- Series:Animals, History, Humans, Transcript English
Genesis 47:17a
“And they brought their cattle unto Joseph: and Joseph gave them bread [in exchange] for horses…”
Bones can tell stories. An interesting story of man’s relationship with the horse is told by the fossilized teeth of ancient horses. You see, domesticated horses have a habit called crib biting – biting the rails in their corral. Wild horses don’t do this. Crib biting creates a specific pattern of wear. So, when scientists find horses’ teeth that have this pattern, they know that it comes from a domesticated horse.
At one time it was believed that horses were first domesticated – using inflated evolutionary years – about 8,000 years ago. But several instances of horse teeth with the crib biting wear pattern have now turned up in much more ancient sites. Man may have had a partnership with the horse for much longer than this. But we who believe the Bible are not surprised that the evolutionary description of man’s relationship with the horse must be revised.
In the book of Genesis we read that during the famine in Egypt when Joseph was administering Egypt’s grain, he exchanged grain for livestock, including horses. Bible critics have long said that the horse was unknown in Egypt at Joseph’s time – proof, they said, that the Bible is full of mistakes. But now we know that it was the critics of the Bible who were wrong. Man’s relationship with the horse is much, much older than most people ever thought.
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, I thank You that Your Word is faithful and trustworthy. Build and strengthen my faith through Your Word, and help me to be better able to tell others Your wonderful news of grace and forgiveness in Jesus Christ. Amen.
Notes:
Photo: Courtesy of Elina Lundahl.
