Greyhound

The greyhound appears once in the wisdom literature, as one of four creatures held up for their stately bearing in motion. The term sits inside a numerical proverb that lists things "stately in their march."

A creature stately in its going

The fourfold list of Pr 30:29-31 names the lion, the greyhound, the he-goat, and the king as figures whose bearing carries dignity. The third item names the greyhound directly: "The greyhound; the he-goat also; And the king against whom there is no rising up" (Pr 30:31). Set alongside the lion ("which is mightiest among beasts, And does not turn away for any") and the unopposed king, the greyhound is grouped with creatures whose carriage in motion is itself the point of the proverb.