Wild Beast of the Desert

Wild Beast Of The Desert is the rendering of the A.V. at Isa 13:21; Isa 34:14; Jer 1:19 [elsewhere "dwelling in the wilderness," (Ps 52:9; Ps 74:14; Isa 23:13] of the Heb. word found only in this sense in the plur. צַיַּים , tsiyim, although the sing. צַי, tsi, occurs Nu 24:24; Isa 33:21; Eze 30:9; Da 11:30, in the sense of "ship." It is thought to denote some (or perhaps any) species of animal living in the desert, such' as jackals. ostriches, etc. The ancient versions are inconsistent (Sept. θήρια, ἰνδάλματα; Vulg. bestiae, dracones). The Targum understands apes, Michaelis (Suppl. Page 2086) serpents, Aurivillius (Dissert. page 298) vapyraes, Saadias and Abulwalid wild bulls, and others wild cats. See Bochart, Hieroz. 2:211.