Bible Animals
Canst thou bind the unicorn with his band in the furrow? or
will he harrow the valleys after thee?
Read More
vi'-per ('eph`eh (Job 20:16; Isa 30:6; 59:5); echidna (Mt 3:7
= Lk 3:7; Mt 12:34; 23:33; Acts 28:3)): Several vipers are
found in Israel, but it is not certain that 'eph`eh referred
definitely to any of them.
See SERPENT.
Read More
-A serpent
Job 20:16; Isa 30:6; 59:5
-Fastens on Paul's hand
Ac 28:3
-See SERPENT
-FIGURATIVE
Mt 3:7; 23:33; Lu 3:7
Read More
In Job 20:16, Isa. 30:6; 59:5, the Heb. word eph'eh is thus
rendered. The Hebrew word, however, probably denotes a
species
of poisonous serpents known by the Arabic name of 'el
ephah.
Tristram has identified it with the sand viper, a
species of
small size common in sandy regions, and frequently
found under
stones by the shores of the Dead Sea. It is rapid in
its
movements, and highly poisonous. In the New Testament
_echidne_
is used (Matt. 3:7; 12:34; 23:33) for any poisonous
snake. The
viper mentioned in Acts 28:3 was probably the vipera
aspis, or
the Mediterranean viper. (See ADDER -T0000085.)
Read More
(See ADDER; SERPENT.) Epheh (Isaiah 59:5); viviparous, as the
derivation of viper implies. Symbol of hypocrisy and malignity
(Matthew 3:7; Matthew 12:34; Matthew 23:33).
Read More
The burden of the beasts of the south: into the land of
trouble and anguish, from whence [come] the young and old
lion, the viper and fiery flying serpent, they will carry
their riches upon the shoulders of young asses, and their
treasures upon the bunches of camels, to a people [that] shall
not profit [them].
Read More
They hatch cockatrice' eggs, and weave the spider's web: he
that eateth of their eggs dieth, and that which is crushed
breaketh out into a viper.
Read More
And when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks, and laid [them]
on the fire, there came a viper out of the heat, and fastened
on his hand.
Read More
vul'-tur (da'ah; Septuagint gups, and iktinos; Latin
Vulturidae): Any member of a family of large birds that
subsist wholly or in part on carrion. The largest vulture of
Israel was the Lammer-geier. This bird waited until smaller
vultures, eagles and hawks stripped a carcass to the bone,
then carried the skeleton aloft and dashed it on the rocks
until the marrow could be secured. This was a favorite
delicacy. This bird was fond of tortoise also, and is said
to have dropped the one that struck the bald head of
Aeschylus, which the bird mistook for a stone, so causing
the death of the poet. Several smaller species, including
"Pharaoh's chickens," flocked all over Israel. These were
protected by a death penalty for their value as scavengers
in cities. They fed on carcasses of animals that killed each
other, ate putrid fish under the nests of pelican and
cormorant, followed caravans across the desert, and were
ready for offal thrown from animals dressed for feasting.
They flocked over the altars for the entrails from
sacrifice, and devoured scraps cast aside by tent-dwellers
and residents of cities. They paired with affectionate
courting and nested in crevices, in walls, hollow trees and
on cliffs. They raised only one pair of young to the season,
as the nestlings were over two months old before they took
wing. The young were white at first, then black feathers
enveloped them. On account of their steady diet of carrion,
no one ever has been able to use their flesh for food,
although some daring ornithologists have tried. For this
reason the vulture was placed among the abominations and
should by right have headed the lists (Lev 11:18; Dt 14:13).
The other references that used to be translated "vulture" in
the King James Version, the Septuagint elaphos, Vulgate
(Jerome's Latin Bible, 390-405 A.D.) correctly milous) are
changed to "falcon" and "kite." Isa 34:15 changes "vulture"
to "kite." Job 28:7 changes "vulture" to "falcon."
Gene Stratton-Porter
Read More
-A carnivorous bird
Le 11:14; De 14:13
-In R. V., translated "falcon,"
Job 28:7
-And "kite,"
Isa 34:15
Read More
The rendering in the Authorized Version of the Hebrew daah,
dayyah, and also in Job 28:7 of ayyah. There seems no doubt
that the Authorized Versions translation is incorrect, and
that the original words refer to some of the smaller species
of raptorial birds, as kites or buzzards. [KITE] But the
Hebrew word nesher, invariably rendered "eagle" in the
Authorized Version, is probably the vulture. [EAGLE]
Read More
(1.) Heb. da'ah (Lev. 11:14). In the parallel passage (Deut.
14:13) the Hebrew word used is _ra'ah_, rendered
"glede;" LXX.,
"gups;" Vulg., "milvus." A species of ravenous bird,
distinguished for its rapid flight. "When used without
the
epithet 'red,' the name is commonly confined to the
black kite.
The habits of the bird bear out the allusion in Isa.
34:15, for
it is, excepting during the winter three months, so
numerous
everywhere in Israel as to be almost gregarious." (See
EAGLE
(2.) In Job 28:7 the Heb. 'ayyah is thus rendered. The
word
denotes a clamorous and a keen-sighted bird of prey.
In Lev.
11:14 and Deut. 14:13 it is rendered "kite" (q.v.).
Read More
'ayah (the red kite famed for sharp sight: Job 28:7); daah
(GLEDE or black kite: Leviticus 11:14; Deuteronomy 14:13
raah); dayah, the Vulturidae; the words "after his kind" mark
more than one species. Vultures differ from eagles and falcons
by having the head and neck borer of feathers, the eyes not so
sunk, the beak longer, curved only at the end. Cowardly;
preferring carrion to other food; rarely killing their prey,
unless it is feeble.
The griffon of the Vulturidae is noted for seeing its prey
from the greatest height. Though previously scarcely known in
the Crimea, during the Anglo-Russian war they remained near
the camp throughout the campaign; "wheresoever the carcass is,
there will the eagles be gathered together" (Matthew 24:28;
Job 39:30). Besides the griffon, the lammergever and the
Egyptian vulture, "Pharaoh's hens," are found in Israel.
Read More
And the glede, and the kite, and the vulture after his kind,
Read More
And the vulture, and the kite after his kind;
Read More
we'-z'-l (choledh; compare Arabic khuld, "mole-rat"): (1)
Choledh is found only in Lev 11:29, where it stands first in
the list of eight unclean "creeping things that creep upon
the earth." the King James Version and the Revised Version
(British and American) agree in rendering choledh by
"weasel," and the Septuagint has gale, "weasel" or "marten."
According to Gesenius, the Vulgate, Targum, and Talmud
support the same rendering. In spite of this array of
authorities, it is worth while to consider the claims of the
mole-rat, Spalax typhlus, Arabic khuld. This is a very
common rodent, similar in appearance and habits to the mole,
which does not exist in Israel. The fact that it burrows may
be considered against it, in view of the words, "that
creepeth upon the earth." The term "creeping thing" is,
however, very applicable to it, and the objection seems like
a quibble, especially in view of the fact that there is no
category of subterranean animals. See MOLE. (2) The weasel,
Mustela vulgaris, has a wide range in Asia, Europe, and
North America. It is from 8 to 10 inches long, including the
short tail. It is brown above and white below. In the
northern part of its range, its whole fur, except the tail,
is white in winter. It is active and fearless, and preys
upon all sorts of small mammals, birds and insects.
See LIZARD.
Alfred Ely Day
Read More
-General scriptures concerning
Le 11:29
Read More
(choled) occurs only in Le 11:29 in the list of unclean
animals; but the Hebrew word ought more probably to be
translated "mole." Moles are common in Israel.
Read More
(Heb. holedh), enumerated among unclean animals (Lev. 11:29).
Some think that this Hebrew word rather denotes the
mole (Spalax
typhlus) common in Israel. There is no sufficient
reason,
however, to depart from the usual translation. The
weasel tribe
are common also in Israel.
Read More
So the Mishna interprets choled (Leviticus 11:29), as meaning
an animal that glides or slips away. So Septuagint and Vulgate
But Bochart takes it as related to the Arabic chuld, "the
mole"; chephar is the more usual Hebrew for the mole (Isaiah
2:20). The choled was unclean.
Read More
These also [shall be] unclean unto you among the creeping
things that creep upon the earth; the weasel, and the mouse,
and the tortoise after his kind,
Read More
woolf ((1) ze'ebh (Gen 49:27; 11:6; 65:25; Jer 5:6; Ezek
22:27; Hab 1:8; Zeph 3:3; also as proper name, Zeeb, prince
of Midian, Jdg 7:25; 8:3; Ps 83:11); compare Arabic dhi'b,
colloquial dhib, or dib; (2) lukos (Mt 7:15; 10:16; Lk 10:3;
Jn 10:12; Acts 20:29; Ecclesiasticus 13:17; compare 2 Esdras
5:18, lupus); (3) 'iyim, the Revised Version (British and
American) "wolves" (Isa 13:22; 34:14; Jer 50:39)):
While the wolf is surpassed in size by some dogs, it is the
fiercest member of the dog family (Canidae), which includes
among others the jackal and the fox. Dogs, wolves and
jackals are closely allied and will breed together. There is
no doubt that the first dogs were domesticated wolves. While
there are local varieties which some consider to be distinct
species, it is allowable to regard all the wolves of both
North America, Europe, and Northern Asia (except the
American coyote) as members of one species, Canis lupus. The
wolf of Syria and Israel is large, light colored, and does
not seem to hunt in packs. Like other wolves it is
nocturnal. In Israel it is the special enemy of the sheep
and goats. This fact comes out in two of the seven passages
cited from the Old Testament, in all from the New Testament,
and in the two from Apocrypha. In Gen 49:27 Benjamin is
likened to a ravening wolf. In Ezek 22:27, and in the
similar Zeph 3:3, the eiders of Jerusalem are compared to
wolves. In Jer 5:6 it is a wolf that shall destroy the
people of Jerusalem, and in Hab 1:8 the horses of the
Chaldeans "are swifter than leopards, and are more fierce
than the evening wolves." Babylon and Edom (Isa 13:22;
34:14; Jer 50:39) are to be the haunts of 'iyim (the Revised
Version (British and American) "wolves") and other wild
creatures.
The name of Zeeb, prince of Midian (Jdg 7:25; 8:3), has its
parallel in the Arabic, Dib or Dhib, which is a common name
today. Such animal names are frequently given to ward off
the evil eye.
See also TOTEMISM.
Alfred Ely Day
Read More
-Ravenous
Ge 49:27; Jer 5:6; Eze 22:27; Zep 3:3; Joh 10:12
-FIGURATIVE
Of the enemies of the righteous
Mt 7:15; 10:16; Joh 10:12; Ac 20:29
Of the reconciling power of the gospel
Isa 11:6
Read More
There can be little doubt that the wolf of Israel is the
common Canis lupus, and that this is the animal so frequently
mentioned in the Bible. (The wolf is a fierce animal of the
same species as the dog, which it resembles. The common color
is gray with a tinting of fawn, and the hair is long and
black. The Syrian wolf is of lighter color than the wolf of
Europe it is the dread of the shepherds of Israel. --ED.)
Wolves were doubtless far more common in biblical times than
they are now, though they are occasionally seen by modern
travellers. The following are the scriptural allusions to the
wolf: Its ferocity is mentioned in Ge 49:27, Eze 22:27; Habb
1:8; Matt 7:15
its nocturnal habits, in Jer 5:6; Zep 3:3; Habb 1:8
its attacking sheep and lambs, Mt 10:16; Lu 10:3; Joh
10:12 Isaiah Isa 11:6; 65:25 foretells the peaceful reign of
the Messiah under the metaphor of a wolf dwelling with a lamb:
cruel persecutors are compared with wolves. Mt 10:16; Ac 20:29
Read More
Heb. zeeb, frequently referred to in Scripture as an emblem
of
treachery and cruelty. Jacob's prophecy, "Benjamin
shall ravin
as a wolf" (Gen. 49:27), represents the warlike
character of
that tribe (see Judg. 19-21). Isaiah represents the
peace of
Messiah's kingdom by the words, "The wolf also shall
dwell with
the lamb" (Isa. 11:6). The habits of the wolf are
described in
Jer. 5:6; Hab. 1:8; Zeph. 3:3; Ezek. 22:27; Matt.
7:15; 10:16;
Acts 20:29. Wolves are still sometimes found in
Israel, and
are the dread of shepherds, as of old.
Read More
zeeb. The Canis lupus. Fierce (Genesis 49:27; Ezekiel 22:27;
Habakkuk 1:8; Matthew 7:15); prowling in the night (Jeremiah
5:6; Zephaniah 3:3); devouring lambs and sheep (John 10:12);
typifying persecutors and heretical leaders (Matthew 10:16;
Matthew 7:15; Acts 20:29); hereafter about to associate
peacefully with the lamb under Messiah's reign (Isaiah 11:6;
Isaiah 65:25). Tawny in color in Asia Minor.
Read More
Wherefore a lion out of the forest shall slay them, [and] a
wolf of the evenings shall spoil them, a leopard shall watch
over their cities: every one that goeth out thence shall be
torn in pieces: because their transgressions are many, [and]
their backslidings are increased.
Read More
The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall
eat straw like the bullock: and dust [shall be] the serpent's
meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain,
saith the LORD.
Read More
The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall
lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the
fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.
Read More
Notwithstanding thou mayest kill and eat flesh in all thy
gates, whatsoever thy soul lusteth after, according to the
blessing of the LORD thy God which he hath given thee: the
unclean and the clean may eat thereof, as of the roebuck, and
as of the hart.
Read More
The hart, and the roebuck, and the fallow deer, and the wild
goat, and the pygarg, and the wild ox, and the chamois
Read More
Thou shalt eat it within thy gates: the unclean and the clean
[person shall eat it] alike, as the roebuck, and as the hart.
Read More
skor'-pi-un (aqrabh; compare Arabic aqrab, "scorpion"; ma`aleh
`aqrabbim, "the ascent of Akrabbim"; skorpios. Note that the
Greek and Hebrew may be akin; compare, omitting the vowels,
`krb and skrp): In Dt 8:15, we have, "who led thee through the
great and terrible wilderness, wherein were fiery serpents
(nachash saraph) and scorpions (`aqrabh)." Rehoboam (1 Ki
12:11,14; 2 Ch 10:11,14) says, "My father chastised you with
whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions." Ezekiel is
told to prophesy to the children of Israel (2:6), and "Be not
afraid of them, neither be afraid of their words, though
briers and thorns are with thee, and thou dost dwell among
scorpions." "The ascent of Akrabbim," the north end of Wadi-
ul-`Arabah, South of the Dead Sea, is mentioned as a boundary
3 times (Nu 34:4; Josh 15:3; Jdg 1:36). Jesus says to the
Seventy (Lk 10:19), "Behold, I have given you authority to
tread upon serpents and scorpions," and again in Lk 11:12 He
says, "Or if he shall ask an egg, will he give him a
scorpion?"
Read More
-A venomous insect common in the wilderness through which
the
people of Israel journeyed
De 8:15
-Power over, given to the seventy disciples (the best mss.
have
"seventy-two")
Lu 10:19
-Unfit for food
Lu 11:12
-Sting of, located in the tail
Re 9:10
-FIGURATIVE
Of enemies
Eze 2:6
Of cruelty
1Ki 12:11,14
-SYMBOLICAL
Re 9:3,5,10
Read More
(Heb. 'akrab), a well known venomous insect of hot climates,
shaped much like a lobster. It is usually not more than two or
three inches long, but in tropical climates is sometimes six
inches in length. The wilderness of Sinai is especially
alluded to as being inhabited by scorpions at the time of the
exodus, and to this day these animals are common in the same
district, as well as in some parts of Israel. Scorpions are
generally found in dry and in dark places, under stones and in
ruins. They are carnivorous in the habits, and move along in a
threatening attitude, with the tail elevated. The sting, which
is situated at the end of the tail, has at its base a gland
that secretes a poisonous fluid, which is discharged into the
wound by two minute orifices at its extremity. In hot climates
the sting often occasions much suffering, and sometimes
alarming symptoms. The "scorpions" of 1Ki 12:1,14; 2Ch
10:11,14 have clearly no allusion whatever to the animal, but
to some instrument of scourging --unless indeed the expression
is a mere figure.
Read More
mentioned along with serpents (Deut. 8:15). Used also
figuratively to denote wicked persons (Ezek. 2:6; Luke
10:19);
also a particular kind of scourge or whip (1 Kings
12:11).
Scorpions were a species of spider. They abounded in
the Jordan
valley.
Read More
'akrab. Of the class Arachnida and order Pulmonaria. Common in
the Sinai wilderness, typifying Satan and his malicious agents
against the Lord's people (Deuteronomy 8:15; Ezekiel 2:6; Luke
10:19). Rolling itself together it might be mistaken for an
egg (Luke 11:12). Found in dry dark places amidst ruins, in
hot climates. Carnivorous, breathing like spiders by lung-
sacs, moving with uplifted tail.
The sting at the tail's end has at its base a gland
which discharges poison into the wound from two openings. In
Revelation 9:3; Revelation 9:10, "the scorpions of the earth"
stand in Contrast to the "locusts" from hell, not earth. The
"five months" are thought to refer to the 150 prophetical
days, i.e. years, from A.D. 612, when Mahomet opened his
mission, to 762, when the caliphate was moved to Bagdad. In 1
Kings 12:11 scorpions mean "scourges armed with iron points".
The sting of the common scorpion is not very severe, except
that of Buthus occitanus.
Read More
And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but
that they should be tormented five months: and their torment
[was] as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man.
Read More
Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?
Read More
shep:
1. Names:
The usual Hebrew word is tso'n, which is often translated
"flock," e.g. "Abel .... brought of the firstlings of his
flock" (Gen 4:4); "butter of the herd, and milk of the
flock" (Dt 32:14). The King James Version and the English
Revised Version have "milk of sheep." Compare Arabic da'n.
The Greek word is probaton. For other names, see notes under
CATTLE; EWE; LAMB; RAM.
2. Zoology:
The origin of domestic sheep is unknown. There are 11 wild
species, the majority of which are found in Asia, and it is
conceivable that they may have spread from the highlands of
Central Asia to the other portions of their habitat. In
North America is found the "bighorn," which is very closely
related to a Kamschatkan species. One species, the urial or
sha, is found in India. The Barbary sheep, Ovis tragelaphus,
also known as the aoudad or arui, inhabits the Atlas
Mountains of Northwest Africa. It is thought by Tristram to
be zemer, English Versions of the Bible "chamois" of Dt
14:5, but there is no good evidence that this animal ranges
eastward into Bible lands. Geographically nearest is the
Armenian wild sheep, Ovis gmelini, of Asia Minor and Persia.
The Cyprian wild sheep may be only a variety of the last,
and the mouflon of Corsica and Sardinia is an allied
species. It is not easy to draw the line between wild sheep
and wild goats. Among the more obvious distinctions are the
chin beard and strong odor of male goats. The pelage of all
wild sheep consists of hair, not wool, and this indeed is
true of some domestic sheep as the fat-rumped short-tailed
sheep of Abyssinia and Central Asia. The young lambs of this
breed have short curly wool which is the astrachan of
commerce. Sheep are geologically recent, their bones and
teeth not being found in earlier deposits than the pleiocene
or pleistocene. They were, however, among the first of
domesticated animals...
Read More
-Offered in sacrifice
By Abel
Ge 4:4
By Noah
Ge 8:20
By Abraham
Ge 22:13
-See OFFERINGS
-Required in the Mosaic offerings
See OFFERINGS
-The land of Bashan adapted to the raising of
De 32:14
-Also
Bozrah
Mic 2:12
Kedar
Eze 27:21
Nebaioth
Isa 60:7
Sharon
Isa 65:10
Jacob's management of
Ge 30:32-40
-Milk of, used for food
De 32:14
-Shearing of
Ge 31:19; 38:12-17; Isa 53:7
-Feasting at the time of shearing
1Sa 25:11,36; 2Sa 13:23
-The first fleece of, belonged to the priests and the
Levites
De 18:4
-Tribute (taxes) paid in
2Ki 3:4; 1Ch 5:21; 2Ch 17:11
-FIGURATIVE
1Ch 21:17; Ps 74:1; Jer 13:20
Of backsliders
Jer 50:6
Of lost sinners
Mt 9:36; 10:6
Of the righteous
Jer 50:17; Eze 34; Mt 26:31; Mr 14:27; Joh 10:1-16
Of the defenselessness of servants of God (Greek:
diakonoi)
Mt 10:16
Parable of the lost
Mt 18:11-13; Lu 15:4-7
Read More
Sheep were an important part of the possessions of the
ancient Hebrews and of eastern nations generally. The first
mention of sheep occurs in Ge 4:2 They were used in the
sacrificial offering,as, both the adult animal, Ex 20:24 and
the lamb. See Ex 29:28; Le 9:3; 12:6 Sheep and lambs formed
an important article of food. 1Sa 25:18 The wool was used as
clothing. Le 13:47 "Rams skins dyed red" were used as a
covering for the tabernacle. Ex 25:5 Sheep and lambs were
sometimes paid as tribute. 2Ki 3:4 It is very striking to
notice the immense numbers of sheep that were reared in
Israel in biblical times. (Chardin says he saw a clan of
Turcoman shepherds whose flock consisted of 3,000,000 sheep
and goats, besides 400,000 Feasts of carriage, as horses,
asses and camels.) Sheep-sheering is alluded to Ge 31:19
Sheepdogs were employed in biblical times. Job 30:1
Shepherds in Israel and the East generally go before their
flocks, which they induce to follow by calling to them,
comp. Joh 10:4; Ps 77:20; 80:1 though they also drive them.
Ge 33:13 The following quotation from Hartley's "Researches
in Greece and the Levant," p. 321, is strikingly
illustrative of the allusions in Joh 10:1-16 "Having had my
attention directed last night to the words in Joh 10:3 I
asked my man if it was usual in Greece to give names to the
sheep. He informed me that it was, and that the sheep obeyed
the shepherd when he called them by their names. This
morning I had an opportunity of verifying the truth of this
remark. Passing by a flock of sheep I asked the shepherd the
same question which I had put to the servant, and he gave me
the same answer. I then had him call one of his sheep. He
did so, and it instantly left its pasturage and its
companions and ran up to the hands of the shepherd with
signs of pleasure and with a prompt obedience which I had
never before observed in any other animal. It is also true
in this country that a stranger will they not follow, but
will flee from him. The shepherd told me that many of his
sheep were still wild, that they had not yet learned their
names, but that by teaching them they would all learn them."
The common sheer, of Syria and Israel are the broad-tailed.
As the sheep is an emblem of meekness, patience and
submission, it is expressly mentioned as typifying these
qualities in the person of our blessed Lord. Isa 53:7; Ac
8:32 etc. The relation that exists between Christ, "the
chief Shepherd," and his members is beautifully compared to
that which in the East is so strikingly exhibited by the
shepherds to their flocks [SHEPHERD]
Read More
are of different varieties. Probably the flocks of Abraham
and
Isaac were of the wild species found still in the
mountain
regions of Persia and Kurdistan. After the Exodus,
and as a
result of intercourse with surrounding nations,
other species
were no doubt introduced into the herds of the
people of Israel.
They are frequently mentioned in Scripture. The care
of a
shepherd over his flock is referred to as
illustrating God's
care over his people (Ps. 23:1, 2; 74:1; 77:20; Isa.
40:11;
53:6; John 10:1-5, 7-16).
"The sheep of Israel are longer in the head than
ours, and
have tails from 5 inches broad at the narrowest part
to 15
inches at the widest, the weight being in
proportion, and
ranging generally from 10 to 14 lbs., but sometimes
extending to
30 lbs. The tails are indeed huge masses of fat"
(Geikie's Holy
Land, etc.). The tail was no doubt the "rump" so
frequently
referred to in the Levitical sacrifices (Ex. 29:22;
Lev. 3:9;
7:3; 9:19). Sheep-shearing was generally an occasion
of great
festivity (Gen. 31:19; 38:12, 13; 1 Sam. 25:4-8, 36;
2 Sam.
13:23-28).
Read More
Genesis 4:2. Abounded in the pastures of Israel. Shepherds
go before them and call them by name to follow (John 10:4;
Psalm 77:20; Psalm 80:1). The ordinary sheep are the broad
tailed sheep, and the Ovis aries, like our own except that
the tail is longer and thicker, and the ears larger; called
bedoween. Centuries B.C. Aristotle mentions Syrian sheep
with tails a cubit wide. The fat tail is referred to in
Leviticus 3:9; Leviticus 7:3. The Syrian cooks use the mass
of fat instead of the rancid Arab butter.
The sheep symbolizes meekness, patience, gentleness,
and submission (Isaiah 53:7; Acts 8:32). (See LAMB.) Tsown
means sheep"; ayil, the full-grown "ram," used for the male
of other ruminants also; rachel, the adult "ewe"; kebes
(masculine), kibsah (feminine), the half grown lamb; seh,
"sheep" or paschal "lamb"; char, "young ram"; taleh,
"sucking lamb"; 'atod (Genesis 31 "ram") means "he-goat";
imrin, "lambs for sacrifice."
The sheep never existed in a wild state, but was
created expressly for man, and so was selected from the
first for sacrifice. The image is frequent in Scripture:
Jehovah the Shepherd, His people the flock (Psalm 23:1;
Isaiah 40:11; Jeremiah 23:1-2; Ezekiel 34). Sinners are the
straying sheep whom the Good Shepherd came to save (Psalm
119:176; Isaiah 53:6; Jeremiah 50:6; Luke 15:4-6; John 10:8;
John 10:11). False teachers are thieves and wolves in
sheep's clothing (Matthew 7:15). None can pluck His sheep
from His hand and the Father's (John 10:27-29).
Read More
And they took away their cattle; of their camels fifty
thousand, and of sheep two hundred and fifty thousand, and of
asses two thousand, and of men an hundred thousand.
Read More
And it came to pass, when Jacob saw Rachel the daughter of
Laban his mother's brother, and the sheep of Laban his
mother's brother, that Jacob went near, and rolled the stone
from the well's mouth, and watered the flock of Laban his
mother's brother.
Read More
He saith unto him the third time, Simon, [son] of Jonas,
lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the
third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou
knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith
unto him, Feed my sheep.
Read More
spar'-o (tsippor; strouthion; Latin passer): A small bird of
the Fringillidae family. The Hebrew tsippor seems to have
been a generic name under which were placed all small birds
that frequented houses and gardens. The word occurs about 40
times in the Bible, and is indiscriminately translated
"bird" "fowl" or "sparrow." Our translators have used the
word "sparrow" where they felt that this bird best filled
the requirements of the texts. Sparrows are small brown and
gray birds of friendly habit that swarm over the northern
part of Israel, and West of the Sea of Galilee, where the
hills, plains and fertile fields are scattered over with
villages. They build in the vineyards, orchards and bushes
of the walled gardens surrounding houses, on the ground or
in nooks and crannies of vine-covered walls. They live on
seeds, small green buds and tiny insects and worms. Some
members of the family sing musically; all are great
chatterers when about the business of life. Repeatedly they
are mentioned by Bible writers, but most of the references
lose force as applying to the bird family, because they are
translated "bird" or "fowl." In a few instances the word
"sparrow" is used, and in some of these, painstaking
commentators feel that what is said does not apply to the
sparrow. For example see Ps 102:7:...
Read More
-Nests of
Ps 84:3
-Two, sold for a farthing
Mt 10:29; Lu 12:6
Read More
(Heb. tzippor, from a root signifying to "chirp" or
"twitter," which appears to be a phonetic representation of
the call-note of any passerine (sparrow-like) bird). This
Hebrew word occurs upwards of forty times in the Old
Testament. In all passages except two it is rendered by the
Authorized Version indifferently "bird" or "fowl." and
denotes any small bird, both of the sparrow-like species and
such as the starling, chaffinch, greenfinch, linnet,
goldfinch, corn-bunting, pipits, blackbird, song-thrush,
etc. In Ps 84:3 and Psal 102:7
it is rendered "sparrow." The Greek stauthion
(Authorized Version "sparrow") occurs twice in the New
Testament, Mt 10:29; Lu 12:6,7 (The birds above mentioned
are found in great numbers in Israel and are of very little
value, selling for the merest trifle and are thus strikingly
used by our Saviour, Mt 10:20 as an illustration of our
Father's care for his children. --ED.) The blue thrush
(Petrocossyphus cyaneus) is probably the bird to which the
psalmist alludes in Pr 102:7 as "the sparrow that sitteth
alone upon the house-top." It is a solitary bird, eschewing
the society of its own species, and rarely more than a pair
are seen together. The English tree-sparrow (Passer
montanus, Linn.) is also very common, and may be seen in
numbers on Mount Olivet and also about the sacred enclosure
of the mosque of Omar. This is perhaps the exact species
referred to in Ps 84:3 Dr. Thompson, in speaking of the
great numbers of the house-sparrows and field-sparrows in
troublesome and impertinent generation, and nestle just
where you do not want them. They stop your stove-- and
water-pipes with their rubbish, build in the windows and
under the beams of the roof, and would stuff your hat full
of stubble in half a day if they found it hanging in a place
to suit them."
Read More
Mentioned among the offerings made by the very poor. Two
sparrows were sold for a farthing (Matt. 10:29), and
five for
two farthings (Luke 12:6). The Hebrew word thus
rendered is
_tsippor_, which properly denotes the whole family of
small
birds which feed on grain (Lev. 14:4; Ps. 84:3;
102:7). The
Greek word of the New Testament is _strouthion_ (Matt.
10:29-31), which is thus correctly rendered.
Read More
Related to Hebrew tsipor, imitation of the sound made by it,
"tzip" (Psalm 84:3. (See BIRD.) Leviticus 14:4-7 margin.) On
the meaning of the rite in cleansing leper's, one tsippor
killed, the other dipped in its blood and let loose alive,
Cowper writes: "Dipped in his fellow's blood, The living bird
went free; The type, well understood, Expressed the sinner's
plea; Described a guilty soul enlarged, And by a Saviour's
death discharged." Its commonness gives point to Jesus'
remark, "Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing ... one of
them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. ...
Fear ye not therefore ye are of more value than many sparrows"
(Matthew 10:29; Matthew 10:31; Luke 12:6-7). There are one
hundred different species of the passerine order in Israel.
Read More
Yea, the sparrow hath found an house, and the swallow a nest
for herself, where she may lay her young, [even] thine altars,
O LORD of hosts, my King, and my God.
Read More
I watch, and am as a sparrow alone upon the house top.
Read More
swin (chazir; compare Arabic khinzir; hus, Septuagint and
New Testament; compare Greek sus, and Latin sus; adjective
hueios, as a substantive, the Septuagint; choiros,
Septuagint and New Testament): In both ancient and modern
times domestic swine have been little kept in Israel, but
wild swine are well known as inhabitants of the thickets of
the Chuleh, the Jordan valley, the Dead Sea, and some of the
mountains. The species is Susanna scrofa, the wild pig of
Europe, North Africa and Western Asia.
In the Old Testament the swine is mentioned in Lev 11:7 and
Dt 14:8 as an unclean animal: "And the swine, because he
parteth the hoof, and is clovenfooted, but cheweth not the
cud, he is unclean unto you." In Isa 65:4 and 66:3,17 the
eating of swine's flesh and the offering of oblations of
swine's blood are referred to as abominations. Septuagint
also refers to swine in three passages where these animals
are not mentioned in the Hebrew and EV. In 2 Sam 17:8 where
English Versions of the Bible has "as a bear robbed of her
whelps in the field," Septuagint adds (translation) "and as
a savage boar in the plain." In 1 Ki 21:19 Septuagint
20:19), where English Versions of the Bible has "in the
place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth," Septuagint has
"where the swine and the dogs licked"; similarly in 1 Ki
22:38. In 1 Macc 1:47 there is reference to a decree of
Antiochus ordering the sacrifice of swine. In 2 Macc 6 and 7
there are accounts of the torture and death of Eleazar, an
aged scribe, and of a mother and her seven sons for refusing
to taste swine's flesh. Swine, the property of Gentiles, are
mentioned in the account of the Gadarene demoniac (Mt
8:30,31,32; Mk 5:11,12,13,14,16; Lk 8:32,33), and in the
parable of the Prodigal Son (Lk 15:15,16).
Figurative: We find the following figurative references to
swine:
"The boar out of the wood doth ravage it,
And the wild beasts of the field feed on it" (i.e. on the
"vine out of Egypt") (Ps 80:13);
"As a ring of gold in a swine's snout,
So is a fair woman that is without discretion"
(Prov 11:22);
"The Carmonians (the King James Version Carmanians, perhaps
of Kirman or Carmania, in Southwestern Persia) raging in
wrath shall go forth as the wild boars of the wood"
(2 Esdras 15:30);
"The dog turning to his own vomit again, and the sow that
had washed to wallowing in the mire"
(2 Pet 2:22; compare Prov 26:11).
Alfred Ely Day
Read More
-(Pigs)
-Forbidden as food
Le 11:7; De 14:8
-Used for food
Isa 65:4; 66:17
-For sacrifice
Isa 66:3
-Wild boar
Ps 80:13
-Jewels in the nose of
Pr 11:22
-Viciousness of
Mt 7:6
-Jesus sends demons into the
Mt 8:28-32; Mr 5:11-14; Lu 8:32,33
-Feeding of
Lu 15:15,16
-Sow returns to her wallowing
2Pe 2:22
Read More
(Heb. chazir). The flesh of swine was forbidden as food by
the Levitical law, Le 11:7; De 14:8 the abhorrence which the
Jews as a nation had of it may be inferred from Isa 65:4 and
2 Macc 6:18,19. No other reason for the command to abstain
from swine's flesh is given in the law of Moses beyond the
general one which forbade any of the mammalia as food which
did not literally fulfill the terms of the definition of a
clean animal" viz,, that it was to be a cloven-footed
ruminant. It is, however, probable that dietetical
considerations may have influenced Moses in his prohibition
of swine's flesh: it is generally believed that its use in
hot countries is liable to induce cutaneous disorders; hence
in a people liable to leprosy the necessity for the
observance of a strict rule. Although the Jews did not breed
swine during the greater period of their existence as a
nation there can be little doubt that the heathen nations of
Israel used the flesh as food. At the time of our Lord's
ministry it would appear that the Jews occasionally violated
the law of Moses with regard to swine's flesh. Whether "the
herd of swine" into which the devils were allowed to enter,
Mt 8:32; Mr 5:13 were the property of the Jewish or of the
Gentile inhabitants of Gadara does not appear from the
sacred narrative. The wild boar of the wood, Ps 80:13 is the
common Sus scrofa which is frequently met with in the woody
parts of Israel, especially in Mount Tabor.
Read More
(Heb. hazir), regarded as the most unclean and the most
abhorred
of all animals (Lev. 11:7; Isa. 65:4; 66:3, 17; Luke
15:15, 16).
A herd of swine were drowned in the Sea of Galilee
(Luke 8:32,
33). Spoken of figuratively in Matt. 7:6 (see Prov.
11:22). It
is frequently mentioned as a wild animal, and is
evidently the
wild boar (Arab. khanzir), which is common among the
marshes of
the Jordan valley (Ps. 80:13).
Read More
And forthwith Jesus gave them leave. And the unclean spirits
went out, and entered into the swine: and the herd ran
violently down a steep place into the sea, (they were about
two thousand;) and were choked in the sea.
Read More
Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye
your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their
feet, and turn again and rend you.
Read More
And the swine, because it divideth the hoof, yet cheweth not
the cud, it [is] unclean unto you: ye shall not eat of their
flesh, nor touch their dead carcase.
Read More
u'-ni-korn (re'em (Nu 23:22; 24:8; Dt 33:17; Job 39:9,10; Ps
22:21; 29:6; 92:10; Isa 34:7)): "Unicorn" occurs in the King
James Version in the passages cited, where the Revised Version
(British and American) has "wild-ox" (which see).
Read More
-Intractable
Job 39:9-12
-Horned
De 33:17; Ps 22:21; 92:10
-Great strength of
Nu 24:8; Job 39:10,11
-FIGURATIVE
Of the judgments of God
Isa 34:7
Read More
the rendering of the Authorized Version of the Hebrew reem,
a word which occurs seven times in the Old Testament as the
name of some large wild animal. The reem of the Hebrew
Bible, however, has nothing at all to do with the one-horned
animal of the Greek and Roman writers, as is evident from De
33:17 where in the blessing of Joseph it is said; "his glory
is like the firstling of his bullock, and his horns are like
the horns of a unicorn;" not, as the text of the Authorized
Version renders it, "the horns of unicorns." The two horns
of the ram are "the ten thousands of Ephraim and the
thousands of Manasseh." This text puts a one-horned animal
entirely out of the question. Considering that the reem is
spoken of as a two-horned animal of great strength and
ferocity, that it was evidently well known and often seen by
the Jews, that it is mentioned as an animal fit for
sacrificial purposes, and that it is frequently associated
with bulls and oxen we think there can be no doubt that,
some species of wild ox is intended. The allusion in Ps
92:10 "But thou shalt lift up, as a reeym, my horn," seems
to point to the mode in which the Bovidae use their horns,
lowering the head and then tossing it up. But it is
impossible to determine what particular species of wild ox
is signified probably some gigantic urus is intended. (It is
probable that it was the gigantic Bos primigeniua, or
aurochs, now extinct, but of which Caesar says, "These uri
are scarcely less than elephants in size, but in their
nature, color and form are bulls. Great is their strength
and great their speed; they spare neither man nor beast when
once; they have caught sight of them" --Bell. Gall. vi. 20.-
ED.)
Read More
described as an animal of great ferocity and strength (Num.
23:22, R.V., "wild ox," marg., "ox-antelope;" 24:8;
Isa. 34:7,
R.V., "wild oxen"), and untamable (Job 39:9). It was
in reality
a two-horned animal; but the exact reference of the
word so
rendered (reem) is doubtful. Some have supposed it
to be the
buffalo; others, the white antelope, called by the
Arabs rim.
Most probably, however, the word denotes the Bos
primigenius
("primitive ox"), which is now extinct all over the
world. This
was the auerochs of the Germans, and the urus
described by
Caesar (Gal. Bel., vi.28) as inhabiting the
Hercynian forest.
The word thus rendered has been found in an Assyrian
inscription
written over the wild ox or bison, which some also
suppose to be
the animal intended (comp. Deut. 33:17; Ps. 22:21;
29:6; 92:10).
