The Hebrew ayyelet (אַיֶּלֶת) is the feminine form of ayyal (stag/deer), meaning 'doe' or 'hind' — the female of the deer family. It appears in the inscription of Psalm 22 ('according to the doe of the morning' — perhaps a musical tune title) and in the Song of Songs where the beloved is compared to a doe. The deer was a symbol of grace, swiftness, and longing.
The doe in Hebrew poetry embodies grace, longing, and covenant love. Psalm 22, which opens with the cry of dereliction ('My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?'), is set 'according to the doe of the morning' — a haunting image of a creature pursued through darkness until dawn breaks. Jesus quoted Psalm 22:1 from the cross, making the doe's morning cry a prophecy of His own cry of abandonment. The Song of Songs likens the beloved's arrival to a leaping gazelle or young deer — love that is swift, joyful, and irresistible. These images speak of the soul's pursuit by and toward God: a divine romance played out in wilderness and garden.