Yoke

A yoke was a wooden beam that was placed on the neck and shoulders of one or two draught animals, for example, oxen, horses or donkeys.

The yoke was attached to the animals’ necks using a collar made of wood, straw or rope. The centre of the yoke was fastened to the object that the animals were to pull, using a rope or a pole. This could be a plough, a threshing board or a cart.

People could also be given a yoke, for example, slaves or prisoners. This would prevent them from escaping.

The yoke (of slavery) is also used as a metaphor in the Bible, for instance, as a symbol for the submission and subservience to the king or outside oppressors (Judges 2:18; Isaiah 9:3). The yoke is also used as a symbol for the heavy load that someone has to carry. In Matthew 11:29-30 Jesus asks his disciples to follow him and to take his yoke upon them, “for the yoke I will give you is easy, and the load I will put on you is light”.