What is a…
hart in the Bible

Hebrew: אַיָּל —transliteration: ayyal or 'ayal

A hart in the Bible is a mature male of the deer family (a stag). The word hart is an older English term used especially in the King James Version.

It is listed among the clean animals (Deuteronomy 12:15; 14:5; 15:22), and was commonly killed for food (1 Kings 4:23).

Deer are among the delicacies listed as served on King Solomon’s tables (1 Kings 4:23).

The hart is frequently alluded to in the poetical and prophetical books (Isaiah 35:6; Song of Songs 2:8-9; Lam. 1:6; Psalm 42:1).

Spiritual yearning: Psalm 42:1 uses the familiar scene of deer panting for the water brooks (especially after being chased), as a metaphor for how the psalmist’s soul “pants for You, O God.”