ROEBUCK

[Heb., yach·murʹ].

The male of the roe deer, a small variety resembling a gazelle. The roebuck (Capreolus capreolus) stands over 0.6 m (2 ft) high at the shoulder and measures about 1.2 m (4 ft) in length. Only the males have antlers, and these are shed each year. The roebuck’s summer coat is reddish brown, and this may have been the basis for its Hebrew name yach·murʹ, considered to be derived from a root meaning “be red.” This animal is not generally gregarious. Small groups of three or four, the buck, the doe, and a fawn or two, may be seen feeding together. The roebuck has one mate for life.

Being a chewer of the cud and a splitter of the hoof, the roebuck was acceptable for food according to the terms of the Mosaic Law. (De 14:5, 6) The flesh of this creature was one of the meats regularly provided for King Solomon’s table.​—1Ki 4:22, 23.