ANTELOPE

[Heb., di·shonʹ, from a root meaning “to spring, leap”; rendered in AV, AS and Dy as “pygarg,” meaning “white-rumped”].

A cud-chewing animal and a splitter of the hoof, sole mention of which is made at Deuteronomy 14:5, where it is included in the list of animals permitted to the Israelites for food. There is uncertainty as to which animal is meant by the Hebrew word di·shonʹ.

The Addax antelope, a native of the desert regions of North Africa and the Egyptian Sudan, is often suggested as corresponding to the di·shonʹ of the Hebrew Scriptures. This antelope measures about forty inches (c. one meter) high at the shoulder. Its spreading, cloven hoofs equip it admirably for travel in the loose sands of the desert, where it can go without water for extremely long periods. The widespread horns of this animal are twisted like a screw, sometimes making over three turns, and measure about forty inches (c. one meter) along the curve. With the exception of the belly, tail and hindquarters, which always remain white, the color of the Addax antelope becomes darker in winter, changing from a sandy color to brownish.

Another possibility is the Arabian Oryx, also a desert antelope. Unlike the Addax antelope, the Arabian Oryx has slightly back-curved horns. Aside from dark-brown stockings and facial markings, its coat is white in color.