"He maketh my feet like hinds' feet: and setteth me upon the high places."
2 Samuel 22:34 and Psalm 18:33
EN GEDI, Israel – It's just not something many people ever get to see – not close-up, not with their own eyes and even more rarely do they get to video record it for the rest of the world to see.
So it was a fantastic visual wildlife experience for WND's annual Israel tour this month when participants, including founders Joseph and Elizabeth Farah, New York Times bestselling author Joel Richardson and Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Famer Richie Furay, had a close encounter with dozens and dozens of the rare Nubian Ibex, the desert mountain goats of Bible renown.
It came in this little Dead Sea town where the young man who would become King David hid from his predecessor, the jealous and paranoid King Saul. It was in a cave overlooking the Ibex habitat that David cut off a piece of Saul's tzit-zit fringe from his robe just to let the king know he could have killed him but chose to do him no harm.
Ibex were known as hinds in the Bible – and they are mentioned frequently, in 2 Samuel 22:34, Job 39:1, Psalm 18:33, Psalm 29:9, Song of Solomon 2:7, Song of Solomon 3:5 and Habakkuk 3:19. It is first mentioned in Genesis 49:21: "Naphtali is a hind let loose: he giveth goodly words."
The Ibex is also referenced in the story of David's encounter with Saul in En Gedi in 1 Samuel 24:1-2 – but not by name.
"And it came to pass, when Saul was returned from following the Philistines, that it was told him, saying, Behold, David is in the wilderness of Engedi. Then Saul took three thousand chosen men out of all Israel, and went to seek David and his men upon the rocks of the wild goats."
Those wild goats are still there in the Judean Desert.
At first glance, the Ibex look like small deer, except for the large ram-like horns on the heads of the males. They are known for living in the roughest, steepest terrain they can find. Their hooves are built like suction cups to help them climb the rocky cliffs they call home. Those feet, with a sharp outer rim and a soft inner pad, also allow them to climb trees and munch on leaves.
The Ibex has another ability that allows them to climb the highest and rockiest mountains: When climbing cliffs, or even tree branches, their rear hooves can find the exact location of where their front feet were before taking a step.
Spotting an Ibex on a faraway cliff is considered a distinctive treat for most tourists visiting Israel. Photographing one at a distance even better. Seeing a half-dozen or so standing in a tree like goat ornaments is the kind of thing of which lifetime memories are made.
Watch the extraordinary video of the animals by videographer Jeremy Murray of WND-TV:
“I have traveled to Israel and En Gedi many times over the last 35 years and I've never seen a spectacle like we witnessed earlier this month," said Joseph Farah about his Ibex encounter. "I've seen them many times, but not like this – not congregated by the dozens and hanging out in trees. Honestly, I didn’t even know they could do that."
Messianic rabbi Jonathan Cahn, the two-time No. 1 New York Times bestselling author of "The Harbinger" and "The Mystery of the Shemitah" and a frequent pilgrim to Israel, also said he has never seen anything like the WND videos and photographs of the swarms of Ibex in trees.
"It was surreal," said Elizabeth Farah. "We’re overlooking a gulley and there are these adorable creatures that look like miniature deer standing in a gorgeous Acacia tree. They don't flinch at the sight of people. It's like they are posing for a photo op. These are the kind of experiences we have every year on WND's annual Israel tours. There’s nothing else like it."
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