Mule, or hinny
Archimandrite Nikifor’s Biblical Encyclopedia
(2 Sam. 13:29, 2 Kings 5:17)—name of an animal, a cross between a horse and a she-ass. It is considerably smaller than the former, and is remarkable for its stubbornness, patience, and endurance. It commonly lives twice as long as a horse. Mules are in great use in Spain and South America for carrying loads across the mountains; in the Alps travelers ride upon them over mountains, along the edges of precipices, along paths on which a horse could scarcely pass safely. Solomon and Absalom did not disdain to ride upon mules (2 Sam. 18:9, 1 Kings 1:33).
In ancient times trade was carried on exclusively by means of mules and camels, and letter-carriers, or couriers, delivered letters on no other animal than this same one. Reading in the Book of Genesis (36:24) that Anah tended the asses in the wilderness, we may not without reason suppose that by “ass” here is meant the hemionus—an animal noted even by Xenophon in the wilderness. It is remarkable that the newer city of Ana is situated on the very same route mentioned by this ancient writer.