Read More
reem. In Deuteronomy 33:17, "his (Joseph's) horns are like
the horns of an unicorn" (so margin rightly, not
"unicorns"); "the ten thousands of Ephraim and the thousands
of Manasseh," two tribes sprung from the one Joseph, are the
two horns from one head. Therefore the unicorn was not as is
represented a one-horned animal, but some species of urns or
wild ox. The rhinoceros does not "skip" as the young unicorn
is represented to do (Psalm 29:6). The unicorn's
characteristics are:
(1) great strength, Numbers 23:22; Job 39:11;
(2) two horns, Deuteronomy 33:17;
(3) fierceness, Psalm 22:21;
(4) untameableness, Job 39:9-11, where the unicorn,
probably the wild bison, buffalo, ox, or urus (now only
found in Lithuania, but then spread over northern temperate
climes, Bashan, etc., and in the Hercynian forest, described
by Caesar as almost the size of an elephant, fierce, sparing
neither man nor beast) stands in contrast to the tame ox
used in plowing, Job 39:11-12;
(5) playfulness of its young, Psalm 29:6;
(6) association with "bullocks and bulls" for
sacrifice, Isaiah 34:6-7;
(7) lifting up the horn, Psalm 92:10, as bovine
animals lower the head and toss up the horn.
Read More
But my horn shalt thou exalt like [the horn of] an unicorn: I
shall be anointed with fresh oil.
Read More
God brought him forth out of Egypt; he hath as it were the
strength of an unicorn: he shall eat up the nations his
enemies, and shall break their bones, and pierce [them]
through with his arrows.
Read More
And so shall be the plague of the horse, of the mule, of the
camel, and of the ass, and of all the beasts that shall be in
these tents, as this plague.
Read More
And the servants of Absalom did unto Amnon as Absalom had
commanded. Then all the king's sons arose, and every man gat
him up upon his mule, and fled.
Read More
So Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the
son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites, and the Pelethites, went
down, and caused Solomon to ride upon king David's mule, and
brought him to Gihon.
Read More
oul (bath ha-ya`anah; Latin Ulula): The name of every
nocturnal bird of prey of the Natural Order Striges. These
birds range from the great horned owl of 2 feet in length,
through many subdivisions to the little screech-owl of 5
inches. All are characterized by very large heads, many have
ear tufts, all have large eyes surrounded by a disk of tiny,
stiff, radiating feathers. The remainder of the plumage has no
aftershaft. So these birds make the softest flight of any
creature traveling on wing. A volume could be written on the
eye of the owl, perhaps its most wonderful feature being in
the power of the bird to enlarge the iris if it wishes more
distinct vision. There is material for another on the
prominent and peculiar auditory parts. With almost all owls
the feet are so arranged that two toes can be turned forward
and two back, thus reinforcing the grip of the bird by an
extra toe and giving it unusual strength of foot. All are
night-hunters, taking prey to be found at that time, of size
according to the strength...
Read More
-(A carnivorous bird)
-Unclean
Le 11:16,17; De 14:16
-In R. V. ostrich is substituted
Le 11:16; De 14:15; Job 30:29; Isa 13:21; 34:11,13;
43:20;
Jer 50:39; Mic 1:8
Read More
A number of species of the owl are mentioned in the Bible, Le
11:17; De 14:16 Isa 14:23; 34:15; Zep 2:14 and in several
other places the same Hebrew word is used where it is
translated ostrich. Job 30:29; Jer 50:39 Some of these species
were common in Israel, and, as is well known, were often found
inhabiting ruins. Isa 34:11,13-15
Read More
(1.) Heb. bath-haya'anah, "daughter of greediness" or of
"shouting." In the list of unclean birds (Lev.
11:16; Deut.
14:15); also mentioned in Job 30:29; Isa. 13:21;
34:13; 43:20;
Jer. 50:39; Micah 1:8. In all these passages the
Revised Version
translates "ostrich" (q.v.), which is the correct
rendering.
(2.) Heb. yanshuph, rendered "great owl" in Lev.
11:17; Deut.
14:16, and "owl" in Isa. 34:11. This is supposed to
be the
Egyptian eagle-owl (Bubo ascalaphus), which takes
the place of
the eagle-owl (Bubo maximus) found in Southern
Europe. It is
found frequenting the ruins of Egypt and also of the
Holy Land.
"Its cry is a loud, prolonged, and very powerful
hoot. I know
nothing which more vividly brought to my mind the
sense of
desolation and loneliness than the re-echoing hoot
of two or
three of these great owls as I stood at midnight
among the
ruined temples of Baalbek" (Tristram)...
Read More
Ostrich, the true rendering of bath hayanah. (See OSTRICH.)
Yanshowph; Leviticus 11:17, "the great owl." From a root,
"twilight" (Bochart), or to puff the breath (Knobel).
Deuteronomy 14:16; Isaiah 34:11. The horned owl, Bubo
maximus, not as Septuagint the ibis, the sacred bird of
Egypt. Maurer thinks the heron or crane, from nashaf "to
blow," as it utters a sound like blowing a horn (Revelation
18:2). Chaldee and Syriac support "owl." Kos; Leviticus
11:17, "the little owl." Athene meridionalis on coins of
Athens: emblem of Minerva, common in Syria; grave, but not
heavy. Psalm 102:6, "I am like an owl in a ruin" (Syriac and
Arabic versions), expressing his loneliness, surrounded by
foes, with none to befriend. The Arabs call the owl "mother
of ruins," um elcharab.
The Hebrew means a "cup", perhaps alluding to its
concave face, the eye at the bottom, the feathers radiating
on each side of the beak outward; this appears especially in
the Otus vulgaris, the "long-cared owl". Kippoz. Isaiah
34:15, "the great owl." But Gesenius "the arrow snake," or
"the darting tree serpent"; related to the Arabic kipphaz.
The context favors "owl"; for "gather under her shadow"
applies best to a mother bird fostering her young under her
wings. The Septuagint, Chaldee, Arabic, Syriac, Vulgate read
kippod, "hedgehog." The great eagle owl is one of the
largest birds of prey; with dark plumage, and enormous head,
from which glare out two great eyes. Lilith. Isaiah 34:14,
"screech owl"; from layil "the night." Irby and Mangles
state as to Petra of Edom "the screaming of hawks, eagles,
and owls, soaring above our heads, annoyed at anyone
approaching their lonely habitation, added much to the
singularity of the scene." The Strix flammea, "the barn
owl"; shrieking in the quietude of the night, it appalls the
startled hearer with its unearthly sounds.
Read More
Therefore the wild beasts of the desert with the wild beasts
of the islands shall dwell [there], and the owls shall dwell
therein: and it shall be no more inhabited for ever; neither
shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation.
Read More
The beast of the field shall honour me, the dragons and the
owls: because I give waters in the wilderness, [and] rivers in
the desert, to give drink to my people, my chosen.
Read More
But wild beasts of the desert shall lie there; and their
houses shall be full of doleful creatures; and owls shall
dwell there, and satyrs shall dance there.
Read More
pam'-er-wurm (gazam; Septuagint kampe (Am 4:9; Joel 1:4;
2:25)): "Palmer-worm" means "caterpillar," but the insect
meant is probably a kind of locust.
See INSECTS; LOCUST.
Read More
-General scriptures concerning
Joe 1:4; 2:25; Am 4:9
Read More
(Heb. gazam) occurs Joe 1:4; 2:25; Am 4:9 It is maintained by
many that gazam denotes some species of locust. but it is more
probably a caterpillar.
Read More
(Heb. gazam). The English word may denote either a
caterpillar
(as rendered by the LXX.), which wanders like a palmer
or
pilgrim, or which travels like pilgrims in bands (Joel
1:4;
2:25), the wingless locusts, or the migratory locust
in its
larva state.
Read More
gazam. (See LOCUST.) Joel 1:4; Joel 2:25; Amos 4:9
Read More
That which the palmerworm hath left hath the locust eaten; and
that which the locust hath left hath the cankerworm eaten; and
that which the cankerworm hath left hath the caterpiller
eaten.
Read More
I have smitten you with blasting and mildew: when your gardens
and your vineyards and your fig trees and your olive trees
increased, the palmerworm devoured [them]: yet have ye not
returned unto me, saith the LORD.
Read More
And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath
eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpiller, and the
palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you.
Read More
pi'-garg (dishon; Septuagint pugargos; compare proper nouns,
"Dishon" and "Dishan" (Gen 36:21-30; 1 Ch 1:38-42);
according to BDB, Hommel, Saugethiere, derives ... from
dush, Arabic das, "to tread," and compare Assyrian dashshu,
"mountain-goat"): Dishon as the name of an animal occurs
only in Dt 14:5 in the list of clean beasts. Both the King
James Version and the Revised Version (British and American)
have "pygarg," which is not the recognized name of any
animal whatever. The Septuagint pugargos (from puge, "rump,"
and argos, "white") was used by Herodotus (iv.192) as the
name of an antelope. A white rump is a very common feature
of deer and antelopes, and is commonly explained as enabling
the fleeing herd easily to keep in sight of its leaders. It
has been used as a specific name of Cervus pygargus, the
Tartarian roe, and Bubalis pygargus, a small South African
antelope. The Arabic Bible has ri'm, "a white gazelle," a
kindred word to re'em, the King James Version "unicorn," the
Revised Version (British and American) "wild-ox." Tristram,
Tristram, Natural History of the Bible, considers dishon to
be the addax, Antilope addax or Addax nasomaculatus. There
is excellent reason, however, for believing that the range
of this African antelope does not extend into Israel, Sinai
or Arabia. For a discussion of the animal names in Dt
14:4,5, see ZOOLOGY.
Alfred Ely Day
Read More
-Probably a species of antelope
De 14:5
Read More
occurs, De 14:5 in the list of clean animals as the rendering
of the Heb. dishon, the name apparently of one species of
antelope, though it is by no means easy to identify it.
Read More
Heb. dishon, "springing", (Deut. 14:5), one of the animals
permitted for food. It is supposed to be the Antelope
addax. It
is described as "a large animal, over 3 1/2 feet high
at the
shoulder, and, with its gently-twisted horns, 2 1/2
feet long.
Its colour is pure white, with the exception of a
short black
mane, and a tinge of tawny on the shoulders and
back.",
Tristram's Natural History.
Read More
dishon. A clean animal (Deuteronomy 14:5). A generic name for
the "white rumped (as pugarg means in Greek) antelope" of
northern Africa and Syria. The Septuagint has translated the
Hebrew by "pygarg"; living near the habitat of the pygarg they
were likely to know. The mohr kind is best known, 2 ft. 8 in.
high at the croup. The tail is long, with a long black tuft at
the end; the whole part round the base of the tail is white,
contrasting with the deep brown red of the flanks. Conder
(Israel Exploration, July, 1876) makes it the "gazelle".
Read More
The hart, and the roebuck, and the fallow deer, and the wild
goat, and the pygarg, and the wild ox, and the chamois.
Read More
kwal (selaw; ortugometra; Latin Coturnix vulgaris): A game
bird of the family Coturnix, closely related to "partridges"
(which see). Quail and partridges are near relatives, the
partridge a little larger and of brighter color. Quail are
like the gray, brown and tan of earth. Their plumage is cut
and penciled by markings, and their flesh juicy and delicate
food. Their habits are very similar. They nest on the ground
and brood on from 12 to 20 eggs. The quail are more friendly
birds and live in the open, brooding along roads and around
fields. They have a longer, fuller wing than the partridge
and can make stronger flight. In Israel they were migratory.
They are first mentioned in Ex 16:13: "And it came to pass
at even, that the quails came up, and covered the camp: and
in the morning the dew lay round about the camp." This
describes a large flock in migration, so that they passed as
a cloud. Nu 11:31-33: "And there went forth a wind from
Yahweh, and brought quail from the sea, and let them fall by
the camp, about a day's journey on this side, and a day's
journey on the other side, round about the camp, and about
two cubits above the face of the earth. And the people rose
up all that day, and all the night, and all the next day,
and gathered the quail: he that gathered least gathered ten
homers: and they spread them all abroad for themselves round
about the camp"; compare Ps 78:26-30:...
Read More
-The miracle of, in the Wilderness of Sin
Ex 16:13
-The miracle of, at Kibroth-hattaavah
Nu 11:31,32; Ps 105:40
Read More
There can be no doubt that the Hebrew word in the Pentateuch
Ex 16:13; Nu 11:31,32 and in the 105th Psalm, denotes the
common quail, Coturnix dactylisonans. (The enormous quantity
of quails taken by the Israelites has its parallel in modern
times. Pliny states that they sometimes alight on vessels in
the Mediterranean and sink them. Colenel Sykes states that
160,000 quails have been netted in one season on the island
of Capri. --ED.) The expression "as it were two cubits
(high) upon the face of the earth," Nu 11:31 refers probably
to the height at which the quails flew above the ground, in
their exhausted condition from their long flight. As to the
enormous quantities which the least-successful Israelite is
said to have taken viz. "ten homers" (i.e. eighty bushels)
in the space of a night and two days, there is every reason
for believing that the "homers here spoken of do not denote
strictly the measure of that name but simply "a heap." The
Israelites would have had little difficulty in capturing
large quantities of these birds as they are known to arrive
at places sometimes so completely exhausted by their flight
as to be readily taken, not in nets only, but by the hand.
They "spread the quails round about the camp;" this was for
the purpose of drying them. The Egyptians similarly prepared
these birds. The expression "quails from the sea," Nu 11:31
must not be restricted to denote that the birds came from
the sea, as their starting-point, but it must be taken to
show the direction from which they were coming. The quails
were at the time of the event narrated in the sacred
writings, on their spring journey of migration northward, It
is interesting to note the time specified: "it was at even"
that they began to arrive; and they no doubt continued to
come all night. Many observers have recorded that the quail
migrates by night.
Read More
The Israelites were twice relieved in their privation by a
miraculous supply of quails, (1) in the wilderness
of Sin (Ex.
16:13), and (2) again at Kibroth-hattaavah (q.v.),
Num. 11:31.
God "rained flesh upon them as dust, and feathered
fowls like as
the sand of the sea" (Ps. 78:27). The words in Num.
11:31,
according to the Authorized Version, appear to
denote that the
quails lay one above another to the thickness of two
cubits
above the ground. The Revised Version, however,
reads, "about
two cubits above the face of the earth", i.e., the
quails flew
at this height, and were easily killed or caught by
the hand.
Being thus secured in vast numbers by the people,
they "spread
them all abroad" (11:32) in order to salt and dry
them.
These birds (the Coturnix vulgaris of naturalists)
are found
in countless numbers on the shores of the
Mediterranean, and
their annual migration is an event causing great
excitement.
Read More
celaw. The Arabic name is similar, which identifies the
quail as meant. Twice miraculously supplied to Israel
(Exodus 16:13; Numbers 11:31-32). Psalm 105:40 connects the
quail with the manna, and therefore refers to Exodus 16:13,
the first sending of quails, the psalm moreover referring to
God's acts of grace. Psalm 78:27; Psalm 78:31, refers to the
second sending of quails (Numbers 11) in chastisement (Psalm
106:14-15). The S.E. wind blew them from the Elanitic gulf
of the Red Sea. Translated "threw them over the camp ...
about two cubits above the face of the ground." Wearied with
their long flight they flew breast high, and were easily
secured by the Israelites.
They habitually fly low, and with the wind. The
least gatherer got ten homers' (the largest Hebrew measure
of quantity) full; and "they spread them all abroad for
themselves" to salt and dry (Herodotus ii. 77). "Ere the
flesh was consumed" (so Hebrew) God's wrath smote them.
Eating birds' flesh continually, after long abstinence from
flesh, a whole month greedily, in a hot climate predisposed
them by surfeit to sickness; God miraculously intensified
this into a plague, and the place became Kibroth Hattaavah,
"the graves of lust." (See KIBROTH HATTAAVAH The red legged
crane's flesh is nauseous, and is not therefore likely to be
meant. "At even" the quails began to arrive; so Tristram
noticed their arrival from the S. at night in northern
Algeria two successive years. Ornithologists designate the
quail the Coturnix dactylisonans (from its shrill piping
cry).
Read More
And there went forth a wind from the LORD, and brought quails
from the sea, and let [them] fall by the camp, as it were a
day's journey on this side, and as it were a day's journey on
the other side, round about the camp, and as it were two
cubits [high] upon the face of the earth.
Read More
And the people stood up all that day, and all [that] night,
and all the next day, and they gathered the quails: he that
gathered least gathered ten homers: and they spread [them] all
abroad for themselves round about the camp.
Read More
And it came to pass, that at even the quails came up, and
covered the camp: and in the morning the dew lay round about
the host.
Read More
ro, ro'-buk: the King James Version has "roe" and "roebuck"
for tsehi, tsebhiyah. the Revised Version (British and
American) usually substitutes "gazelle" in the text (Dt 12:15,
etc.) or margin (Prov 6:5, etc.), but retains "roe" in 2 Sam
2:18; 1 Ch 12:8; Song 3:5; 7:3. So the Revised Version
(British and American) has "gazelle" for the King James
Version "roe" in Sirach 27:20 (dorkas). the Revised Version
(British and American) has "roe-buck" for yachmur (Dt 14:5; 1
Ki 4:23), where the King James Version has "fallow deer." In
the opinion of the writer, 'ayyal English Versions of the
Bible "hart," should be translated "roe-buck," yachmur "fallow
deer," and tsebhi "gazelle."
See DEER; GAZELLE.
Alfred Ely Day
Read More
The Hebrew words thus translated denote some species of
antelope, probably the Gazella arabica of Syria and Arabia.
The gazelle was allowed as food, De 12:15,22 etc.; it is
mentioned as very fleet of foot, 2Sa 2:18; 1Ch 12:8 it was
hunted, Isa 13:14; Pr 6:5 it was celebrated for its
loveliness. So 2:9,17; 8:14
Read More
(Heb. tsebi), properly the gazelle (Arab. ghazal), permitted
for
food (Deut. 14:5; comp. Deut. 12:15, 22; 15:22; 1
Kings 4:23),
noted for its swiftness and beauty and grace of form
(2 Sam.
2:18; 1 Chr. 12:8; Cant. 2:9; 7:3; 8:14).
The gazelle (Gazella dorcas) is found in great
numbers in
Israel. "Among the gray hills of Galilee it is still
'the roe
upon the mountains of Bether,' and I have seen a
little troop of
gazelles feeding on the Mount of Olives close to
Jerusalem
itself" (Tristram).
The Hebrew word ('ayyalah) in Prov. 5: 19 thus
rendered (R.V.,
"doe"), is properly the "wild she-goat," the
mountain goat, the
ibex. (See 1 Sam. 24:2; Ps. 104:18; Job 39:1.)
Read More
ROE or ROEBUCK. Yaalah, "chamois" (Proverbs 5:19) or ibex, the
female of the wild goat. Tsebi (masculine), tsebiah
(feminine), from whence Tabitha (Greek Dorkas), "loving and
beloved": Acts 9:36. The beautiful antelope or gazelle, the
Antelope dorcas and Antelope Arabica. Slender, graceful, shy,
and timid; the image of feminine loveliness (Song of Solomon
4:5; Song of Solomon 2:9; Song of Solomon 2:17; Song of
Solomon 8:14).
The eye is large, soft, liquid, languishing, and of
deepest black; image of swift footedness (2 Samuel 1:19; 2
Samuel 2:18; 1 Chronicles 12:8). Israel ate the gazelle in the
wilderness, and the flesh of flocks and herds only when
offered in sacrifice; but in Canaan they might eat the flesh,
"even as the gazelle" (Deuteronomy 12:15; Deuteronomy 12:22);
Isaac's venison was front it (Genesis 27). The valley of Gerar
and the Beersheba plains are still frequented by it. Egyptian
paintings represent it hunted by hounds.
Read More
a transliterated Hebrew word (livyathan), meaning "twisted,"
"coiled." In Job 3:8, Revised Version, and marg. of
Authorized
Version, it denotes the dragon which, according to
Eastern
tradition, is an enemy of light; in 41:1 the
crocodile is meant;
in Ps. 104:26 it "denotes any large animal that
moves by
writhing or wriggling the body, the whale, the
monsters of the
deep." This word is also used figuratively for a
cruel enemy, as
some think "the Egyptian host, crushed by the divine
power, and
cast on the shores of the Red Sea" (Ps. 74:14). As
used in Isa.
27:1, "leviathan the piercing [R.V. 'swift']
serpent, even
leviathan that crooked [R.V. marg. 'winding']
serpent," the word
may probably denote the two empires, the Assyrian
and the
Babylonian.
Read More
From lewy "joined" (referring to its joined, plate armour
like scales) and than a monster drawn out, i.e. long; or
else Arabic lavah "to twist." So Job 41:15-17. The
crocodile. The whale having a smooth skin and no scales
cannot be meant. The crocodile's teeth, 30 on each side of
each jaw, lock into each other. Lips are wanting, so that
the teeth are seen even when the mouth is closed,
illustrating Job 41:14, "who can open the doors of his face?
his teeth are terrible round about." As behemoth is the
hippopotamus, so leviathan is the crocodile, both found in
Egypt along the Nile. The term elsewhere is used for any
large monster of the "sea" or water. Psalm 104:26; Psalm
74:13-14; "Thou breakest the heads of leviathan in pieces,
and gavest him to be meat to the people inhabiting the
wilderness." The king of Egypt is symbolized by the
"dragons" and "leviathan" (compare Ezekiel 32:2; Ezekiel
29:3); he and his host at their overthrow in the Red Sea
became a spoil to Israel (compare "bread for us," Numbers
14:9) "in the wilderness."
The context shows that it is the benefits of God to
Israel that are here recounted. In Job 3:8 translated "let
them curse it (my day of birth) ... who are ready to raise
up a leviathan," i.e. necromancers who rouse and control
wild beasts at will (compare Psalm 58:5). In Isaiah 27:1,
"leviathan the piercing serpent, even leviathan that crooked
(wriggling) serpent," "the dragon in the sea," literally
refers to the crocodile in the sea or Nile, or else to the
great rock snakes. Spiritually every foe of Israel and the
church. Antitypically and finally Satan "the dragon, that
old serpent, which is the devil" (Revelation 20:2;
Revelation 20:10), whom finally "Jehovah with His sore,
great, and strong sword shall punish." For" piercing"
(bariach) translated "darting from side to side." Foiled on
one side he tries to gain on the other side (Job 26:13; 2
Corinthians 11:14; 2 Corinthians 2:11). Typhon, the
destroyer, was worshipped in Egypt under the form of a
crocodile.
Read More
Canst thou draw out leviathan with an hook? or his tongue with
a cord [which] thou lettest down?
Read More
Thou brakest the heads of leviathan in pieces, [and] gavest
him [to be] meat to the people inhabiting the wilderness.
Read More
There go the ships: [there is] that leviathan, [whom] thou
hast made to play therein.
Read More
li'-un: (1) Occurring most often in the Old Testament is
'aryeh, plural 'ardyoth. Another form, 'ari, plural 'arayim,
is found less often.
1. Names:
Compare 'ari'el, "Ariel" (Ezr 8:16; Isa 29:1,2,7); char'el,
"upper altar," and 'ari'el, "altar hearth" (Ezek 43:15);
'aryeh, "Arieh" (2 Ki 15:25); 'ar'eli, "Areli" and
"Arelites" (Gen 46:16; Nu 26:17). (2) kephir, "young lion,"
often translated "lion" (Ps 35:17; Prov 19:12; 23:1, etc.).
(3) shachal, translated "fierce lion" or "lion" (Job 4:10;
10:16; 28:8; Hos 5:14). (4) layish, translated "old lion" or
"lion" (Job 4:11; Prov 30:30; Isa 30:6).
Compare Arabic laith, "lion": layish, "Laish," or "Leshem"
(Josh 19:47; Jdg 18:7,14,27,29); layish, "Laish" (1 Sam
25:44; 2 Sam 3:15). (5) lebhi, plural lebha'im, "lioness";
also labhi', and 'lebhiya' (Gen 49:9; Nu 23:24; 24:9);
compare town in South of Judah, Lebaoth (Josh 15:32) or
Beth-lebaoth (Josh 19:6); also Arabic labwat, "lioness ";
Lebweh, a town in Coele-Syria. (6) aur, gor, "whelp," with
'aryeh or a pronoun, e.g. "Judah is a lion's whelp," gur
'aryeh (Gen 49:9); "young ones" of the jackal (Lam 4:3).
Also bene labhi', "whelps (sons) of the lioness" (Job 4:11);
and kephir 'arayoth, "young lion," literally, "the young of
lions" (Jdg 14:5). In Job 28:8, the King James Version has
"lion's whelps" for bene shachats, the Revised Version
(British and American) "proud beasts." the Revised Version
margin "sons of pride"; compare Job 41:34 (Hebrew 26). (7)
leon, "lion" (2 Tim 4:17; Heb 11:33; 1 Pet 5:8; Rev 4:7;
5:5; The Wisdom of Solomon 11:17; Ecclesiasticus 4:30;
13:19; Bel and the Dragon 31,32,34). (8) skumnos, "whelp" (1
Macc 3:4)...
Read More
-King of beasts
Mic 5:8
-Fierceness of
Job 4:10; 28:8; Ps 7:2; Pr 22:13; Jer 2:15; 49:19;
50:44;
Ho 13:8
-The roaring of
Ps 22:13; Pr 20:2
-Strength of
Pr 30:30; Isa 38:13; Joe 1:6
-Instincts of, in taking prey
Ps 10:9; 17:12; La 3:10; Am 3:4; Na 2:12
-Lair of, in the jungles
Jer 4:7; 25:38
-The bases in the temple ornamented by mouldings of
1Ki 7:29,36
-Twelve statues of, on the stairs leading to Solomon's
throne
1Ki 10:19,20
-Samson's riddle concerning
Jud 14:14,18
-Proverb of
Ec 9:4
-Parable of
Eze 19:1-9
-Kept in captivity
Da 6
-Sent as judgment upon the Samaritans
2Ki 17:25,26
-Killed by
Samson
Jud 14:5-9
David
1Sa 17:34,36
Benaiah
2Sa 23:20
Saints
Heb 11:33
-Disobedient prophet killed by
1Ki 13:24-28
-An unnamed person killed by
1Ki 20:36
-Used for the torture of criminals
Da 6:16-24; 7:12; 2Ti 4:17
-FIGURATIVE
Of a ruler's anger
Pr 19:12; Jer 5:6; 50:17; Ho 5:14
Of Satan
1Pe 5:8
Of divine judgments
Isa 15:9
-SYMBOLICAL
Ge 49:9; Isa 29:1
Margin)
Eze 1:10; 10:14; Da 7:4; Re 4:7; 5:5; 9:8,17; 13:2
Read More
"The most powerful, daring and impressive of all carnivorous
animals, the most magnificent in aspect and awful in voice."
At present lions do not exist in Israel; but they must in
ancient times have been numerous. The lion of Israel was in
all probability the Asiatic variety, described by Aristotle
and Pliny as distinguished by its short and curly mane, and by
being shorter and rounder in shape, like the sculptured lion
found at Arban. It was less daring than the longer named
species, but when driven by hunger it not only ventured to
attack the flocks in the desert in presence of the shepherd,
1Sa 17:34; Isa 31:4 but laid waste towns and villages, 2Ki
17:25,26; Pr 22:13; 26:13 and devoured men. 1Ki 13:24; 20:36
Among the Hebrews, and throughout the Old Testament, the lion
was the achievement of the princely tribe of Judah, while in
the closing book of the canon it received a deeper
significance as the emblem of him who "prevailed to open the
book and loose the seven seals thereof." Re 5:5 On the other
hand its fierceness and cruelty rendered it an appropriate
metaphor for a fierce and malignant enemy. Ps 7:2; 22:21;
57:4; 2Ti 4:17 and hence for the arch-fiend himself. 1Pe 5:8
Read More
the most powerful of all carnivorous animals. Although not
now
found in Israel, they must have been in ancient
times very
numerous there. They had their lairs in the forests
(Jer. 5:6;
12:8; Amos 3:4), in the caves of the mountains
(Cant. 4:8; Nah.
2:12), and in the canebrakes on the banks of the
Jordan (Jer.
49:19; 50:44; Zech. 11:3).
No fewer than at least six different words are used
in the Old
Testament for the lion. (1.) _Gor_ (i.e., a
"suckling"), the
lion's whelp (Gen. 49:9; Jer. 51:38, etc.). (2.)
_Kephir_ (i.e.,
"shaggy"), the young lion (Judg. 14:5; Job 4:10; Ps.
91:13;
104:21), a term which is also used figuratively of
cruel enemies
(Ps. 34:10; 35:17; 58:6; Jer. 2:15). (3.) _'Ari_
(i.e., the
"puller" in pieces), denoting the lion in general,
without
reference to age or sex (Num. 23:24; 2 Sam. 17:10,
etc.). (4.)
_Shahal_ (the "roarer"), the mature lion (Job 4:10;
Ps. 91:13;
Prov. 26:13; Hos. 5:14). (5.) _Laish_, so called
from its
strength and bravery (Job 4:11; Prov. 30:30; Isa.
30:6). The
capital of Northern Dan received its name from this
word. (6.)
_Labi_, from a root meaning "to roar," a grown lion
or lioness
(Gen. 49:9; Num. 23:24; 24:9; Ezek. 19:2; Nah.
2:11).
The lion of Israel was properly of the Asiatic
variety,
distinguished from the African variety, which is
larger. Yet it
not only attacked flocks in the presence of the
shepherd, but
also laid waste towns and villages (2 Kings 17:25,
26) and
devoured men (1 Kings 13:24, 25). Shepherds
sometimes,
single-handed, encountered lions and slew them (1
Sam. 17:34,
35; Amos 3:12). Samson seized a young lion with his
hands and
"rent him as he would have rent a kid" (Judg. 14:5,
6). The
strength (Judg. 14:18), courage (2 Sam. 17:10), and
ferocity
(Gen. 49:9) of the lion were proverbial.
Read More
'ariy, 'arieh ("the bearer," Umbreit); guwr, "the whelp"
(Genesis 49:9); kephir, "the young lion" in adolescent vigour,
his "great teeth" grown (Psalm 58:6), having his own covert
(Jeremiah 25:38); labiy, in adult maturity (Genesis 49:9);
libyah, "lioness"; la'ish, "an old (rather strong, from an
Arabic root) lion": Job 4:11, where the five different terms
occur; shachal is "the roaring lion"; labiy appears in the
German lowe. The variety of names shows the abundance of lions
in the regions of Scripture at that time. Now there are none
in Israel. But the names Lebaoth (Joshua 15:32), Arieh (2
Kings 15:25), Ariel for Jerusalem (Isaiah 29:1-2; Isaiah
29:7), Laish (Judges 18:7), incidentally, and so undesignedly,
confirm the Scripture assertions as to their former existence.
..
Read More
He lieth in wait secretly as a lion in his den: he lieth in
wait to catch the poor: he doth catch the poor, when he
draweth him into his net.
Read More
So that the face of a man [was] toward the palm tree on the
one side, and the face of a young lion toward the palm tree on
the other side: [it was] made through all the house round
about.
Read More
As for the likeness of their faces, they four had the face of
a man, and the face of a lion, on the right side: and they
four had the face of an ox on the left side; they four also
had the face of an eagle.
Read More
lo'-kust: The translation of a large number of Hebrew and
Greek words:
1. Names:
(1) 'arbeh from the root rabhah, "to increase" (compare
Arabic raba', "to increase"). (2) sal`am, from obsolete [?]
cal`am, "to swallow down," "to consume." (3) chargol
(compare Arabic charjal, "to run to the right or left,"
charjalat, "a company of horses" or "a swarm of locusts,"
charjawan, a kind of locust). (4) chaghabh (compare Arabic
chajab, "to hide," "to cover"). (5) gazam (compare Arabic
jazum, " to cut off") (6) yeleq, from the root laqaq "to
lick" (compare Arabic laqlaq, "to dart out the tongue" (used
of a serpent)). (7) chacil, from the root chacal, "to
devour" (compare Arabic chaucal, "crop" (of a bird)). (8)
gobh, from the obsolete root gabhah (compare Arabic jabi,
"locust," from the root jaba', "to come out of a hole"). (9)
gebh, from same root. (10) tselatsal from [?] tsalal
(onomatopoetic), "to tinkle," "to ring" (compare Arabic
call, "to give a ringing sound" (used of a horse's bit);
compare also Arabic Tann, used of the sound of a drum or
piece of metal, also of the humming of flies). (11) akris
(genitive akridos; diminutive akridion, whence Acridium, a
genus of locusts)...
Read More
-Authorized as food
Le 11:22
-Used as food
Mt 3:4; Mr 1:6
-Plague of
Ex 10:1-19; Ps 105:34,35
-Devastation by
De 28:38; 1Ki 8:37; 2Ch 7:13; Isa 33:4; Joe 1:4-7;
Re
9:7-10
-Sun obscured by
Joe 2:2,10
-Instincts of
Pr 30:27
-In A. V. often inaccurately translated "grasshopper," as in
Jud 6:5; 7:12; Job 39:20; Jer 46:23
-See GRASSHOPPER
-FIGURATIVE
Jer 46:23
-SYMBOLICAL
Re 9:3-10
Read More
a well-known insect, of the grasshopper family, which
commits terrible ravages on vegetation in the countries
which it visits. "The common brown locust is about three
inches in length, and the general form is that of a
grasshopper." The most destructive of the locust tribe that
occur in the Bible lands are the (Edipoda migratoria and the
Acridium peregrinum; and as both these species occur in
Syria and Arabia, etc., it is most probable that one or
other is denoted in those passages which speak of the
dreadful devastations committed by these insects. Locusts
occur in great numbers, and sometimes obscure the sun. Ex
10:15; Jud 6:5; Jer 46:23 Their voracity is alluded to in Ex
10:12,15; Joe 1:4,7 They make a fearful noise in their
flight. Joe 2:5; Re 9:9 Their irresistible progress is
referred to in Joe 2:8,9 They enter dwellings, and devour
even the woodwork of houses. Ex 10:6; Joe 2:9,10 They do not
fly in the night. Na 3:17 The sea destroys the greater
number. Ex 10:19; Joe 2:20 The flight of locusts is thus
described by M. Olivier (Voyage dans l' Empire Othoman, ii.
424): "With the burning south winds (of Syria) there come
from the interior of Arabia and from the most southern parts
of Persia clouds of locusts (Acridium peregrinum), whose
ravages to these countries are as grievous and nearly as
sudden as those of the heaviest hail in Europe. We witnessed
them twice. It is difficult to express the effect produced
on us by the sight of the whole atmosphere filled on all
sides and to a great height by an innumerable quantity of
these insects, whose flight was slow and uniform, and whose
noise resembled that of rain: the sky was darkened, and the
light of the sun considerably weakened. In a moment the
terraces of the houses, the streets, and all the fields were
covered by these insects, and in two days they had nearly
devoured all the leaves of the plants. Happily they lived
but a short time, and seemed to have migrated only to
reproduce themselves and die; in fact, nearly all those we
saw the next day had paired, and the day following the
fields were covered with their dead bodies." "Locusts have
been used as food from the earliest times. Herodotus speaks
of a Libyan nation who dried their locusts in the sun and
ate them with milk. The more common method, however, was to
pull off the legs and wings and roast them in an iron dish.
Then they thrown into a bag, and eaten like parched corn,
each one taking a handful when he chose." --Biblical
Treasury. Sometimes the insects are ground and pounded, and
then mixed with flour and water and made into cakes, or they
are salted and then eaten; sometimes smoked; sometimes
boiled or roasted; again, stewed, or fried in butter.
Read More
There are ten Hebrew words used in Scripture to signify
locust.
In the New Testament locusts are mentioned as
forming part of
the food of John the Baptist (Matt. 3:4; Mark 1:6).
By the
Mosaic law they were reckoned "clean," so that he
could lawfully
eat them. The name also occurs in Rev. 9:3, 7, in
allusion to
this Oriental devastating insect.
Locusts belong to the class of Orthoptera, i.e.,
straight-winged. They are of many species. The
ordinary Syrian
locust resembles the grasshopper, but is larger and
more
destructive. "The legs and thighs of these insects
are so
powerful that they can leap to a height of two
hundred times the
length of their bodies. When so raised they spread
their wings
and fly so close together as to appear like one
compact moving
mass." Locusts are prepared as food in various ways.
Sometimes
they are pounded, and then mixed with flour and
water, and baked
into cakes; "sometimes boiled, roasted, or stewed in
butter, and
then eaten." They were eaten in a preserved state by
the ancient
Assyrians...
Read More
If there be in the land famine, if there be pestilence,
blasting, mildew, locust, [or] if there be caterpiller; if
their enemy besiege them in the land of their cities;
whatsoever plague, whatsoever sickness [there be];
Read More
Thou shalt carry much seed out into the field, and shalt
gather [but] little in; for the locust shall consume it.
Read More
And the LORD turned a mighty strong west wind, which took away
the locusts, and cast them into the Red sea; there remained
not one locust in all the coasts of Egypt.
Read More
mol ((1) tinshemeth, the King James Version "mole," the
Revised Version (British and American) "chameleon";
Septuagint aspalax = spalax, "mole," Vulgate (Jerome's Latin
Bible, 390-405 A.D.) talpa, "mole" (Lev 11:30); (2) choledh,
English Versions of the Bible "weasel"; Septuagint gale,
"weasel" or "pole-cat"; compare Arabic khuld, "mole-rat"
(Lev 11:29); (3) chaphar-peroth, English Versions of the
Bible "moles"; from chaphar, "to dig"; compare Arabic
chafar, "to dig," and perah, "mole" or "rat," for pe'erah,
from the root pa'ar, "to dig"; compare Arabic fa'rat, or
farat, "rat," "mouse," from the root fa'ar, "to dig";
Septuagint tois mataiois, "vain, idle, or profane persons"
(Isa 2:20)): (1) Tinshemeth is the last of 8 unclean
"creeping things" in Lev 11:29,30. The word occurs also in
Lev 11:18 and Dt 14:16, translated the King James Version
"swan," the Revised Version (British and American) "horned
owl," Septuagint porphurion, "coot" or "heron." See
CHAMELEON. (2) Choledh is the first in the same list. The
word occurs nowhere else, and is translated "weasel" in
English Versions of the Bible, but comparison with the
Arabic khuld has led to the suggestion that "mole-rat" would
be a better translation. See WEASEL. (3) In Isa 2:20, "In
that day men shall cast away their idols .... to the moles
and to the bats," chaphar-peroth, variously written as one
word or two, is translated "moles" in English Versions of
the Bible, but has given rise to much conjecture.
The European "mole," Talpa europea, is extensively
distributed in the temperate parts of Europe and Asia, but
is absent from Syria and Israel, its place being taken by
the mole-rat, Spalax typhlus. The true mole belongs to the
Insectivora, and feeds on earth-worms and insect larvae, but
in making its tunnels and nests, it incidentally injures
gardens and lawns. The mole-rat belongs to the Rodentia, and
has teeth of the same general type as those of a rat or
squirrel, large, chisel-shaped incisors behind which is a
large vacant space, no canines, and praemolars and molars
with grinding surfaces. It is larger than the mole, but of
the same color, and, like the mole, is blind. It makes
tunnels much like those of the mole. It is herbivorous and
has been observed to seize growing plants and draw them down
into its hole. In one of its burrows a central chamber has
been found filled with entire plants of the chummuc or
chick-pea, and two side chambers containing pods plucked
from the plants in the central chamber. While the mole digs
with its powerful and peculiarly shaped front feet, the
mole-rat digs with its nose, its feet being normal in shape.
