Tramp, Tramp, Tramp the Boys are Marching.

Jesus loves the little children

All the children of the world

Red and yellow, black and white

They are precious in His sight.

Jesus loves the little children

Of the world.

All the various skin tones of human beings were represented in the skin of this one-horned tachash animal. This was to show that God was the God of all mankind regardless of one’s race. The Talmud further states that this animal was created specifically for the Tabernacle and existed only at that time. This would explain why we have no record of such an animal nor a good English translation for tachash.

But I, personally, have a good English translation for a tachash, an animal with one horn, multi-colored whose existence was very short on earth such that it takes on mythical proportions and yet remains popular in almost every culture. I would render tachash as a unicorn.