Was God Cruel to Animals?

Whenever a command of Jehovah appears frivolous or unreasonable, we need to study the matter more closely. The Lord always does what is right (Genesis 18:25), regardless of how the situation might appear from our limited vantage point.

First, we should define the term. To "hock" or "hamstring" a horse was to cut the sinew in the back legs, preventing the animal from running fast. Earlier, when the law of Moses was given, the Lord had forbidden Israel to "multiply horses" (i.e., breed them; cf. Deuteronomy 17:16). In the days of Solomon, of course, this command was flagrantly violated (1 Kings 9:19; 10:26).

The divine commands concerning the Hebrews' use of horses were probably for the following reasons:

First, these animals had to be acquired from Israel's pagan neighbors (cf. Deuteronomy 17:16; 1 Kings 10:28-29). Engaging in trade with the heathen could expose Israel to many corrupting influences, which might lead to their obsession with idolatry, a practice that is very evil and harmful to their sacred destiny.

Second, Jehovah repeatedly promised his people that he would be with them and fight for them against the enemy. The Lord wanted their confidence grounded in him, not in the strength of sophisticated military implements. The multiplication of horses and use of chariots, therefore, demonstrated a lack of faith on the part of Israel in God's ability to achieve the victory.

Horses may have also been used in pagan religious pageantry, which the Israelites tended to imitate (cf. 2 Kings 23:11).

Horses would give Israel a broader range of transportation, encouraging them to travel farther — away from the special place (Canaan) where the Lord intended them to focus on spiritual values without distraction, in anticipation of the coming Messiah.

There was, therefore, likely a redemptive purpose in this command that may seem to be quite novel and irrational to the modern mind.