See LIZARD.
Alfred Ely Day
Read More
-General scriptures concerning
Le 11:30; Isa 2:20
Read More
1. Tinshemeth. Le 11:30 It is probable that the animals
mentioned with the tinshemeth in the above passage denote
different kinds of lizards; perhaps, therefore, the chameleon
is the animal intended.
2. Chephor peroth is rendered "moles" in Isa 2:20 (The
word means burrowers, hole-diggers, and may designate any of
the small animals, as rats and weasels, which burrow among
ruins. Many scholars, according to McClintock and Strong's
"Cyclopedia," consider that the Greek aspalax is the animal
intended by both the words translated mole. It is not the
European mole, but is a kind of blind mole-rat, from 8 to 12
inches long, feeding on vegetables, and burrowing like a mole,
but on a larger scale. It is very common in Russia, and
Hasselquiest says it is abundant on the plains of Sharon in
Israel. --ED.)
Read More
Heb. tinshameth (Lev. 11:30), probably signifies some
species of
lizard (rendered in R.V., "chameleon"). In Lev.
11:18, Deut.
14:16, it is rendered, in Authorized Version, "swan"
(R.V.,
"horned owl").
The Heb. holed (Lev. 11:29), rendered "weasel," was
probably
the mole-rat. The true mole (Talpa Europoea) is not
found in
Israel. The mole-rat (Spalax typhlus) "is twice the
size of
our mole, with no external eyes, and with only faint
traces
within of the rudimentary organ; no apparent ears,
but, like the
mole, with great internal organs of hearing; a
strong, bare
snout, and with large gnawing teeth; its colour a
pale slate;
its feet short, and provided with strong nails; its
tail only
rudimentary."
In Isa. 2:20, this word is the rendering of two
words _haphar
peroth_, which are rendered by Gesenius "into the
digging of
rats", i.e., rats' holes. But these two Hebrew words
ought
probably to be combined into one (lahporperoth) and
translated
"to the moles", i.e., the rat-moles. This animal
"lives in
underground communities, making large subterranean
chambers for
its young and for storehouses, with many runs
connected with
them, and is decidedly partial to the loose debris
among ruins
and stone-heaps, where it can form its chambers with
least
trouble."
Read More
tinshemeth. Rather "chameleon", the inflating animal, as it
inflates its body; from nasham "to breathe."(See CHAMELEON.)
The lung when filled with air renders its body semi-
transparent; from its power of abstinence it was fabled to
live on air (Leviticus 11:30). In Leviticus 11:18 it is "the
ibis," an unclean bird. Of the tree lizard, Dendrosaura,
tribe. In Isaiah 2:20, chephor perot, "moles in KJV,
literally, "continual diggers," mice or rats, which bore in
deserted places. Mole rats in Syria and Mesopotamia frequent
cultivated lands. The ruins of Babylon are perforated on all
sides with holes, the abode of "doleful creatures."
Read More
And the ferret, and the chameleon, and the lizard, and the
snail, and the mole.
Read More
mous, mis (`akhbar; Septuagint mus, "mouse"; compare Arabic
`akbar, "jerboa" not 'akbar, "greater"; compare also proper
noun, `akhbor, "Achbor" (Gen 36:38 f; 1 Ch 1:49; also 2 Ki
22:12,14; Jer 26:22; 36:12)): The word occurs in the list of
unclean "creeping things" (Lev 11:29), in the account of the
golden mice and tumors (the King James Version and the
American Revised Version margin "emerods") sent by the
Philistines (1 Sam 6:4-18), and in the phrase, "eating swine's
flesh, and the abomination, and the mouse" (Isa 66:17). The
cosmopolitan housemouse, Mus musculus, is doubtless the
species referred to. The jerboa or jumping mouse, Arabic
yarbu, is eaten by the Arabs of the Syrian desert, Northeast
of Damascus. Possibly allied to `akhbar is the Arabic `akbar
(generally in plural, `akabir), used for the male of the
jerboa.
Alfred Ely Day
Read More
-Forbidden as food
Le 11:29
-Used as food
Isa 66:17
-Images of
1Sa 6:4,5,11,18
Read More
(the corn-eater). The name of this animal occurs in Le 11:29;
1Sa 6:4,5; Isa 66:17 The Hebrew word is in all probability
generic, and is not intended to denote any particular species
of mouse. The original word denotes a field-ravager, and may
therefore comprehend any destructive rodent. Tristram found
twenty-three species of mice in Israel. It is probable that in
1Sa 6:5 the expression "the mice that mar the land" includes
and more particularly refers to the short-tailed field-mice
(Arvicola agrestis, Flem.), which cause great destruction to
the corn-lands of Syria.
Read More
Heb. 'akhbar, "swift digger"), properly the dormouse, the
field-mouse (1 Sam. 6:4). In Lev. 11:29, Isa. 66:17
this word is
used generically, and includes the jerboa (Mus
jaculus), rat,
hamster (Cricetus), which, though declared to be
unclean
animals, were eaten by the Arabs, and are still
eaten by the
Bedouins. It is said that no fewer than twenty-three
species of
this group ('akhbar=Arab. ferah) of animals inhabit
Israel.
God "laid waste" the people of Ashdod by the
terrible visitation
of field-mice, which are like locusts in their
destructive
effects (1 Sam. 6:4, 11, 18). Herodotus, the Greek
historian,
accounts for the destruction of the army of
Sennacherib (2 Kings
19:35) by saying that in the night thousands of mice
invaded the
camp and gnawed through the bow-strings, quivers,
and shields,
and thus left the Assyrians helpless. (See
SENNACHERIB
Read More
'akbar. The "jumping mouse," Dipus jaculus Egyptius
(Gesenius); or as the Arabic farah, any small rodent
(Tristram); the field mouse or vole, with larger head, shorter
ears and tail, and stouter form, than the house mouse; and the
long-tailed field mouse, Mus sylvaticus. The ravages of these
rodents among grain, etc., made the Philistines propitiate
with "golden mice" (five answering to their five political
divisions and lords) the God whose instrument of "marring the
land" they were (1 Samuel 6). The scourges on them were
humiliating to their pride, the tiny mouse and hemorrhoids in
the back, where for a warrior to be smitten is a shame (Psalm
78:66). So Sminthian Apollo was worshipped in Crete and the
Troad; derived from smintha, Cretan for "mouse"; Apollo was
represented with one foot upon a mouse. The Egyptian account
of Sennacherib's discomfiture was that the gods sent mice
which gnawed his archers' bowstrings, in his expedition to
Egypt. The mouse was legally unclean (Isaiah 66:67).
Read More
They that sanctify themselves, and purify themselves in the
gardens behind one [tree] in the midst, eating swine's flesh,
and the abomination, and the mouse, shall be consumed
together, saith the LORD.
Read More
These also [shall be] unclean unto you among the creeping
things that creep upon the earth; the weasel, and the mouse,
and the tortoise after his kind,
Read More
mul (peredh (1 Ki 10:25; 18:5; Ezr 2:66; Isa 66:20; Zec
14:15), the feminine pirdah (1 Ki 1:33,38,44), rekhesh,
"swift steeds," the King James Version "mules" (Est
8:10,14), 'achashteranim, "used in the king's service," the
King James Version "camels," the Revised Version margin
"mules" (Est 8:10,14), yemim, "hot springs," the King James
Version "mules" (Gen 36:24); hemionos, "half-ass," "mule" (1
Esdras 5:43; Judith 15:11)): Mules are mentioned as riding
animals for princes (2 Sam 13:29; 18:9; 1 Ki 1:33,38,44); in
the tribute brought to Solomon (2 Ch 9:24); as beasts of
burden (2 Ki 5:17; 1 Ch 12:40); horses and mules are
obtained from the "house of Togarmah" in the distant north
(Ezek 27:14). The injunction of Ps 32:9, "Be ye not as the
horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding," need
not be understood as singling out the horse and mule as more
in need of guidance than the rest of the brute creation, but
rather as offering familiar examples to contrast with man
who should use his intelligence.
At the present day mules are used as pack animals and for
drawing freight wagons, rarely for riding. One does not
often see in Israel mules as large and fine as are common in
Europe and America. This may be because most of the mares
and many of the donkeys are small.
Alfred Ely Day
Read More
-Uses of
For royal riders
2Sa 13:29; 18:9; 1Ki 1:33
Ridden by phetic vision of the kingdom of Christ
Isa 66:20
As pack animals
2Ki 5:17; 1Ch 12:40
-Tribute paid in
1Ki 10:25
-Used in barter
Eze 27:14
-By the captivity in returing from Babylon
Ezr 2:66; Ne 7:68
-In war
Zec 14:15
Read More
a hybrid animal, the offspring of a horse and an ass. "The
mule is smaller than the horse, and is a remarkably hardy,
patient, obstinate, sure-footed animal, living, ordinarily,
twice as long as a horse." --McClintock and Strong's
Cyclopedia. It was forbidden to the Israelites to breed mules,
but sometimes they imported them. It would appear that only
kings and great men rode on mules. We do not read of mules at
all in the New Testament; perhaps therefore they had ceased to
be imported.
Read More
(Heb. pered), so called from the quick step of the animal or
its
power of carrying loads. It is not probable that the
Hebrews
bred mules, as this was strictly forbidden in the
law (Lev.
19:19), although their use was not forbidden. We
find them in
common use even by kings and nobles (2 Sam. 18:9; 1
Kings 1:33;
2 Kings 5:17; Ps. 32:9). They are not mentioned,
however, till
the time of David, for the word rendered "mules"
(R.V.
correctly, "hot springs") in Gen. 36:24 (yemim)
properly denotes
the warm springs of Callirhoe, on the eastern shore
of the Dead
Sea. In David's reign they became very common (2
Sam. 13:29; 1
Kings 10:25).
Mules are not mentioned in the New Testament.
Perhaps they had
by that time ceased to be used in Israel.
Read More
1. Pered. Not mentioned until David's time, when Israel
became more familiar with horses (1 Chronicles 12:40; 2
Samuel 13:29; 2 Samuel 18:9). Used for riding only by
persons of rank (1 Kings 1:33). As breeding from different
species was forbidden (Leviticus 19:19), mules must have
been imported. An Egyptian monument from Thebes in British
Museum represents them yoked to a chariot. The people of
Togarmah (Armenia) brought them to Tyre for barter (Ezekiel
27:14). They were part of the "presents" from "the kings of
the earth" to Solomon, "a rate year by year" (2 Chronicles
9:23-24). In these ways they came into Israel (1 Kings
18:5). In Ezra 2:66; Nehemiah 7:68. the mules on the return
from Babylon amounted to 245; but the horses about three
times as many, 736; so that the mule was then, as we find in
the Greek classics, rarer and more precious.
2. Rechesh is translated "mules," Esther 8:10;
Esther 8:14; but in 1 Kings 4:28 "DROMEDARIES" Micah 1:13,
"swift beasts." (See CAMEL.)
3. Yeemim. Genesis 36:24 translated rather "Anah
that found the hot springs," so the Vulgate version; the
Samaritan text has "the Emim." Callirrhoe in the wady Zerka
Maein is thought to be Anah's hot springs.
Read More
Matthew 23:37; Luke 13:34. As "the eagle stirring up her nest,
fluttering over her young, spreading abroad her wings, taking,
bearing them on her wings," represents the Old Testament
aspect of Jehovah in relation to Israel under the law
(Deuteronomy 32:11), so the "hen," Christ the lowly loving Son
of God gathering God's children under His overshadowing wing,
in the gospel (Rth 2:12; Psalm 17:8; Psalm 91:4). (See EAGLE.)
So Jehovah "passed over", or sprang forward to overshadow
Israel from the destroying angel (Exodus 12:13). (See
PASSOVER; EXODUS.)
Read More
hoo'-po; -poo (dukhiphath; epops; Latin Upupa epops): One of
the peculiar and famous birds of Israel, having a curved
bill and beautiful plumage. It is about the size of a
thrush. Its back is a rich cinnamon color, its head golden
buff with a crest of feathers of gold, banded with white and
tipped with black, that gradually lengthen as they cover the
head until, when folded, they lie in lines of black and
white, and, when erect, each feather shows its exquisite
marking. Its wings and tail are black banded with white and
buff. It nests in holes and hollow trees. All ornithologists
agree that it is a "nasty, filthy bird" in its feeding and
breeding habits. The nest, being paid no attention by the
elders, soon becomes soiled and evil smelling. The bird is
mentioned only in the lists of abomination (Lev 11:19; and
Dt 14:18). One reason why Moses thought it unfit for food
was on account of its habits. Quite as strong a one lay in
the fact that it was one of the sacred birds of Egypt. There
the belief was prevalent that it could detect water and
indicate where to dig a well; that it could hear secrets and
cure diseases. Its head was a part of the charms used by
witches. The hoopoe was believed to have wonderful medicinal
powers and was called the "Doctor Bird" by the arabs.
Because it is almost the size of a hoopoe and somewhat
suggestive of it in its golden plumage, the lapwing was used
in the early translations of the Bible instead of hoopoe.
But when it was remembered that the lapwing is a plover, its
flesh and eggs especially dainty food, that it was eaten
everywhere it was known, modern commentators rightly decided
that the hoopoe was the bird intended by the Mosaic law. It
must be put on record, however, that where no superstition
attaches to the hoopoe and where its nesting habits are
unknown and its feeding propensities little understood, as
it passes in migration it is killed, eaten and considered
delicious, especially by residents of Southern Europe.
Gene Stratton-Porter
Read More
hor'-net (tsir`ah; compare tsor`ah, "Zorah" (Jdg 13:2,
etc.); also compare tsara`ath, "leprosy" (Lev 13:2, etc.);
from tsara`, "to smite"; Septuagint sphekia, literally,
"wasp's nest"): Hornets are mentioned only in Ex 23:28; Dt
7:20; Josh 24:12. All three references are to the miraculous
interposition of God in driving out before the Israelites
the original inhabitants of the promised land. There has
been much speculation as to whether hornets are literally
meant. The following seems to throw some light on this
question (Ex 23:20,27,28): "Behold, I send an angel before
thee, to keep thee by the way, and to bring thee into the
place which I have prepared. .... I will send my terror
before thee, and will discomfit all the people to whom thou
shalt come, and I will make all thine enemies turn their
backs unto thee. And I will send the hornet before thee,
which shall drive out the Hivite, the Canaanite, and the
Hittite, from before thee." The "terror" of Ex 23:27 may
well be considered to be typified by the "hornet" of 23:28,
the care for the Israelites (23:20) being thrown into marked
contrast with the confusion of their enemies. Compare Isa
7:18, where the fly and the bee symbolize the military
forces of Egypt and Assyria: "And it shall come to pass in
that day, that Yahweh will hiss for the fly that is in the
uttermost part of the rivers of Egypt, and for the bee that
is in the land of Assyria."
Hornets and wasps belong to the family Vespidae of the order
Hymenoptera. Both belong to the genus Vespa, the hornets
being distinguished by their large size. Both hornets and
wasps are abundant in Israel (compare Zorah, which may mean
"town of hornets"). a large kind is called in Arabic debbur,
which recalls the Hebrew debhorah, "bee." They sting
fiercely, but not unless molested.
Alfred Ely Day
Read More
-Or wasp
Ex 23:28; De 7:20; Jos 24:12
Read More
The hornet bears a general resemblance to the common wasp,
only it is larger. It is exceedingly fierce and voracious,
especially in hot climates and its sting is frequently
dangerous. In Scripture the hornet is referred to only by the
means which Jehovah employed for the extirpation of the
Canaanites. Ex 23:28; De 7:20; Jos 24:12 Wisd. 12:8. (It is
said that the Phaselitae, a Phoenician people, were driven
from their locality by hornets; and other examples are given
in Paxton's "Illustrations of Scripture," 1:303.--ED.)
Read More
Heb. tsir'ah, "stinging", (Ex. 23:28; Deut. 7:20; Josh.
24:12).
The word is used in these passages as referring to
some means by
which the Canaanites were to be driven out from
before the
Israelites. Some have supposed that the word is used
in a
metaphorical sense as the symbol of some panic which
would seize
the people as a "terror of God" (Gen. 35:5), the
consternation
with which God would inspire the Canaanites. In
Israel there
are four species of hornets, differing from our
hornets, being
larger in size, and they are very abundant. They
"attack human
beings in a very furious manner." "The furious
attack of a swarm
of hornets drives cattle and horses to madness, and
has even
caused the death of the animals."
Read More
tsireah. Whence Zoreah is named (Joshua 15:38). In Exodus
23:28, "I will send hornets before thee, which shall drive out
the Hivite," etc., is perhaps figurative for I will send
terror on them (Joshua 2:11; Deuteronomy 2:25), so that they
will flee as if before a swarm of hornets. So "bees"
(Deuteronomy 1:44; Psalm 118:12).
Read More
Moreover the LORD thy God will send the hornet among them,
until they that are left, and hide themselves from thee, be
destroyed.
Read More
And I sent the hornet before you, which drave them out from
before you, [even] the two kings of the Amorites; [but] not
with thy sword, nor with thy bow.
Read More
hors:
1. Names:
The common names are (1) cuc, and (2) hippos. (3) The word
parash, "horseman," occurs often, and in several cases is
translated "horse" or "warhorse" (Isa 28:28; Ezek 27:14;
Joel 2:4 the Revised Version, margin); also in 2 Sam 16,
where the "horsemen" of English Versions of the Bible is
ba`ale ha-parashim, "owners of horses"; compare Arabic
faris, "horseman," and faras, "horse". (4) The feminine form
cucah, occurs in Song 1:9, and is rendered as follows:
Septuagint he hippos; Vulgate (Jerome's Latin Bible, 390-405
A.D.) equitatum; the King James Version "company of horses,"
the Revised Version (British and American) "steed." It is
not clear why English Versions of the Bible does not have
"mare." (5) The word 'abbirim, "strong ones," is used for
horses in Jdg 5:22; Jer 8:16; 47:3; 50:11 (the King James
Version "bulls"). In Ps 22:12 the same word is translated
"strong bulls" (of Bashan). (6) For [~rekhesh (compare
Arabic rakad, "to run"), in 1 Ki 4:28; Est 8:10,14; Mic
1:13, the Revised Version (British and American) has "swift
steeds," while the King James Version gives "dromedaries" in
1 Ki and "mules" in Est. (7) For kirkaroth (Isa 66:20), the
King James Version and the English Revised Version have
"swift beasts"; the English Revised Version margin and the
American Standard Revised Version "dromedaries"; Septuagint
skiddia, perhaps "covered carriages." In Est 8:10,14 we find
the doubtful words (8) 'achashteranim, and (9) bene ha-
rammakim, which have been variously translated. the King
James Version has respectively "camels" and "young
dromedaries," the Revised Version (British and American)
"used in the king's service" and "bred of the stud," the
Revised Version margin "mules" and "young dromedaries."...
Read More
-Description of
Great strength
Job 39:19-25
Swifter than eagles
Jer 4:13
Snorting and neighing of
Isa 5:28; Jer 8:16
A vain thing for safety
Ps 33:17; Pr 21:31
-Used by the Egyptians in war
Ex 14:9; 15:19
-Used by the Israelites
1Ki 22:4
-Used for cavalry
2Ki 18:23; Jer 47:3; 51:21
-Egypt famous for
Isa 31:1
-Forbidden to the kings of Israel
De 17:16
-Hamstrung by
Joshua
Jos 11:6,9
David
2Sa 8:4
-Israel reproved for keeping
Isa 2:7; 31:1; Eze 17:15; Ho 14:3
-Exported
From Egypt
1Ki 10:28,29; 2Ch 9:25,28
From Babylon
Ezr 2:66; Ne 7:68
-Bits for
Jas 3:3
-Bells for
Zec 14:20
-Harness for
Jer 46:4
-Color of
Zec 1:8
-Commerce in
Re 18:13
-See EXPORTED, above
-Dedicated to religious uses
2Ki 23:11
-SYMBOLICAL
Zec 1:8; Re 6:2-8; 9:17; 19:11-21
Read More
The most striking feature in the biblical notices of the
horse is the exclusive application of it to warlike
operations; in no instance is that useful animal employed
for the purposes of ordinary locomotion or agriculture, if
we except Isa 28:28 The animated description of the horse in
Job 39:19-25 applies solely to the war-horse. The Hebrews in
the patriarchal age, as a pastoral race, did not stand in
need of the services Of the horse, and for a long period
after their settlement in Canaan they dispensed with it,
partly in consequence of the hilly nature of the country,
which only admitted of the use of chariots in certain
localities, Jud 1:19 and partly in consequence to the
prohibition in De 17:16 which would be held to apply at all
periods. David first established a force of cavalry and
chariots, 2Sa 8:4 but the great supply of horses was
subsequently effected by Solomon through his connection with
Egypt. 1Ki 4:26 Solomon also established a very active trade
in horses, which were brought by dealers out of Egypt and
resold, at a profit, to the Hittites. With regard to the
trappings and management of the horse we have little
information. The bridle was placed over the horse's nose,
Isa 30:28 and a bit or curb is also mentioned. 2Ki 19:28; Ps
32:9; Pr 26:3; Isa 37:29 In the Authorized Version it is
incorrectly given "bridle," with the exception of Ps 32:1
... Saddles were not used until a late period. The horses
were not shod, and therefore hoofs are hard "as flint," Isa
5:28 were regarded as a great merit. The chariot-horses were
covered with embroidered trappings Eze 27:20 Horses and
chariots were used also in idolatrous processions, as
noticed in regard to the sun. 2Ki 23:11
Read More
always referred to in the Bible in connection with warlike
operations, except Isa. 28:28. The war-horse is
described Job
39:19-25. For a long period after their settlement in
Canaan the
Israelites made no use of horses, according to the
prohibition,
Deut. 17:16. David was the first to form a force of
cavalry (2
Sam. 8:4). But Solomon, from his connection with
Egypt, greatly
multiplied their number (1 Kings 4:26; 10:26, 29).
After this,
horses were freely used in Israel (1 Kings 22:4; 2
Kings 3:7;
9:21, 33; 11:16). The furniture of the horse consisted
simply of
a bridle (Isa. 30:28) and a curb (Ps. 32:9).
Read More
In Scripture used for war-like purposes, not agriculture
(except in treading out grain for threshing, Isaiah 28:28,
where for "horsemen" translated "horses".) Job's magnificent
description refers to the war horse (Isaiah 39:19-25), "hast
thou clothed his neck with thunder?" i.e. with the power of
inspiring terror. Rather "with majesty" (Umbreit), "with
quivering mane" (Maurer). The Greek connection between mane
(fobee) and terror (fobos) favors A.V. which is more poetic.
"Canst thou make him afraid (rather 'make him spring') as a
grasshopper?" So in Joel 2:4 war horses are compared to
locusts. Their heads are so like that the Italian for "locust"
is cavaletta, "little horse." "The glory of his nostrils is
terrible: he paweth in the valley and rejoiceth in strength,
he goeth on," etc.; "he swalloweth the ground with
fierceness," i.e. draws it in fierce impatience toward him
with his hoof, as if he would "swallow" it...
Read More
And with thee will I break in pieces the horse and his rider;
and with thee will I break in pieces the chariot and his
rider;
Read More
And let this apparel and horse be delivered to the hand of one
of the king's most noble princes, that they may array the man
[withal] whom the king delighteth to honour, and bring him on
horseback through the street of the city, and proclaim before
him, Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delighteth
to honour.
Read More
And they fetched up, and brought forth out of Egypt a chariot
for six hundred [shekels] of silver, and an horse for an
hundred and fifty: and so brought they out [horses] for all
the kings of the Hittites, and for the kings of Syria, by
their means.
Read More
hi-e'-na (tsabhua` (Jer 12:9); Septuagint huaine (Jer 12:9;
Ecclesiasticus 13:18); compare Arabic dab` or dabu`,
"hyaena"; compare tsebho`im, Zeboim (1 Sam 13:18; Neh
11:34); also compare tsibh`on, Zibeon (Gen 36:2,14,20; 1 Ch
1:38); but not tsebhoyim, Zeboiim (Gen 10:19; 14:2, etc.)):
English Versions of the Bible does not contain the word
"hyena," except in Ecclesiasticus 13:18, "What peace is
there between the hyena and the dog? and what; peace between
the rich man and the poor?" In Jer 12:9, where the Hebrew
has ha-`ayiT tsabhua` (the Revised Version (British and
American) "a speckled bird of prey"), Septuagint has
spelaion huaines, "a hyena's den," as if from a Hebrew
original having me`arah, "cave," instead of ha-`ayiT,
"bird." The root tsabha` may mean "to seize as prey"
(compare Arabic seb`, "lion" or "rapacious animal"), or "to
dip" or "to dye" (compare Arabic cabagh, "to dye"), hence,
the two translations of tsabhua` as "hyena" and as
"speckled" (Vulgate versicolor).
The hyena of Israel is the striped hyena (Hyaena striata)
which ranges from India to North Africa. The striped, the
spotted, and the brown hyenas constitute a distinct family
of the order of Carnivora, having certain peculiarities of
dentition and having four toes on each foot, instead of four
behind and five in front, as in most of the order. The hyena
is a nocturnal animal, rarely seen though fairly abundant,
powerful but cowardly, a feeder on carrion and addicted to
grave-robbing. The last habit in particular has won it the
abhorrence of the natives of the countries which it
inhabits. In the passage cited in Ecclus, it is to be noted
that it is to the hyena that the rich man is compared. The
jaws and teeth of the hyena are exceedingly strong and
fitted for crushing bones which have resisted the efforts of
dogs and jackals. Its dens are in desolate places and are
littered with fragments of skeletons. "Is my heritage unto
me as a speckled bird of prey?" (Jer 12:9) becomes a more
striking passage if the Septuagint is followed, "Is my
heritage unto me as a hyena's den?"
Shaqq-ud-Diba`, "Cleft of the hyenas," is the name of a
valley north of Wadi-ul-Qelt, and Wadi-Abu-Diba` (of similar
meaning) is the name of an affluent of Wadi-ul-Qelt. Either
of these, or possibly Wadi-ul-Qelt itself, may be the valley
of Zeboim (valley of hyenas) of 1 Sam 13:18.
The name of Zibeon the Horite (Gen 36:2, etc.) is more
doubtfully connected with "hyena."
Alfred Ely Day
Read More
Authorities differ as to whether the term tzabu'a in Jer 12:9
means a "hyaena" or a "speckled bird." The only other instance
in which it occurs is as a proper name, Zeboim, 1Sa 13:18 "the
valley of hyaenas, "Aquila; Ne 11:34 The striped hyaena
(Hyaena striata) is found in Africa, Asia Minor, Arabia and
Persia, and is more common in Israel than any other
carnivorous animals except perhaps the jackal. The hyaena is
among the mammals what the vulture is among birds, --the
scavenger of the wilderness, the woods and the shore. --It
often attacks animals, and Sometimes digs up the dead bodies
of men and beasts. From this last habit the hyaena has been
regarded as a horrible and mysterious creature. Its teeth are
so powerful that they can crack the bones of an ox with ease.
--Appelton's Encyc. The hyaena was common in ancient as in
modern Egypt, and is constantly depicted upon monuments; it
must therefore have been well known to the Jews.
Read More
Jeremiah 12:9, "speckled bird." But Septuagint "the hyena," in
parallelism to the "lion" in Jeremiah 12:8; tsabuwa the Arabic
word for hyena corresponds. Zeboim (1 Samuel 13:18) means "the
valley of hyenas." But the Hebrew 'ayit joined to it always
means a bird; and "speckled" symbolizes the blending of
paganism with the utterly diverse, divinely-ordained law.
Read More
kit ('ayyah; iktinos; Latin Milvus ictinus or regalis): A
medium-sized member of the hawk tribe (see HAWK). This bird is
27 inches long, of bright reddish-brown color, has sharply
pointed wings and deeply forked tail. It is supposed to have
exceptionally piercing eyes. It takes moles, mice, young game
birds, snakes and frogs, as well as carrion for food. Its head
and facial expression are unusually eagle-like. It was common
over Israel in winter, but bred in the hills of Galilee and
rough mountainous places, so it was less conspicuous in
summer. It is among the lists of abominations (see Lev 11:14
and Dt 14:13). It is notable that this is the real bird
intended by Job to be used as that whose eye could not trace
the path to the silver mine:
"That path no bird of prey knoweth,
Neither hath the falcon's eye seen it" (Job 28:7).
The word used here in the original Hebrew is 'ayyah, which was
the name for kite. Our first translators used "vulture"; our
latest efforts give "falcon," a smaller bird of different
markings, not having the kite's reputation for eyesight.
Gene Stratton-Porter
Read More
-A bird forbidden as food
Le 11:14; De 14:13
Read More
(Heb. ayyah), a rapacious and keen-sighted bird of prey
belonging to the hawk family. The Hebrew word thus rendered
occurs in three passages -- Le 11:14; De 14:13; Job 28:7 In
the two former it is translated "kite" in the Authorized
Version, in the latter "vulture." It is enumerated among the
twenty names of birds mentioned in De 14:1 ... which were
considered unclean by the Mosaic law and forbidden to be used
as food by the Israelites.
Read More
an unclean and keen-sighted bird of prey (Lev. 11:14; Deut.
14:13). The Hebrew word used, _'ayet_, is rendered
"vulture" in
Job 28:7 in Authorized Version, "falcon" in Revised
Version. It
is probably the red kite (Milvus regalis), a bird of
piercing
sight and of soaring habits found all over Israel.
Read More
'ayyah (Leviticus 11:14). The red kite, Milvus regalis,
remarkable for its sharp sight (Job 28:7, where for "vulture"
translated "kite," 'ayyah even its eye fails to penetrate the
miner's hidden "path"; Deuteronomy 14:13). From an Arabic root
"to turn," the kite sailing in circles guided by the rudder-
like tail. The phrase "after its kind" implies that a genus or
class of birds, not merely one individual, is meant. The bony
orbits of the eye and the eye itself are especially large in
proportion to the skull, in all the Raptores. The sclerotic
plates enclose the eye as in a hoop, in the form of a goblet
with a trumpet rim; by this the eye becomes a self-adjusting
telescope to discern near or far objects. Hence, when a beast
dies in a wilderness, in a very short time kites and vultures,
invisible before to man, swoop in spiral circles from all
quarters toward it.
Read More
And the glede, and the kite, and the vulture after his kind,
Read More
And the vulture, and the kite after his kind;
Read More
lep'-erd ((1) namer (Song 4:8; Isa 11:6; Jer 5:6; 13:23; Hos
13:7; Hab 1:8); compare Arabic nimr, "leopard." (2) Chaldaic
nemar (Dan 7:6). (3) pardalis (Rev 13:2; Ecclesiasticus
28:23); compare nimrim Nimrim (Isa 15:6; Jer 48:34), nimrah,
Nimrah (Nu 32:3), and beth-nimrah, Beth-nimrah (Nu 32:36;
Josh 13:27)): The leopard is found throughout Africa and
ranges through Southern Asia from Asia Minor to Japan, being
absent from Siberia and Central Asia. Its range is much the
same as that of the lion, which latter, however, does not
extend so far to the East. Like other animals of wide range,
it has local varieties, but these shade into each other
imperceptibly, and the one specific name, Felis pardus,
includes all. Leopards live in some of the valleys East and
South of the Dead Sea, and in the mountains of Sinai and
Northwestern Arabia. They have but rarely been seen of
recent years in Lebanon or the more settled portions of
Israel. So far as can be judged from skins which are
available for comparison, the leopard of Israel is rather
light in color, and is not as large as. some found in Africa
or India. It is not certain that the place-names, NIMRIM,
NIMRAH, and BETH-NIMRAH (which see), have to do with namer,
"leopard," but their location is in Moab, where leopards are
well known, even at the present day. One of the valleys
entering the Dead Sea from the East, South of the Arnon, is
called Wadi-en-Numeir ("valley of the little leopard";
numeir, diminutive of nimr).
In the Bible "leopard" occurs mainly in figurative
expressions, as a large and fierce beast. The leopard is
mentioned with the lion and bear in Dan 7:6; Hos 13:7; Rev
13:2; with the lion, wolf and bear in Isa 11:6; with the
lion and wolf in Jer 5:6; with the lion alone in
Ecclesiasticus 28:23; with the wolf alone in Hab 1:8. The
leopard is smaller than the lion and the tiger, but is more
active than either. Its swiftness is referred to in Hab 1:8:
"Their horses also (of the Chaldeans) are swifter than
leopards." The spots of the leopard are referred to in Jer
13:23: "Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard
his spots?"
The Greek pardalis, and panther, were both applied to the
leopard. "Panther" is sometimes used of large leopards,
while in America, with its corrupt form "painter," it is one
of the names applied to the cougar or puma, Felis concolor,
which, as the specific name implies, is not spotted like the
leopard, or striped like the tiger.
Alfred Ely Day
Read More
-A carnivorous animal
So 4:8
-Fierceness of
Jer 5:6; 13:23; Ho 13:7; Hab 1:8
-FIGURATIVE
Da 7:6
Taming of, the triumph of the gospel
Isa 11:6
Read More
(Heb. namer) is invariably given by the Authorized Version as
the translation of the Hebrew word, which occurs in the seven
following passages: So 4:8; Isa 11:6; Jer 5:6; 13:23; Da 7:6;
Ho 13:7; Habb 1:8
Leopard occurs also in Ecclus. 28:23 and in Re 13:2
From So 4:8 we learn that the hilly ranges of Lebanon were in
ancient times frequented by these animals. They are now not
uncommonly seen in and about Lebanon and the southern maritime
mountains of Syria. Under the name namer, which means
"spotted," it is not improbable that another animal, namely
the cheetah (Gueparda jubata), may be included; which is tamed
by the Mohammedans of Syria, who employ it in hunting the
gazelle.
Read More
(Heb. namer, so called because spotted, Cant. 4:8), was that
great spotted feline which anciently infested the
mountains of
Syria, more appropriately called a panther (Felis
pardus). Its
fierceness (Isa. 11:6), its watching for its prey
(Jer. 5:6),
its swiftness (Hab. 1:8), and the spots of its skin
(Jer.
13:23), are noticed. This word is used symbolically
(Dan. 7:6;
Rev. 13:2).
Read More
Famed for swiftness and agility (Habakkuk 1:8); "you would
fancy it was flying" (Oppian Cyneg., iii. 76); it climbs
trees, and can crawl along the ground. Hence the symbol for
Greece and Alexander's rapid victories (Daniel 7:6; Revelation
13:2). The prevalence of leopards anciently in Israel is
marked by the many places named from them (namer, Hebrew):
Nimrah, Nimrim, Beth Nimrah. "The mountains of the leopard"
(Song of Solomon 4:8), namely, Lebanon and Hermon, where still
they are found; "the mountains of prey" (Psalm 76:4),
symbolizing the rapacious world kingdoms. They spring with
successive rapid bounds. They cunningly lie in wait in
thickets and often near villages for their prey, as
distinguished from the lion's bold, open attack (Jeremiah 5:6;
Hosea 13:7): "as a leopard by the way, I will observe (lie in
wait for) them." Its unalterable spots represent man's
inability to change himself (Jeremiah 13:23); yet the leopard
in the millennium shall "lie down with the kid" (Isaiah 11:6).
Read More
And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his
feet were as [the feet] of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth
of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat,
and great authority.
Read More
Wherefore a lion out of the forest shall slay them, [and] a
wolf of the evenings shall spoil them, a leopard shall watch
over their cities: every one that goeth out thence shall be
torn in pieces: because their transgressions are many, [and]
their backslidings are increased.
Read More
The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall
lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the
fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.
Read More
le-vi'-a-than (liwyathan (Job 41:1-34), from [~lawah, "to
fold"; compare Arabic
name of the wry neck, Iynx torquilla, abu-luwa, from kindred
lawa, "to bend"):
(1) The word "leviathan" also occurs in Isa 27:1, where it
is characterized as "the swift serpent .... the crooked
serpent"; in Ps 104:26, where a marine monster is indicated;
also in Ps 74:14 and Job 3:8. The description in Job 41 has
been thought by some to refer to the whale, but while the
whale suits better the expressions denoting great strength,
the words apply best on the whole to the crocodile.
Moreover, the whale is very seldom found in the
Mediterranean, while the crocodile is abundant in the Nile,
and has been known to occur in at least one river of Israel,
the Zarqa, North of Jaffa. For a discussion of the behemoth
and leviathan as mythical creatures, see EB, under the word
"Behemoth" and "Leviathan." The points in the description
which may well apply to the crocodile are the great
invulnerability, the strong and close scales, the limbs and
the teeth. It must be admitted that there are many
expressions which a modern scientist would not use with
reference to the crocodile, but the Book of Job is neither
modern nor scientific, but poetical and ancient.
(2) See ASTRONOMY, sec. II, 2, 5.
Alfred Ely Day
Read More
-Possibly a crocodile
Job 41; Ps 104:26
-"The crooked (R. V.) serpent."
Isa 27:1
-FIGURATIVE
Ps 74:14
Read More
(jointed monster) occurs five times in the text of the
Authorized Version, and once in the margin of Job 3:8 where
the text has "mourning." In the Hebrew Bible the word
livyathan, which is, with the foregoing exception, always left
untranslated in the Authorized Version, is found only in the
following passages: Job 3:8; 41:1; Ps 74:14; 104:26; Isa 27:1
In the margin of Job 3:8 and text of Job 41:1 the crocodile is
most clearly the animal denoted by the Hebrew word. Ps 74:14
also clearly points to this same saurian. The context of Ps
104:26 seems to show that in this passage the name represents
some animal of the whale tribe, which is common in the
Mediterranean; but it is somewhat uncertain what animal is
denoted in Isa 27:1 As the term leviathan is evidently used in
no limited sense, it is not improbable that the "leviathan the
piercing serpent," or "leviathan the crooked serpent," may
denote some species of the great rock-snakes which are common
in south and west Africa.
