Red fox, שועל, Vulpes vulpes

The שׁועל, or red fox, is mentioned directly seven times in the Hebrew Bible. They almost always appear in the plural form (שׁעלים or שׁועלים), the only exception being Neh 3:35 where a single fox is referred to by Tobiah the Ammonite. Most occurrences of the fox are within poetic literature, and it often fulfils a symbolic function.

The exact identification of the שׁועל has been contested in recent scholarship. While the consensus agrees that it should be identified with a canid, there is disagreement surrounding which specific species this should be. Primarily, the often-used plural form has led some scholars (Margalith 1985, 225–226) to identify the שׁועל with the more gregarious golden jackal (Canis aureus), while the existence of the apparent alternative term for jackal (תן) has more often suggested the superficially similar red fox (Vulpes vulpes) (see the following sections: History of Identification and Life & Natural Sciences).

The seven references to foxes are roughly distributed through a variety of different genres of biblical literature, including: narratives, prophecies,and poetic material.

• Two of these are found in narratives. Foxes are caught by Samson in Judges (15:4), and are referred to by Tobiah the Ammonite in Nehemiah (3:35)
• There are four references to foxes in poetic literature They occur in a psalm of David (Ps 63:11), twice in the Song of Songs (2:15), and once in Lamentations (5:18).
• There is only one reference in a prophetic text, and this is during Ezekiel’s prophecy against Israel’s own prophets (13:4).

As well as these seven direct references, foxes, or שׁועל, also appear in various names within narrative sections of the Hebrew Bible. חצר שׁועל (settlement of the fox) is a town referred to in Joshua (15:28, 19:3), Nehemiah (11:27), and 1 Chronicles (4:28). ארץ שׁועל (the land of the fox) is also mentioned in 1 Sam 13:17. Finally, one of the sons of Zophah is named שׁועל in 1 Chr 4:28.

Habitat. The שׁועל is associated with different types of habitat, though their primary dwelling seems to be the wilderness. They are often described as living in land that has become uninhabited and desolate in the region of Israel (Ezek 13:4; Lam 5:18). Lamentations 5 specifically locates them as living within the ruins on Mount Zion.

While they seem to thrive in territory deserted by humans, some textual evidence suggests the שׁועל could be found lurking in agricultural land. The שׁועל seems to be responsible for spoiling the vineyards in Song 2:15, and Judg 15:4–5 suggests that Samson found and released his three-hundred foxes within the grainfields and vineyards of the Philistines. This mention of Philistine agricultural land suggests that the שׁועל could also be found along the coastal plain of the Mediterranean Sea in the Southern Levant.

Further evidence for the habitat of the שׁועל might be its usage in place names. חצר שׁועל is described as a southerly settlement in Judah near the border with Edom (Josh 15:28; see also: Neh 11:27) and ארץ שׁועל is seemingly near the land of Benjamin and the land of the Philistines.

Diet. Foxes are identified as carnivores and are recognised as scavenging on human corpses after a conflict (Ps 63:11). However, the variety of a fox’s diet is also seemingly acknowledged in Song 2:15 where young foxes ruin the vineyard just as the plants begin to blossom. This presumably indicates that foxes were known to spoil a vineyard’s crop, which would appear after the blossom, and thus they ate cultivated grapes. This activity is acknowledged in other sources from the ancient Mediterranean (Hagedorn 2003, 340–341).

Size. The fox is ostensibly associated with being light or small in size. Tobiah the Ammonite jokes that the walls of Jerusalem would break apart if something as small as a fox stepped upon them (Neh 3:35). [1]

Tails. Foxes are noted for their tails and the narrative told about their burning tails in Judg 15:4–5 might be an aetiological legend to explain an ancient colloquialism (Margalith 1985, 227).

 Climbing. A fox’s ability to climb is suggested in Neh 3:35 where they are described as going up onto a “stone wall” (חומת אבניהם), and similar behaviour might be indicated by their presence amongst ruins (Ezek 13:4).

Group Dynamics. Foxes have traditionally been seen as solitary animals, however almost all the references to שׁועל in the Hebrew Bible are in the plural form (שׁעלים or שׁועלים). This social nature of the שׁועל is perhaps most apparent in the narrative in Judg 15 when Samson is able to catch three hundred of them. This has led some commentators to suggest that the שׁועלים are best understood as jackals (who are more gregarious; see Life & Natural Sciences section). Nevertheless, in Song 2:15, the collective activity of numerousשׁועלים קטנים , “young foxes,” in raiding a vineyard together may indicate red foxes who also live in larger family groups, especially when rearing cubs (see Life & Natural Sciences section).

Most of the occurrences of שׁועל have a symbolic function. They serve as a simile for the actions of Israel’s false prophets (Ezek 13:4). As a wild predatory animal, the שׁועל is also used to symbolize death (Ps 63:11) and desolation (Lam 5:18). Foxes raiding a cultivated vineyard are also symbols of young men seeking romantic encounters (Song 2:15).[2] As a relatively small animal, foxes symbolize the gentlest creature which might conceivably climb upon a wall within a section of sarcastic rhetoric (Neh 3:35).

The only other contextual function of foxes in the Hebrew Bible is as specific characters within the Samson narrative (Judg 15:4). Rather than a realistic description, this seems to serve as an aetiology (see above).

[1] The שׁועל or fox in Neh 3:35 has been suggested to refer to a siege engine, however it is more likely simply a sarcastic comment (Williamson 1985, 214).

[2] For a detailed examination of the possible function of this symbol, see: Exum 2005, 128–130.

Exum, Cheryl J. 2005. Song of Songs: A Commentary. Old Testament Library. Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press.

Hagedorn, Anselm. 2003. “Of Foxes and Vineyards: Greek Perspectives on the Song of Songs.” Vetus Testamentum 53(3): 337–352.

Margalith, Othniel. 1985. “Samson’s Foxes.” Vetus Textamentum 35(2): 224–229.

Williamson, Hugh G. M. 1985. Ezra, Nehemiah. Word Biblical Commentary 16. Waco: Word Books.