Psalms 22:12

22:12 Many bulls ¹  surround me;

powerful bulls of Bashan ²  hem me in.

Ezekiel 39:18

39:18 You will eat the flesh of warriors ³  and drink the blood of the princes of the earth – the rams, lambs, goats, and bulls, all of them fattened animals of Bashan.

Amos 4:1

4:1 Listen to this message, you cows of Bashan ⁴  who live on Mount Samaria!

You ⁵  oppress the poor;

you crush the needy.

You say to your ⁶  husbands,

“Bring us more to drink!” ⁷ 

Micah 7:14

7:14 Shepherd your people with your shepherd’s rod, ⁸ 

the flock that belongs to you, ⁹ 

the one that lives alone in a thicket,

in the midst of a pastureland. ¹⁰ 

Allow them to graze in Bashan and Gilead, ¹¹ 

as they did in the old days. ¹² 

[22:12]  ¹ sn The psalmist figuratively compares his enemies to dangerous bulls.

[22:12]  ² sn Bashan, located east of the Jordan River, was well-known for its cattle. See Ezek 39:18; Amos 4:1.

[39:18]  ³ sn See Rev 19:17-18.

[4:1]  ⁴ sn The expression cows of Bashan is used by the prophet to address the wealthy women of Samaria, who demand that their husbands satisfy their cravings. The derogatory language perhaps suggests that they, like the livestock of Bashan, were well fed, ironically in preparation for the coming slaughter. This phrase is sometimes cited to critique the book’s view of women.

[4:1]  ⁵ tn Heb “the ones who” (three times in this verse).

[4:1]  ⁶ tn Heb “their.”

[4:1]  ⁷ sn Some commentators relate this scene to the description of the marzeah feast of 6:3-6, in which drinking played a prominent part (see the note at 6:6).

[7:14]  ⁸ tn Or “with your scepter” (the Hebrew term can mean either “rod” or “scepter”).

[7:14]  ⁹ tn Heb “the flock of your inheritance.”

[7:14]  ¹⁰ tn Or “in the midst of Carmel.” The Hebrew term translated “pastureland” may be a place name.

[7:14]  ¹¹ sn The regions of Bashan and Gilead, located in Transjordan, were noted for their rich grazing lands.

[7:14]  ¹² tn Heb “as in the days of antiquity.”