Read More
-Designated as one of the ceremonially clean animals to be
eaten
De 14:4; with Le 11:1-8
-Used for food
Ge 27:9; 1Sa 16:20
-For the paschal feast
Ex 12:5; 2Ch 35:7
-As a sacrifice by Abraham
Ge 15:9
-By Gideon
Jud 6:19
-Manoah
Jud 13:19
-Milk of, used for food
Pr 27:27
-Hair of, used for clothing
Nu 31:20
-Pillows
1Sa 19:13
-Curtains of the tabernacle
Ex 26:7; 35:23; 36:14
-Used for tents
See TABERNACLES
-Regulations of Mosaic law required that a baby goat should
not
be killed for food before it was eight days old
Le 22:27
-Nor seethed in its mother's milk
Ex 23:19
-Numerous
De 32:14; So 4:1; 6:5; 1Sa 25:2; 2Ch 17:11
-Wild, in Palestine
1Sa 24:2; Ps 104:18
Read More
There appear to be two or three varieties of the common goat,
Hircus agagrus, at present bred in Israel and Syria, but
whether they are identical with those which were reared by the
ancient Hebrews it is not possible to say. The most marked
varieties are the Syrian goat(Capra mammorica, Linn.) and the
Angora goat (Capra angorensis, Linn.), with fine long hair. As
to the "wild goats," 1Sa 24:2; Job 39:1; Ps 104:18 it is not
at all improbable that some species of ibex is denoted.
Read More
(1.) Heb. 'ez, the she-goat (Gen. 15:9; 30:35; 31:38). This
Hebrew word is also used for the he-goat (Ex. 12:5;
Lev. 4:23;
Num. 28:15), and to denote a kid (Gen. 38:17, 20).
Hence it may
be regarded as the generic name of the animal as
domesticated.
It literally means "strength," and points to the
superior
strength of the goat as compared with the sheep.
(2.) Heb. 'attud, only in plural; rendered "rams"
(Gen.
31:10,12); he-goats (Num. 7:17-88; Isa. 1:11); goats
(Deut.
32:14; Ps. 50:13). They were used in sacrifice (Ps.
66:15). This
word is used metaphorically for princes or chiefs in
Isa. 14:9,
and in Zech. 10:3 as leaders. (Comp. Jer. 50:8.)
(3.) Heb. gedi, properly a kid. Its flesh was a
delicacy among
the Hebrews (Gen. 27:9, 14, 17; Judg. 6:19).
(4.) Heb. sa'ir, meaning the "shaggy," a hairy goat,
a he-goat
(2 Chr. 29:23); "a goat" (Lev. 4:24); "satyr" (Isa.
13:21);
"devils" (Lev. 17:7). It is the goat of the sin-
offering (Lev.
9:3, 15; 10:16).
(5.) Heb. tsaphir, a he-goat of the goats (2 Chr.
29:21). In
Dan. 8:5, 8 it is used as a symbol of the Macedonian
empire.
(6.) Heb. tayish, a "striker" or "butter," rendered
"he-goat"
(Gen. 30:35; 32:14).
(7.) Heb. 'azazel (q.v.), the "scapegoat" (Lev.
16:8, 10,26).
(8.) There are two Hebrew words used to denote the
undomesticated goat:, _Yael_, only in plural
mountain goats (1
Sam. 24:2; Job 39:1; Ps.104:18). It is derived from
a word
meaning "to climb." It is the ibex, which abounded
in the
mountainous parts of Moab. And _'akko_, only in
Deut. 14:5, the
wild goat.
Goats are mentioned in the New Testament in Matt.
25:32,33;
Heb. 9:12,13, 19; 10:4. They represent oppressors
and wicked men
(Ezek. 34:17; 39:18; Matt. 25:33).
Several varieties of the goat were familiar to the
Hebrews.
They had an important place in their rural economy
on account of
the milk they afforded and the excellency of the
flesh of the
kid. They formed an important part of pastoral
wealth (Gen.
31:10, 12;32:14; 1 Sam. 25:2).
Read More
1. Wild goat, yeliym, the ibex of ancient Moab.
2. The goat deer, or else gazelle, aqow.
3. The atuwd, "he goat", the leader of the flock;
hence the chief ones of the earth, leaders in mighty
wickedness; the ram represents headstrong wantonness and
offensive lust (Isaiah 14:9; Zechariah 10:3; compare Matthew
25:32-33; Ezekiel 34:17). As the word "shepherds" describes
what they ought to have been, so "he goats" what they were;
heading the flock, they were foremost in sin, so they shall
be foremost in punishment. In Song of Solomon 4:1 the hair
of the bride is said to be "as a flock of goats that appear
from mount Gilead," alluding to the fine silky hair of some
breeds of goat, the angora and others. Amos (Amos 3:12)
speaks of a shepherd "taking out of the mouth of the lion a
piece of an ear," alluding to the long pendulous ears of the
Syrian breed. In Proverbs 30:31 a he goat is mentioned as
one of the "four things comely in going," in allusion to the
stately march of the leader of the flock.
4. Sair, the goat of the sin-offering (Leviticus
9:3), "the rough hairy goat" (Daniel 8:21). Sa'ir is used of
devils (Leviticus 17:7), "the evil spirits of the desert"
(Isaiah 13:21; Isaiah 34:14).
5. Azazeel, "the scape-goat" (Leviticus 16:8;
Leviticus 16:10; Leviticus 16:26 margin) frontATONEMENT, DAY
OF.) The "he goat" represented Graeco-Macedonia; Caranus,
the first king of Macedon, was in legend led by goats to
Edessa, his capital, which he named "the goat city." The
one-horned goat is on coins of Archclaus king of Macedon,
and a pilaster of Persepolis. So Daniel 8:5.
Read More
But the firstling of a cow, or the firstling of a sheep, or
the firstling of a goat, thou shalt not redeem; they [are]
holy: thou shalt sprinkle their blood upon the altar, and
shalt burn their fat [for] an offering made by fire, for a
sweet savour unto the LORD.
Read More
Then shall he kill the goat of the sin offering, that [is] for
the people, and bring his blood within the vail, and do with
that blood as he did with the blood of the bullock, and
sprinkle it upon the mercy seat, and before the mercy seat:
Read More
And one goat [for] a sin offering; beside the continual burnt
offering, and his meat offering, and his drink offering.
Read More
-General scriptures concerning
Pr 30:31
Read More
the translation in the text of the Authorized Version, Pr
30:31 of the Hebrew word zarzir mothnayin; i.e. "one girt
about the loins." Various are the opinions as to what animal
"comely in going" is here intended Some think "a leopard,"
others "an eagle," or "a man girt with armor," or "a zebra,"
or "a war-horse girt with trappings." But perhaps the word
means "a wrestler," when girt about the loins for a contest.
Read More
(Prov. 30:31), the rendering of the Hebrew _zarzir
mothnayim_,
meaning literally "girded as to the lions." Some
(Gesen.; R.V.
marg.) render it "war-horse." The LXX. and Vulgate
versions
render it "cock." It has been by some interpreters
rendered also
"stag" and "warrior," as being girded about or
panoplied, and
"wrestler." The greyhound, however, was evidently
known in
ancient times, as appears from Egyptian monuments.
Read More
Proverbs 30:31, margin, "girt in the loins," referring to the
slenderness of its body at the loins, as if tightly girt for
grace and swiftness in running, so that it is classed among
the "things which go well." The ancient Egyptian paintings
represent such close-girt hounds used in coursing. Gesenius
understands Proverbs 30:31 "a war horse with ornamental
trappings girt on its loins." Maurer, "a wrestler with loins
girt for the struggle."
Read More
A greyhound; an he goat also; and a king, against whom [there
is] no rising up.
Read More
har ('arnebheth (Lev 11:6; Dt 14:7); compare Arabic 'arnab,
"hare"): This animal is mentioned only in the lists of
unclean animals in Leviticus and Deuteronomy, Where it
occurs along with the camel, the coney and the swine. The
camel, the hare and the coney are unclean, `because they
chew the cud but part not the hoof,' the swine, "because he
parteth the hoof .... but cheweth not the cud." The hare and
the coney are not ruminants, but might be supposed to be
from their habit of almost continually moving their jaws.
Both are freely eaten by the Arabs. Although 'arnebheth
occurs only in the two places cited, there is no doubt that
it is the hare. Septuagint has dasupous, "rough-footed,"
which, while not the commonest Greek word (lagos), refers to
the remarkable fact that in hares and rabbits the soles of
the feet are densely covered with hair. 'Arnab, which is the
common Arabic word for "hare," is from the same root as the
Hebrew 'arnebheth.
Lev 11:4-7: verse 4, English Versions of the Bible "camel";
Septuagint ton kamelon; Vulgate (Jerome's Latin Bible, 390-
405 A.D.) camelus; Hebrew ha-gamal. Lev 11:5, English
Versions of the Bible "coney"; Septuagint ton dasupoda;
Vulgate, choerogryllus; Hebrew ha-shapan. Lev 11:6, English
Versions of the Bible "hare"; Septuagint ton choirogruillion
Vulgate, lepus; Hebrew ha-arnebeth. Lev 11:7, English
Versions of the Bible "swine"; Septuagint ton hun; Vulgate,
sus; Hebrew ha-chazir.
Dt 14:7: English Versions of the Bible "camel"; Septuagint
ton kamelon Vulgate, camelum; Hebrew hagamal; English
Versions of the Bible "hare"; Septuagint dasupoda; Vulgate,
leporem; Hebrew ha'arnebeth; English Versions of the Bible
"coney"; Septuagint choirogrullion; Vulgate, choerogryllum;
Hebrew hashaphan.
Dt 14:8: English Versions of the Bible "swine"; Septuagint
ton hun Vulgate, sus; Hebrew hacheziyr.
It is evident from the above and from the meanings of
dasupous and chorogrullios as given in Liddell and Scott,
that the order of Septuagint in Lev 11:5,6 does not follow
the Hebrew, but has apparently assimilated the order of that
of Dt 14:7,8. In Ps 104:18, Septuagint has chorogrullios for
shaphan; also in Prov 30:26.
Since the word "coney," which properly means "rabbit," has
been applied to the hyrax, so, in America at least, the word
"rabbit" is widely used for various species of hare, e.g.
the gray rabbit and the jack-rabbit, both of which are
hares. Hares have longer legs and ears and are swifter than
rabbits. Their young are hairy and have their eyes open,
while rabbits are born naked and blind. Hares are widely
distributed in the Northern Hemisphere, and there is one
species in South America. Rabbits are apparently native to
the Western Mediterranean countries, although they have been
distributed by man all over the world.
Lepus syriacus, the common hare of Syria and Israel, differs
somewhat from the European hare. Lepus judeae is cited by
Tristram from Northeastern Israel, and he also notes three
other species from the extreme south.
Alfred Ely Day
Read More
-Forbidden as food
Le 11:6; De 14:7
Read More
(Heb. arnebeth) occurs only in Le 11:6 and Deut 14:7
amongst the animals disallowed as food by the Mosaic
law. The hare is at this day called arnel by the Arabs in
Israel and Syria. It was erroneously thought by the ancient
Jews to have chewed the cud. They were no doubt misled as in
the case of the shaphfan (hyrax), by the habit these animals
have of moving the jaw about.
Read More
(Heb. 'arnebeth) was prohibited as food according to the
Mosaic
law (Lev. 11:6; Deut. 14:7), "because he cheweth the
cud, but
divideth not the hoof." The habit of this animal is
to grind its
teeth and move its jaw as if it actually chewed the
cud. But,
like the cony (q.v.), it is not a ruminant with four
stomachs,
but a rodent like the squirrel, rat, etc. Moses
speaks of it
according to appearance. It is interdicted because,
though
apparently chewing the cud, it did not divide the
hoof.
There are two species in Syria, (1) the Lepus
Syriacus or
Syrian hare, which is like the English hare; and (2)
the Lepus
Sinaiticus, or hare of the desert. No rabbits are
found in
Syria.
Read More
arnebeth Reckoned unclean on the ground that it "chews the
cud, but divideth not the hoof" (Leviticus 11:6; Deuteronomy
14:7). It brings up from the (esophagus and chews again its
food; but there is no genuine rumination, neither it nor the
hyrax ("coney") or shaaphan have the special stomach of the
ruminants. Rodent animals, as the hare and the hyrax, keep
down the undue growth of their teeth, which grow during
life, by grinding with their jaws. The sacred legislator did
not design the classification of a scientific naturalist or
a comparative anatomist, but to furnish a popular mode of
recognizing animals the flesh of which was not to be eaten.
The rule in Deuteronomy 17:27, "whatsoever goeth upon his
paws" (as the dog, cat, and beasts of prey), sufficiently
excludes from the clean the hyrax and the hare. The Parsees
still abominate the hare.
The hare, though having a divided foot, has not a
cloven hoof, which was a requisite for legal cleanness. True
ruminants have four stomachs, molar teeth, and a jawbone
suited for the circular movement of chewing the cud. The
hare has none of these marks, and has in the upper jaw
incisor teeth, which ruminants have not. But hares retain
the cropped food within the hollows of their cheeks and
masticate it at leisure, which in phenomenal language is
"chewing the cud," and is so described by even so close an
observer of nature as the poet Cowper. The ancient Britons
rejected it as food. The Palestinian hare, Lepus Syriacus,
was of a fur buff or yellowish-grey color, the hare of the
desert (Lepus Sinaiticus) darker and smaller. The rabbit
(Lepus cuniculus) seems to be unknown in Syria and Israel.
Read More
Nevertheless these ye shall not eat of them that chew the cud,
or of them that divide the cloven hoof; [as] the camel, and
the hare, and the coney: for they chew the cud, but divide not
the hoof; [therefore] they [are] unclean unto you.
Read More
And the hare, because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not the
hoof; he [is] unclean unto you.
Read More
the male stag. The word denotes some member of the deer tribe
either the fallow deer or the Barbary deer. The hart is
reckoned among the clean animals, De 12:15; 14:5; 15:22 and
seems from the passages quoted, as well as from 1Ki 4:23 to
have been commonly killed for food.
Read More
(Heb. 'ayal), a stag or male deer. It is ranked among the
clean
animals (Deut. 12:15; 14:5; 15:22), and was commonly
killed for
food (1 Kings 4:23). The hart is frequently alluded to
in the
poetical and prophetical books (Isa. 35:6; Cant. 2:8,
9; Lam.
1:6; Ps. 42:1).
Read More
ayal. The male of the stag, Cervus Duma. Resorting to the
mountains (Song of Solomon 8:14); sure-footed there (2
Samuel 22:34; Habakkuk 3:19). Monogamous and constant in
affection (Proverbs 5:19). In Psalm 42:1 the verb is
feminine; the hind therefore, not the hart, is meant; her
weakness intensifies her thirst. The emblem of activity
(Isaiah 35:6). So Naphtali is described by Jacob
prophetically (Genesis 49:21), "a hind let loose." His
active energy was shown against Jabin the Canaanite
oppressor (Judges 4:6-9; Judges 5:18). The Targums say he
first told Jacob that Joseph was yet alive; "he giveth
goodly words." The Hebrew sheluchim, "the apostles," answers
to shelucha "let loose." So the prophecy hints at what
Isaiah (Isaiah 52:7) more clearly unfolds, "how beautiful
upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good
tidings."
Easily agitated (Song of Solomon 2:7; Song of
Solomon 3:5), so that the hunter must advance on them with
breathless caution if he would take them; an emblem of the
resting (Zephaniah 3:17) but easily grieved Holy Spirit
(Ezekiel 16:43; Matthew 18:7; Ephesians 4:30). The thunder
so terrifies them that they prematurely bring forth (Psalm
29:9). The case of their parturition, through the instinct
given them by God's care, stands in contrast to the
shepherd's anxiety in numbering the months of the flock's
pregnancy, and is an argument to convince Job (Job 39:1-3)
of God's consummate wisdom; why then should he harbour for a
moment the thought that God, who cares so providentially for
the humblest creature, could be capable of harshness and
injustice toward His noblest creature, man?
The masculine ayal, Septuagint elafos, is the fallow
deer (Dama commonis) or the Barbary deer (Cervus Barbarus)
according to Appendix, Smith's Bible Dictionary Timid and
fleet especially when seeking and not able to find pasture
(Lamentations 1:6); emblem of Zion's captive princes at
Babylon. Septuagint and Vulgate read eylim, "rams." Ajalon
abounded in the ayal, whence it took its name. Aijeleth,
"the hind," in the title Psalm 22 symbolizes one shot at by
the archers and persecuted to death, namely, Messiah; as the
persecutors are symbolized by "bulls," "lions," "dogs."
The addition "of the morning" (shahar) implies
prosperity dawning after suffering. The hind is emblematic
of the grace, innocence, and loveliness (Song of Solomon
2:9) of the Antitype to Joseph (Genesis 49:23-24). The
hind's sure footing in the rocks typifies the believer's
preservation in high places and difficulties. The Arabs call
a deer by a like name to the Hebrew, (iyal). The deer is
represented on the slabs at Nineveh, and seems to have
abounded anciently in Syria, though not there now.
Read More
Notwithstanding thou mayest kill and eat flesh in all thy
gates, whatsoever thy soul lusteth after, according to the
blessing of the LORD thy God which he hath given thee: the
unclean and the clean may eat thereof, as of the roebuck, and
as of the hart.
Read More
As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul
after thee, O God.
Read More
The hart, and the roebuck, and the fallow deer, and the wild
goat, and the pygarg, and the wild ox, and the chamois.
Read More
hej'-hog Septuagint echinos, "hedgehog," for qippodh, in Isa
14:23; 34:11; Zeph 2:14, and for qippoz, in Isa 34:15).
See PORCUPINE; BITTERN; OWL; SERPENT.
Read More
The hen is nowhere noticed in the Bible except in Mt 23:37;
Lu 13:34 That a bird so common in Israel should receive such
slight notice is certainly peculiar.
Read More
common in later times among the Jews in Israel (Matt. 23:37;
Luke 13:34). It is noticeable that this familiar bird
is only
mentioned in these passages in connection with our
Lord's
lamentation over the impenitence of Jerusalem.
Read More
Bring forth with thee every living thing that [is] with thee,
of all flesh, [both] of fowl, and of cattle, and of every
creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth; that they may
breed abundantly in the earth, and be fruitful, and multiply
upon the earth.
Read More
Ye shall therefore put difference between clean beasts and
unclean, and between unclean fowls and clean: and ye shall not
make your souls abominable by beast, or by fowl, or by any
manner of living thing that creepeth on the ground, which I
have separated from you as unclean.
Read More
And with every living creature that [is] with you, of the
fowl, of the cattle, and of every beast of the earth with you;
from all that go out of the ark, to every beast of the earth.
Read More
(shu`al; compare Arabic tha`lab (Jdg 15:4; Neh 4:3; Ps 63:10;
Song 2:15; Lam 5:18; Ezek 13:4); alopex (Mt 8:20; Lk 9:58;
13:32)): The foxes of different parts of Europe and Western
Asia differ more or less from each other, and some authors
have given the local tyes distinct specific names. Tristram,
for instance, distinguishes the Egyptian fox, Vulpes nilotica,
of Southern Israel, and the tawny fox, Vulpes flavescens, of
the North and East It is possible that the range of the desert
fox, Vulpes leucopus, of Southwestern Asia may also reach
Syria. We have, however, the authority of the Royal Natural
History for considering all these as merely local races of one
species, the common fox, Vulpes alopex or Canis vulpes. The
natives of Syria and Israel do not always distinguish the fox
and jackal although the two animals are markedly different.
The jackal and wolf also are frequently confounded...
Read More
-Dens of
Mt 8:20; Lu 9:58
-Samson uses, to burn the field of the Philistines
Jud 15:4
-Depredations of
Ps 63:10; So 2:15
-Held in contempt
Ne 4:3
-FIGURATIVE
Of unfaithful prophets
Eze 13:4
Of craftiness
Lu 13:32
Of heretics
So 2:15
Read More
(Heb. shu'al). Probably the jackal is the animal signified in
almost all the passages in the Old Testament where the Hebrew
term occurs. Though both foxes and jackals abound in Israel,
the shu'alim (foxes) of Jud 15:4 are evidently jackals and not
foxes, for the former animal is gregarious, whereas the latter
is solitary in its habits; and Samson could not, for that
reason, have easily caught three hundred foxes, but it was
easy to catch that number of jackals, which are concealed by
hundreds in caves and ruins of Syria. It is not probable,
however, that Samson sent out the whole three hundred at once.
With respect to the jackals and foxes of Israel, there is no
doubt that the common jackal of the country is the Canis
aureus, which may be heard every night in the villages. It is
like a medium-sized dog, with a head like a wolf, and is of a
bright-yellow color. These beasts devour the bodies of the
dead, and even dig them up from their graves.
Read More
(Heb. shu'al, a name derived from its digging or burrowing
under
ground), the Vulpes thaleb, or Syrian fox, the only
species of
this animal indigenous to Israel. It burrows, is
silent and
solitary in its habits, is destructive to vineyards,
being a
plunderer of ripe grapes (Cant. 2:15). The Vulpes
Niloticus, or
Egyptian dog-fox, and the Vulpes vulgaris, or common
fox, are
also found in Israel.
The proverbial cunning of the fox is alluded to in
Ezek. 13:4,
and in Luke 13:32, where our Lord calls Herod "that
fox." In
Judg. 15:4, 5, the reference is in all probability
to the
jackal. The Hebrew word _shu'al_ through the Persian
_schagal_
becomes our jackal (Canis aureus), so that the word
may bear
that signification here. The reasons for preferring
the
rendering "jackal" are (1) that it is more easily
caught than
the fox; (2) that the fox is shy and suspicious, and
flies
mankind, while the jackal does not; and (3) that
foxes are
difficult, jackals comparatively easy, to treat in
the way here
described. Jackals hunt in large numbers, and are
still very
numerous in Southern Israel.
Read More
shuw'al, from sha'al "to burrow" (Nehemiah 4:3; Lamentations
5:18; Matthew 8:20). In Hebrew including also the jackal
which preys on unburied carcasses; "they shall be a portion
for jackals" (Psalm 63:9-10), fulfilled on "the seekers
after David's soul" (2 Samuel 18:7-17). So Samson's 300
jackals (Judges 15); for jackals are gregarious, the fox is
solitary. The Arab shikal, "jackal", is related to the
Hebrew shu'al. That jackals were common in Israel appears
from the names of places compounded with shual, as Hagar-
shual, Shaalbim; (compare Foxhayes, etc., in our own land;)
being gregarious they would naturally run in couples, tied
together by a cord of two or three yards length; Samson
probably had men to help him, and caught and let them loose
from different places to consume the greater quantity of the
Philistines' grain.
Fond of grapes; (Song of Solomon 2:15) "take us the
foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vines." The bride
after awaking from her past unwatchfulness is the more
jealous of subtle (fox-like) sins (Psalm 139:23). In
spiritual winter evil weeds as well as good plants are
frozen up; in the spring of revivals these start up
unperceived, crafty false teachers spiritual pride,
uncharitableness (Psalm 19:12; Matthew 13:26; Hebrews
12:15). Little sins beget the greatest (Ecclesiastes 10:1; 1
Corinthians 5:6). Ezekiel 13:4; "thy prophets are like the
foxes in the deserts," where the foxes from having nothing
to eat become doubly ravenous and crafty to get food. So, in
Israel, once a vineyard now a moral desert, the prophets
whose duty was to guard the church from being spoiled
themselves spoil it, through crafty greed of gain.
So, Jesus calls Herod "that fox." The Lord had
withdrawn from His plotting foes in Judea to the retired
region beyond Jordan, Peraea. The Pharisees came to expedite
His departure by pretending "Herod was seeking to kill Him."
Herod was wishing Him to depart, feeling embarrassed how to
treat Him whether to honor or persecute Him (Luke 9:7-9;
Luke 13:32). It was the Pharisees themselves who wished to
kill Him. But Herod lent himself to their design and so
played the "fox." Tell that fox that "today and tomorrow" I
remain doing works of mercy in the borders of his province,
"on the third day" I begin that journey which ends in My
about to be consummated sacrifice. The common jackal of
Israel is the Canis aureus which may be heard nightly; also
the Vulpes vulgaris.
Read More
And Samson went and caught three hundred foxes, and took
firebrands, and turned tail to tail, and put a firebrand in
the midst between two tails.
Read More
And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds
of the air [have] nests; but the Son of man hath not where to
lay [his] head.
Read More
And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the
air [have] nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay
[his] head.
Read More
(tsephardea`; compare Arabic dafda` (Ex 8:2 ff; Ps 78:45;
105:30); batrachos (Rev 16:13)): The references in Psalms, as
well as in Exodus, are to the plague of flogs. In Rev 16:13 we
have, "And I saw coming out of the mouth of the dragon, and
out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the
false prophet, three unclean spirits, as it were frogs." The
word tsephardea` probably referred both to frogs and to toads,
as does the Arabic dafda`. In Israel and Syria Rana esculenta,
Bufo viridis and Hyla arborea are common. According to Mr.
Michael J. Nicoll, assistant director of the Zoological
Gardens at Gizah, near Cairo, the commonest Egyptian species
are Rana mascariensis and Bufo regularis. Rana esculenta, Bufo
viridis and Bufo vittatus are also found, but are much less
common.
Alfred Ely Day
Read More
-Plague of
Ex 8:2-14; Ps 45; 105:30
-SYMBOLICAL
Re 16:13
Read More
a well-known amphibious animal of the genus Rana. The mention
of this reptile in the Old Testament is confined to the
passage in Ex 8:2-7 etc., in which the plague of frogs is
described, and to Ps 78:45; 105:30 In the New Testament the
word occurs once only, in Re 16:13 There is no question as to
the animal meant. The only known species of frog which occurs
at present in Egypt is the Rana esculenta, the edible frog of
the continent.
Read More
(Heb. tsepharde'a, meaning a "marsh-leaper"). This reptile is
mentioned in the Old Testament only in connection with
one of
the plagues which fell on the land of Egypt (Ex. 8:2-
14; Ps.
78:45; 105:30).
In the New Testament this word occurs only in Rev.
16:13,
where it is referred to as a symbol of uncleanness.
The only
species of frog existing in Israel is the green frog
(Rana
esculenta), the well-known edible frog of the
Continent.
Read More
And Moses and Aaron went out from Pharaoh: and Moses cried
unto the LORD because of the frogs which he had brought
against Pharaoh.
Read More
Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron, and said, Intreat the
LORD, that he may take away the frogs from me, and from my
people; and I will let the people go, that they may do
sacrifice unto the LORD.
Read More
And the river shall bring forth frogs abundantly, which shall
go up and come into thine house, and into thy bedchamber, and
upon thy bed, and into the house of thy servants, and upon thy
people, and into thine ovens, and into thy kneadingtroughs:
Read More
got:
1. Names:
The common generic word for "goat" is `ez (compare Arabic
`anz, "she-goat"; aix), used often for "she-goat" (Gen 15:9;
Nu 15:27), also with gedhi, "kid," as gedhi `izzim, "kid of
the goats" (Gen 38:17), also with sa`ir, "he-goat," as se`ir
`izzim, "kid of the goats" or "he-goat," or translated
simply "kids," as in 1 Ki 20:27, "The children of Israel
encamped before them like two little flocks of kids." Next,
frequently used is sa`ir, literally, "hairy" (compare Arabic
sha`r, "hair"; cher, "hedgehog"; Latin hircus, "goat";
hirtus, "hairy"; also German Haar; English "hair"), like `ez
and `attudh used of goats for offerings. The goat which is
sent into the wilderness bearing the sins of the people is
sa`ir (Lev 16:7-22). The same name is used of devils (Lev
17:7; 2 Ch 11:15, the Revised Version (British and American)
"he-goats") and of satyrs (Isa 13:21; 34:14, the Revised
Version, margin "he-goats," the American Standard Revised
Version "wild goats"). Compare also se`irath `izzim, "a
female from the flock" (Lev 4:28; 5:6). The male or leader
of the flock is `attudh; Arabic `atud, "yearling he-goat";
figuratively "chief ones" (Isa 14:9; compare Jer 50:8). A
later word for "he-goat," used also figuratively, is tsaphir
(2 Ch 29:21; Ezr 8:35; Dan 8:5,8,21). In Prov 30:31, one of
the four things "which are stately in going" is the he-goat,
tayish (Arabic tais, "he-goat"), also mentioned in Gen
30:35; 32:14 among the possessions of Laban and Jacob, and
in 2 Ch 17:11 among the animals given as tribute by the
Arabians to Jehoshaphat. In Heb 9:12,13,19; 10:4, we have
tragos, the ordinary Greek word for "goat"; in Mt 25:32,33,
eriphos, and its diminutive eriphion; in Heb 11:37 derma
aigeion, "goatskin," from aix (see supra). "Kid" is gedhi
(compare En-gedi (1 Sam 23:29), etc.), feminine gedhiyah
(Song 1:8), but also `ez, gedhi `izzim, se'-ir `izzim, se`ir
`izzim, se`irath `izzim, bene `izzim, and eriphos. There
remain ya`el (1 Sam 24:2; Job 39:1; Ps 104:18), English
Versions of the Bible "wild goat"; ya`alah (Prov 5:19), the
King James Version "roe," the Revised Version (British and
American) "doe"; 'aqqo (Dt 14:5), English Versions of the
Bible "wild goat"; and zemer (Dt 14:5), English Versions of
the Bible "chamois."...
Read More
ga-zel' (tsebhi, and feminine tsebhiyah; compare Tabeitha
(Acts 9:36), and Arabic zabi; also Arabic ghazal; Dorkas
(Acts 9:36); modern Greek zarkadi): The word "gazelle" does
not occur in the King James Version, where tsebhi and
tsebhiyah, in the 16 passages where they occur, are
uniformly translated "roe" or "roebuck." In the Revised
Version (British and American) the treatment is not uniform.
We find "gazelle" without comment in Dt 12:15,22; 14:5;
15:22; 1 Ki 4:23. We find "roe," with marginal note "or
gazelle," in Prov 6:5; Song 2:7,9,17; 4:5; 8:14; Isa 13:14.
We find "roe" without comment in 2 Sam 2:18; 1 Ch 12:8; Song
3:5; 7:3. In the last passage cited, Song 7:3, while the
American Standard Revised Version has no note, the English
Revised Version refers to Song 4:5, where "gazelle" is
graven in the margin. In the opinion of the writer, the
rendering should be "gazelle" in all of these passages. It
must be acknowledged, however, that the gazelle and the roe-
deer are of about the same size, and are sometimes confused
with each other. The Greek dorkas may refer to either, and
in Syria the roe-deer is sometimes called ghazal or even
wa`l, which is the proper name of the Persian wild goat...
Read More
-Also called, FALLOW DEER, HART, HIND, ROEBUCK
-Designated among the ceremonially clean animals, to be eaten
De 12:15; 14:5
-Provided for Solomon's household
1Ki 4:23
-Fleetness of
2Sa 2:18; 1Ch 12:8; Pr 6:5; So 8:14; Isa 35:6
-Surefootedness of
2Sa 22:34
-Gentleness of
Pr 5:19
-Coloring of
Jer 14:5
Read More
(called fallow from its reddish-brown color) (Heb. yachmur).
The Hebrew word, which is mentioned only in De 14:5 and 1Kin
4:23
probably denotes the Alcelaphus bubalis (the bubale or
wild cow) of Barbary and North Africa. It is about the size of
a stag, and lives in herds. It is almost exactly like the
European roebuck, and is valued for its venison.
Read More
The Hebrew words thus translated denote some species of
antelope, probably the Gazella arabica of Syria and Arabia.
The gazelle was allowed as food, De 12:15,22 etc.; it is
mentioned as very fleet of foot, 2Sa 2:18; 1Ch 12:8 it was
hunted, Isa 13:14; Pr 6:5 it was celebrated for its
loveliness. So 2:9,17; 8:14
Read More
Deut. 14:5 (R.V., "Wild goat"); 1 Kings 4:23 (R.V.,
"roebucks").
This animal, called in Hebrew _yahmur_, from a word
meaning "to
be red," is regarded by some as the common fallow-
deer, the
Cervus dama, which is said to be found very
generally over
Western and Southern Asia. It is called "fallow"
from its
pale-red or yellow colour. Some interpreters,
however, regard
the name as designating the bubale, Antelope bubale,
the "wild
cow" of North Africa, which is about the size of a
stag, like
the hartebeest of South Africa. A species of deer
has been found
at Mount Carmel which is called _yahmur_ by the
Arabs. It is
said to be similar to the European roebuck.
Read More
ROE or ROEBUCK. Yaalah, "chamois" (Proverbs 5:19) or ibex, the
female of the wild goat. Tsebi (masculine), tsebiah
(feminine), from whence Tabitha (Greek Dorkas), "loving and
beloved": Acts 9:36. The beautiful antelope or gazelle, the
Antelope dorcas and Antelope Arabica. Slender, graceful, shy,
and timid; the image of feminine loveliness (Song of Solomon
4:5; Song of Solomon 2:9; Song of Solomon 2:17; Song of
Solomon 8:14).
The eye is large, soft, liquid, languishing, and of
deepest black; image of swift footedness (2 Samuel 1:19; 2
Samuel 2:18; 1 Chronicles 12:8). Israel ate the gazelle in the
wilderness, and the flesh of flocks and herds only when
offered in sacrifice; but in Canaan they might eat the flesh,
"even as the gazelle" (Deuteronomy 12:15; Deuteronomy 12:22);
Isaac's venison was front it (Genesis 27). The valley of Gerar
and the Beersheba plains are still frequented by it. Egyptian
paintings represent it hunted by hounds.
Read More
The hart, and the roebuck, and the fallow deer, and the wild
goat, and the pygarg, and the wild ox, and the chamois.
Read More
fer'-et ('anaqah, the Revised Version (British and American)
GECKO): Occurs only in Lev 11:30 the King James Version, in
the list of animals which are unclean "among the creeping
things that creep upon the earth." the Revised Version
(British and American) has "gecko" with the marginal note,
"Words of uncertain meaning, but probably denoting four
kinds of lizards." The list of animals in Lev 11:29,30
includes (1) choledh, English Versions of the Bible
"weasel"; (2) `akhbar, English Versions of the Bible
"mouse"; (3) tsabh, the King James Version "tortoise," the
Revised Version (British and American) "great lizard"; (4)
'anaqkah, the King James Version "ferret," the Revised
Version (British and American) "gecko"; (5) koach the King
James Version "chameleon," the Revised Version (British and
American) "land crocodile"; (6) leTa'ah, English Versions of
the Bible "lizard"; (7) chomeT, the King James Version
"snail," the Revised Version (British and American) "sand
lizard"; (8) tinshemeth, the King James Version "mole," the
Revised Version (British and American) "chameleon." It will
be noted that while Revised Version makes the first two
mammals and the remaining six reptiles, the King James
Version makes not only (1) and (2) but also (4) and (8)
mammals, and (7) a mollusk. So far as this general
classification is concerned the King James Version follows
the Septuagint, except in the case of (7). It must be borne
in mind that all these words except (2) and (8) occur only
in this passage, while (2) and (8) occur each in only a few
passages where the context throws but uncertain light upon
the meaning. Under these circumstances we ought to be
content with the rendering of the Septuagint, unless from
philology or tradition we can show good reason for
differing. For 'anaqah, Septuagint has mugale, which occurs
in Herodotus and Aristotle and may be a shrew mouse or a
field mouse. Just as the next word, koach, is found in other
passages (see CHAMELEON) with the meaning of "strength," so
'anaqah occurs in several places signifying "moaning" or
"sighing" (Ps 12:5; 79:11; 102:20; Mal 2:13). It seems to be
from the root, 'anaq, "to choke," "to be in anguish"
(compare `anaq, "a collar"; chanaq, "to choke"; Arabic `unq,
"neck"; Arabic khanaq, "to strangle"; Greek anagke; Latin
angustus; German enge, Nacken; English "anxious," "neck").
Some creature seems to be meant which utters a low cry or
squeak, and neither "ferret" (the King James Version) nor
"gecko" (Revised Version (British and American)) seems to
have a better claim than the older Septuagint rendering of
mugale = "shrew mouse" or "field mouse."
Alfred Ely Day
Read More
-General scriptures concerning
Le 11:30
Read More
one of the unclean creeping things mentioned in Le 11:30 The
animal referred to was probably a reptile of the lizard tribe
(the gecko). The rabbinical writers seen to have identified
this animal with the hedgehog.
Read More
Lev. 11:30 (R.V., "gecko"), one of the unclean creeping
things.
It was perhaps the Lacerta gecko which was intended by
the
Hebrew word (anakah, a cry, "mourning," the creature
which
groans) here used, i.e., the "fan-footed" lizard, the
gecko
which makes a mournful wail. The LXX. translate it by
a word
meaning "shrew-mouse," of which there are three
species in
Israel. The Rabbinical writers regard it as the
hedgehog. The
translation of the Revised Version is to be preferred.
Read More
White European polecat mentioned by KJV in Leviticus 11:30.
Other translations read, "gecko." See Animals.
Read More
And the ferret, and the chameleon, and the lizard, and the
snail, and the mole.
Read More
gek'-o (the Revised Version (British and American) for
'anaqah, only in Lev 11:30; Septuagint mugale, "shrew mouse"
or "field mouse"; the King James Version ferret): Probably a
shrew or a field mouse.
Read More
(that which clings to the ground) (Heb. letaah. Le 11:30
Lizards of various kinds abound in Egypt, Israel and Arabia.
The lizard denoted by the Hebrew word is probably the fan-foot
lizard (Ptyodactylus gecko) which is common in Egypt and in
parts of Arabia, and perhaps is found also in Israel. It is
reddish brown spotted with white. The gecko lives on insects
and worms, which it swallows whole. It derives its name from
the peculiar sound which some of the species utter.
Read More
Only in Lev. 11:30, as rendering of Hebrew _letaah_, so called
from its "hiding." Supposed to be the Lacerta gecko or
fan-foot
lizard, from the toes of which poison exudes. (See
CHAMELEON)
Read More
letaah. Leviticus 11:30. One of the monitors, the Lacerta
Nilotica, Speaker's Commentary, (See CHAMELEON.) Smith's Bible
Dictionary makes it the fan-foot lizard, gecko.
Read More
foul (`oph; peteinon): The word is now generally restricted
to the larger, especially the edible birds, but formerly it
denoted all flying creatures; in Lev 11:20 the King James
Version we have even, "all fowls that creep, going upon all
four," 11:21, "every flying creeping thing that goeth upon
all four."
1. Old Testament Terms and References:
The word most frequently translated "fowl" is `oph from
`uph, "to cover," hence, wing; it is used collectively for
birds and fowl in general (Gen 1:20, etc.; 2:19,20, etc.);
`ayit (from `ut, "to rush") means a ravenous beasts; or bird
of prey, used collectively of ravenous birds (Gen 15:11 the
King James Version; Isa 18:6 the King James Version "fowls";
Job 28:7, "a path which no fowl knoweth," the Revised
Version (British and American) "no bird of prey"); in Isa
46:11 it is used as a symbol of a conqueror (compare Jer
12:9, "bird," "birds of prey"; Ezek 39:4, "ravenous birds");
tsippor, Aramaic tsippar (from tsaphar, "to twitter or
chirp"), "a chirper," denotes a small bird or sparrow (Dt
4:17 the King James Version; Neh 5:18; Dan 4:14); to give
the carcasses of men to the fowls (birds) of the air was an
image of destruction (Dt 28:26 the King James Version; 1 Sam
17:44,46; Ps 79:2; Jer 7:33, etc.); barburim, rendered (1 Ki
4:23) "fatted fowl" (among the provisions for Solomon's
table for one day), is probably a mimetic word, like Greek
barbaros, Latin murmuro, English babble, perhaps denoting
geese from their cackle (Gesenius, from barar, "to cleanse,"
referring to their white plumage; but other derivations and
renderings are given). They might have been ducks or swans.
