Greyhound

Greyhound appears in the King James Version at Proverbs 30:31 as one of four things that "go well" or move with a stately bearing: "A greyhound; an he goat also; and a king, against whom there is no rising up." The Hebrew zarzir mothnayim (literally "girded as to the loins") is an uncertain term whose precise referent has been debated by translators and commentators throughout history. Many modern translations render it as "strutting rooster" (ESV, NIV, NASB) rather than greyhound, based on comparison with ancient Near Eastern imagery of roosters as proud, upright animals.

The context in Proverbs 30:29–31 is a numerical proverb of observation — things in the created world that exhibit a characteristic grace or power in motion. Whether the animal is a greyhound, a rooster, or (as some ancient translations suggest) a war-horse, the point is the same: each creature in its proper element moves with a dignity that serves as a natural analogy for the authority of a rightful king. The passage illustrates the wisdom tradition's habit of finding moral and regal analogies in careful observation of the natural world.