Hart

Hart (Hebrew 'ayal) is the male deer or stag, one of the clean animals permitted as food under the Mosaic law (Deuteronomy 12:15; 14:5). It was a prized game animal in Israel, listed among the provisions brought daily for Solomon's table (1 Kings 4:23). The hart's swiftness, grace, and intense thirst made it a natural source of imagery in Hebrew poetry: Psalm 42:1 opens with the famous simile "As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God" — an image of intense spiritual longing that became one of the most beloved expressions of devotion in the Psalter.

Song of Solomon 2:9 and 8:14 compare the beloved to a roe or young hart leaping on the mountains — an image of eagerness and graceful approach. Isaiah 35:6 prophesies that in the day of restoration "the lame man shall leap as an hart" — one of several images in that chapter depicting the reversal of all debility and limitation. The hart thus serves in Scripture as a figure for longing, swiftness, and the joy of full restoration.