The Animals Mentioned in the Bible (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1888 Excerpt: ...of ruminants, and enable them to return the partially digested food to the mouth and masticate it afresh. There can however be no doubt the hare is intended, since arneb is the present Arabic name for this animal, which is common in the Holy Land; and the above explanation is the best which has been offered of the difficulty afforded by the text. There are several varieties of hare in Palestine, if we include the Sinaitic confines. The ordinary species of the central districts, known as arneb, is Lepus syriacus, which is very like our English hare, only a little smaller, and peculiar to Syria. There are also the Egyptian and Sinaitic varieties, which may be obtained in the southern districts. The former is the usual species found in South Judaea, and of a lighter colour than the last. The hare of Sinai is considerably smaller than either of the above, and its legs and ears are longer in proportion. It is an extraordinarily active and swift little creature, but stupid, and allowing itself to be shot by those most clumsy gunners, the Bedouins. This hare is occasionally seen in the Arabah towards the Dead Sea from Sinai. Hares belong to the rodent group of mammals. The flesh is now highly prized as it was also by the Romans in former times, though forbidden to Jews and Mahometans. The rabbit, which is a species of the hare tribe, is not found in Palestine. Hart (Heb. S;- ayyal). Hind (Heb. rr--R ayyalah). The Hart is given among the animals permitted for food in Deut. xii. 15, xiv. 5, xv. 22. In Solomon's provision for one day are included ' harts' and ' roebucks' (1 Kings iv. 23), showing that they were in regular use as food for those who could obtain them. Harts are spoken of in Lam. i. 6, 'her princes become like harts without pasture, ' and i.