Were Unicorns Real?

Hope (age 11) asked,

“Were unicorns real?”

Thanks for your question, Hope!

Did you know unicorns are mentioned in the Bible? It’s true! In some translations, the word unicorn is mentioned in Psalm 29, Job 39, and seven other Old Testament passages.

The Bible verses in which they are mentioned also talk about familiar animals like peacocks, eagles, lions, goats, and donkeys, showing us that unicorns were not imaginary horselike creatures with a glittery horn sticking out of their heads. Unicorns would have been a familiar animal to the people living in Bible times.

The Bible gives us some clues as to what unicorns were like. They skipped like calves (Psalm 29:6 KJV), and they bled when they died (Isaiah 34:7 KJV). They were very strong but could not be tamed to work for man on farms (Job 39:9–12 KJV).

Unicorn, Narwhal, or Rhinoceros?

Today, there are some creatures with one horn, like the narwhal and rhinoceros. In fact, the very first edition of Webster’s dictionary (published in 1828) defines unicorn first as “an animal with one horn” and describes it as a rhinoceros. Its second definition is of a sea creature: “The sea unicorn is a fish of the whale kind, called narwal, remarkable for a horn growing out at his nose.”1

Because the biblical unicorn is described as strong (Job 39) and skipping like a calf (Psalm 29), it must have been a land animal, not a narwhal. Some scientists think the unicorn mentioned in the Bible might be an extinct giant creature from the rhinoceros kind called the elasmotherium sibiricum.

While unicorns that walk on rainbows and leave trails of glitter are just cartoon images, the Bible’s mention of a unicorn proves that “unicorns” were real. They probably just looked a little different from what we imagine today! Regardless of the exact identity of the biblical unicorn, which we might never know for sure, we know God’s Word is always true and accurate.

Do you have a question about God’s Word or his world that you want us to answer? Is there a topic you want to learn more about? Ask your parents to help you submit your question today. Watch for our answer here on the blog or in Kids Answers magazine. We’d love to hear from you!