MULE, An Animal produced between two Animals of different Species, a Horse and a She-Ass, or an He-Ass and a Mare.
There is great Likelihood that the Jews did not breed Mules, because it was forbid them to couple together two Creatures of different Species, Levit. xix. 19. Thou shalt not let thy Cattle gender with a divers Kind. 2 Sam. xiii. 29. xviii. 9. 1 Kings i. 33, 38, 44. x. 25. xviii. 5, &c.But they were not forbid to make Use of ‘em. Thus we may observe, especially since David’s Time, that He and She-Mules were common among the Hebrews: Formerly they used only He and She-Asses.
Some1 have thought, that Anab Son of Zibeon, one of the Posterity of Seir2, being in the Desart, had found out the Manner of breeding Mules, by coupling together Animals of different Kinds. This Opinion has been much espoused by the Ancients. But St. Jerome, who takes Notice of it in his Hebraical Questions upon Genesis, does however translate, that Anah found hot Waters in the Desart, as he was feeding the Asses of his Father Zibeon. The Greek Translators have preserved the Hebrew Word Jamim. The Syriac says, he found a Fountain. Others believe that Jemim or Jamim signifies a sort of People that Anab found, whom he set upon and defeated. These Jemims might perhaps be the same as the Emim, mentioned by Moses, Deut. ii. 10, 11.
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