GAZELLE (צְבִי֮, H7383, roe, roebuck KJV; gazelle RSV; gazelle [all fig. uses, e.g. Deut 12:15]; roe [all fig. uses, e.g., Prov 6:5]; ASV עֹ֣פֶר צְבִיָּ֑ה, young roes that are twins; KJV fawns, twins of a gazelle; RSV Δορκάς, G1520, gazelle. Acts 9:36, “Tabitha, which means Dorcas or gazelle” confirms the Heb. tr. and there is nothing to support the tr. “roe,” so its ASV retention in all fig. and poetic contexts is incorrect). The Roe Deer was once found in parts of Pal. (see Deer). Gazelles are medium-sized antelopes inhabiting dry grasslands and desert and extend, comprising about twelve species, from central Africa through Pal. and India to the Gobi Desert of Mongolia. The Gr. name is still found in the scientific name of Gazella dorcas, one of the two species found in W Pal. today. The other, much more common, is the Pal. gazelle; this is one of the smallest, standing just over two ft. at the shoulders. Gazelles are usually of pale brown or sandy color, often with a dark line along the side demarcating the almost white underparts. This provides good camouflage, but their main defense is speed, and all four fig. passages outside Song of Solomon refer to this. In Song of Solomon the word is used as a symbol of grace and beauty, and the name today still suggests these attributes.

At one time gazelles were widely distributed in Pal. and common enough to provide a useful amount of meat. This is clearly implied in Deuteronomy 12:15 and 22 where it is mentioned almost as a standard commodity. When Isaac asked Esau to go and kill some game (“venison” KJV), this could have meant any wild game, but by living in the Beersheba area—the gateway to the Negev—a gazelle would be the most likely target for Esau’s arrow. Gazelle meat is sometimes rather dry but good enough for eating.

The spread of cultivation reduced the numbers of gazelles progressively, though the creatures are not unduly worried by the presence of men, and will feed around or even in farms and close to tractors if allowed to do so. Wealth allowed desert hunting for sport in cars, quickly reducing numbers to the danger point. In most Arab countries there is still little or no control, but with protection by game laws and reserves in Israel, stocks have recovered and their survival is much more hopeful. See Deer.