They could have been guineas or pigeons. The young of the
ostrich was delicious food, and no doubt when Solomon's
ships brought peafowl they also brought word that they were
a delicacy for a king's table. The domestic fowl was not
common so early in Israel,but it may have been brought by
Solomon with other imports from the East; in New Testament
times chickens were common; ba`al kanaph, "owner of a wing,"
is used for a bird of any kind in Prov 1:17. "In vain is the
net spread in the sight of any bird," the King James Version
margin Hebrew, "in the eyes of everything that hath a
wing."...
Read More
Several distinct Hebrew and Greek words are thus rendered in
the English Bible. Of these the most common is 'oph, which is
usually a collective term for all kinds of birds. In 1Ki 4:23
among the daily provisions for Solomon's table "fatted fowl"
are included. In the New Testament the word translated "fowls"
is most frequently that which comprehends all kinds of birds
(including ravens, Lu 12:24 [SPARROW]
Read More
-(Margin A. V.)
Job 40:15
-See IVORY
Read More
The word translated "ivory" literally signifies the "tooth" of
any animal, and hence more especially denotes the substance of
the projecting tusks of elephants. The skilled work-men of
Hiram, king of Tyre, fashioned the great ivory throne of
Solomon, and overlaid it with pure gold. 1Ki 10:18; 2Ch 9:17
The ivory thus employed was supplied by the caravans of Dedan,
Isa 21:13; Eze 27:15 or was brought, with apes and peacocks,
by the navy of Tarshish. 1Ki 10:22 The "ivory house" of Ahab,
1Ki 22:39 was probably a palace, the walls of which were
panelled with ivory, like the palace of Menelaus described by
Homer. Odys. iv. 73. Beds inlaid or veneered with ivory were
in use among the Hebrews. Am 6:4
Read More
not found in Scripture except indirectly in the original Greek
word (elephantinos) translated "of ivory" in Rev.
18:12, and in
the Hebrew word (shenhabim, meaning "elephant's
tooth") rendered
"ivory" in 1 Kings 10:22 and 2 Chr. 9:21.
Read More
(Heb. pl. shenhabbim, the "tusks of elephants") was early
used
in decorations by the Egyptians, and a great trade
in it was
carried on by the Assyrians (Ezek. 27:6; Rev.
18:12). It was
used by the Phoenicians to ornament the box-wood
rowing-benches
of their galleys, and Hiram's skilled workmen made
Solomon's
throne of ivory (1 Kings 10:18). It was brought by
the caravans
of Dedan (Isa. 21:13), and from the East Indies by
the navy of
Tarshish (1 Kings 10:22). Many specimens of ancient
Egyptian and
Assyrian ivory-work have been preserved. The word
_habbim_ is
derived from the Sanscrit _ibhas_, meaning
"elephant," preceded
by the Hebrew article (ha); and hence it is argued
that Ophir,
from which it and the other articles mentioned in 1
Kings 10:22
were brought, was in India.
Read More
sheen, "tooth" or "tusk", namely, of the elephant. There is
no Hebrew word in Scripture for the elephant, for the
Israelites knew of the elephant first only by its ivory,
which was imported from Africa and India. The African
elephant exceeds the Indian in the size of the ear and of
the tusks, the latter of which are often eight or ten feet
long and weigh from 100 to 120 lbs. From the resemblance of
its tusks to horns Ezekiel 27:15 has "horns of ivory."
"Palaces of ivory" mean ornamented with ivory (Psalm 45:8).
So Ahab's palace (1 Kings 22:39).
Amos (Amos 3:15) foretells the destruction of the
luxurious "houses of ivory" having their walls, doors, and
ceilings inlaid with it; also "beds of ivory" (Amos 6:4),
i.e. veneered with it. In 1 Kings 10:22 and 2 Chronicles
9:21 sheen habbim is the term "the teeth of elephants";
Sanskrit ibhas, Coptic eboy, Assyrian habba in the
inscriptions. Gesenius would read sheen habenim, "ivory
(and) ebony." On the Assyrian obelisk in the British Museum
tribute bearers are seen carrying tusks; specimens of
carvings in ivory were found in Nimrud, and tablets inlaid
with blue and opaque glass. "All manner vessels of ivory"
are in mystic Babylon (Revelation 18:12).
Solomon made a great throne of ivory overlaid with
gold (1 Kings 10:18-20); the ivory was brought in the navy
of Tarshish, probably from the S. coasts of Arabia, which
maintained from ancient times commercial intercourse with
both India and Ethiopia. In Ezekiel 27:6 we read "the
Ashurites have made thy (Tyre's) benches of ivory, brought
out of the isles of Chittim"; rather, as the Hebrew
orthography requires, "they have made thy (rowing) benches
of ivory, inlaid in the daughter of cedars" or "the best
boxwood" (bath ashurim), from Cyprus and Macedonia, from
whence the best boxwood came (Pliny).
Read More
The merchandise of gold, and silver, and precious stones, and
of pearls, and fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet,
and all thyine wood, and all manner vessels of ivory, and all
manner vessels of most precious wood, and of brass, and iron,
and marble,
Read More
For the king had at sea a navy of Tharshish with the navy of
Hiram: once in three years came the navy of Tharshish,
bringing gold, and silver, ivory, and apes, and peacocks.
Read More
And I will smite the winter house with the summer house; and
the houses of ivory shall perish, and the great houses shall
have an end, saith the LORD.
Read More
fo'-k'-n, fol'-k'-n, fal'-kun: The Hebrews did not know the
word. Their bird corresponding to our falcon, in all
probability, was one of the smaller kestrels covered by the
word nets, which seemed to cover all lesser birds of prey
that we include in the hawk family. That some of our many
divisions of species were known to them is indicated by the
phrase "after its kind." The word occurs in the Revised
Version (British and American) in Job 28:7, to translation
'ayyah, Greek gups (compare Lev 11:14; Dt 14:13):
"That path no bird of prey knoweth,
Neither hath the falcon's eye seen it."
This substitutes "falcon" for "vulture" in the King James
Version. The change weakens the force of the lines. All
ornithologists know that eagles, vultures and the large
hawks have such range of vision that they at once descend
from heights at which we cannot see them to take prey on
earth or food placed to tempt them. The falcons and sparrow
hawks are small members of the family, some of which feed on
little birds, some on insects. They are not celebrated for
greater range of vision than other birds of the same
location and feeding habits. The strength of these lines lay
in the fact that if the path to the mine were so well
concealed that the piercing eye of the vulture failed to
find it, then it was perfectly hidden indeed.
Gene Stratton-Porter
Read More
-A carnivorous bird (R. V.)
Le 11:14; De 14:13
Read More
Le 11:16; De 14:15; Job 39:26 The hawk includes various
species of the Falconidae. With respect to the passage in Job
(l.c.) which appears to allude to the migratory habits of
hawks, it is curious to observe that of the ten or twelve
lesser raptors (hawk tribe) of Israel, nearly all are summer
migrants. The kestrel remains all the year, but the others are
all migrants from the south.
Read More
(Heb. netz, a word expressive of strong and rapid flight, and
hence appropriate to the hawk). It is an unclean bird
(Lev.
11:16; Deut. 14:15). It is common in Syria and
surrounding
countries. The Hebrew word includes various species of
Falconidae, with special reference perhaps to the
kestrel (Falco
tinnunculus), the hobby (Hypotriorchis subbuteo), and
the lesser
kestrel (Tin, Cenchris). The kestrel remains all the
year in
Israel, but some ten or twelve other species are all
migrants
from the south. Of those summer visitors to Israel
special
mention may be made of the Falco sacer and the Falco
lanarius.
(See NIGHT-HAWK -T0002729.)
Read More
neets; implying "strong and rapid flight". Migratory in S.
Europe and parts of Asia; so Job 39:26, "doth the hawk fly by
thy wisdom, and stretch her wings toward the S.?" Of the dozen
lesser raptores, birds, in Israel nearly all are summer
migrants; the Falco saker and Falco lanarius, besides the
smaller Falco melanopterus, Hypotriorchis subbuteo or the
hobby, etc. The sacred monuments show that one kind was sacred
in Egypt. The Greek name implies "sacredness", hierax.
Read More
Doth the hawk fly by thy wisdom, [and] stretch her wings
toward the south?
Read More
And the owl, and the night hawk, and the cuckow, and the hawk
after his kind,
Read More
And the owl, and the night hawk, and the cuckow, and the hawk
after his kind,
Read More
der ('ayyal, feminine 'ayyalah, and 'ayyeleth (compare Arabic,
'ayyal and 'iyal, "deer" and 'ayil, "ram," and Latin caper and
capra, "goat," caprea, capreolus, "wild goat," "chamois," or
"roe deer"); yachmur (compare Arabic, yachmur, "deer");
ya`alah, feminine of ya`el (compare Arabic, wa`l, "Pers wild
goat"); tsebhi, and feminine tsebhiyah (compare Arabic, zabi
and feminine zabiyah, "gazelle"]; `opher (compare Arabic,
ghafr and ghufr, "young of the mountain goat")):
Of the words in the preceding list, the writer believes that
only the first two, i.e. 'ayyal (with its feminine forms) and
yachmur should be translated "deer," 'ayyal for the roe deer
and yachmur for the fallow deer. Further, he believes that
ya`el (including ya`alah) should be translated "ibex," and
tsebhi, "gazelle." `Opher is the young of a roe deer or of a
gazelle...
Read More
ro, ro'-buk: the King James Version has "roe" and "roebuck"
for tsehi, tsebhiyah. the Revised Version (British and
American) usually substitutes "gazelle" in the text (Dt 12:15,
etc.) or margin (Prov 6:5, etc.), but retains "roe" in 2 Sam
2:18; 1 Ch 12:8; Song 3:5; 7:3. So the Revised Version
(British and American) has "gazelle" for the King James
Version "roe" in Sirach 27:20 (dorkas). the Revised Version
(British and American) has "roe-buck" for yachmur (Dt 14:5; 1
Ki 4:23), where the King James Version has "fallow deer." In
the opinion of the writer, 'ayyal English Versions of the
Bible "hart," should be translated "roe-buck," yachmur "fallow
deer," and tsebhi "gazelle."
See DEER; GAZELLE.
Alfred Ely Day
Read More
(1.) Heb. tannim, plural of tan. The name of some unknown
creature inhabiting desert places and ruins (Job
30:29; Ps.
44:19; Isa. 13:22; 34:13; 43:20; Jer. 10:22; Micah
1:8; Mal.
1:3); probably, as translated in the Revised
Version, the jackal
(q.v.).
(2.) Heb. tannin. Some great sea monster (Jer.
51:34). In Isa.
51:9 it may denote the crocodile. In Gen. 1:21 (Heb.
plural
tanninim) the Authorized Version renders "whales,"
and the
Revised Version "sea monsters." It is rendered
"serpent" in Ex.
7:9. It is used figuratively in Ps. 74:13; Ezek.
29:3.
In the New Testament the word "dragon" is found only
in Rev.
12:3, 4, 7, 9, 16, 17, etc., and is there used
metaphorically of
"Satan." (See WHALE -T0003805.)
Read More
Tannin, tan. Tan in Jeremiah 14:6, "dragons" "snuffing up
the wind" is translated by Henderson jackals; rather the
great boas and python serpents are meant, which raise their
body vertically ten or twelve feet high, surveying the
neighborhood above the bushes, while with open jaws they
drink in the air. They were made types of the deluge and all
destructive agencies; hence the dragon temples are placed
near water in Asia, Africa, and Britain, e.g. that of Abury
in Wiltshire. The ark is often associated with it, as the
preserver from the waters. The dragon temples are serpentine
in form; dragon standards were used in Egypt and Babylon,
and among the widely-scattered Celts.
Apollo's slaying Python is the Greek legend implying
the triumph of light over darkness and evil. The tannin are
any great monsters, whether of land or sea, trans. Genesis
1:21 "great sea monsters." So (Lamentations 4:3) "even sea
monsters (tannin) draw out the breast," alluding to the
mammalia which sometimes visit the Mediterranean, or the
halichore cow whale of the Red Sea. Large whales do not
often frequent the Mediterranean, which was the sea that the
Israelites knew; they apply "sea" to the Nile and Euphrates,
and so apply "tannin" to the crocodile, their horror in
Egypt, as also to the large serpents which they saw in the
desert. "The dragon in the sea," which Jehovah shall punish
in the day of Israel's deliverance, is Antichrist, the
antitype to Babylon on the Euphrates' waters (Isaiah 27:1).
In Psalm 74:13, "Thou brokest the heads of the
dragons in the waters," Egypt's princes and Pharaoh are
poetically represented hereby, just as crocodiles are the
monarchs of the Nile waters. So (Isaiah 51:9-10) the
crocodile is the emblem of Egypt and its king on coins of
Augustus struck after the conquest of Egypt. "A habitation
of dragons" expresses utter desolation, as venomous snakes
abound in ruins of ancient cities (Deuteronomy 32:33;
Jeremiah 49:33; Isaiah 34:13). In the New Testament it
symbolizes Satan the old serpent (Genesis 3), combining
gigantic strength with craft, malignity, and venom
(Revelation 12:3). The dragon's color, "red," fiery red,
implies that he was a murderer from the beginning.
Read More
And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the
beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who [is] like
unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?
Read More
Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and
the dragon shalt thou trample under feet.
Read More
Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon hath devoured me, he hath
crushed me, he hath made me an empty vessel, he hath swallowed
me up like a dragon, he hath filled his belly with my
delicates, he hath cast me out.
Read More
drum'-e-da-ri, drom'-e-da-ri.
See CAMEL.
Read More
-General scriptures concerning
1Ki 4:28; Es 8:10
-R. V., swift steeds)
Isa 60:6
Read More
(Isa. 60:6), an African or Arabian species of camel having
only
one hump, while the Bactrian camel has two. It is
distinguished
from the camel only as a trained saddle-horse is
distinguished
from a cart-horse. It is remarkable for its speed
(Jer. 2:23).
Camels are frequently spoken of in partriarchal times
(Gen.
12:16; 24:10; 30:43; 31:17, etc.). They were used for
carrying
burdens (Gen. 37:25; Judg. 6:5), and for riding (Gen.
24:64).
The hair of the camel falls off of itself in spring,
and is
woven into coarse cloths and garments (Matt. 3:4).
(See CAMEL)
Read More
How canst thou say, I am not polluted, I have not gone after
Baalim? see thy way in the valley, know what thou hast done:
[thou art] a swift dromedary traversing her ways;
Read More
e'-g'-l (nesher; aetos; Latin aquila): A bird of the genus
aquila of the family falconidae. The Hebrew nesher, meaning
"to tear with the beak," is almost invariably translated
"eagle," throughout the Bible; yet many of the most
important references compel the admission that the bird to
which they applied was a vulture. There were many large
birds and carrion eaters flocking over Israel, attracted by
the offal from animals slaughtered for tribal feasts and
continuous sacrifice. The eagle family could not be
separated from the vultures by their habit of feeding, for
they ate the offal from slaughter as well as the vultures.
One distinction always holds good. Eagles never flock. They
select the tallest trees of the forest, the topmost crag of
the mountain, and pairs live in solitude, hunting and
feeding singly, whenever possible carrying their prey to the
nest so that the young may gain strength and experience by
tearing at it and feeding themselves. The vultures are
friendly, and collect and feed in flocks. So wherever it is
recorded that a "flock came down on a carcass," there may
have been an eagle or two in it, but the body of it were
vultures. Because they came in such close contact with birds
of prey, the natives came nearer dividing them into families
than any birds. Of perhaps a half-dozen, they recognized
three eagles, they knew three vultures, four or five
falcons, and several kites; but almost every Biblical
reference is translated "eagle," no matter how evident the
text makes it that the bird was a vulture. For example, Mic
1:16: "Make thee bald, and cut off thy hair for the children
of thy delight: enlarge thy baldness as the eagle (m
"vulture"); for they are gone into captivity from thee."
This is a reference to the custom of shaving the head when
in mourning, but as Israel knew no bald eagle, the text
could refer only to the bare head and neck of the griffon
vulture. The eagles were, when hunger-driven, birds of prey;
the vultures, carrion feeders only. There was a golden eagle
(the osprey of the King James Version), not very common,
distinguished by its tan-colored head; the imperial eagle,
more numerous and easily identified by a dark head and white
shoulders; a spotted eagle; a tawny eagle, much more common
and readily distinguished by its plumage; and the short-toed
eagle, most common of all...
Read More
-Forbidden as food
Le 11:13; De 14:12
-The swift flight of
De 28:49; Job 9:26; Pr 30:19; Jer 4:13; 49:22; La
4:19
-The nest of
De 32:11; Job 39:27-30; Jer 49:16
-Carries her young upon her wings
Ex 19:4; De 32:11
-The long life of
Ps 103:5
-The molting of
Mic 1:16
-Gier-eagle
Le 11:18
-FIGURATIVE
Ex 19:4; De 32:11; Jer 48:40; Ho 8:1
-SYMBOLICAL
Eze 1:10; 10:14; 17:3; Da 7:4; Re 4:7; 12:14
Read More
(Heb. nesher, i.e. a tearer with the beak). At least four
distinct kinds of eagles have been observed in Israel, viz.,
the golden eagle, Aquila chrysaetos, the spotted eagle, Aquila
naevia, the imperial eagle, Aquila heliaca, and the very
common Circaetos gallicus. The Hebrew nesher may stand for any
of these different species, though perhaps more particular
reference to the golden and imperial eagles and the griffon
vulture may be intended. The passage in Micah, Mic 1:16
"enlarge thy baldness as the eagle," may refer to the griffon
vulture, Vultur fulvus, in which case the simile is peculiarly
appropriate, for the whole head and neck of this bird are
destitute of true feathers. The "eagles" of Mt 24:28; Lu 17:37
may include the Vultur fulvus and Neophron percnopterus;
though, as eagles frequently prey upon dead bodies, there is
no necessity to restrict the Greek word to the Vulturidae. The
figure of an eagle is now and has long been a favorite
military ensign. The Persians so employed it; a fact which
illustrates the passage in Isa 46:11 The same bird was
similarly employed by the Assyrians and the Romans.
Read More
(Herb. nesher; properly the griffon vulture or great
vulture, so
called from its tearing its prey with its beak),
referred to for
its swiftness of flight (Deut. 28:49; 2 Sam. 1:23),
its mounting
high in the air (Job 39:27), its strength (Ps.
103:5), its
setting its nest in high places (Jer. 49:16), and
its power of
vision (Job 39:27-30).
This "ravenous bird" is a symbol of those nations
whom God
employs and sends forth to do a work of destruction,
sweeping
away whatever is decaying and putrescent (Matt.
24:28; Isa.
46:11; Ezek. 39:4; Deut. 28:49; Jer. 4:13; 48:40).
It is said
that the eagle sheds his feathers in the beginning
of spring,
and with fresh plumage assumes the appearance of
youth. To this,
allusion is made in Ps. 103:5 and Isa. 40:31. God's
care over
his people is likened to that of the eagle in
training its young
to fly (Ex. 19:4; Deut. 32:11, 12). An interesting
illustration
is thus recorded by Sir Humphry Davy:, "I once saw a
very
interesting sight above the crags of Ben Nevis. Two
parent
eagles were teaching their offspring, two young
birds, the
maneuvers of flight. They began by rising from the
top of the
mountain in the eye of the sun. It was about mid-
day, and bright
for the climate. They at first made small circles,
and the young
birds imitated them. They paused on their wings,
waiting till
they had made their flight, and then took a second
and larger
gyration, always rising toward the sun, and
enlarging their
circle of flight so as to make a gradually ascending
spiral. The
young ones still and slowly followed, apparently
flying better
as they mounted; and they continued this sublime
exercise,
always rising till they became mere points in the
air, and the
young ones were lost, and afterwards their parents,
to our
aching sight." (See Isa. 40:31.)...
Read More
Nesher. Leviticus 11:13. The golden eagle (W. Drake). The
griffon vulture; the Arab nisr is plainly the Hebrew nesher.
In Micah 1:16, "make thee bald (shaving the head betokening
mourning) ... enlarge thy baldness as the nesher," the griffon
vulture must be meant; for it is "bald," which the eagle is
not. "A majestic and royal bird, the largest and most powerful
seen in Israel, far surpassing the eagle in size and power"
(Tristram). The Egyptians ranked it as first among birds. The
da'ah (Leviticus 11:14) is not "the vulture" but the black
kite. The Hebrew qaarach is to make bald the back of the head,
very applicable to the griffon vulture's head and neck, which
are destitute of true feathers. The golden eagle; the spotted,
common in the rocky regions; the imperial; and the Circaeros
gallicus (short-toed eagle), living on reptiles only: Israel
Exploration Quarterly Statement, October, 1876), are all found
in Israel...
Read More
As for the likeness of their faces, they four had the face of
a man, and the face of a lion, on the right side: and they
four had the face of an ox on the left side; they four also
had the face of an eagle.
Read More
And every one had four faces: the first face [was] the face of
a cherub, and the second face [was] the face of a man, and the
third the face of a lion, and the fourth the face of an eagle.
Read More
Thy terribleness hath deceived thee, [and] the pride of thine
heart, O thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock, that
holdest the height of the hill: though thou shouldest make thy
nest as high as the eagle, I will bring thee down from thence,
saith the LORD.
Read More
el'-e-fant (Job 40:15 the King James Version margin, the
American Revised Version, margin "hippopotamus," the Revised
Version (British and American) "ivory"); 1 Ki 10:22 the King
James Version margin; 2 Ch 9:21 the King James Version; 1 Macc
3:34; 6:28 ff; 8:6): Possibly in Job it is the extinct
mammoth.
See BEHEMOTH; IVORY.
Read More
an animal frequently mentioned in Scripture. It was used by
the hebrews as a watch for their houses, Isa 56:10 and for
guarding their flocks. Job 30:1 Then also, as now troops of
hungry and semi-wild dogs used to wander about the fields and
the streets of the cities, devouring dead bodies and other
offal, 1Ki 14:11; 21:19,23; 22:38; Ps 59:6 and thus became so
savage and fierce and such objects of dislike that fierce and
cruel enemies are poetically styled dogs in Ps 22:16,20
moreover the dog being an unclean animal, Isa 66:3 the
epithets dog, dead dog, dog's head, were used as terms of
reproach or of humility in speaking of one's self. 1Sa 24:14;
2Sa 3:8; 9:8; 16:9; 2Ki 8:13
Read More
frequently mentioned both in the Old and New Testaments.
Dogs
were used by the Hebrews as a watch for their houses
(Isa.
56:10), and for guarding their flocks (Job 30:1).
There were
also then as now troops of semi-wild dogs that
wandered about
devouring dead bodies and the offal of the streets
(1 Kings
14:11; 16:4; 21:19, 23; 22:38; Ps. 59:6, 14).
As the dog was an unclean animal, the terms "dog,"
"dog's
head," "dead dog," were used as terms of reproach or
of
humiliation (1 Sam. 24:14; 2 Sam. 3:8; 9:8; 16:9).
Paul calls
false apostles "dogs" (Phil. 3:2). Those who are
shut out of the
kingdom of heaven are also so designated (Rev.
22:15).
Persecutors are called "dogs" (Ps. 22:16). Hazael's
words, "Thy
servant which is but a dog" (2 Kings 8:13), are
spoken in mock
humility=impossible that one so contemptible as he
should attain
to such power.
Read More
The watch of the house, and of the flock (Isaiah 56:10-11;
Job 30:1). Sometimes domesticated, as the Syrophoenician
woman's comparison and argument imply, "the household
(kunaria, 'little' or 'pet') dogs eat of the crumbs (Matthew
15:26-27; Mark 7:27-28) which fall from their master's
table." More commonly ownerless, and banded in troops which
divide cities into so many quarters; each half-starved,
ravenous troop keeps to its own quarter, and drives off any
intruder; feeding on blood, dead bodies, and offal;
therefore regarded as "unclean" (1 Kings 14:11; 1 Kings
16:4; 1 Kings 21:19; 1 Kings 21:23; 1 Kings 22:38; 2 Kings
9:10; 2 Kings 9:35-36). Their dismal howlings at night are
alluded to in Psalm 59:6; Psalm 59:14-15; "they return at
evening, they make a noise like a dog, and go round about
the city"; perhaps in allusion to Saul's agents thirsting
for David's blood coming to Michal's house at evening, and
to the retribution on Saul in kind, when he who had made
David a wanderer himself wandered about seeking vainly for
help against the Philistines, and went at last by night to
the witch of Endor. As unclean (Isaiah 66:3), dog, dead dog,
dog's head, are terms of scorn or else self-abasement (1
Samuel 24:14; 2 Samuel 3:8; 2 Samuel 9:8; 2 Samuel 16:9; 2
Kings 8:13). A wanton, self-prostituting man is called a
"dog" (Deuteronomy 23:18). One Egyptian god had a dog form.
"Beware of the (Greek) dogs," those impure persons of whom I
told you often" (Philemon 3:2; Philemon 3:18-19); "the
abominable" (Revelation 21:8; compare Revelation 22:15;
Matthew 7:6); pagan in spirit (Titus 1:15-16); dogs in
filthiness, snarling, and ferocity against the Lord and His
people (Psalm 22:16; Psalm 22:20); backsliding into former
carnality, as the dog "is turned to his own vomit again" (2
Peter 2:22). The Jews regarded the Gentiles as "dogs," but
by unbelief they ceased to be the true Israel and themselves
became dogs (Isaiah 56:10-11). "Deliver my darling from the
power of the dog," i.e. my soul (literally, my unique one,
unique in its preciousness) from the Jewish rabble; as
"deliver My soul from the sword" is Messiah's cry for
deliverance from the Roman soldiery and governor. The
Assyrian hunting dog as vividly depicted on Assyrian
sculptures resembled exactly our harrier or foxhound.
Read More
Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the
concision.
Read More
And [one] washed the chariot in the pool of Samaria; and the
dogs licked up his blood; and they washed his armour;
according unto the word of the LORD which he spake.
Read More
Him that dieth of Baasha in the city shall the dogs eat; and
him that dieth of his in the fields shall the fowls of the air
eat.
Read More
duv (tor, yonah; peristera; Latin Zenaedura carolinensis): A
bird of the family Columbidae. Doves and pigeons are so
closely related as to be spoken and written of as
synonymous, yet there is a distinction recognized from the
beginning of time. It was especially marked in Israel,
because doves migrated, but pigeons remained in their chosen
haunts all the year. Yet doves were the wild birds and were
only confined singly or in pairs as caged pets, or in order
to be available for sacrifice. Pigeons, without question,
were the first domesticated birds, the record of their
conquest by man extending if anything further back than
ducks, geese and swans. These two were the best known and
the most loved of all the myriads of birds of Israel. Doves
were given preference because they remained wild and were
more elusive. The thing that escapes us is usually a little
more attractive than the thing we have. Their loving natures
had been noted, their sleek beautiful plumage, their plump
bodies. They were the most precious of anything offered for
sacrifice. Their use is always specified in preference to
pigeons if only one bird was used; if both, the dove is
frequently mentioned first. Because of their docility when
caged, their use in sacrifice, and the religious
superstition concerning them, they were allowed to nest
unmolested and, according to species, flocked all over
Israel. The turtle-dove nested in gardens and vineyards, and
was almost as tame as the pigeons. The palm turtle-dove took
its name from its love of homing in palm trees, and sought
these afield, and in cities, even building near the temple
in Jerusalem. It also selected thorn and other trees. It has
a small body, about ten inches in length, covered with
bright chestnut-colored feathers, the neck dappled with
dark, lustrous feathers. The rock dove swarmed over,
through, and among the cliffs of mountains and the fissures
of caves and ravines. The collared turtle-dove was the
largest of the species. It remained permanently and homed in
the forests of Tabor and Gilead, around the Dead Sea, and
along the Jordan valley. This bird was darker than the
others and took its name from a clearly outlined collar of
dark feathers encircling the neck, and was especially sought
for caged pets on account of its size and beauty...
Read More
-Sent out from the ark by Noah
Ge 8:8-11
-Domesticated
Isa 60:8
-Nests of
Jer 48:28
-Harmlessness of, typical of Christ's gentleness
Mt 10:16
-Sacrificial uses of
Ge 15:9
-Prescribed for purification
Of women
Le 12:6,8; Lu 2:24
Of Nazarites
Nu 6:10
Of lepers
Le 14:22
-Burnt offering of
Le 1:14-17
-Trespass offering of, for the impecunious
Le 5:7-10; 12:8
-Sin offering, for those who touched any dead body
Nu 6:10
-Market for, in the temple
Mt 21:12; Joh 2:14
-SYMBOLICAL
Of the Holy Spirit
Mt 3:16; Lu 3:22; Joh 1:32
See PIGEON
Read More
The first menton of this bird occurs in Gen. 8. The dove's
rapidity of flight is alluded to in Ps 55:6 the beauty of its
plumage in Ps 68:13 its dwelling int he rocks and valleys in
Jer 48:28 and Ezek 7:16
its mournful voice in Isa 38:14; 59:11; Na 2:7 its
harmlessness in Mt 10:16 its simplicity in Ho 7:11 and its
amativeness in So 1:15; 2:14 Doves are kept in a domesticated
state in many parts of the East. In Persia pigeon-houses are
erected at a distance from the dwellings, for the purpose of
collecting the dung as manure. There is probably an allusion
to such a custom in Isa 60:8
Read More
In their wild state doves generally build their nests in the
clefts of rocks, but when domesticated "dove-cots"
are prepared
for them (Cant. 2:14; Jer. 48:28; Isa. 60:8). The
dove was
placed on the standards of the Assyrians and
Babylonians in
honour, it is supposed, of Semiramis (Jer. 25:38;
Vulg.,
"fierceness of the dove;" comp. Jer. 46:16; 50:16).
Doves and
turtle-doves were the only birds that could be
offered in
sacrifice, as they were clean according to the
Mosaic law (Ge.
15:9; Lev. 5:7; 12:6; Luke 2:24). The dove was the
harbinger of
peace to Noah (Gen. 8:8, 10). It is often mentioned
as the
emblem of purity (Ps. 68:13). It is a symbol of the
Holy Spirit
(Gen. 1:2; Matt. 3:16; Mark 1:10; Luke 3:22; John
1:32); also of
tender and devoted affection (Cant. 1:15; 2:14).
David in his
distress wished that he had the wings of a dove,
that he might
fly away and be at rest (Ps. 55:6-8). There is a
species of dove
found at Damascus "whose feathers, all except the
wings, are
literally as yellow as gold" (68:13).
Read More
Its peculiar peaceful and gentle habit its often referred to
in
Scripture. A pair was offered in sacrifice by Mary
at her
purification (Luke 2:24). The pigeon and the turtle-
dove were
the only birds permitted to be offered in sacrifice
(Lev. 1:14;
5:7; 14:22; 15:14, 29, etc.). The Latin name of this
bird,
_turtur_, is derived from its note, and is a
repetition of the
Hebrew name _tor_. Three species are found in
Israel, (1) the
turtle-dove (Turtur auritus), (2) the collared
turtle (T.
risorius), and (3) the palm turtle (T.
Senegalensis). But it is
to the first of these species which the various
passages of
Scripture refer. It is a migratory bird (Jer. 8:7;
Cant. 2:11,
12). "Search the glades and valleys, even by sultry
Jordan, at
the end of March, and not a turtle-dove is to be
seen. Return in
the second week of April, and clouds of doves are
feeding on the
clovers of the plain. They overspread the whole face
of the
land." "Immediately on its arrival it pours forth
from every
garden, grove, and wooded hill its melancholy yet
soothing ditty
unceasingly from early dawn till sunset. It is from
its
plaintive and continuous note, doubtless, that
David, pouring
forth his heart's sorrow to God, compares himself to
a
turtle-dove" (Ps. 74:19).
Read More
Emblem of peace (Genesis 8:7-12). After God's wrath for sin
had been executed upon the earth, the dove was thrice sent
forth; at the first sending she found no rest for the sole
of her foot until she put herself in Noah's (or "comforter")
hand, and was drawn into the ark; on the second trip, she
brought back the olive leaf, the earnest of the restored
earth; on the third trip, she was able to roam at large, no
longer needing the ark's shelter. As the raven messenger
"going forth to and fro," alighting on but never entering
into the ark, symbolizes the unbelieving that have "no
peace," "like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest" (Isaiah
57:20-21): so the dove, in its threefold embassy, represents
respectively the first return of the soul to its rest, the
loving hand of Jesus; its subsequent reception of the
dovelike spirit, the earnest of the final inheritance
(Ephesians 1:13-14); and its actual entrance finally on the
new heaven and new earth (Revelation 21), where there will
be no need of the arklike church to separate between the
world and God's people, between the saved and unsaved, where
all shall be safe and blessed forever and the church shall
be co-extensive with the world...
Read More
tor; Latin, tur-tur, from imitation of its cooing note.
Abraham's offering (Genesis 15:9) with a young pigeon (gozal).
A pair was the poor man's substitute for the lamb or kid, as
trespass, sin, or burnt offering (Leviticus 12:6); so the
Virgin mother for her purification, through poverty (Luke
2:24; 2 Corinthians 8:9). Also in the case of a Nazarite
accidentally defiled by a dead body (Numbers 6:10). Owing to
its being migratory and timid, the turtle was never
domesticated as the pigeon; but being numerous, and building
its nest in gardens, it afforded its young as an easy prey to
those who did not own even pigeons. The palm dove, Turtur
Aegyptiacus, probably supplied the sacrifices in Israel's
desert journey, for its nests abound in palms on oases. Its
habit of pairing for life, and its love to its mate, made it a
symbol of purity and so a suitable offering...
Read More
O my dove, [that art] in the clefts of the rock, in the secret
[places] of the stairs, let me see thy countenance, let me
hear thy voice; for sweet [is] thy voice, and thy countenance
[is] comely.
Read More
O ye that dwell in Moab, leave the cities, and dwell in the
rock, and be like the dove [that] maketh her nest in the sides
of the hole's mouth.
Read More
I sleep, but my heart waketh: [it is] the voice of my beloved
that knocketh, [saying], Open to me, my sister, my love, my
dove, my undefiled: for my head is filled with dew, [and] my
locks with the drops of the night.
Read More
drag'-un (tannin, plural tannim, tannoth; drakon):
Tannin and the plural tanninim occur 14 t, and in English
Versions of the Bible are variously rendered "dragon,"
"whale," "serpent" or "sea-monster"; but Lam 4:3, the King
James Version "sea-monster," the King James Version margin"sea
calves," the Revised Version (British and American) "jackals."
Tannim occurs 12 times, and is rendered "dragons," the Revised
Version (British and American) "jackals," except in Ezek 29:3,
where the King James Version has "dragon" (the American
Standard Revised Version "monster"), and in Ezek 32:2, where
the King James Version has "whale" and the English Revised
Version and the King James Version margin"dragon" (the
American Standard Revised Version "monster"). Tannoth occurs
once, in Mal 1:3, where it is rendered "dragons," the Revised
Version (British and American) "jackals." Drakon occurs 12
times in Rev 12; 13; 16; and 20, where it is uniformly
rendered "dragon." (Compare Arabic tinnin, the constellation,
Draco.) Tannoth Septuagint domata, "dwellings") is a feminine
plural form as if from tannah, but it suits the context to
give it the same meaning as tannim...
Read More
-A poisonous serpent
De 32:33
-A serpent or the desert
Ps 91:13; Isa 34:13; Jer 9:11; 51:37; Mal 1:3
-Of the sea
Ps 74:13; Isa 27:1
-A wolf
Mic 1:8
-Interpreted as whale, in
Ge 1:21; Job 7:12
-Serpent
Ex 7:9
-A term applied
To Pharaoh
Isa 51:9
To Satan
Re 20:2
-Symbolical
Eze 29:3; 32:2; Re 12; 13; 16:13
Read More
The translators of the Authorized Version, apparently
following the Vulgate, have rendered by the same word "dragon"
the two Hebrew words tan and tannin, which appear to be quite
distinct in meaning.
1. The former is used, always in the plural, in Job
30:29; Ps 44:19; Isa 34:13; 43:20; Jer 9:11 It is always
applied to some creatures inhabiting the desert, and we should
conclude from this that it refers rather to some wild beast
than to a serpent. The syriac renders it by a word which,
according to Pococke, means a "jackal."
2. The word tannin seems to refer to any great
monster, whether of the land or the sea, being indeed more
usually applied to some kind of serpent or reptile, but not
exclusively restricted to that sense. Ex 7:9,10,12; De 32:33;
Ps 91:13 In the New Testament it is found only in the
Apocalypse, Re 12:3,4,7,9,16,17 etc., as applied
metaphorically to "the old serpent, called the devil, and
Satan."
Read More
The hart, and the roebuck, and the fallow deer, and the wild
goat, and the pygarg, and the wild ox, and the chamois.
Read More
ko'-ni (shaphan (Lev 11:5; Dt 14:7; Ps 104:18; Prov 30:26)):
The word "coney" (formerly pronounced cooney) means "rabbit"
(from Latin cuniculus). Shaphan is rendered in all four
passages in the Septuagint choirogrullios, or "hedge-hog,"
but is now universally considered to refer to the Syrian
hyrax, Procavia (or Hyrax) Syriaca, which in southern Israel
and Sinai is called in Arabic wabar, in northern Israel and
Syria Tabsun, and in southern Arabia shufun, which is
etymologically closely akin to shaphan. The word "hyrax"
(hurax) itself means "mouse" or "shrew-mouse" (compare Latin
sorex), so that it seems to have been hard to find a name
peculiar to this animal. In Lev 11:5 the Revised Version,
margin, we find "rock badger," which is a translation of
klip das, the rather inappropriate name given by the Boers
to the Cape hyrax. The Syrian hyrax lives in Syria, Israel
and Arabia. A number of other species, including several
that are arboreal, live in Africa. They are not found in
other parts of the world. In size, teeth and habits the
Syrian hyrax somewhat resembles the rabbit, though it is
different in color, being reddish brown, and lacks the long
hind legs of the rabbit. The similarity in dentition is
confined to the large size of the front teeth and the
presence of a large space between them and the back teeth.
But whereas hares have a pair of front teeth on each jaw,
the hyrax has one pair above and two below...
