Why is there an ox and a donkey in Jesus’ Nativity Scene?

02.01.2021

For vain man would be wise, though man be born like a wild ass’s colt.

Who hath sent out the wild ass free?

Or who hath loosed the bands of the wild ass?

Doth the wild ass bray when he hath grass?

Or loweth the ox over his fodder?

Binding his foal unto the vine, and his ass’s colt unto the choice vine; he washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes:

“Go into the village over against you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her: loose them, and bring them unto me.”

And certain of them that stood there said unto them,

What do ye, loosing the colt?

And they said unto them even as Jesus had commanded: and they let them go. They went their way, and found the colt tied by the door without in a place where two ways met; and they loose him.

Joshua 7:24

HEB: בָּנָ֡יו וְֽאֶת־ בְּנֹתָ֡יו וְאֶת־ שׁוֹרוֹ֩

NAS: his sons, his daughters, his oxen,

KJV: and his sons, and his daughters, and his oxen,

INT: of gold his sons his daughters his oxen his donkeys

Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion;

Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem:

“Behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.”

Tell ye the daughter of Sion,

“Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass.”

Fear not, daughter of Sion:

“Behold, thy King cometh, sitting on an ass’s colt.”

But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels,

And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day?

And he said unto her,

“Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.”

“Who set wisdom in a hiding place, or who gave vision to discernment?”

Who numbered the clouds in his wisdom?

Who established the pillars of Heaven?

God has spoken in his Holiness:

“I shall glory and I shall divide Shechem and I shall measure the Valley of Succoth.”

1 Samuel 25:20

HEB: רֹכֶ֣בֶת עַֽל־ הַחֲמ֗וֹר וְיֹרֶ֙דֶת֙ בְּסֵ֣תֶר

NAS: about as she was riding on her donkey and coming

KJV: And it was [so, as] she rode on the ass, that she came down

INT: was riding on her donkey and coming the hidden

Deuteronomy 22:10

HEB: תַחֲרֹ֥שׁ בְּשׁוֹר־ וּבַחֲמֹ֖ר יַחְדָּֽו׃ ס

NAS: with an ox and a donkey together.

KJV: with an ox and an ass together.

INT: plow an ox donkey together

Exodus 13:13

HEB: וְכָל־ פֶּ֤טֶר חֲמֹר֙ תִּפְדֶּ֣ה בְשֶׂ֔ה

NAS: first offspring of a donkey you shall redeem

KJV: And every firstling of an ass thou shalt redeem

INT: every first of a donkey shall redeem A lamb

whose branches

בָּנ֕וֹת (bā·nō·wṯ)

Noun – feminine plural

Strong’s 1323: A daughter

Genesis 24:23

HEB: וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ בַּת־ מִ֣י אַ֔תְּ

NAS: Whose daughter are you? Please

KJV: Whose daughter [art] thou?

INT: and said daughter Whose you

Genesis 20:12

HEB: אָמְנָ֗ה אֲחֹתִ֤י בַת־ אָבִי֙ הִ֔וא

NAS: is my sister, the daughter of my father,

KJV: [she is] my sister; she [is] the daughter of my father,

INT: actually is my sister the daughter of my father he

Genesis 34:19

HEB: כִּ֥י חָפֵ֖ץ בְּבַֽת־ יַעֲקֹ֑ב וְה֣וּא

NAS: with Jacob’s daughter. Now he was more

KJV: in Jacob’s daughter: and he [was] more honourable

INT: because was delighted daughter Jacob’s he

Leviticus 12:6

HEB: לְבֵן֮ א֣וֹ לְבַת֒ תָּבִ֞יא כֶּ֤בֶשׂ

NAS: or for a daughter, she shall bring

KJV: for a son, or for a daughter, she shall bring

INT: A son or A daughter shall bring lamb

Leviticus 18:9

HEB: עֶרְוַ֨ת אֲחֽוֹתְךָ֤ בַת־ אָבִ֙יךָ֙ א֣וֹ

NAS: [either] your father’s daughter or

KJV: of thy sister, the daughter of thy father,

INT: the nakedness of your sister daughter your father’s or

Leviticus 18:11

HEB: עֶרְוַ֨ת בַּת־ אֵ֤שֶׁת אָבִ֙יךָ֙

NAS: wife’s daughter, born

KJV: wife’s daughter, begotten

INT: the nakedness daughter wife’s of your father’s

Leviticus 20:17

HEB: אָבִ֣יו א֣וֹ בַת־ אִ֠מּוֹ וְרָאָ֨ה

NAS: his mother’s daughter, so that he sees

KJV: his mother’s daughter, and see

INT: his father’s or daughter his mother’s sees

Leviticus 21:9

HEB: וּבַת֙ אִ֣ישׁ כֹּהֵ֔ן

NAS: Also the daughter of any priest,

KJV: And the daughter of any priest,

INT: the daughter of any priest

Numbers 27:8

HEB: אֶת־ נַחֲלָת֖וֹ לְבִתּֽוֹ׃

NAS: his inheritance to his daughter.

KJV: to pass unto his daughter.

INT: shall transfer his inheritance to his daughter

Deuteronomy 27:22

HEB: עִם־ אֲחֹת֔וֹ בַּת־ אָבִ֖יו א֣וֹ

NAS: with his sister, the daughter of his father

KJV: with his sister, the daughter of his father,

INT: with his sister the daughter of his father or

Deuteronomy 27:22

HEB: אָבִ֖יו א֣וֹ בַת־ אִמּ֑וֹ וְאָמַ֥ר

KJV: of his father, or the daughter of his mother.

INT: of his father or the daughter of his mother shall say

This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood.

And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth. For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.

‘Ecce Agnus Dei’ (Lat. ‘Behold the Lamb of God’, AV John 1: 36; NRSV: Here is the Lamb of God)

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