An activity seldom mentioned in the Bible and apparently not a common occupation among the Israelites. Neither of the two men in the OT specifically designated as hunters, Nimrod (Gen 10:9) and Esau (Gen 25:27), were Israelites. Much more common for the Hebrews was the killing of game encountered by chance (Judg 14:6) or the killing of wild animals that attacked the shepherd’s flocks (lions and bears are mentioned specifically in 1Sam 17:34-36). The typical weapons used for hunting included bow and arrow (Gen 27:3), the sling and slingstone (1Sam 17:40; 1Sam 17:49-50), and the shepherd’s staff (1Sam 17:40). Along with hunting, fishing (Isa 19:8) and trapping birds with nets (Amos 3:5; Prov 6:5; Ps 91:3; Ps 124:7) are mentioned. Wild animals considered acceptable for food and thus apparently hunted included the hart, the gazelle, the roebuck, the wild goat, the ibex, the antelope, and the mountain sheep (all listed in Deut 14:5). Forbidden to the Hebrews, but apparently acceptable to the Canaanites, were the hare and the wild pig (Lev 11:6-7).