Read More
-General scriptures concerning
Le 11:5; De 14:7; Ps 18; Pr 30:26
Read More
(shaphan), a gregarious animal of the class Pachydermata,
which is found in Israel, living in the caves and clefts of
the rocks, and has been erroneously identified with the rabbit
or coney. Its scientific name as Hyrax syriacus. The hyrax
satisfies exactly the expressions in Ps 104:18; Pr 30:26 Its
color is gray or brown on the back, white on the belly; it is
like the alpine marmot, scarcely of the size of the domestic
cat, having long hair, a very short tail and round ears. It is
found on Lebanon and in the Jordan and Dead Sea valleys.
Read More
(Heb. shaphan; i.e., "the hider"), an animal which inhabits
the
mountain gorges and the rocky districts of Arabia
Petraea and
the Holy Land. "The conies are but a feeble folk,
yet make they
their houses in the rocks" (Prov. 30:26; Ps.
104:18). They are
gregarious, and "exceeding wise" (Prov. 30:24), and
are
described as chewing the cud (Lev. 11:5; Deut.
14:7).
The animal intended by this name is known among
naturalists as
the Hyrax Syriacus. It is neither a ruminant nor a
rodent, but
is regarded as akin to the rhinoceros. When it is
said to "chew
the cud," the Hebrew word so used does not
necessarily imply the
possession of a ruminant stomach. "The lawgiver
speaks according
to appearances; and no one can watch the constant
motion of the
little creature's jaws, as it sits continually
working its
teeth, without recognizing the naturalness of the
expression"
(Tristram, Natural History of the Bible). It is
about the size
and color of a rabbit, though clumsier in structure,
and without
a tail. Its feet are not formed for digging, and
therefore it
has its home not in burrows but in the clefts of the
rocks.
"Coney" is an obsolete English word for "rabbit."
Read More
shaphan, from the root "to hide"; the S. Arab, thofun; the
Syrian Arab, weber. A pachydermatous animal, gregarious,
greybacked, white on the belly, with long hair, short tail,
and round ears; common on the ridges of Lebanon; living in
caves and clefts; the Hyrax Syriacus, not the rabbit or coney.
Proverbs 30:26; "the coneys are but a feeble folk, yet make
they their houses in the rocks:" exactly true of the hyrax;
with weak teeth, short incisors, and nails instead, it seems
defenseless, but its security is in rocky hiding places, such
as Ain Feshkah on the Dead Sea shore.
"No animal" (says Tristram). "gave us so much trouble
to secure." It is described as "chewing the cud" (Leviticus
11:5; Deuteronomy 14:7), in phenomenal language, because the
motion of its jaws is like that of ruminating animals; so also
the hare. Though in some respects like the rodentia, it is
really akin to the rhinoceros; its molar teeth differ only in
the size; its body is as large as the rabbit. The "exceeding
wisdom" of the coneys is illustrated in their setting an old
male sentry near their holes to warn his companions when
danger approaches, by a whistling sound.
Read More
Nevertheless these ye shall not eat of them that chew the cud,
or of them that divide the cloven hoof; [as] the camel, and
the hare, and the coney: for they chew the cud, but divide not
the hoof; [therefore] they [are] unclean unto you.
Read More
And the coney, because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not
the hoof; he [is] unclean unto you.
Read More
kook'-oo, kuk'-oo (shachaph; laros; Latin Cuculus canorus):
The Hebrew root from which the word shachaph is derived
means "to be lean" and "slender," and in older versions of
the Bible was translated cuckow (cuckoo). It was mentioned
twice in the Bible (Lev 11:16, and practically the same in
Dt 14:15 the King James Version "cuckoo"), in the list of
unclean birds. The Latin term by which we designate the bird
is very similar to the Arabic, and all names for it in
different countries are so nearly the same that they prove
themselves based on its double cry, "cuck-oo," or the single
note "kowk" or "gouk." The bird is as old as history, and
interesting because the European species placed its eggs in
the nests of other birds, which gave rise to much fiction
concerning its habits. The European bird is a brownish gray
with white bars underneath, and larger than ours, which are
a beautiful olive gray, with tail feathers of irregular
length touched with white, knee tufts, black or yellow bill,
according to species, and beautiful sleek head and shining
eyes. Our birds build their own nests, attend their young
with care and are much loved for their beauty. Their food is
not repulsive in any species; there never was any reason why
they should have been classed among the abominations, and
for these reasons scientists in search of a "lean, slender"
bird of offensive diet and habit have selected the "sea-mew"
(which see) which is substituted for cuckoo in the Revised
Version (British and American) with good natural-history
reason to sustain the change.
Gene Stratton-Porter
Read More
-(A bird)
-Forbidden as food
Le 11:16; De 14:15
Read More
Le 11:16; De 14:15 the name of some of the larger petrels
which abound in the east of the Mediterranean.
Read More
(Heb. shahaph), from a root meaning "to be lean; slender."
This
bird is mentioned only in Lev. 11:16 and Deut. 14:15
(R.V.,
"seamew"). Some have interpreted the Hebrew word by
"petrel" or
"shearwater" (Puffinus cinereus), which is found on
the coast of
Syria; others think it denotes the "sea-gull" or
"seamew." The
common cuckoo (Cuculus canorus) feeds on reptiles and
large
insects. It is found in Asia and Africa as well as in
Europe. It
only passes the winter in Israel. The Arabs suppose it
to
utter the cry _Yakub_, and hence they call it _tir el-
Yakub_;
i.e., "Jacob's bird."
Read More
shachaph; Leviticus 11:16; Deuteronomy 14:15; unclean. Rather
the Greek cepphus of Aristotle, a large petrel, as the
Puffinus cinereus. From a root "to be slender", "light of
body" like a gull, whose body is small compared with its
apparent size and outspread wings; it skims the waves, seeking
its food in the agitated water. Andouini's gull, abounding on
the shores of Syria (Tristram), a more likely bird than the
storm petrel, which is seldom seen on land.
Read More
der ('ayyal, feminine 'ayyalah, and 'ayyeleth (compare Arabic,
'ayyal and 'iyal, "deer" and 'ayil, "ram," and Latin caper and
capra, "goat," caprea, capreolus, "wild goat," "chamois," or
"roe deer"); yachmur (compare Arabic, yachmur, "deer");
ya`alah, feminine of ya`el (compare Arabic, wa`l, "Pers wild
goat"); tsebhi, and feminine tsebhiyah (compare Arabic, zabi
and feminine zabiyah, "gazelle"]; `opher (compare Arabic,
ghafr and ghufr, "young of the mountain goat")):
Of the words in the preceding list, the writer believes that
only the first two, i.e. 'ayyal (with its feminine forms) and
yachmur should be translated "deer," 'ayyal for the roe deer
and yachmur for the fallow deer. Further, he believes that
ya`el (including ya`alah) should be translated "ibex," and
tsebhi, "gazelle." `Opher is the young of a roe deer or of a
gazelle...
Read More
-Also called, FALLOW DEER, HART, HIND, ROEBUCK
-Designated among the ceremonially clean animals, to be eaten
De 12:15; 14:5
-Provided for Solomon's household
1Ki 4:23
-Fleetness of
2Sa 2:18; 1Ch 12:8; Pr 6:5; So 8:14; Isa 35:6
-Surefootedness of
2Sa 22:34
-Gentleness of
Pr 5:19
-Coloring of
Jer 14:5
Read More
(called fallow from its reddish-brown color) (Heb. yachmur).
The Hebrew word, which is mentioned only in De 14:5 and 1Kin
4:23
probably denotes the Alcelaphus bubalis (the bubale or
wild cow) of Barbary and North Africa. It is about the size of
a stag, and lives in herds. It is almost exactly like the
European roebuck, and is valued for its venison.
Read More
Deut. 14:5 (R.V., "Wild goat"); 1 Kings 4:23 (R.V.,
"roebucks").
This animal, called in Hebrew _yahmur_, from a word
meaning "to
be red," is regarded by some as the common fallow-
deer, the
Cervus dama, which is said to be found very
generally over
Western and Southern Asia. It is called "fallow"
from its
pale-red or yellow colour. Some interpreters,
however, regard
the name as designating the bubale, Antelope bubale,
the "wild
cow" of North Africa, which is about the size of a
stag, like
the hartebeest of South Africa. A species of deer
has been found
at Mount Carmel which is called _yahmur_ by the
Arabs. It is
said to be similar to the European roebuck.
Read More
The hart, and the roebuck, and the fallow deer, and the wild
goat, and the pygarg, and the wild ox, and the chamois.
Read More
kelebh; (compare Arabic kelb, "dog"); kuon; and diminutive
kunarion): References to the dog, both in the Old Testament
and in the New Testament, are usually of a contemptuous
character. A dog, and especially a dead dog, is used as a
figure of insignificance. Goliath says to David (1 Sam 17:43
): "Am I a dog, that thou comest to me with staves?" David
says to Saul (1 Sam 24:14): "After whom dost thou pursue?
after a dead dog, after a flea." Mephibosheth says to David (2
Sam 9:8): "What is th servant, that thou shouldest look upon
such a dead dog as I am?" The same figure is found in the
words of Hazael to Elisha (2 Ki 8:13). The meaning, which is
obscure in the King James Version, is brought out well in the
Revised Version: "But what is thy servant, who is but a dog,
that he should do this great thing?" The characteristically
oriental interrogative form of these expressions should be
noted...
Read More
-Price of, not to be brought into the sanctuary
De 23:18
-Shepherd dogs
Job 30:1
-Habits of
Licking blood
1Ki 21:19; 22:38
Licking sores
Lu 16:21
Returns to eat his own vomit
Pr 26:11; 2Pe 2:22
Lapping of
Jud 7:5
-Dumb and sleeping
Isa 56:10,11
-Greyhound
Pr 30:31
-Epithet of contempt
1Sa 17:43; 24:14; 2Sa 3:8; 9:8; 16:9; 2Ki 8:13; Isa
56:10,11; Mt 15:26
-FIGURATIVE
Php 3:2; Re 22:15
Read More
Their bull gendereth, and faileth not; their cow calveth, and
casteth not her calf.
Read More
kam'-el (gamal; kamelos; bekher, and bikhrah (Isa 60:6; Jer
2:23 "dromedary," the American Revised Version, margin
"young camel"), rekhesh (1 Ki 4:28; see HORSE), kirkaroth
(Isa 66:20, "swift beasts," the American Standard Revised
ersion. "dromedaries"); bene ha-rammakhim (Est 8:10, "young
dromedaries," the American Standard Revised Version "bred of
the stud"); achashteranim (Est 8:10,14, the King James
Version "camels," the American Standard Revised Version
"that were used in the king's service")): There are two
species of camel, the Arabian or one-humped camel or
dromedary, Camelus dromedarius, and the Bactrian or two-
humped camel, Camelus bactrianus. The latter inhabits the
temperate and cold parts of central Asia and is not likely
to have been known to Biblical writers. The Arabian camel
inhabits southwestern Asia and northern Africa and has
recently been introduced into parts of America and
Australia. Its hoofs are not typical of ungulates but are
rather like great claws. The toes are not completely
separated and the main part of the foot which is applied to
the ground is a large pad which underlies the proximal
joints of the digits. It may be that this incomplete
separation of the two toes is a sufficient explanation of
the words "parteth not the hoof," in Lev 11:4 and Dt 14:7.
Otherwise these words present a difficulty, because the
hoofs are completely separated though the toes are not. The
camel is a ruminant and chews the cud like a sheep or ox,
but the stomach possesses only three compartments instead of
four, as in other ruminants. The first two compartments
contain in their walls small pouches, each of which can be
closed by a sphincter muscle. The fluid retained in these
pouches may account in part for the power of the camel to go
for a relatively long time without drinking...
Read More
-Herds of
Ge 12:16; 24:35; 30:43; 1Sa 30:17; 1Ch 27:30; Job
1:3,17;
Isa 60:6
-Docility of
Ge 24:11
-Uses of
For riding
Ge 24:10,61,64; 31:17
Posts
Es 8:10,14; Jer 2:23
Drawing chariots
Isa 21:7
For carrying burdens
Ge 24:10; 37:25; 1Ki 10:2; 2Ki 8:9; 1Ch 12:40; Isa
30:6
For cavalry
1Sa 30:17
For milk
Ge 32:15
-Forbidden as food
Le 11:4
-Hair of, made into cloth
Mt 3:4; Mr 1:6
-Ornaments of
Jud 8:21,26
-Stables for
Eze 25:5
Read More
The species of camel which was in common use among the Jews
and the heathen nations of Israel was the Arabian or one-
humped camel, Camelus arabicus. The dromedary is a swifter
animal than the baggage-camel, and is used chiefly for
riding purposes; it is merely a finer breed than the other.
The Arabs call it the heirie. The speed, of the dromedary
has been greatly exaggerated, the Arabs asserting that it is
swifter than the horse. Eight or nine miles an hour is the
utmost it is able to perform; this pace, however, it is able
to keep up for hours together. The Arabian camel carries
about 500 pounds. "The hump on the camel's back is chiefly a
store of fat, from which the animal draws as the wants of
his system require; and the Arab is careful to see that the
hump is in good condition before a long journey. Another
interesting adaptation is the thick sole which protects the
foot of the camel from the burning sand. The nostrils may be
closed by valves against blasts of sand. Most interesting is
the provision for drought made by providing the second
stomach with great cells in which water is long retained.
Sight and smell is exceedingly acute in the camel." --
Johnson's Encyc. It is clear from Ge 12:16 that camels were
early known to the Egyptians. The importance of the camel is
shown by Ge 24:64; 37:25; Jud 7:12; 1Sa 27:9; 1Ki 19:2; 2Ch
14:15; Job 1:3; Jer 49:29,32 and many other texts. John the
Baptist wore a garment made of camel hair, Mt 3:4; Mr 1:6
the coarser hairs of the camel; and some have supposed that
Elijah was clad in a dress of the same stuff.
Read More
from the Hebrew _gamal_, "to repay" or "requite," as the
camel
does the care of its master. There are two distinct
species of
camels, having, however, the common characteristics
of being
"ruminants without horns, without muzzle, with
nostrils forming
oblique slits, the upper lip divided and separately
movable and
extensile, the soles of the feet horny, with two
toes covered by
claws, the limbs long, the abdomen drawn up, while
the neck,
long and slender, is bent up and down, the reverse
of that of a
horse, which is arched."
(1.) The Bactrian camel is distinguished by two
humps. It is a
native of the high table-lands of Central Asia.
(2.) The Arabian camel or dromedary, from the Greek
_dromos_,
"a runner" (Isa. 60:6; Jer. 2:23), has but one hump,
and is a
native of Western Asia or Africa...
Read More
gamal. A ruminant animal, the chief means of communication
between places separated by sandy deserts in Asia, owing to
its amazing powers of endurance. The "ship of the desert,"
able to go without food, and water for days, the cellular
stomach containing a reservoir for water, and its fatty hump
a supply of nourishment; and content with such coarse,
prickly shrubs as the desert yields and its incisor teeth
enable it to divide. Their natural posture of rest is lying
down on the breast; on which, as well as on the joints of
the legs, are callosities. Thus, Providence by their
formation adapts them for carriers; and their broad,
cushioned, elastic feet enable them to tread sure-footedly
upon the sinking sands and gravel. They can close their
nostrils against the drifting sand of the parching simoom.
Their habitat is Arabia, Syria, Asia Minor, S. Tartary, and
part of India; in Africa from the Mediterranean to Senegal,
and from Egypt and Abyssinia to Algiers and Morocco.
The dromedary (beeker) is from a better breed, and
swifter; from the Greek dromas, a runner; going often at a
pace of nine miles an hour (Esther 8:10; Esther 8:14). The
Bactrian two-humped camel is a variety. Used in Abraham's
time for riding and burdens (Genesis 24:64; Genesis 37:25);
also in war (1 Samuel 30:17; Isaiah 21:7). Camel's hair was
woven into coarse cloth, such as what John the Baptist wore
(Matthew 3:4). The Hebrew gamal is from a root "to revenge,"
because of its remembrance of injuries and vindictiveness,
or else "to carry." In Isaiah 60:6 and Jeremiah 2:23 beeker
should be translated not "dromedary," but "young camel." In
Isaiah 66:20 kirkaroth, from karar to bound, "swift beasts,"
i.e. dromedaries. Its milk is used for drink as that of the
goats and sheep for butter.
Read More
Nevertheless these ye shall not eat of them that chew the cud,
or of them that divide the cloven hoof; [as] the camel, and
the hare, and the coney: for they chew the cud, but divide not
the hoof; [therefore] they [are] unclean unto you.
Read More
And so shall be the plague of the horse, of the mule, of the
camel, and of the ass, and of all the beasts that shall be in
these tents, as this plague.
Read More
Nevertheless these shall ye not eat of them that chew the cud,
or of them that divide the hoof: [as] the camel, because he
cheweth the cud, but divideth not the hoof; he [is] unclean
unto you.
Read More
kat'-'-l (behemah, "a dumb beast"; miqneh, "a possession"
from qanah, "to acquire" (compare Arabic qana', "to
acquire," and Greek kienos, "beast," and plural ktenea,
"flocks," from ktaomai, "to acquire," flocks being both with
the Homeric peoples and with the patriarchs an important
form of property; compare English "fee"); tso'n "small
cattle," "sheep" or goats (compare Arabic da'n, "sheep");
seh, a single sheep or goat (compare Arabic shah);
mela'khah, "property," from la'akh, "to minister" (compare
Arabic malakah and mulk, "property," from malak, "to
possess"); meri' "fatling" (1 Ki 19); thremma (Jn 4:12),
"cattle," i.e. "that which is nourished," from trepho, "to
nourish"; baqar, "kine," "oxen" (compare Arabic baqar,
"cattle"); shor, tor (Dan 4:25), tauros (Mt 22:4), "ox" or
"bull"; bous, "ox" (Lk 13:15); 'eleph, only in the plural,
'alaphim, "oxen" (Ps 8:7)): From the foregoing and by
examination of the many references to "cattle," "kine" or
"oxen" it is apparent that there are important points of
contact in derivation and usage in the Hebrew, Greek and
English terms. It is evident that neat cattle were possessed
in abundance by the patriarchs and later Israelites, which
is fax from being the case in Israel at the present day. The
Bedouin usually have no cattle. The fellachin in most parts
of the country keep them in small numbers, mostly for
plowing, and but little for milk or for slaughtering.
Travelers in the Holy Land realize that goat's milk is in
most places easier to obtain than cow's milk. The commonest
cattle of the fellachin are a small black breed. In the
vicinity of Damascus are many large, fine milch cattle which
furnish the delicious milk and cream of the Damascus
bazaars. For some reason, probably because they are not
confined and highly fed, the bulls of Israel are meek
creatures as compared with their European or American
fellows...
Read More
-(Of the bovine species)
-Used for sacrifice
1Ki 8:63
-See HEIFER
-See OFFERINGS
-Sheltered
Ge 33:17
-Stall-fed
Pr 15:17
-Gilead adapted to the raising of
Nu 32:1-4
-Bashan suitable to the raising of
Ps 22:12; Eze 39:18; Am 4:1
Read More
There was no animal in the rural economy of the Israelites,
or indeed in that of the ancient Orientals generally, that
was held in higher esteem than the ox and deservedly so, for
the ox was the animal upon whose patient labors depended all
the ordinary operations of farming. Oxen were used for
ploughing, De 22:10; 1Sa 14:14 etc.; for treading out corn,
De 25:4; Ho 10:11 etc.; for draught purposes, when they were
generally yoked in pairs, Nu 7:3; 1Sa 6:7 etc.; as beasts of
burden, 1Ch 12:40 their flesh was eaten, De 14:4; 1Ki 1:9
etc.; they were used in the sacrifices; cows supplied milk,
butter, etc. De 32:14; 2Sa 17:29; Isa 7:22 Connected with
the importance of oxen in the rural economy of the Jews is
the strict code of laws which was mercifully enacted by God
for their protection and preservation. The ox that threshed
the corn was by no means to be muzzled; he was to enjoy rest
on the Sabbath as well as his master. Ex 23:12; De 5:14 The
ox was seldom slaughtered. Le 17:1-6 It seems clear from Pr
15:17 and 1Kin 4:23
that cattle were sometimes stall-fed though as a
general rule it is probable that they fed in the plains or
on the hills of Israel. The cattle that grazed at large in
the open country would no doubt often become fierce and
wild, for it is to be remembered that in primitive times the
lion and other wild beasts of prey roamed about Israel.
Hence the force of the Psalmist's complaint of his enemies.
Ps 22:13
Read More
And they took away their cattle; of their camels fifty
thousand, and of sheep two hundred and fifty thousand, and of
asses two thousand, and of men an hundred thousand.
Read More
But the seventh day [is] the sabbath of the LORD thy God: [in
it] thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy
daughter, nor thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thine
ox, nor thine ass, nor any of thy cattle, nor thy stranger
that [is] within thy gates; that thy manservant and thy
maidservant may rest as well as thou.
Read More
And the LORD thy God will make thee plenteous in every work of
thine hand, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy
cattle, and in the fruit of thy land, for good: for the LORD
will again rejoice over thee for good, as he rejoiced over thy
fathers:
Read More
sham'-i, sha-mwa', sha-moi' (zemer; kamelopdrdalis): Occurs
only once in the Bible, i.e. in the list of clean animals in
Dt 14:5. Gesenius refers to the verb zamar, "to sing," and
suggests the association of dancing or leaping, indicating
thereby an active animal. M'Lean in Encyclopedia Biblica
cites the rendering of the Targums dica', or "wild goat."
Now there are two wild goats in Israel. The better known is
the ibex of the South, which may well be the ya`el (English
Versions, "wild goat"; Job 39:1; Ps 104:18; 1 Sam 24:2), as
well as the 'aqqo (English Version, "wild goat," Dt 14:5).
The other is the pasang or Persian wild goat which ranges
from the Northeast of Israel and the Syrian desert to
Persia, and which may be the zemer (English Versions
"chamois"). The accompanying illustration, which is taken
from the Royal Natural History, shows the male and female
and young. The male is distinguished by its larger horns and
goatee. The horns are in size and curvature very similar to
those of the ibex (see GOAT, section 2) , but the front edge
is like a nicked blade instead of being thick and knotty as
in the ibex. Like the ibex it is at home among the rocks,
and climbs apparently impossible cliffs with marvelous ease.
Tristram (NHB) who is followed by Post (HDB) suggests that
zemer may be the Barbary sheep (Ovis tragelaphus), though
the latter is only known to inhabit the Atlas Mountains,
from the Atlantic to Tunis. Tristram supports his view by
reference to a kebsh ("ram") which the Arabs say lives in
the mountains of Sinai, though they have apparently neither
horns nor skins to show as trophies, and it is admitted that
no European has seen it. The true chamois (Rupicapra tragus)
inhabits the high mountains from t he Pyrenees to the
Caucasus, and there is no reason to suppose that it was ever
found in Syria or Israel.
Alfred Ely Day
Read More
(pronounced often shame), the translation of the Hebrew zemer
in De 14:5 But the translation is incorrect; for there is no
evidence that the chamois have ever been seen in Israel or the
Lebanon. It is probable that some mountain sheep is intended.
Read More
only in Deut. 14:5 (Heb. zemer), an animal of the deer or
gazelle species. It bears this Hebrew name from its
leaping or
springing. The animal intended is probably the wild
sheep (Ovis
tragelephus), which is still found in Sinai and in the
broken
ridges of Stony Arabia. The LXX. and Vulgate render
the word by
camelopardus, i.e., the giraffe; but this is an animal
of
Central Africa, and is not at all known in Syria.
Read More
Zemer, from zaamar to leap. Allowed as clean food (Deuteronomy
14:5). The giraffe according to Gosse, (from the Arabic
version and the Septuagint). The objection is, the giraffe is
not a native of Israel; but it is of Nubia, and may have been
of the Arabian peninsula at the Exodus. Clearly it is not the
chamois found only on high peaks of the Alps, auras, and
Caucasus. It may be some other species of antelope. Colossians
Smith suggests the aoudad mountain sheep. The Syriac has "the
mountain goat."
Read More
The word occurs in Isa 14:23; 34:11; Zep 2:14 and we are
inclined to believe that the Authorized Version is correct.
The bittern (Botaurus stellaris) belongs to the Ardeidae, the
heron family of birds, and is famous for the peculiar
nocturnal booming sound which it emits.
Read More
is found three times in connection with the desolations to
come
upon Babylon, Idumea, and Nineveh (Isa. 14:23; 34:11;
Zeph.
2:14). This bird belongs to the class of cranes. Its
scientific
name is Botaurus stellaris. It is a solitary bird,
frequenting
marshy ground. The Hebrew word (kippod) thus rendered
in the
Authorized Version is rendered "porcupine" in the
Revised
Version. But in the passages noted the kippod is
associated with
birds, with pools of water, and with solitude and
desolation.
This favours the idea that not the "porcupine" but the
"bittern"
is really intended by the word.
Read More
(qippod. The accompaniment of the desolation reigning in
Babylon (Isaiah 14:23), Idumea (Isaiah 34:11), Nineveh
(Zephaniah 2:14). An aquatic solitary bird, frequenting marshy
pools, such as the plain of Babylonia abounded in: the Al-
houbara of the Arabic version, the size of a large fowl. The
Botaurus stellaris, of the heron kind. Gesenius translates
"the hedgehog" (from its rolling itself together; qaapad, "to
contract oneself"), and Strabo says that enormous hedgehogs
were found in the islands of the Euphrates. The Arabic kunfud
resembles qippod somewhat. But the hedgehog or porcupine would
never "lodge" or perch on the chapiters of columns," as margin
Zephaniah 2:14 says of the qippod. Still the columns might be
fallen on the ground within reach of the hedgehog, and Idumea
is not a marshy region suited to an aquatic bird such as the
bittern.
Read More
And flocks shall lie down in the midst of her, all the beasts
of the nations: both the cormorant and the bittern shall lodge
in the upper lintels of it; [their] voice shall sing in the
windows; desolation [shall be] in the thresholds: for he shall
uncover the cedar work.
Read More
I will also make it a possession for the bittern, and pools of
water: and I will sweep it with the besom of destruction,
saith the LORD of hosts.
Read More
But the cormorant and the bittern shall possess it; the owl
also and the raven shall dwell in it: and he shall stretch out
upon it the line of confusion, and the stones of emptiness.
Read More
bor (chazir): In lamenting the troubled state of the Jewish
nation the Psalmist (Ps 80:13) says: "The boar out of the wood
doth ravage it, and the wild beasts of the field feed on it,"
with evident reference to Israel's enemies, the Assyrians,
etc. The wild boar is abundant in certain parts of Israel and
Syria, especially in the thickets which border the lakes and
rivers, as about the Chuleh, the sea of Galilee, the Jordan,
and in the deltas of streams flowing into the Dead Sea, as
Ghaur-us-Cafiyeh. Several fountains in Lebanon bear the name,
`Ain-ul-Chazir, though chazir is not an Arabic word, khanzir
being the Arabic for "swine."
See SWINE.
Alfred Ely Day
Read More
-General scriptures concerning
Ps 80:13
-See SWINE
Read More
(Heb. chazir). The flesh of swine was forbidden as food by
the Levitical law, Le 11:7; De 14:8 the abhorrence which the
Jews as a nation had of it may be inferred from Isa 65:4 and
2 Macc 6:18,19. No other reason for the command to abstain
from swine's flesh is given in the law of Moses beyond the
general one which forbade any of the mammalia as food which
did not literally fulfill the terms of the definition of a
clean animal" viz,, that it was to be a cloven-footed
ruminant. It is, however, probable that dietetical
considerations may have influenced Moses in his prohibition
of swine's flesh: it is generally believed that its use in
hot countries is liable to induce cutaneous disorders; hence
in a people liable to leprosy the necessity for the
observance of a strict rule. Although the Jews did not breed
swine during the greater period of their existence as a
nation there can be little doubt that the heathen nations of
Israel used the flesh as food. At the time of our Lord's
ministry it would appear that the Jews occasionally violated
the law of Moses with regard to swine's flesh. Whether "the
herd of swine" into which the devils were allowed to enter,
Mt 8:32; Mr 5:13 were the property of the Jewish or of the
Gentile inhabitants of Gadara does not appear from the
sacred narrative. The wild boar of the wood, Ps 80:13 is the
common Sus scrofa which is frequently met with in the woody
parts of Israel, especially in Mount Tabor.
Read More
occurs only in Ps. 80:13. The same Hebrew word is elsewhere
rendered "swine" (Lev. 11:7; Deut. 14:8; Prov. 11:22;
Isa. 65:4;
66:3, 17). The Hebrews abhorred swine's flesh, and
accordingly
none of these animals were reared, except in the
district beyond
the Sea of Galilee. In the psalm quoted above the
powers that
destroyed the Jewish nation are compared to wild boars
and wild
beasts of the field.
Read More
The flesh of "swine" (domestic) was forbidden food to
Israel. Eating it was the token of apostasy under Antiochus
Epiphanes' persecution, and is mentioned among Judah's
provocations of Jehovah (Isaiah 65:4; Isaiah 66:17). E. of
the sea of Galilee, some Gadarenes are mentioned as having a
herd of 2,000. Probably they refrained themselves from the
flesh, and compromised between conscience and covetousness
by selling them to their neighbors the Gentiles. But they
gained nothing by the compromise, for the whole herd
perished in the wafters, in judicial retribution. The Lord
of the land, peculiarly set apart as the Holy Land, finds it
defiled with demons and unclean beasts. The demons beg leave
not to be sent to the abyss of torment, but into the swine.
With His leave they do so, and the swine rush down the steep
and perish in the waters.
Instead of gratitude for the deliverance, the
Gadarenes prefer their swine, though at the cost of the
demons' presence, to the Savior at the cost of sacrificing
their swine; so they entreat Him to "depart out of their
coasts," forgetting His word, "Woe to them when I depart
from them" (Hosea 9:12); a striking contrast to him who was
delivered from the demons and who "prayed that he might be
with Jesus (Mark 5:15-18). The lowest point of the
prodigal's degradation was when he was sent into the fields
to feed swine (Luke 15:15). The sensual professor's
backsliding into "the pollutions of the world," after he has
"escaped them through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior,"
is fitly compared to "the sow that was washed returning to
her wallowing in the mire" (2 Peter 2:20-22).
"As a jewel of gold (worn often by women as 'nose
jewels,' Isaiah 3:21) in a swine's snout, so is a fair woman
which is without discretion" (Hebrew: taste, i.e. without
moral perception of what is pure and impure) (Proverbs
11:22). The brutish stolidity of those who appreciate only
what gratifies their own foul appetites disqualifies them
for appreciating heavenly mysteries; to present these holy
truths to them would be as unwise as to east pearls before
swine, which would only trample them under foot (Matthew
7:6).
The wild boar is mentioned once only (Psalm 80:13).
Its destroying a vineyard partly by eating the grapes,
partly by trampling the vines under foot, is the image of
the pagan world power's ravaging of Israel, Jehovah's choice
vine, transplanted from Egypt into the Holy Land. Pococke
saw large herds among the reeds of Jordan, where it flows
into the sea of Galilee; and so it is sculptured on Assyrian
monuments as among reeds. Its Hebrew name, chazir, is from a
root to roll in the mud.
Read More
The boar out of the wood doth waste it, and the wild beast of
the field doth devour it.
Read More
an'-te-lop (RV; the King James Version "wild ox," te'o (Dt
14:5), and "wild bull," to (Isa 51:20); orux (The Septuagint
in Codex Vaticanus has hos seutlion hemiephthon, literally,
"like a half-cooked beet-root"): The dorcas gazelle (Gazella
dorcas) is widely distributed in Syria, Israel and Arabia.
The recently discovered Merrill's gazelle (Gazella Merrilli)
inhabits the hilly country near Jerusalem and is not
commonly distinguished from the dorcas gazelle. Probably the
only other antelope within this range is the Arabian oryx
(Oryx beatrix). Tristram cites two African species (the
bubaline antelope, Bubalis mauretanica, and the addax, Addax
nasomaculatus) as existing in the Sinaitic peninsula,
southern Israel and Arabia, but he did not collect specimens
of either and was probably misled by statements of the Arabs
which in both cases really referred to the oryx. The only
naturalist who has ever penetrated into Northwest Arabia is
Mr. Douglas Carruthers, who went in 1909 on a collecting
expedition for the Syrian Protestant College at Beirut, his
object being to obtain the oryx and any other large
antelopes which might be found there. Through observation
and repeated inquiry he became convinced that neither the
addax nor the bubaline antelope is found in Arabia. Tristram
says the addax is called maha' and the bubaline antelope
baqar-ul-wachsh, both of which names are in fact used by the
Arabs for the oryx, which is also according to Doughty
called wadichah.
Tsebhi in the list of clean animals in Dt 14:5 (the King
James Version "roebuck"; the Revised Version (British and
American) "gazelle") is quite certainly gazelle, Arabic zabi
(which see), so it is quite possible that te'o may be the
oryx. It is noteworthy that it is rendered oryx (orux) in
the Septuagint. It must be borne in mind that re'm or re'em,
rendered "unicorn" (which see) in the King James Version and
"wild ox" in the Revised Version (British and American), may
perhaps also be the oryx. That the oryx should be called by
two names in the Bible need not be considered strange, in
view of the indefiniteness of Semitic ideas of natural
history, which is directly evidenced by the three names now
used for this animal by the Arabs.
The slightly different form [to'] (the King James Version
"wild bull"; the Revised Version (British and American)
"antelope") found in Isa 51:20 ("Thy sons have fainted, they
lie at the head of all the streets, as an antelope in a
net") may quite as well refer to the oryx as to any other
animal. According to Gesenius the word is derived from the
verb ta'ah, "to outrun," which would be appropriate for this
or any antelope.
The accompanying illustration is from a photograph of a
well-grown female oryx in the zoological gardens at Cairo,
which is 35 inches high at the shoulder and whose horns are
21 inches long. An adult male measures 40 inches at the
shoulders, 59 inches from tip of nose to root of tail, and
the longest horns known measure 27 1/4 inches. The color is
pure white with dark brown or black markings. It is a
powerful animal and its horns may inflict dangerous wounds.
It inhabits the deserts of Arabia and its remarkably large
hoofs seem well adapted to traversing the sands. It feeds
upon grasses and upon certain succulent roots, and the
Bedouin declare that never drinks. Under its name of maha'
it is celebrated in Arabic poetry for the beauty of its
eyes. Compare the Homeric "ox-eyed goddess Hera" (Boopis
potnia Ere). Baqar-ul-wachsh, the name most commonly used by
the Bedouin, means "wild cow" or "wild ox," which is
identical with the translation of te'o in the King James
Version.
Alfred Ely Day
Read More
-Wild, caught in nets
Isa 51:20
-Blood of, in sacrifice
Heb 9:13; 10:4
Read More
terms used synonymously with ox, oxen, and properly a generic
name for horned cattle when a full age and fit for the plough.
It is variously rendered "bullock," Isa 65:25 "cow," Eze 4:15
"oxen," Ge 12:16 Kine is used in the Bible as the plural of
cow. In Isa 51:20 the "wild bull" ("wild ox" in De 14:5 ) was
possibly one of the larger species of antelope, and took its
name from its swiftness. Dr. Robinson mentions larger herds of
black and almost harmless buffaloes as still existing in
Israel, and these may be the animal indicated.
Read More
(1.) The translation of a word which is a generic name for
horned cattle (Isa. 65:25). It is also rendered
"cow" (Ezek.
4:15), "ox" (Gen. 12:16).
(2.) The translation of a word always meaning an
animal of the
ox kind, without distinction of age or sex (Hos.
12:11). It is
rendered "cow" (Num. 18:17) and "ox" (Lev. 17:3).
(3.) Another word is rendered in the same way (Jer.
31:18). It
is also translated "calf" (Lev. 9:3; Micah 6:6). It
is the same
word used of the "molten calf" (Ex. 32:4, 8) and
"the golden
calf" (1 Kings 12:28).
(4.) In Judg. 6:25; Isa. 34:7, the Hebrew word is
different.
It is the customary word for bulls offered in
sacrifice. In Hos.
14:2, the Authorized Version has "calves," the
Revised Version
"bullocks."
Read More
Used as synonymous with ox in the KJV. Baaqaar is the Hebrew
for horned cattle fit for the plow. Tor is one head of
horned cattle, akin to our steer. Egel, a calf, properly of
the first year; specially one offered in sacrifice. Hosea
14:2; "so shall we render the calves of our lips;" instead
of sacrifices of calves, which we cannot offer to Thee in
exile, we present the praises of our lips. The exile, by its
enforced cessation of sacrifices during Israel's separation
from the temple, the only lawful place of offering them,
prepared the people for the superseding of all sacrifices by
the one great antitypical sacrifice; henceforth "the
sacrifice of praise continually, the fruit of our lips," is
what God requires (Hebrews 13:15).
The abriym express "strong bulls" (Psalm 22:12;
Psalm 50:13; Psalm 68:30). Caesar describes wild bulls of
the Hercynian forest, strong and swift, almost as large as
elephants, and savage. The Assyrian remains depict similarly
the wild urns. The ancient forest round London was infested
with them. The wild bull (toh) in Isaiah 51:20, "thy sons
lie at the head of all the streets as a wild bull in a net,"
seems to be of the antelope kind, Antilope bubalis, the
"wild ox" of the Arabs; often depicted in Egyptian remains
as chased not for slaughter, but for capture, it being
easily domesticated.
Read More
Thy sons have fainted, they lie at the head of all the
streets, as a wild bull in a net: they are full of the fury of
the LORD, the rebuke of thy God.
Read More
And the covering of rams' skins dyed red, and the covering of
badgers' skins, and the vail of the covering,
Read More
And he made a covering for the tent [of] rams' skins dyed red,
and a covering [of] badgers' skins above [that].
Read More
(`aTaleph; Lev 11:19; Dt 14:18; Isa 2:20): Bats are the most
widely distributed of mammals, reaching even the oceanic
islands, and modern science has revealed the existence of an
astonishing number of species, nearly twenty being recorded
from Israel. These include both fruit-eating and insect-
eating bats, the latter being the smaller. It has not always
been realized that they are mammals, and so it is not
surprising that they should be mentioned at the end of the
list of unclean birds in Lev 11:19 and Dt 14:18. It may,
however, be significant that they are at the end of the list
and not in the middle of it. The fruit bats are a pest to
horticulturists and often strip apricot and other trees
before the fruit has ripened enough to be picked. On this
account the fruit is often enclosed in bags, or the whole
tree may be surrounded with a great sheet or net. They
commonly pick the fruit and eat it on some distant perch
beneath which the seeds and the ordure of these animals are
scattered. The insect bats, as in other countries, flit
about at dusk and through the night catching mosquitoes and
larger insects, and so are distinctly beneficial.
The reference in Isa 2:20, "cast .... idols .... to the
moles and to the bats" refers of course to these animals as
inhabitants of dark and deserted places. As in the case of
many animal names the etymology of `aTaleph is doubtful.
