Numbers 23:22 KJV, “God brought them out of Egypt; he hath as it were the strength of an unicorn.”
Unicorns! Yes, Unicorns! And to answer the question you’re asking yourself, “No, I am not drunk, as you may suppose,” to paraphrase Acts 2:15! The word “unicorn” appears in the King James Bible nine times in the Old Testament. You probably picture a large white stallion with a purplish ivory coat, a bright pink mane and tail,and a single rainbow-colored horn protruding from its forehead! So there is proof of a mystical horse in the Bible?! Hold on, not so fast! The original Hebrew word meaning a powerful horned animal was translated into the word “unicornis” in a Latin Bible written in the 4th century AD. Then in 1611, in the King James Bible, the word in English became unicorn. Understanding thatthe original word described a single horned animal, untamable, ferocious, powerful, and wild, modern Bible translators corrected this to wild ox or rhinoceros. It all comes down to this:the Lord referred to Himself in Numbers 23:22 as using the strength of a rhinoceros, an unstoppable, untamable force,against His enemies. Sorry to dash your fantasies! This is why is it so important that we find a Bible version we can fullyunderstand and want to get into, as I talked about last week. Otherwise, you will be telling people that God really created a rainbow one-horned fantasy horse!
Let me give you one more example. Here is a definition put out by the Scientific and Psychological scholars, “The simultaneous willingness to be completely vulnerable and the conscious, active commitment to hold space for another person’s reality without trying to control, fix, or erase it.” Say what?! Do you understand it? No! I’m with you! But we all desire this thing it’s defining. Let me give you my translation: “A warm fuzzy feeling in the depth of me that doesn’t go away!” What is it? It’s actually the definition of love!I like things I can understand! Simple! That is why the bright yellow and black Books for Dummies are so popular, with over 2,000 titles and over 250 million copies sold. There is even a Bible for Dummies! It’s true. People want to know and understand what they’re reading and doing!
It’s the same with the Bible—we can’t assume that we know when we have no idea what we know, so find something you understand and can dive into with all your heart and follow God to the fullest of His instruction, not ours. He loves us so much, and His desire is for us to know Him as well as He knows us. Proverbs 3:5–6 TPT says, “Trust in the Lord completely, and donot rely on your own opinions. With all your heart rely on him to guide you, and he will lead you in every decision you make.Become intimate with him in whatever you do, and he will lead you wherever you go.”
Pastor Jesse Duplantis writes, “Our body may be pulling us one way. Our spirit is nudging us another. But it’s our mind that makes the choice of which way we’re going to tilt.” The more you know the Lord, the more you’re going to tilt His way, choose His way and not the way of the world so that you will be abundantly blessed and live the life He came to give (John 10:10). Get to know Jesus! Get to know the Father! Find out what Jesus came to give us, all the benefits He made available to us (Psalm 103:2-5 to name a few).
As Brian Simmons, author of The Passion Translation, says, “Just imagine how differently the Hebrew authors of the Old Testament saw the world 3,000 years ago from the way we see it today. English language usage changes over time. About every hundred years or so, the vocabulary…undergoes a dramatic change.” By using everyday language, the text remains accurate and comes alive for modern ears! He continues, “That is what makes Bible translations so valuable, because each one will hopefully lead us to new discoveries of God’s character. I believe God is committed to giving us truth in a package we can understand and apply, so I thank God for every translation of God’s Word that we have.”
-Emil Liko 10/16/26