The Greek noun bous (βοῦς) refers to cattle in general — ox, bull, or cow. It appears eight times in the New Testament, primarily in the context of ownership, agricultural labor, and sacrificial imagery. The ox was one of the most valuable work animals in the ancient world, used for plowing fields and threshing grain, and for sacrifices in temple worship.
Jesus uses bous in parables to expose the hypocrisy of his critics. When he healed a woman on the Sabbath, he asked: "Does not each of you on the Sabbath untie your ox or donkey from the stall and lead it to water?" (Luke 13:15). The ox in the parable of the great banquet (Luke 14:19) represents the kind of earthly concern that causes people to decline the Kingdom invitation — "I have just bought five yoke of oxen and I'm on my way to try them out." Paul cites Deuteronomy 25:4 — "Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain" — as a principle supporting financial support for ministers of the gospel (1 Corinthians 9:9; 1 Timothy 5:18).