Various derivations have been proposed but none can be
regarded as satisfactory. The Arabic name, waTwaT, throws no
light on the question.
Alfred Ely Day
Read More
-General scriptures concerning
Le 11:19; De 14:18; Isa 2:20
Read More
Le 11:19; De 14:18 Many travellers have noticed the immense
numbers of bats that are found in caverns in the East, and Mr.
Layard said that on the occasion of a visit to a cavern these
noisome beasts compelled him to retreat.
Read More
The Hebrew word (atalleph') so rendered (Lev. 11:19; Deut.
14:18) implies "flying in the dark." The bat is
reckoned among
the birds in the list of unclean animals. To cast
idols to the
"moles and to the bats" means to carry them into dark
caverns or
desolate places to which these animals resort (Isa.
2:20), i.e.,
to consign them to desolation or ruin.
Read More
(hatalleph; "the darkness bird".) Delighting in dark holes and
caverns. This is the point of Isaiah 2:20, "a man shall cast
his idols to the bats," while the idolaters themselves shall
vainly hide in the rock from the wrath of the Lamb (Revelation
6:16). Unclean in the eye of the law (Deuteronomy 14:18-19;
Leviticus 11:19-20). Ranked among "all fowls that creep, going
upon all four;" it has claws on its pinions, by which it
attaches itself to a surface, and creeps along it. It is
connected with quadrupeds: the bones of the arm (answering to
a bird's wing) and fingers being elongated, and a membrane
extended over them to the hind limbs.
Read More
In that day a man shall cast his idols of silver, and his
idols of gold, which they made [each one] for himself to
worship, to the moles and to the bats;
Read More
bar (dobh; compare Arabic dubb): In 1 Sam 17:34-37, David
tells Saul how as a shepherd boy he had overcome a lion and
a bear. In 2 Ki 2:24 it is related that two she bears came
out of the wood and tore forty-two of the children who had
been mocking Elisha. All the other references to bears are
figurative; compare 2 Sam 17:8; Prov 17:12; 28:15; Isa 11:7;
59:11; Lam 3:10; Dan 7:5; Hos 13:8; Am 5:19; Rev 13:2. The
Syrian bear, sometimes named as a distinct species, Ursus
Syriacus, is better to be regarded as merely a local variety
of the European and Asiatic brown bear, Ursus arctos. It
still exists in small numbers in Lebanon and is fairly
common in Anti-Lebanon and Hermon. It does not seem to occur
now in Israel proper, but may well have done so in Bible
times. It inhabits caves in the high and rugged mountains
and issues mainly at night to feed on roots and vegetables.
It is fond of the chummuc or chick-pea which is sometimes
planted in the upland meadows, and the fields have to be
well guarded. The figurative re ferences to the bear take
account of its ferocious nature, especially in the case of
the she bear robbed of her whelps (2 Sam 17:8; Prov 17:12;
Hos 13:8). It is with this character of the bear in mind
that Isaiah says (11:7), "And the cow and the bear shall
feed; their young ones shall lie down together."
Alfred Y. Day
Read More
-Ferocity of
2Sa 17:8; Pr 17:12; 28:15; Isa 11:7; 59:11; La 3:10;
Ho
3:3
-Two destroy the young men of Beth-el who mocked Elisha
2Ki 2:24
-FIGURATIVE
Read More
We roar all like bears, and mourn sore like doves: we look for
judgment, but [there is] none; for salvation, [but] it is far
off from us.
Read More
be'-he-moth, be-he'-moth (behemoth: Job 40:15): Apparently
the plural of behemah, "a beast," used of domestic or wild
animals. The same form, behemoth, occurs in other passages,
e.g. Dt 28:26; 32:24; Isa 18:6; Hab 2:17, where it is not
rendered "behemoth" but "beasts." According to some, the
word behemoth, occurring in Job 40:15, is not a Hebrew word,
the plural of behemah, but a word of Egyptian origin
signifying "water ox." This etymology is denied by Cheyne
and others. The word has by various writers been understood
to mean rhinoceros and elephant, but the description (Job
40:15-24) applies on the whole very well to the hippopotamus
(Hippopotamus arnphibius) which inhabits the Nile and other
rivers of Africa. Especially applicable are the references
to its great size, its eating grass, the difficulty with
which weapons penetrate its hide, and its frequenting of
streams.
"He lieth under the lotus-trees,
In the covert of the reed, and the fen.
The lotus-trees cover him with their shade;
The willows of the brook compass him about."
The remains of a fossil hippopotamus of apparently the same
species are found over most of Europe, so that it may have
inhabited Israel in early historical times, although we have
no record of it. There is a smaller living species in west
Africa, and there are several other fossil species in Europe
and India. The remains of Hippopotamus minutus have been
found in enormous quantities in caves in Malta and Sicily.
For an elaborate explanation of behemoth and leviathan
(which see) as mythical creatures, see Cheyne, EB, under the
word
Alfred Ely Day
Read More
(great beasts). There can be little or no doubt that by this
word, Job 40:15-24 the hippopotamus is intended since all the
details descriptive of the behemoth accord entirely with the
ascertained habits of that animal. The hippopotamus is an
immense creature having a thick and square head, a large mouth
often two feet broad, small eyes and ears, thick and heavy
body, short legs terminated by four toes, a short tail, skin
without hair except at the extremity of the tail. It inhabits
nearly the whole of Africa, and has been found of the length
of 17 feet. It delights in the water, but feeds on herbage on
land. It is not found in Israel, but may at one time have been
a native of western Asia.
Read More
(Job 40:15-24). Some have supposed this to be an Egyptian
word
meaning a "water-ox." The Revised Version has here in
the margin
"hippopotamus," which is probably the correct
rendering of the
word. The word occurs frequently in Scripture, but,
except here,
always as a common name, and translated "beast" or
"cattle."
Read More
(Job 40:15-24.) The Egyptian, Coptic, pehemout, "the water
ox," Hebraized; our "river horse", hippopotamus. "Behold I
made him with thee." Yet how great the difference! "He
eateth grass as an ox;" a marvel in an animal so much in the
water, and that such a monster is not carnivorous. "His
force is in the navel (rather muscles) of his belly"; the
elephant's skin there is thin, but the hippopotamus' skin
thick. "He moveth his tail like a cedar," short indeed, but
straight and rigid as the cedar. "The sinews of his thighs
are twisted together," like a thick rope. "His bones are as
strong tubes of copper .... his spine like bars of iron." He
that made him hath furnished him with his sword" (his
sickle-like teeth). Though so armed, he lets "all the beasts
of the field play" near him, for he is herbivorous.
"He lieth under the lotus bushes," in the covert of
the reed and fens (being amphibious). "The lotus bushes
cover him with their shadow." "Behold (though) a river be
overwhelming, he is not in hasty panic (for he can live in
water as well as land); he is secure, though a Jordan swell
up to his mouth." Job cannot have been a Hebrew, or he would
not adduce Jordan, where there were no river horses. He
alludes to it as a name known only by hearsay, and
representing any river. "Before his eyes (i.e. openly) will
any take him, or pierce his nose with cords?" Nay, he can
only be taken by guile. Jehovah's first discourse (Job 38-
39) was limited to land animals and birds; this second
discourse requires therefore the animal classed with the
crocodile to be amphibious, as the river horse.
Read More
Behold now behemoth, which I made with thee; he eateth grass
as an ox.
Read More
bit'-ern (qippodh; Latin Botaurus stellaris; Greek echinos):
A nocturnal member of the heron family, frequenting swamps
and marshy places. Its Hebrew name means a creature of waste
and desert places. The bittern is the most individual branch
of the heron (ardeidae) family on account of being partially
a bird of night. There are observable differences from the
heron in proportion, and it differs widely in coloration. It
is one of the birds of most ancient history, and as far back
as records extend is known to have inhabited Europe, Asia,
Africa, Australia and America. The African bird that Bible
historians were familiar with was 2 1/2 ft. in length. It
had a 4-inch bill, bright eyes and plumage of buff and
chestnut, mottled with black. It lived around swamps and
marshes, hunting mostly at night, and its food was much the
same as that of all members of the heron family, frogs being
its staple article of diet. Its meat has not the fishy taste
of most members of the heron family, and in former times wa
s considered a great delicacy of food. In the days of
falconry it was protected in England because of the sport
afforded in hunting it. Aristotle mentions that previous to
his time the bittern was called oknos, which name indicates
"an idle disposition." It was probably bestowed by people
who found the bird hiding in swamps during the daytime, and
saw that it would almost allow itself to be stepped upon
before it would fly. They did not understand that it fed and
mated at night. Pliny wrote of it as a bird that "bellowed
like oxen," for which reason it was called Taurus. Other
medieval writers called it botaurus, from which our term
"bittern" is derived. There seems to be much confusion as to
the early form of the name; but all authorities agree that
it was bestowed on the bird on account of its voice...
Read More
-A species of heron
Isa 14:23; 34:11; Zep 2:14
Read More
Dan shall be a serpent by the way, an adder in the path, that
biteth the horse heels, so that his rider shall fall backward.
Read More
as (chamowr or chamor, compare Arabic chamar, apparently
connected with Arabic root 'achmar, "red," but referred by
some to root hamal, "to carry"; also, but less commonly,
both in Hebrew and in Arabic, 'athon, Arabic 'atan, used in
Arabic only of the females; pereh, or pere', and `aradh, or
`arodh, Arabic 'ard, "wild ass," and also `ayir, Arabic
`air, "a young" or "wild ass").
1. Names:
The name `arodh (Job 39:5) is rare; onos (Mt 21:2).
2. Meaning:
(1) Chamor is derived from the root which means, in all
probability, "to carry a burden" (see Furst, Handworterbuch,
ch-m-r ii), or "heap up." While no analogies are contained
in the Old Testament this root occurs in New Hebrew. The
Aramaic chamer, means "to make a ruin-heap" (from which the
noun chamor, "a heap," used in Jdg 15:16 in a play of words:
"With the jawbone of an ass, heaps upon heaps, with the
jawbone of an ass have I smitten a thousand men"). The root
may also mean "to be red." In this case the nominal form
chamor may have been derived from the reddish-brown skin of
a certain type of the ass.
(2) 'Athon, Assyrian 'atanu and Aramaic 'atana', is derived
from 'atha' "to come," "go," etc. (Furst suggests that it
may be derived from 'athan, Aramaic `adhan, "to be slender,"
"docile," etc.); 'athonoth tsechoroth, "red-white asses"
(Jdg 5:10) designates a better breed...
Read More
-DOMESTICATED
Herds of
Ge 12:16; 24:35; 32:5; 34:28; Nu 31:34,45; 1Ch 5:21;
Ezr
2:67; Ne 7:69
Used for riding
Ge 22:3; Nu 22:21-33; Jos 15:18; Jud 1:14; 5:10; 1Sa
25:23; 2Ch 28:15; Zec 9:9
By Jesus
Mt 21:2,5; Lu 13:15; Joh 12:14,15; Zec 9:9
Carrying burdens
Ge 42:26; 2Sa 16:1; Isa 30:6
Drawing chariots
Isa 21:7
For food
2Ki 6:25
Not to be yoked with an ox
De 22:10
Rest on the Sabbath
Ex 23:12
Bridles for
Pr 26:3
Jawbone of, used by Samson with which to kill
Philistines
Jud 15:15-17
FIRSTLINGS OF redeemed
Ex 13:13; 34:20
-WILD
Job 6:5; 24:5; 39:5; Ps 104:11; Isa 32:14; Jer 2:24;
14:6;
Ho 8:9
Read More
Hebrew athon; from athan, 'short in step".
1. The domestic she ass, named so from its slowness.
2. The chamor, the he ass, whether domesticated or
not, distinguished from the athon; Genesis 45:23. From chamar,
"red," as the Spaniards call the donkey "burro," from its red
color. Used in riding and plowing. Not held in contempt for
stupidity, as with us. Issachar is compared to an "ass, strong
boned, crouching down between the hurdles (Genesis 49:14): he
saw that rest was a good and the land pleasant; so he bowed
his shoulder to bear, and became servant unto tribute;" ease
at the cost of liberty would be his characteristic. Robust,
and with a prime agricultural inheritance, his people would
strive after material good, rather than political rule. The
prohibition of horses rendered the donkey the more esteemed in
Israel. In the E. it is a far superior animal to ours...
Read More
Five Hebrew names of the genus Asinus occur in the Old
Testament.
1. Chamor denotes the male domestic ass.
2. Athon, the common domestic she-ass.
3. Air, the name of a wild ass, which occurs Ge
32:15; 49:11
4. Pere, a species of wild ass mentioned Ge 12:16
5. Arod occurs only in Job 39:5 but in what respect
it differs from the Pere is uncertain. The ass in eastern
countries is a very different animal from what he is in
western Europe. The most noble and honorable amongst the
Jews were wont to be mounted on asses. (With us the ass is a
symbol of stubbornness and stupidity, while in the East it
is especially remarkable for its patience, gentleness,
intelligence, meek submission and great power of
endurance."--L. Abbott. The color is usually a reddish
brown, but there are white asses, which are much prized. The
ass was the animal of peace as the horse was the animal of
war; hence the appropriateness of Christ in his triumphal
entry riding on an ass. The wild ass is a beautiful animal.-
-ED.) Mr. Lavard remarks that in fleetness the wild ass
(Asinus hemippus) equals the gazelle and to overtake it is a
feat which only one or two of the most celebrated mares have
been known to accomplish.
Read More
frequently mentioned throughout Scripture. Of the
domesticated
species we read of, (1.) The she ass (Heb. 'athon),
so named
from its slowness (Gen. 12:16; 45:23; Num. 22:23; 1
Sam. 9:3).
(2.) The male ass (Heb. hamor), the common working
ass of
Western Asia, so called from its red colour.
Issachar is
compared to a strong ass (Gen. 49:14). It was
forbidden to yoke
together an ass and an ox in the plough (Deut.
22:10). (3.) The
ass's colt (Heb. 'air), mentioned Judg. 10:4; 12:14.
It is
rendered "foal" in Gen. 32:15; 49:11. (Comp. Job
11:12; Isa.
30:6.) The ass is an unclean animal, because it does
not chew
the cud (Lev. 11:26. Comp. 2 Kings 6:25). Asses
constituted a
considerable portion of wealth in ancient times
(Gen. 12:16;
30:43; 1 Chr. 27:30; Job 1:3; 42:12). They were
noted for their
spirit and their attachment to their master (Isa.
1:3). They are
frequently spoken of as having been ridden upon, as
by Abraham
(Gen. 22:3), Balaam (Num. 22:21), the disobedient
prophet (1
Kings 13:23), the family of Abdon the judge, seventy
in number
(Judg. 12:14), Zipporah (Ex. 4:20), the Shunammite
(1 Sam.
25:30), etc. Zechariah (9:9) predicted our Lord's
triumphal
entrance into Jerusalem, "riding upon an ass, and
upon a colt,"
etc. (Matt. 21:5, R.V.).
Of wild asses two species are noticed, (1) that
called in
Hebrew _'arod_, mentioned Job 39:5 and Dan. 5:21,
noted for its
swiftness; and (2) that called _pe're_, the wild ass
of Asia
(Job 39:6-8; 6:5; 11:12; Isa. 32:14; Jer. 2:24;
14:6, etc.). The
wild ass was distinguished for its fleetness and its
extreme
shyness. In allusion to his mode of life, Ishmael is
likened to
a wild ass (Gen. 16:12. Here the word is simply
rendered "wild"
in the Authorized Version, but in the Revised
Version, "wild-ass
among men").
Read More
And they took away their cattle; of their camels fifty
thousand, and of sheep two hundred and fifty thousand, and of
asses two thousand, and of men an hundred thousand.
Read More
And they brought their cattle unto Joseph: and Joseph gave
them bread [in exchange] for horses, and for the flocks, and
for the cattle of the herds, and for the asses: and he fed
them with bread for all their cattle for that year.
Read More
For she doted upon their paramours, whose flesh [is as] the
flesh of asses, and whose issue [is like] the issue of horses.
Read More
(Heb. kophim) are mentioned in 1Ki 10:22 and 2Chr 9:21
There can be little doubt that the apes were brought
from the same country which supplied ivory and peacocks, both
of which are common in Ceylon; and Sir E. Tennent has drawn
attention to the fact that the Tamil names for apes, ivory and
peacocks are identical with the Hebrew.
Read More
Imported once every three years in Solomon's and Hiram's
Tarshish fleets (1 Kings 10:22; 2 Chronicles 9:21). Hebrew;
quoph. The ape in Sanskrit is called kapi, "ramble;" Greek
kepos, akin to English ape. Solomon, as a naturalist,
collected specimens from various lands. Tarshish is identified
by Sir Emerson Tennent with some Ceylon seaport; so the apes
(quophim) brought to Solomon probably came from Ceylon, which
abounds also in "ivory and peacocks." The Tamil names
moreover, for "apes," "ivory," and "peacocks," are identical
with the Hebrew. Others think Ophir was on the E. African
coast; then the apes would be of Ethiopia.
Read More
For the king had at sea a navy of Tharshish with the navy of
Hiram: once in three years came the navy of Tharshish,
bringing gold, and silver, ivory, and apes, and peacocks.
Read More
For the king's ships went to Tarshish with the servants of
Huram: every three years once came the ships of Tarshish
bringing gold, and silver, ivory, and apes, and peacocks.
Read More
baj'er: tachash: The word tachash occurs in the descriptions
of the tabernacle in Ex 25; 26; 35; 36 and 39, in the
directions for moving the tabernacle as given in Nu 4, and
in only one other passage, Ezek 16:10, where Jerusalem is
spoken of as a maiden clothed and adorned by her Lord. In
nearly all these passages the word tachash occurs with `or,
"skin," rendered: the King James Version "badgers' skins,"
the Revised Version (British and American) "sealskin," the
Revised Version, margin "porpoise-skin," Septuagint dermata
huakinthina. In all the passages cited in Ex and Nu these
skins are mentioned as being used for coverings of the
tabernacle; in Ezek 16:10, for shoes or sandals. The
Septuagint rendering would mean purple or blue skins, which
however is not favored by Talmudic writers or by modern
grammarians, who incline to believe that tachash is the name
of an animal. The rendering, "badger," is favored by the
Talmudic writers and by the possible etymological connection
of the word with the Latin taxus and the German Dachs. The
main objection seems to be that badgers' skins would
probably not have been easily available to the Israelites.
The badger, Meles taxus, while fairly abundant in Lebanon
and Anti-Lebanon, does not seem to occur in Sinai or Egypt.
A seal, Monachus albiventer (Arabic fukmeh), the porpoise,
Phocoena comrnunis, and the common dolphin, Delphinus
delphis, are all found in the Mediterranean. The dugong,
Halicore dugong, inhabits the Indian Ocean and adjoining
waters from the Red Sea to Australia. The Arabic tukhas or
dukhas is near to tachash and is applied to the dolphin,
which is also called delfin. It may be used also for the
porpoise or even the seal, and is said by Tristram and
others to be applied to the dugong. The statement of
Gesenius (Boston, 1850, under the word "tachash") that the
Arabs of Sinai wear sandals of dugong skin is confirmed by
recent travelers, and is of interest with reference to Ezek
16:10, ".... shod thee with badgers' skin" (King James
Version). The dugong is a marine animal from 5 to 9 ft. in
length, frequenting the shore and feeding upon seaweed. It
belongs to the order Sirenia. While outwardly resembling
Cetacea (whales and porpoises), the Sirenia are really more
allied to the Ungulata, or hoofed animals. The dugong of the
Indian Ocean and the manatee of the Atlantic and of certain
rivers of Africa and South America, are the only living
representatives of the Sirenia. A third species, the sea-cow
of Behring Sea, became extinct in the 18th century. The seal
and porpoise of the Revised Version (British and American),
the dolphin, and the dugong are all of about the same size
and all inhabit the seas bordering on Egypt and Sinai, so
that all are possible candidates for identification with the
tachash. Of the four, recent opinion seems most to favor the
dugong.
Mr. S. M. Perlmann has suggested (Zoologist, set. 4, XII,
256, 1908) that the okapi is the animal indicated by
tachash.
Gesenius (Leipzig, 1905) cites Bondi (Aegyptiaca, i. ff) who
adduces the Egyptian root t-ch-s and makes the expression
`or tachash mean "soft-dressed skin." This suits the context
in every passage and is very promising explanation.
Alfred Ely-Day
Read More
-(R. V., SEAL or PORPOISE.)
-Skins of, used for covering of the tabernacle
Ex 25:5; 26:14; 35:7,23; 36:19; 39:34; Nu
4:6,8,10,11,12,14,25
-For shoes
Eze 16:10
-(R. V., SEALSKIN.)
Read More
There is much obscurity as to the meaning of the word tachash,
rendered "badger" in the Authorized Version, Ex 25:5; 35:7
etc. The ancient versions seem nearly all agreed that it
denotes not an animal but a color, either black or sky-blue.
The badger is not found in the Bible lands. The Arab duchash
or tufchash denotes a dolphin, including seals and cetaceans.
The skins referred to are probably those of these marine
animals, some of which are found in the Red Sea. The skin of
the Halicore, one of these, from its hardness would be well
suited for making soles for shoes. Eze 16:10
Read More
this word is found in Ex. 25:5; 26:14; 35:7, 23; 36:19;
39:34;
Num. 4:6, etc. The tabernacle was covered with
badgers' skins;
the shoes of women were also made of them (Ezek.
16:10). Our
translators seem to have been misled by the
similarity in sound
of the Hebrew _tachash_ and the Latin _taxus_, "a
badger." The
revisers have correctly substituted "seal skins."
The Arabs of
the Sinaitic peninsula apply the name _tucash_ to
the seals and
dugongs which are common in the Red Sea, and the
skins of which
are largely used as leather and for sandals. Though
the badger
is common in Israel, and might occur in the
wilderness, its
small hide would have been useless as a tent
covering. The
dugong, very plentiful in the shallow waters on the
shores of
the Red Sea, is a marine animal from 12 to 30 feet
long,
something between a whale and a seal, never leaving
the water,
but very easily caught. It grazes on seaweed, and is
known by
naturalists as Halicore tabernaculi.
Read More
(Exodus 26:14). Badger skins were the outer covering of the
tabernacle, in the wilderness; and of the ark, the table,
the candlestick, the golden altar, and altar of burnt
offering (Numbers 4:6-14). In Ezekiel 16:10 Jehovah alludes
to this, under the image of the shoes made of badger skins
for delicate and beautiful women; "I shod thee with badger
skin." This was the material of the shoes worn by Hebrew on
festival days. Weighty authorities render Hebrew tachash a
"seal," not a "badger"; seals were numerous on the shores of
the Sinaitic peninsula.
Others say it is the halicore, a Red Sea fish, which
still is used by the Arabs to make soles for shoes and like
purposes; called dahash, like tachash. Others think it is
the stag goat, of the antelope kind, called thacasse,
related perhaps to tachash, to be seen on Egyptian
monuments. A great objection to the badger is, it is not
found in Bible lands, Syria, Arabia, or Egypt, and certainly
not in sufficient quantities for the Israelites' purpose.
The objection to the halicore is Leviticus 11:10; "all that
have not fins and scales in the seas." But that prohibition
refers only to using them as food; moreover, the tachash
probably includes marine animals in general, their skins
made into "leather" were well fitted to protect against the
weather. Josephus makes the color sky blue (Ant. 3:6,
section 4).
Read More
And they shall bear the curtains of the tabernacle, and the
tabernacle of the congregation, his covering, and the covering
of the badgers' skins that [is] above upon it, and the hanging
for the door of the tabernacle of the congregation,
Read More
-Also called, FALLOW DEER, HART, HIND, ROEBUCK
-Designated among the ceremonially clean animals, to be eaten
De 12:15; 14:5
-Provided for Solomon's household
1Ki 4:23
-Fleetness of
2Sa 2:18; 1Ch 12:8; Pr 6:5; So 8:14; Isa 35:6
-Surefootedness of
2Sa 22:34
-Gentleness of
Pr 5:19
-Coloring of
Jer 14:5
Read More
terms used synonymously with ox, oxen, and properly a generic
name for horned cattle when a full age and fit for the plough.
It is variously rendered "bullock," Isa 65:25 "cow," Eze 4:15
"oxen," Ge 12:16 Kine is used in the Bible as the plural of
cow. In Isa 51:20 the "wild bull" ("wild ox" in De 14:5 ) was
possibly one of the larger species of antelope, and took its
name from its swiftness. Dr. Robinson mentions larger herds of
black and almost harmless buffaloes as still existing in
Israel, and these may be the animal indicated.
Read More
Deut. 14:5 (R.V., "Wild goat"); 1 Kings 4:23 (R.V.,
"roebucks").
This animal, called in Hebrew _yahmur_, from a word
meaning "to
be red," is regarded by some as the common fallow-
deer, the
Cervus dama, which is said to be found very
generally over
Western and Southern Asia. It is called "fallow"
from its
pale-red or yellow colour. Some interpreters,
however, regard
the name as designating the bubale, Antelope bubale,
the "wild
cow" of North Africa, which is about the size of a
stag, like
the hartebeest of South Africa. A species of deer
has been found
at Mount Carmel which is called _yahmur_ by the
Arabs. It is
said to be similar to the European roebuck.
Read More
dishon. A clean animal (Deuteronomy 14:5). A generic name for
the "white rumped (as pugarg means in Greek) antelope" of
northern Africa and Syria. The Septuagint has translated the
Hebrew by "pygarg"; living near the habitat of the pygarg they
were likely to know. The mohr kind is best known, 2 ft. 8 in.
high at the croup. The tail is long, with a long black tuft at
the end; the whole part round the base of the tail is white,
contrasting with the deep brown red of the flanks. Conder
(Israel Exploration, July, 1876) makes it the "gazelle".
Read More
ROE or ROEBUCK. Yaalah, "chamois" (Proverbs 5:19) or ibex, the
female of the wild goat. Tsebi (masculine), tsebiah
(feminine), from whence Tabitha (Greek Dorkas), "loving and
beloved": Acts 9:36. The beautiful antelope or gazelle, the
Antelope dorcas and Antelope Arabica. Slender, graceful, shy,
and timid; the image of feminine loveliness (Song of Solomon
4:5; Song of Solomon 2:9; Song of Solomon 2:17; Song of
Solomon 8:14).
The eye is large, soft, liquid, languishing, and of
deepest black; image of swift footedness (2 Samuel 1:19; 2
Samuel 2:18; 1 Chronicles 12:8). Israel ate the gazelle in the
wilderness, and the flesh of flocks and herds only when
offered in sacrifice; but in Canaan they might eat the flesh,
"even as the gazelle" (Deuteronomy 12:15; Deuteronomy 12:22);
Isaac's venison was front it (Genesis 27). The valley of Gerar
and the Beersheba plains are still frequented by it. Egyptian
paintings represent it hunted by hounds.
Read More
The hart, and the roebuck, and the fallow deer, and the wild
goat, and the pygarg, and the wild ox, and the chamois.
Read More
ap (qoph): The word occurs only in the two parallel passages
(1 Ki 10:22; 2 Ch 9:21) in which the magnificence of Solomon
is illustrated by the things which are brought to him from
foreign countries. Apes are mentioned with gold, silver,
ivory and peacocks. Peacocks are natives of India and
Ceylon. Apes and ivory may have been brought from India or
Africa. Gold and silver may have come from these or other
quarters. An Indian origin may be inferred from the fact
that the Hebrew qoph, the Greek kebos and the English "ape"
are akin to the Sanskrit "kapi", which is referred to the
root kap, kamp, "to tremble"; but the question of the source
of these imports depends upon what is understood by TARSHISH
and OPHIR (which see). Canon Cheyne in Encyclopedia Biblica
(s.v. "Peacock") proposes a reading which would give "gold,
silver, ivory and precious stones" instead of "gold, silver,
ivory, apes and peacocks." Assuming, however, that animals
are here referred to, the word ape should be understood to
mean some kind of monkey. The word "ape" is sometimes used
for the tail-less apes or anthropoids such as the gorilla,
the chimpanzee and the orangutang, as opposed to the tailed
kinds, but this distinction is not strictly held to, and the
usage seems formerly to have been freer than now.
Alfred Ely Day
Read More
-In Solomon's zoological collections
1Ki 10:22; 2Ch 9:21
Read More
(pethen (Dt 32:33; Job 20:14,16; Isa 11:8); aspis (Rom 3:13));
Any poisonous snake, or even poisonous snakes in general,
would satisfy the context in all the passages cited. Pethen is
also translated ADDER (which see) in Ps 58:4; 91:13. Most
authors have supposed the Egyptian cobra (Naia haje, L.) to be
the snake meant, but while this is widely distributed
throughout Africa, its occurrence in Southern Israel seems to
rest solely on the authority of Canon Tristram, who did not
collect it. There are Other poisonous snakes in Israel, any
one of which would satisfy the requirements of these passages.
See SERPENT. While the aspis of classical Greek literature may
well have been the Egyptian cobra, it is to be noted that
Vipera aspis, L., is confined to central and western Europe.
Alfred Ely Day
Read More
ad'-er (`akhshubh (Ps 140:3); pethen (Ps 58:4); tsiph`oni
(Prov 23:32); shephiphon (Gen 49:17); tsepha` (King James
Version margin; Isa 14:29)): This word is used for several
Hebrew originals. In each case a poisonous serpent is clearly
indicated by the context. It is impossible to tell in any case
just what species is meant, but it must be remembered that the
English word adder is used very ambiguously. It is from the
Anglo-Saxon noedre, a snake or serpent, and is the common
English name for Vipera berus, L, the common viper, which is
found throughout Europe and northern Asia, though not in Bible
lands; but the word "adder" is also used for various snakes,
both poisonous and non-poisonous, found in different parts of
the world. In America, for instance, both the poisonous
moccasin (Ancistrodon) and the harmless hog-nosed snakes
(Heterodon) are called adders.
See SERPENT.
Alfred Ely Day
Read More
-A venomous serpent
De 32:33; Job 20:14,16; Isa 11:8; Ro 3:13
-Venom of, illustrates the speech of the wicked
Ps 140:3; Ro 3:13
-Injurious effects of wine
De 32:33; Pr 23:32
-Deprived of venom, illustrates conversion
Isa 11:8,9
Read More
-A venomous serpent
Ge 49:17; Ps 91:13; 58:4; 140:3; Pr 23:32
Read More
(Heb. pethen), translated (adder in) Ps 58:4; 91:13 Probably
the Egyptian cobra, a small and very poisonous serpent, a
dweller in the holes of walls, Isa 11:8 and a snake upon which
the serpent-charmers practiced their art.
Read More
This word is used for any poisonous snake, and is applied in
this general sense by the translators of the Authorized
Version. The word adder occurs five times in the text of the
Authorized Version (see below), and three times int he
margin as synonymous with cockatrice, viz., Isa 11:8; 14:29;
59:5 It represents four Hebrew words:
1. Acshub is found only in Ps 140:3 and may be
represented by the Toxicoa of Egypt and North Africa.
2. Pethen. [ASP]
3. Tsepha, or Tsiphoni, occurs five times in the
Hebrew Bible. In Pr 23:32 it is it is translated adder, and
in Isa 11:8; 14:29; 59:5; Jer 8:17 it is rendered
cockatrice. From Jeremiah we learn that it was of a hostile
nature, and from the parallelism of Isa 11:8 it appears that
the Tsiphoni was considered even more dreadful than the
Pethen.
4. Shephipon occurs only in Ge 49:17 where it is
used to characterize the tribe of Dan. The habit of lurking
int he sand and biting at the horse's heels here alluded to
suits the character of a well-known species of venomous
snake, and helps to identify it with the celebrated horned
viper, the asp of Cleopatra (Cerastes), which is found
abundantly in the dry sandy deserts of Egypt, Syria and
Arabia. The cerastes is extremely venomous. Bruce compelled
a specimen to scratch eighteen pigeons upon the thigh as
quickly as possible, and they all died in nearly the same
interval of time.
Read More
(Heb. pethen), Deut. 32:33; Job 20:14, 16; Isa. 11:8. It was
probably the Egyptian cobra (Naja haje), which was
very
poisonous (Rom. 3:13; Gr. aspis). The Egyptians
worshipped it as
the _uraeus_, and it was found in the desert and in
the fields.
The peace and security of Messiah's reign is
represented by the
figure of a child playing on the hole of the asp. (See
ADDER)
Read More
(Ps. 140:3; Rom. 3:13, "asp") is the rendering of, (1.)
Akshub
("coiling" or "lying in wait"), properly an asp or
viper, found
only in this passage. (2.) Pethen ("twisting"), a
viper or
venomous serpent identified with the cobra (Naja
haje) (Ps.
58:4; 91:13); elsewhere "asp." (3.) Tziphoni
("hissing") (Prov.
23:32); elsewhere rendered "cockatrice," Isa. 11:8;
14:29; 59:5;
Jer. 8:17, as it is here in the margin of the
Authorized
Version. The Revised Version has "basilisk." This
may have been
the yellow viper, the Daboia xanthina, the largest
and most
dangerous of the vipers of Israel. (4.) Shephiphon
("creeping"), occurring only in Gen. 49:17, the
small speckled
venomous snake, the "horned snake," or cerastes. Dan
is compared
to this serpent, which springs from its hiding-place
on the
passer-by.
Read More
Five times in the Old Testament KJV, and thrice in margin for
"cockatrice" (Isaiah 11:8; Isaiah 14:29; Isaiah 59:5 ). Four
Hebrew terms stand for it. (1) Akshub, (2) Pethen, (3)
Tziphoni, and (4) Shephiphon.
(1) Akshub, ("one that lies in ambush"), swells its
skin, and rears its head back for a strike. Psalm 140:3 quoted
in Romans 3:13, "the poison of asps."
(2) Pethen, Psalm 58:4; Psalm 91:13, "adder" (compare
margin), but elsewhere translated "asp"; from a Hebrew root
"to expand the neck." The deadly haje naja, or cobra of Egypt,
fond of concealing itself in walls and holes. Serpents are
without tympanic cavity and external openings to the ear. The
deaf adder is not some particular species; but whereas a
serpent's comparative deafness made it more amenable to those
sounds it could hear, in some instances it was deaf because it
would not hear (Jeremiah 8:17; Ecclesiastes 10:11). So David's
unrighteous adversaries, though having some little moral sense
yet left to which he appeals, yet stifled it, and were
unwilling to hearken to the voice of God...
Read More
Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and
the dragon shalt thou trample under feet.
Read More
Their poison [is] like the poison of a serpent: [they are]
like the deaf adder [that] stoppeth her ear;
Read More
an'-te-lop (RV; the King James Version "wild ox," te'o (Dt
14:5), and "wild bull," to (Isa 51:20); orux (The Septuagint
in Codex Vaticanus has hos seutlion hemiephthon, literally,
"like a half-cooked beet-root"): The dorcas gazelle (Gazella
dorcas) is widely distributed in Syria, Israel and Arabia.
The recently discovered Merrill's gazelle (Gazella Merrilli)
inhabits the hilly country near Jerusalem and is not
commonly distinguished from the dorcas gazelle. Probably the
only other antelope within this range is the Arabian oryx
(Oryx beatrix). Tristram cites two African species (the
bubaline antelope, Bubalis mauretanica, and the addax, Addax
nasomaculatus) as existing in the Sinaitic peninsula,
southern Israel and Arabia, but he did not collect specimens
of either and was probably misled by statements of the Arabs
which in both cases really referred to the oryx. The only
naturalist who has ever penetrated into Northwest Arabia is
Mr. Douglas Carruthers, who went in 1909 on a collecting
expedition for the Syrian Protestant College at Beirut, his
object being to obtain the oryx and any other large
antelopes which might be found there. Through observation
and repeated inquiry he became convinced that neither the
addax nor the bubaline antelope is found in Arabia. Tristram
says the addax is called maha' and the bubaline antelope
baqar-ul-wachsh, both of which names are in fact used by the
Arabs for the oryx, which is also according to Doughty
called wadichah...
Read More
Horse. - The horse is never mentioned in Scripture in connection with the patriarchs; the first time the Bible speaks of it, it is in reference to the Egyptian army pursuing the Hebrews, During the epoch of the conquest and of Judges, we hear of horses only with the Chanaanean troops, and later on with the Philistines, The hilly country inhabited by the Israelites was not favourable to the use of the horse; this is the reason why the Bible speaks of horses only in connection with war. David and Solomon established a cavalry and chariot force; but even this, used exclusively for wars of conquest, seems to have been looked upon as a dangerous temptation to kings, for the Deuteronomy legislation forbids them to multiply horses for themselves. The grand description of the war horse in Job is classical; it will be noticed, however, that its praises are more for the strength than for the swiftness of the horse. The prophet Zacharias depicts (ix, 10) the Messianic age as one in which no hostilities will be heard of; then all warlike apparel being done away with, the horse will serve only for peaceful use.
Read More
Hyena. - This word is not to be found in any of the English translations of the Bible; it occurs twice in the Septuagint, Jer., xii, 9, and Ecclus., xiii, 22, being in both places the rendering for the Hebrew name çãbhûá. The hyenas are very numerous in the Holy Land, where they are most active scavengers; they feed upon dead bodies, and sometimes dig the tombs open to get at the corpses therein buried. Two Hebrew names are supposed to designate the hyena:
(1) çãbhûá'. This word, which has been interpreted "speckled bird", Jer., xii, 9, by modern translators following the Vulgate, has been rendered by "holy man", Ecclus., xiii, 22. Despite the authorities that favour the above mentioned translation of Jer., xii, 9, the consistency of the Septuagint on the one hand, and on the other the parallelism in the latter passage, in addition to the analogy with the Arabic and rabbinical Hebrew names for the hyena, fairly support the identification of the çãbhûá' with this animal.
(2) çíyyím, rendered in divers manners in different places: wild beasts, Is., xiii, 21; demons, Is., xxxiv, 14; dragons, Ps. lxxiii (hebr., lxxiv), 14; Jer., 1, 39.
Read More
Kite. - As suggested by the analogy with the Arabic, the black kite (milvus nigrans) is probably meant by Hebr. dã'ah or dáyyah (Leviticus 11:14; Deuteronomy 14:13; Isaiah 34:15), interpreted kite in the D.V.; it is one of the most common of the scavenger birds of prey of the country, and for this reason, is carefully protected by the villagers. Other kinds of kites, in particular the milvus regalis, are common in Israel.
Read More
Lamb. - The Paschal Lamb was both a commemoration of the deliverance from the bondage in Egypt, and a prophetic figure of the Son of God sacrificed to free His people from their slavery to sin and death. See EWE. (sup.).
