Mare

At a Glance

Female horse; biblical background term.

Key Points

• Ordinary animal vocabulary, not a doctrinal term
• Helps readers understand biblical horse imagery
• Horses often signal power, war, royal status, or human reliance
• Any theological use comes from the surrounding passage, not the word itself

Description

A mare is a female horse. Scripture frequently mentions horses in connection with warfare, chariots, royal display, trade, and poetic or figurative language. Those passages may convey themes such as strength, speed, status, or human trust in military power, but the word "mare" itself does not carry a distinct doctrinal meaning. For dictionary purposes, this entry is best classified as biblical background vocabulary rather than as a theological term.

Biblical Context

The Bible often uses horses as part of scenes involving kings, armies, chariots, and wealth. Because mares are simply female horses, the term matters mainly when reading horse-related passages and images. The theological weight lies in the passage’s message, not in the animal term itself.

Historical Context

In the ancient world, horses were valued for transportation, warfare, and prestige. Female horses were part of the larger stock of animals used for breeding and work, though the Bible usually speaks of horses generically rather than distinguishing mare from stallion.

Jewish and Ancient Context

In ancient Israel and the broader Near East, horses were associated with military strength and royal power more than with ordinary domestic life. Jewish readers would therefore have heard horse language as socially and politically charged background imagery, not as a technical theological term.

Primary Key Texts

• Job 39:19-25
• Proverbs 21:31
• Zechariah 10:3
• Revelation 19:11-16

Secondary Key Texts

• 1 Kings 10:26-29
• Psalm 20:7
• Isaiah 31:1
• Song of Songs 1:9

Original Language Note

English "mare" refers to a female horse; biblical references usually use the general term for horse rather than a specialized doctrinal word.

Theological Significance

"Mare" has no distinct theological meaning. Its value is interpretive and contextual: it helps readers understand biblical scenes and metaphors involving horses, strength, and military power.

Philosophical Explanation

This is an ordinary created-thing term, not an abstract religious concept. Any significance comes from how Scripture uses the animal in a narrative, poetic, or prophetic setting.

Interpretive Cautions

Do not build doctrine from horse imagery alone. Read any reference to horses in context, and distinguish literal animal description from figurative use.

Major Views

There is no major doctrinal debate about the word itself. Interpretation focuses on the surrounding passage and whether horse imagery is literal, symbolic, or poetic.

Doctrinal Boundaries

Do not attribute theological authority to the animal term. The Bible’s teaching is found in the text’s context, not in a special meaning attached to "mare."

Practical Significance

This entry helps readers follow passages that mention horses, chariots, armies, or poetic comparisons without mistakenly treating the word as a theological category.

Related Entries

• horse
• chariot
• cavalry
• war horse
• Song of Songs

See Also

• horse
• stallion
• chariot
• warfare
• Song of Songs