Roe

The roe (Hebrew tsevi or tsebi, also rendered gazelle) was a swift, graceful deer-like animal common in the hills of Canaan and celebrated in Scripture for its beauty and speed. It was among the clean animals permitted for food (Deuteronomy 12:15; 14:5) and was listed among the provisions for Solomon's table (1 Kings 4:23). The roe appears most memorably in the Song of Solomon, where the beloved's lover is compared to a roe or young hart leaping upon the mountains (Song of Solomon 2:9, 17; 8:14) — an image of eager, joyful approach. In Proverbs 5:19, a faithful wife is compared to "a loving hind and pleasant roe." The speed of the roe also appears in military imagery: Asahel, Joab's brother, was fleet-footed "as a wild roe" (2 Samuel 2:18).