Read More
Leopard. - Under this name come a certain number of carnivorous animals more or less resembling the real leopard (felis leopardus), namely felis jubata, felis lynx, felis uncia, etc., all formerly numerous throughout Israel, and even now occasionally found, especially in the woody districts. The leopard is taken by the Biblical writers as a type of cunning (Jeremiah 5:6; Hosea 13:7), of fierceness, of a conqueror's sudden swoop (Dan., vii, 6; Hab., i, 8). Its habit of lying in wait by a well or a village is repeatedly alluded to.
Read More
Leviathan. - The word Leviathan (Hebrew, líweyãthãn), which occurs six times in the Hebrew Bible, seems to have puzzled not a little all ancient translators. The D.V. has kept this name, Job, iii, 8; xl, 20; Is., xxvii, 1; it is rendered by dragon Ps. lxxiii (Hebr., lxxiv), 14, and ciii (Hebr., civ), 26; The word leviathan means:
(1) crocodile (Job 40:20 and Psalm 73:14);
(2) a sea-monster (Psalm 103:26, Isaiah 27:1);
(3) possibly the Draco constellation (Job 3:8).
(4) a Dinosaur, possibly the Kronosaurus.
Read More
Lion. - Now extinct in Israel and in the surrounding countries, the lion was common there during the Old Testament times; hence the great number of words in the Hebrew language to signify it; under one or another of these names it is mentioned 130 times in the Scriptures, as the classical symbol of strength, power, courage, dignity, ferocity. Very likely as the type of power, it became the ensign of the tribe of Juda; so was it employed by Solomon in the decoration of the temple and of the king's house. For the same reason, Apoc., v, 5, represents Jesus Christ as the lion of the tribe of Juda. The craft and ferocity of the lion, on the other hand, caused it to be taken as an emblem of Satan (1 Peter 5:8) and of the enemies of the truth (2 Timothy 4:17).
Read More
Lizard. - Immense is the number of these reptiles in Israel; no less than 44 species are found there, Among those mentioned in the Bible we may cite:
(1) The Letã'ah, general name of the lizard, applied especially to the common lizard, the green lizard, the blind worm, etc.;
(2) the chõmét, or sand lizard;
(3) the çãb, or dább of the Arabs (uromastix spinipes);
(4) the kõâh, the divers kinds of monitor (psammosaurus scincus, hydrosaurus niloticus, etc.);
(5) the 'anãqah or gecko;
(6) the semãmîth or stellio.
Read More
Locust. - One of the worst scourges of the East, very often referred to in Bible. As many as nine Hebrew words signify either the locust in general or some species:
(1) 'árbéh, probably the locusta migratoria;
(2) gãzãm, possibly the locust in its larva state, the palmerworm;
(3) Gôbh, the locust in general;
(4) chagab, most likely the grasshopper;
(5) hãsîl, "the destroyer", perhaps the locust in its hopper state, in which it is most destructive;
(6) hárgõl, translated in the D.V. ophiomachus;
(7) yéléq, the stinging locust;
(8) çelãçâl possibly the cricket; and
(9) sôl'ãm, rendered by attacus, or bald locust (probably the truxalis).
Unlike other insects, locusts are most voracious in every stage of their existence.
Read More
Mole. - Two Hebrew words are thus rendered, The first, tînshéméth (Leviticus 11:30), would, according to good authorities, rather signify the chameleon; with the second, haphárperôth (Isaiah 2:20), some burrowing animal is undoubtedly intended, The mole of Syria is not the common mole of Europe, Talpa europaea, but a Blind mole rat (Spalax typhlus), a blind burrowing rodent.
Read More
Mouse. - This word seems to be a general one, including the various rats, dormice, jerboas, and hamsters, about twenty-five species of which exist in the country.
Read More
Mule. - In spite of the enactment of the Law (Leviticus 19:19), the Israelites early in the course of their history possessed mules; these animals, in a hilly region such as the Holy Land, were for many purposes preferable to horses and stronger than asses; they were employed both for domestic and warlike use.
Read More
Owl. - A generic name under which many species of nocturnal birds are designated, some having a proper name in the Hebrew, some others possessing none. Among the former we may mention the little owl (athene persica), the Egyptian eagle-owl (bubo ascalephus), the great owl of some authors, called ibis in the D.V., the screech or hooting owl, probably the lîlîth of Is., xxxiv, and the lamia of St. Jerome and the D.V.; the barn owl (stryx flammea), possibly corresponding to the táhmãs of the Hebrews and rendered by night-hawk in the A.V.; and the qîppôz of Is., xxxiv, 15, as yet unidentified.
Read More
Palmerworm (Hebr., gãzãm) A general word for the locust, very likely in its larva state.
Read More
Pygarg (Deuteronomy 14:5). - This word, a mere adaptation from the Greek, means "white-rumped", a character common to many species, though the antilope addax is possibly signified by the Hebrew word dîshõn.
Read More
Quail. - The description given Ex., xvi, 11-13; Num., xi, 31, 32; Ps., lxxvii (Hebr., lxxviii) 27-35, and civ (Hebr., cv), 40, the references to their countless flocks, their low flying, their habit of alighting on land in the morning, together with the analogy of the Hebrew and Arabic names, make it certain that the common quail (coturnix vulgaris) is intended.
Read More
Gazelle (Hebr., çebî, i. e. beauty) has been known at all times as one of the most graceful of all animals. Several species still exist in Israel. Its different characteristics, its beauty of form, its swiftness, its timidity, the splendour and meekness of its eye, are in the present time, as well as during the age of the Old Testament writers, the subjects of many comparisons. However, the name of the gazelle is scarcely, if at all, to be found in the Bible; in its stead we read roe, hart, or deer. Like a few other names of graceful and timid animals, the word gazelle has always been in the East a term of endearment in love. It was also a woman's favourite name (1 Chronicles 8:9; 2 Kings 12:1; 2 Chronicles 24:1; Acts 9:36).
Read More
Scorpion. - Very common in all hot, dry, stony places; is taken as an emblem of the wicked.
Read More
Sparrow. - The Hebrew word çíppôr, found over 40 times, is a general name for all small passerine birds, of which there exist about 150 species in the Holy Land.
Read More
Swine. - The most abhorred of all animals among the Jews; hence the swineherd's was the most degrading employment (Luke 15:15; cf. Matthew 8:32). Swine are very seldom kept in Israel.
Read More
Aurochs, or wild ox (urus, bos primigenius), is undoubtedly the rimu of the Assyrian inscriptions, and consequently corresponds to the re'em or rêm of the Hebrews. The latter word is translated sometimes in our D.V. by rhinoceros (Numbers 23:22; 24:8; Deuteronomy 33:17; Job 39:9, 10), sometimes by unicorn (Psalm 22:21; 29:6; 92:10; Isaiah 34:7). That the re'em, far from being unicorn, was a two-horned animal, is suggested by Ps., xxii, 21, and forcibly evidenced by Deut., xxxiii, 17, where its horns represent the two tribes of Ephraim and Manasses. That, moreover, it was akin to the domestic ox is shown from such parallelisms as we find in Ps., xxiv, 6, where we read, according to the critical editions of the Hebrew text: "The voice of Yahweh makes Lebanon skip like a bullock, and Sirion like a young re'em"; or Is., xxxiv, 7: "And the re'em shall go down with them, and the bulls with the mighty"; and still more convincingly by such implicit descriptions as that of Job, xxxix, 9, 10: "Shall the rêm be willing to serve thee, or will he stay at thy crib? Canst thou bind the rêm with thy thong to plough, or will he break the clods of the valleys after thee?" These references will be very clear, the last especially, once we admit the re'em is an almost untamable wild ox, which one would try in vain to submit to the same work as its domestic kin. Hence there is very little doubt that in all the above-mentioned places the word aurochs should be substituted for rhinoceros and unicorn. The aurochs is for the sacred poets a familiar emblem of untamed strength and ferocity. It no longer exists in western Asia.
Read More
Asp. - This word, which occurs eleven times in D.V., stands for four Hebrew names:
(1) Péthén [Deut., xxxii, 33; Job, xx, 14, 16; Psalms., lvii (Hebr., lviii), 5; Isaiah, xi, 8]. From several allusions both to its deadly venom (Deuteronomy 32:33), and to its use by serpent-charmers [Ps., lvii (Hebr., lviii), 5, 6], it appears that the cobra (naja aspis) is most probably signified. Safely to step upon its body, or even linger by the hole where it coils itself, is manifestly a sign of God's particular protection [Ps., xc (Hebr., xci), 13; Is., xi, 8]. Sophar, one of Job's friends, speaks of the wicked as sucking the venom of péthén, in punishment whereof the food he takes shall be turned within him into the gall of this poisonous reptile (Job 20:16, 14).
(2) 'Akhshûbh, mentioned only once in the Hebrew Bible, namely Ps., cxl (Vulg., cxxxix), 4, but manifestly alluded to in Ps., xiii, 3, and Rom., iii, 13, seems to have been one of the most highly poisonous kinds of viper, perhaps the toxicoa, also called echis arenicola or scytale of the Pyramids, very common in Syria and North Africa.
(3) Sháhál is also found only once to signify a snake, Ps., xci (Vulg., xc), 13; but what particular kind of snake we are unable to determine. The word Sháhál might possibly, owing to some copyist's mistake, have crept into the place of another name now impossible to restore.
(4) çphônî (Isaiah 59:5), "the hisser", generally rendered by basilisk in ID.V. and in ancient translations, the latter sometimes calling it regulus. This snake was deemed so deadly that, according to the common saying, its hissing alone, even its look, was fatal. It was probably a small viper, perhaps a cerastes, possibly the daboia zanthina, according to Cheyne.
Read More
Weasel, Lev., xi, 29, must be regarded as a general name, probably designating, besides the weasel proper, the polecat and ichneumon, all very common in the Holy Land.
Read More
Wolf. - Frequently mentioned in the Scriptures as a special foe to flocks (Sirach 13:21; Matthew 7:15), and an emblem of treachery, ferocity, and bloodthirstiness. Wolves usually prowl at night around the sheepfolds, and, though fewer in numbers than jackals, are much more harmful. The tribe of Benjamin, owing to its warlike character, was compared to a wolf.
Read More
Vulture. - So does D.V. render the Hebrew, 'áyyah, Lev., xi, 14; Deut., xiv, 13; Job, xxviii, 7. As has been suggested above, the text of Job at least, seems to allude to the kite rather than to the vulture. Several kinds of vultures are nevertheless referred to in the Bible; so, for instance, the bearded vulture(gypœtus barbatus), called griffon in the D.V.; the griffon vulture (gyps fulvus), the Egyptian vulture (neophron percnopterus), etc. In the biblical parlance vultures are often termed eagles.
Read More
The word, first applied as a qualification to the gazelle, on account of the lustre and soft expression of its eye, has become the name of a genus of ruminant quadrupeds intermediate between the deer and the goat. Four species are mentioned in the Bible:
(1) the dîshon (D.V. pygarg; Deuteronomy 14:5), commonly identified with the antilope addax;
(2) the çebhî (Deuteronomy 12:15, etc.; D.V. roe) or gazelle, antilope dorcas;
(3) the'ô (Deuteronomy 14:5; D.V. wild goat; Isaiah 51:20, D.V. wild ox), which seems to be the bubale (antilope bubalis); and
(4) the yáhmûr (Deuteronomy 14:5), the name of which is given by the Arabs to the roebuck of Northern Syria and to the oryx (the white antelope, antilope oryx) of the desert.
Read More
Nowhere in the Bible is the ape supposed to be indigenous to Israel. Apes are mentioned with gold, silver, ivory, and peacocks among the precious things imported by Solomon from Tharsis (1 Kings 10:22; 2 Chronicles 9:21).
Read More
A poisonous snake of the genus Vipera. The word, unused in the D.V., stands in the A.V. for four different Hebrew names of serpents.
Read More
Asp. - This word, which occurs eleven times in D.V., stands for four Hebrew names:
(1) Péthén [Deut., xxxii, 33; Job, xx, 14, 16; Psalms., lvii (Hebr., lviii), 5; Isaiah, xi, 8]. From several allusions both to its deadly venom (Deuteronomy 32:33), and to its use by serpent-charmers [Ps., lvii (Hebr., lviii), 5, 6], it appears that the cobra (naja aspis) is most probably signified. Safely to step upon its body, or even linger by the hole where it coils itself, is manifestly a sign of God's particular protection [Ps., xc (Hebr., xci), 13; Is., xi, 8]. Sophar, one of Job's friends, speaks of the wicked as sucking the venom of péthén, in punishment whereof the food he takes shall be turned within him into the gall of this poisonous reptile (Job 20:16, 14).
(2) 'Akhshûbh, mentioned only once in the Hebrew Bible, namely Ps., cxl (Vulg., cxxxix), 4, but manifestly alluded to in Ps., xiii, 3, and Rom., iii, 13, seems to have been one of the most highly poisonous kinds of viper, perhaps the toxicoa, also called echis arenicola or scytale of the Pyramids, very common in Syria and North Africa.
(3) Sháhál is also found only once to signify a snake, Ps., xci (Vulg., xc), 13; but what particular kind of snake we are unable to determine. The word Sháhál might possibly, owing to some copyist's mistake, have crept into the place of another name now impossible to restore.
(4) çphônî (Isaiah 59:5), "the hisser", generally rendered by basilisk in ID.V. and in ancient translations, the latter sometimes calling it regulus. This snake was deemed so deadly that, according to the common saying, its hissing alone, even its look, was fatal. It was probably a small viper, perhaps a cerastes, possibly the daboia zanthina, according to Cheyne.
Read More
The ass has always enjoyed a marked favour above all other beasts of burden in the bible. This is evidenced by two very simple remarks. While, on the one hand, mention of this animal occurs over a hundred and thirty times in Bible. On the other hand, the Hebrew vocabulary possesses, to designate the ass, according to its colour, sex, age, etc., a supply of words in striking contrast with the ordinary penury of the sacred language. Of these various names the most common is hamôr, "reddish", the hair of the Eastern ass being generally of that colour. White asses, more rare, were also more appreciated and reserved for the use of the nobles (Judges 5:10). The custom was introduced very early, as it seems, and still prevails, to paint the most shapely and valuable donkeys in stripes of different colours. In the East the ass is much larger and finer than in other countries, and in several places the pedigrees of the best breeds are carefully preserved. Asses have always been an important item in the resources of the Eastern peoples, and we are repeatedly told in the Bible about the herds of these animals owned by the patriarchs (Genesis 12:16; 30:43; 36:24, etc.), and wealthy Israelites (1 Samuel 9:3; 1 Chronicles 27:30, etc.). Hence the several regulations brought forth by Israel's lawgiver on this subject: the neighbour's ass should not be coveted (Exodus 20:17); moreover, should the neighbour's stray ass be found, it should be taken care of, and its owner assisted in tending this part of his herd (Deuteronomy 22:3, 4). The ass serves in the East for many purposes. Its even gait and surefootedness, so well suited to the rough paths of the Holy Land, made it at all times the most popular of all the animals for riding in those hilly regions (Genesis 22:3; Luke 19:30). Neither was it ridden only by the common people, but also by persons of the highest rank (Judges 5:10; 10:4; 2 Samuel 17:23; 19:26, etc.). No wonder therefore that Jesus, about to come triumphantly to Jerusalem, commanded His disciples to bring Him an ass and her colt; no lesson of humility, as is sometimes asserted, but the affirmation of the peaceful character of His kingdom should be sought there. Although the Scripture speaks of "saddling" the ass, usually no saddle was used by the rider. A cloth was spread upon the back of the ass and fastened by a strap was all the equipment. Upon this cloth the rider sat with a servant usually walking alongside. Should a family journey, the women and children would ride the asses, attended by the father (Exodus 4:20). This mode of travelling has been popularized by Christian painters, who copied the eastern customs in their representations of the Holy Family's flight to Egypt.
Scores of passages in the Bible allude to asses carrying burdens. The Gospels, at least in the Greek text, speak of millstones run by asses (Matthew 18:6, Mark 9:41; Luke 17:2); Josephus and the Egyptian monuments teach us that this animal was used for threshing wheat. Finally, we repeatedly read in the Old Testament of asses hitched to a plough (Deuteronomy 22:10; Isaiah 30:24, etc.), and in reference to this custom, the Law forbade ploughing with an ox and an ass together (Deuteronomy 22:10). From Is., xxi, 7, confirmed by the statements of Greek writers, we learn that part of the cavalry force in the Persian army rode donkeys. We should perhaps understand from IV K., vii, 7, that the Syrian armies followed the same practice; but no such custom seems to have ever prevailed among the Hebrews. With them the ass was essentially for peaceful use, the emblem of peace, as the horse was the symbol of war. The flesh of the donkey was unclean and forbidden by the Law. In some particular circumstances, however, no law could prevail over necessity, and we read that during Joram's reign, when Benadad besieged Samaria, the famine was so extreme in this city, that the head of an ass was sold for 120 pieces of silver (IV K., vi, 25).
Read More
Corresponds in the Old Testament to two words, péré' and 'arôdh. Whether these two names refer to different species, or are, the one, the genuine Hebrew name, the other, the Aramaic equivalent for the same animal, is uncertain. Both signify one of the wildest and most untamable animals. The wild ass is larger and more shapely than the domestic one, and outruns the fleetest horse. Its untamableness joined to its nimbleness made it a fit symbol for the wild and plunder-loving Ismael (Genesis 16:12). The wild ass, extinct in western Asia, still exists in central Asia and the deserts of Africa.
Read More
This is more specially the symbol of peace and meek obedience (John 12:15).
Read More
No mention of the badger (Meles (genus)|meles]] taxus) is found in the D.V., whereas the A.V. regularly gives it as the English equivalent for táhásh. The skin of the táhásh is repeatedly spoken of as used for the outer cover of the tabernacle and the several pieces of its furniture. The old translations, and the D.V. after them, understood the word táhásh to mean a color (violet; Exodus 25:5; 26:14; 35:7, 23; 36:19; Numbers 4:10, 25; Ezekiel 16:10); but this is a misrepresentation; so also is the rendering of the A.V.; for though the badger is common in Israel, yet the Hebrew name most probably indicates the dugong (halicore hemprichii or halicore tabernaculi), a very large species of the seal family living in the Red Sea, the skin of which is used to the present day for such purposes as those alluded to in the Bible.
Read More
The bat, fourteen species of which still exist in Israel is reckoned among unclean "winged things" (Leviticus 11:19; Deuteronomy 14:18). Its abode is generally in dark and desolate places such as ruins and caverns.
Read More
The bear spoken of in the Bible is the ursus syriacus, scarcely different from the brown bear of Europe. Since the destruction of the forests, it is now rarely seen south of Lebanon and Hermon, where it is common. Not unfrequently met in the Holy Land during the Old Testament times, it was much dreaded on account of its ferocious and destructive instincts; to dare it was accordingly a mark of uncommon courage (1 Samuel 17:34-36). Its terror-striking roars and its fierceness, especially when robbed of its cubs, are repeatedly alluded to.
Read More
Behemoth, is generally translated by "great beasts"; in its wider signification it includes all mammals living on earth, but in the stricter sense is applied to domesticated quadrupeds at large. However in Job, xl, 10, where it is left untranslated and considered as a proper name, it indicates a particular animal. The description of this animal has long puzzled the commentators. Many of them now admit that it represents the hippopotamus, some Young Earth Creationists think it's a dinosaur like the Apatosaurus or the Brachiosaurus, so well known to the ancient Egyptians; it might possibly correspond as well to the rhinoceros.
Read More
Bird. - No other classification of birds than into clean and unclean is given. The Jews, before the Babylonian captivity, had no domestic fowls except pigeons . Although many birds are mentioned, there occur few allusions to their habits. Their instinct of migration, the snaring or netting them, and the caging of song birds are referred to.
Bird, Dyed. - So does the English version, Jer., xii, 9, wrongly interpret the Hebrew 'áyit. which means beast of prey, sometimes also bird of prey.
Bird, Singing. - This singing bird of Soph., ii, 14, according to the D.V., owes its origin to a mistranslation of the original, which most probably should be read: "And their voice shall sing at the window"; unless by a mistake of some scribe, the word qôl, voice, has been substituted for the name of some particular bird.
Birds, Speckled, Hebrew çãbhûá' (Jeremiah 12:9). A much discussed translation. The interpretation of the English versions, however meaningless it may seem to some, is supported by the Targum, the Syriac, and St. Jerome. In spite of these authorities many modern scholars prefer to use the word hyena, given by the Septuagint and confirmed by Ecclesiasticus, xiii, 22 as well as by the Arabic (dábúh) and rabbinical Hebrew (çebhôá'), names of the hyena.
Read More
Bittern (botháurus vulgaris), a shy, solitary, wading bird related to the heron and inhabiting the recesses of swamps, where its startling, booming cry at night gives a frightening impression of desolation. In the D.V., bittern stands for Hebr. qã'ãth (Leviticus 11:18; Isaiah 34:11; Zephaniah 2:14), although by some inconsistency the same Hebrew word is rendered Deut., xiv, 17, by cormorant, and Ps. ci (Hebr., cii), 7, by pelican. The pelican meets all the requirements of all the passages where qã'ãth is mentioned, and would perhaps be a better translation than bittern.
Read More
Boar, Wild. - The only allusion to this animal is found Ps. lxxix (Hebr., lxxx), 14; however, the wild boar was undoubtedly always, as it is now, common in Israel, having its lair in the woods, and most destructive to vineyards.
Read More
Bull. - A symbol of fierce and relentless adversaries [Ps. xxi (Hebr., xxii), 13].
Read More
Camel, a prominent domestic animal of the East without the existence of which life in the Arabian deserts would be impossible. It was perhaps the first beast of burden applied to the service of man. It is mentioned as such in the Biblical records as early as the time of Abraham. It constituted a great element in the riches of the early patriarchs. There are two species of camel: the one-humped camel (camelus dromedarius), and the two-humped camel (camelus bactrianus). The camel is used for riding as well as for carrying loads; its furniture is a large frame placed on the humps, to which cradles or packs are attached. In this manner was all the merchandise of Assyria and Egypt transported. But the camel is appreciated for other reasons: it may be hitched to a wagon or to a plough, and in fact is not unfrequently yoked together with the ass or the ox; the female supplies abundantly her master with a good milk; camel's hair is woven into a rough cloth wherewith tents and cloaks are made; finally its flesh, albeit coarse and dry, may be eaten. With the Jews, however, the camel was reckoned among the unclean animals.
Read More
Cattle. - Very early in the history of mankind, animals were tamed and domesticated, to be used in agriculture, for milk, for their flesh, and especially for sacrifices. Many words in Hebrew expressed the different ages and sexes of cattle, West of the Jordan River the cattle were generally stall-fed; in the plains and hills south and east they roamed in a half-wild state; such were the most famous "bulls of Basan".
Read More
Chamois (antilope rupicapra) is now totally unknown in western Asia, where it very probably never existed. The opinion of those who see it in the Hebrew zémér (Deuteronomy 14:5) should consequently be entirely discarded (see Camelopardalis).
Read More
Cherogrillus (Leviticus 11:5; Deuteronomy 14:7), a mere transliteration of the Greek name of the porcupine, corresponds to the Hebrew shãphãn, translated, Ps. ciii (Hebr., civ), 18, by irchin, and Prov., xxx, 26, by rabbit. As St. Jerome noticed it, the shãphãn is not the porcupine, but a very peculiar animal of about the same size, dwelling among the rocks, and in holes, and called in Israel "bear-rat", on account of some resemblance with these two quadrupeds. We call it coney, or daman (hyrax syriacus). Its habit of lingering among the rocks is alluded to, Ps. ciii, 18; its wisdom and defencelessness, Prov., xxx, 24-26. "It cannot burrow, for it has no claws, only nails half developed ; but it lies in holes in the rocks, and feeds only at dawn and dusk, always having sentries posted, at the slightest squeak from which the whole party instantly disappears. The coney is not a ruminant (cf. Leviticus 11:5), but it sits working its jaws as if re-chewing. It is found sparingly in most of the rocky districts, and is common about Sinai" (Tristram).
Read More
Cuckoo, according to some, would be the bird called in Hebrew shâhâph (Leviticus 11:16; Deuteronomy 14:15), and there reckoned among the unclean birds. Two species, the cuculus canorus, and the oxylophus glandarius live in the Holy Land; however there is little probability that the cuckoo is intended in the mentioned passages, where we should perhaps see the shear-water and the various species of sea-gulls.
Read More
Deer. - (Hebr., 'áyyãl). Its name is frequently read in the Scriptures, and its habits have afforded many allusions or comparisons, which fact supposes that the deer was not rare in Israel. Its handsome form, its swiftness, its shyness, the love of the roe for her fawns, are alluded to; it seems from Prov., v, 19 and some other indirect indications that the words 'áyyãl and 'áyyãlah (deer and hind) were terms of endearment most familiar between lovers.
Read More
Deer. - (Hebr., 'áyyãl). Its name is frequently read in the Scriptures, and its habits have afforded many allusions or comparisons, which fact supposes that the deer was not rare in Israel. Its handsome form, its swiftness, its shyness, the love of the roe for her fawns, are alluded to; it seems from Prov., v, 19 and some other indirect indications that the words 'áyyãl and 'áyyãlah (deer and hind) were terms of endearment most familiar between lovers.
Read More
Dog. - The dog in the East does not enjoy the companionship and friendship of man as in the western countries. Its instinct has been cultivated only insofar as the protecting of the flocks and camps against wild animals is concerned. In the towns and villages it roams in the streets and places, of which it is the ordinary scavenger; packs of dogs in a half-wild state are met with in the cities and are not unfrequently dangerous for men. For this reason the dog has always been, and is still looked upon with loathing and aversion, as filthy and unclean. With a very few exceptions, whenever the dog is spoken of in the Bible (where it is mentioned over 40 times), it is with contempt, to remark either its voracious instincts, or its fierceness, or its loathsomeness; it was regarded as the emblem of lust, and of uncleanness in general. As some Muslims, to the present day, term Christians "dogs", so did the Jews of old apply that infamous name to Gentiles.
Read More
Dove (Hebr., yônah). - Though distinguishing it from tôr, the turtle-dove, the Jews were perfectly aware of their natural affinity and speak of them together. The dove is mentioned in the Bible oftener than any other bird (over 50 times); this comes both from the great number of doves flocking in Israel, and of the favour they enjoy among the people. The dove is first spoken of in the record of the flood (Genesis 8:8-12); later on we see that Abraham offered up some in sacrifice, which would indicate that the dove was very early domesticated. In fact several allusions are made to dove-cotes, with their "windows" or latticed openings. But in olden times as well as now, besides the legions of pigeons that swarm around the villages, there were many more rock-doves, "doves of the valleys", as they are occasionally termed (Ezekiel 7:16; Song of Songs 2:14; Jeremiah 48:28), that filled the echoes of the mountain gorges with the rustling of their wings. The metallic lustre of their plumage, the swiftness of their flight, their habit of sweeping around in flocks, their plaintive coo, are often alluded to by the different sacred writers. The dark eye of the dove, encircled by a line of bright red skin, is also mentioned; its gentleness and innocence made it the type of trust and love, and, most naturally, its name was one of the most familiar terms of endearment. Jesus spoke of the dove as a symbol of simplicity; the sum of its perfections made it a fitting emblem for the Holy Spirit.
Read More
Dragon, a word frequently found in the translations of the Bible as substitute, so it seems, for other names of animals that the translators were unable to identify. It stands indeed for several Hebrew names:
(1) thán (Job 30:29; Isaiah 34:13; 35:7; 43:20; Jeremiah 9:11; 10:22; 14:6; 49:33; 51:37; Micah 1:8; Malachi 1:3), unquestionably meaning a denizen of desolate places, and generally identified with the jackal;
(2) tánnîm, in a few passages with the sense of serpent [Deut., xxxii, 33; Ps., xc (Hebr., xci), 13; Dan., xiv, 22-27), in others most likely signifying the crocodile [Ps., lxxiii (Hebr., lxxiv), 13; Is., li, 9; Ezech., xxix, 3], or even a sea-monster (Ezekiel 32:2), such as a whale, porpoise, or dugong, as rightly translated Lam., iv, 3, and as probably intended Ps., cxlviii, 7;
(3) líweyãthãn (leviathan), meaning both the crocodile [Ps., lxxiii (Hebr., lxxiv), 14] and sea-monster [Ps. ciii (Hebr., civ), 26];
(4) çiyyim (Psalm 73:14; Jeremiah 1:39), which possibly means the hyena.
Other places, such as Esth., x, 7; xi, 6; Ecclus., xxv, 23, can be neither traced back to a Hebrew original, nor identified with sufficient probability. The author of the Apocalypse repeatedly makes mention of the dragon, by which he means "the old serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, who seduceth the whole world" (Revelation 12:9, etc.). Of the fabulous dragon fancied by the ancients, represented as a monstrous winged serpent, with a crested head and enormous claws, and regarded as very powerful and ferocious, no mention whatever is to be found in the Bible. The word dragon, consequently, should really be removed from Bibles, except perhaps Is., xiv, 29 and xxx, 6, where the draco fimbriatus is possibly spoken of. See BASILISK, 4 (sup.).
Read More
Dromedary. - The word so rendered, Is., lx, 6, signifies rather a swift and finely bred camel.
Read More
Eagle. - So is generally rendered the Hebrew, néshér, but there is a doubt as to whether the eagle or some kind of vulture is intended. It seems even probable that the Hebrews did not distinguish very carefully these different large birds of prey, and that all are spoken of as though they were of one kind. Anyway, four species of eagles are known to live in Israel: aquila chrysœtos, aquila nœvia, aquila heliaca, and circœtos gallicus. Many allusions are made to the eagle in the Bible: its inhabiting the dizziest cliffs for nesting, its keen sight, its habit of congregating to feed on the slain, its swiftness, its longevity, its remarkable care in training its young, are often referred to (see in particular Job 39:27-30). When the relations of Israel with their neighbours became more frequent, the eagle became, under the pen of the Jewish prophets and poets, an emblem first of the Assyrian, then of the Babylonian, and finally of the Persian kings.
Read More
Elephant. - We learn from Assyrian inscriptions that before the Hebrews settled in Syria, there existed elephants in that country, and Tiglath-Pileser I tells us about his exploits in elephant hunting. We do not read, however, of elephants in the Bible until the Machabean times. True, III Kings speaks of ivory, or "elephants' teeth", as the Hebrew text puts it, yet not as indigenous, but as imported from Ophir. In the post-exilian times, especially in the books of the Machabees, elephants are frequently mentioned; they were an important element in the armies of the Seleucides. These animals were imported either from India or from Africa.
Read More
Ewe. - In Hebrew, six names at least, with their feminines, express the different stages of development of the sheep. Its domestication goes back to the night of time, so that the early traditions enshrined in the Bible speak of the first men as shepherds. Whatever may be thought of this point, it is out of question that from the dawn of historical times down to our own, flocks have constituted the staple of the riches of the land. The ewe of Israel is generally the ovis laticaudata, the habits of which, resembling those of all other species of sheep, are too well known to be here dwelt upon. Let it suffice to notice that scores of allusions are made in the Holy Books to these habits as well as to the different details of the pastoral life.
Read More
Hawk (Hebr., neç) is, in the Scriptures, a general denomination including, with the falcon, all the smaller birds of prey, the kestrel, merlin, sparrowhawk , hobby, and others, most common in Israel.
Read More
Fallow-deer (Cervus dama or Dama vulgaris) believed by some to be signified by Hebrew yáhmûr.[citation needed] The fallow-deer is scarce in the Holy Land and found only north of Mount Thabor. If it is mentioned at all in the Bible, it is probably ranked among the deer.
Read More
Fawn (Proverbs 5:19), for Hebrew, yá'alah, feminine of yã'el which should be regularly, as it is in several passages, rendered by wild goat (ibex syriacus). See GOAT, WILD (inf.).
Read More
Gecko. - Probable translation of the 'anãqah of the Hebrews, generally rendered in our versions by shrew-mouse, for which it seems it should be substituted. The gecko, ptyodactylus gecko of the naturalists, is common in Israel.
Read More
Fowl. - This word which, in its most general sense, applies to anything that flies in the air (Genesis 1:20, 21), and which frequently occurs in the Bible with this meaning, is also sometimes used in a narrower sense, as, for instance, III K., iv, 23, where it stands for all fatted birds that may be reckoned among the delicacies of a king's table; so likewise Gen., xv, 11 and Is., xviii, 6, where it means birds of prey in general. In this latter signification allusions are made to their habit of perching on bare or dead trees, or of flocking together in great numbers.
Read More
Flock. - The flocks of Israel include generally both sheep and goats: "The sheep eat only the fine herbage, whereas the goats browse on what the sheep refuse. They pasture and travel together in parallel columns, but seldom intermingle more closely, and at night they always classify themselves. The goats are for the most part black, the sheep white, dappled or piebald, forming a very marked contrast..." (Tristram). The shepherd usually leads the flock, calling the sheep by their names from time to time; in his footsteps follows an old he-goat, whose stately bearing affords to the natives matter for several comparisons; the Arabs, indeed to this day, call a man of stately mien a "he-goat". The shepherd at sunset waters his flock, folds them ordinarily in some of the many caves found on every hillside, and with trained dogs guards them at night.
Read More
Fox. - Thus is usually rendered the Hebrew, shû'ãl, which signifies both fox and jackal, even the latter more often than the former. The fox, however, was well known by the ancient Hebrews, and its cunning was as proverbial among them as among us (Ezekiel 13:4; Luke 13:32).
Read More
Frog. - Though not rare in Israel, this word is only mentioned in the Old Testament in connection with the second plague of Egypt. Two species of frogs are known to live in the Holy Land: the rana esculenta, or common edible frog, and the hyla arborea, or green tree-frog. The former throngs wherever there is water. In Apoc., xvi, 13, the frog is the emblem of unclean spirits.
Read More
Goat. - Though the sacred writers spoke of the ewe more frequently than of the goat, yet with the latter they were very well acquainted. It was indeed, especially in the hilly regions east of the Jordan, an important item in the wealth of the Israelites. The goat of Israel, particularly the capra membrica, affords numerous illustrations and allusions, Its remarkably long ears are referred to by Amos, iii, 12; its glossy dark hair furnishes a graphic comparison to the author of Cant., iv, 1; vi, 4; this hair was woven into a strong cloth; the skin tanned with the hair on served to make bottles for milk, wine, oil, water, etc. The kid was an almost essential part of a feast. The goat is mentioned in Dan., viii, 5, as the symbol of the Macedonian empire. The grand Gospel scene of the separation of the just and the wicked on the last day is borrowed from the customs of the shepherds in the East.
Read More
Goat, Wild, Job, xxxix, 1; I K., xxiv, 3, where it is an equivalent for yã' él, translated, Ps., ciii (Hebr., Civ), 18, by hart, Prov., v, 19, by fawn, is most probably the ibex syriacus, a denizen of the rocky summits [Ps. ciii (Hebr., civ), 18]. It was regarded as a model of grace (Proverbs 5:19), and its name, Jahel, Jahala, was frequently given to persons (Judges 5:6; Ezra 2:56, etc.).
Read More
Grasshopper, is probably the best rendering for the Hebrew, hãgãb [Lev., xi, 22; Num., xiii, 34 (Hebrews 13:33); Is., xl, 22; Eccles., xii, 5, etc.], as in the A.V., if the Hebrew word be interpreted "hopper" as Credner suggests; the D.V. uses the word locust. The grasshopper is one of the smaller species of the locust tribe.
Read More
Hare. - Mentioned Lev., xi, 6; Deut., xiv, 7, in the list of the unclean quadrupeds. Several subspecies of the European Hare and the Cape Hare live in Israel: Lepus europaeus syriacus in the north; Lepus europaeus judeae in the south and the Jordan valley, together with Lepus capensis sinaiticus, Lepus capensis aegyptius and Lepus capensis isabellinus, The statement of the Bible that the hare "cheweth the cud" is a classical difficulty. It should be noticed that this is not the reason why the hare is reckoned among the unclean animals; but the cause thereof should be sought for in the fact that though it chews the cud, which certainly it appears to do, it does not divide the hoof.
Read More
Hart and Hind. - Either the fallow-deer, still occasionally found in the Holy Land, or the red deer, now extinct, or the deer generally. It has afforded many illustrations to time Biblical writers and poets, especially by its fleetness (Song of Songs 2:9; Isaiah 35:6), its surefootedness [Ps. xvii (Hebr., xviii), 34; Hab., iii, 19], its affection (Proverbs 5:19), and its habit of hiding its young (Job 39:1).
Read More
Sparrow Hawk (falco nisus), one of the hawks of Israel, so common that it might be regarded, in reference to the Bible, as the hawk par excellence.
Read More
Ericus, a Latin name of the hedgehog, preserved in the D.V. as a translation of the Hebrew word qíppôdh (Isaiah 14:23; 34:11; Zephaniah 2:14, the word urchin has been used) and qîppôz (Isaiah 34:15). The above identification of the qíppôdh is based both on the Greek rendering and the analogy between this Hebrew word and the Talmudic (qúppádh), Syriac (qufdô'), Arabic (qúnfúd) and Ethiopian (qinfz) names of the hedgehog. Several scholars, however, discard this identification, because the hedgehog, contrary to the qíppôdh, lives neither in marshes nor ruins, and has no voice. The bittern meets all the requirements of the texts where the qíppôdh is mentioned. It should be noticed nevertheless that hedgehogs are far from rare in Israel. As to the qîppôz of Is., xxxiv, 15, read qíppôdh by some Hebrew Manuscripts, and interpreted accordingly by the Septuagint, Vulgate and the versions derived therefrom, its identity is a much discussed question. Some, arguing from the authorities just referred to, confound it with the qíppôdh, whereas others deem it to be the arrow-snake; but besides that no such animal as arrow-snake is known to naturalists, the context seems to call for a bird.
Read More
Cock, Hen. - Domestic poultry are not mentioned till after the Babylonian captivity. In Jesus' time domestic poultry, introduced from India through Persia, had become common, and their well-known habits gave rise to familiar expressions, and afforded good and easy illustrations (Mark 13:35; 14:30, etc.). Jesus Christ compared His care for Jerusalem to that of a hen for her brood. The three times the word 'cock' appears in the D.V. it is owing to a misinterpretation of the primitive text.
Read More
Houp (Leviticus 11:19; Deuteronomy 14:18). - The analogy of the Hebrew with the Syriac and Coptic for the name of this bird makes the identification doubtless, although some, after the example of the A.V., see in the Hebrew dûkhîpháth, the lapwing. The Egyptians worshipped the houp and made it the emblem of Horus.
Read More
Hornet (Hebr., çíre'ah; vespa crabro). - One of the largest and most pugnacious wasps; when disturbed they attack cattle and horses; their sting is very severe, capable not only of driving men and cattle to madness, but even of killing them (Exodus 23:28; Deuteronomy 7:20; Joshua 24:12).
Read More
