Why did Jesus ride a donkey?
Discover the wonders of Biblical Hebrew
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More Than a Beast of Burden
Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem on a donkey strikes many modern readers as odd. Today we think of donkeys as stubborn pack animals, hardly suitable for a royal procession. If Jesus was indeed the Messianic King arriving in his royal capital of Jerusalem, shouldn’t he have been riding a horse-drawn chariot? Not at all. In the ancient world of the Bible the Hebrew word for “donkey” hamor (חֲמוֹר) had a much nobler meaning.
Ancient Prophecy Fulfilled
Both Matthew and John explain that it was necessary for Jesus to ride a donkey to fulfill the Hebrew Scriptures. Centuries earlier, the prophet Zechariah had predicted that the Messiah would enter Jerusalem “righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey” (Zech. 9:9). In ancient Israel, donkeys were a symbol of peace and humility. Abraham and Jacob both rode donkeys. The kings of Israel would ride a white donkey (Judg. 5:10).
Rediscover the wonders of the Scripture
It would have been unthinkable for Jesus to ride a horse, which was a military animal, ridden by foreign kings coming to conquer Israel. The Egyptians, Assyrians, Babylonians – all had instilled a deep fear of horses in the hearts of Israel. By choosing a donkey, Jesus sought to reassure the city of Jerusalem that his kingship would be one of humility, peace and salvation. Enroll in our live online Biblical Hebrew course and rediscover the wonders of the Scripture!
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