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Calf

Boyd’s Bible Dictionary:

Fatted calf a luxury (Gen. 18:7⁷And Abraham ran unto the herd, and fetcht a calf tender and good, and gave it unto a young man; and he hasted to dress it. (Genesis 18:7); 1 Sam. 28:24²⁴And the woman had a fat calf in the house; and she hasted, and killed it, and took flour, and kneaded it, and did bake unleavened bread thereof: (1 Samuel 28:24); Amos 6:4⁴That lie upon beds of ivory, and stretch themselves upon their couches, and eat the lambs out of the flock, and the calves out of the midst of the stall; (Amos 6:4); Luke 15:23²³And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry: (Luke 15:23)). Molten calf (Ex. 32:4⁴And he received them at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf: and they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. (Exodus 32:4); 1 Kings 12:28²⁸Whereupon the king took counsel, and made two calves of gold, and said unto them, It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem: behold thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. (1 Kings 12:28)), gilded structures. Calf worship denounced (Hos. 8; 10; 13:2). “Calves of our lips” (Hos. 14:2²Take with you words, and turn to the Lord: say unto him, Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously: so will we render the calves of our lips. (Hosea 14:2)), fruits of our lips.

Concise Bible Dictionary:

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The young of cattle whether male or female. A calf was offered for a sin-offering for Aaron, and a calf and a lamb for a burnt-offering for the people, at the commencement of Aaron’s service (Lev. 9:2, 8²And he said unto Aaron, Take thee a young calf for a sin offering, and a ram for a burnt offering, without blemish, and offer them before the Lord. (Leviticus 9:2)
⁸Aaron therefore went unto the altar, and slew the calf of the sin offering, which was for himself. (Leviticus 9:8)).

A calf was kept by the affluent, ready for any special meal, such as was presented tender and good to the angels by Abraham (Gen. 18:7⁷And Abraham ran unto the herd, and fetcht a calf tender and good, and gave it unto a young man; and he hasted to dress it. (Genesis 18:7)); which is also described as “the fatted calf” in the parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:23²³And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry: (Luke 15:23)). The calf or ox is used typically to represent one of the attributes of God in governmental power, namely, firm endurance (Rev. 4:7⁷And the first beast was like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle. (Revelation 4:7); compare Ezek. 1:10¹⁰As for the likeness of their faces, they four had the face of a man, and the face of a lion, on the right side: and they four had the face of an ox on the left side; they four also had the face of an eagle. (Ezekiel 1:10)).