Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Leviticus 11:5
And the coney, because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not the hoof; he [is] unclean unto you.
5. the coney ] The exact equivalent of the Heb. shphn is given in R.V. mg. In Psa 104:18; Pro 30:26 it is described as a weak and timid animal, taking refuge in the rocks, and Tristram ( Land of Israel, p. 250) remarks that it is difficult to capture. ‘Coney,’ an old English term for ‘rabbit,’ is the rendering of A.V., which follows the traditional Jewish interpretation. As ‘coney’ is no longer in use, it has been retained in R.V., on the principle of avoiding all unnecessary alteration, but with the exact rendering in the margin. This is one of many instances where the rendering of R.V. mg. is essential for the full understanding of that version.
The coney (rock-badger) and hare move their jaws like beasts which chew the cud, but are not ruminating animals. Here, as in other passages of the Bible, the language is popular, rather than scientific.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
The coney – The Old English name for a rabbit. The animal meant is the Hyrax Syriacus. It bears some resemblance to the guinea-pig or the marmot, and in its general appearance and habits Pro 30:26; Psa 104:18, it might easily be taken for a rodent. But Cuvier discovered that it is, in its anatomy, a true pachyderm, allied to the rhinoceros and the tapir, inferior to them as it is in size.
He cheweth the cud – The Hyrax has the same habit as the hare, the rabbit, the guinea-pig, and some other rodents, of moving its jaws when it is at rest as if it were masticating. The rodents were familiarly spoken of as ruminating animals, just as the bat was reckoned among birds because it flies (see Lev 11:19), and as whales and their congeners are spoken of as fish, when there is no occasion for scientific accuracy.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 5. The coney] shaphan, not the rabbit, but rather a creature nearly resembling it, which abounds in Judea, Palestine, and Arabia, and is called by Dr. Shaw daman Israel, and by Mr. Bruce ashkoko. As this creature nearly resembles the rabbit, with which Spain anciently abounded, Bochart supposes that the Phoenicians might have given it the name of spaniah, from the multitude of shephanim (or spanim, as others pronounce it) which were found there. Hence the emblem of Spain is a woman sitting with a rabbit at her feet. See a coin of Hadrian in Scheuchzer.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Some understand by the Hebrew word shaphan, a mountain mouse, which were of a much greater size than ordinary mice, and were used by the Arabians for food. But for the names of the following creatures, seeing the Jews themselves are uncertain and divided about them, I think it improper to trouble the unlearned reader with disputes about them, and for the learned, they may have recourse to my Latin Synopsis. I shall therefore take them according to our translation.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
5. the coneynot the rabbit,for it is not found in Palestine or Arabia, but the hyrax, a littleanimal of the size and general shape of the rabbit, but differingfrom it in several essential features. It has no tail, singular, longhairs bristling like thorns among the fur on its back; its feet arebare, its nails flat and round, except those on each inner toe of thehind feet, which are sharp and project like an awl. It does notburrow in the ground but frequents the clefts of rocks.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And the coney,…. Or rabbit:
because he cheweth the cud; or “though he cheweth”; which yet, some observe, the coney or rabbit does not, it having upper teeth, and therefore they think some other creature is meant by Shaphan, the word here used; and Bochart m is of opinion, that the Aljarbuo of the Arabians, a sort of mountain mouse, is meant, which chews the cud and divides not the hoof, and resides in rocks, which agrees with the account of the Shaphan in Pr 30:26 but this is rejected by Dr. Shaw n, who takes the creature here to be the Daman Israel, or Israel’s lamb, an animal of Mount Lebanon, a harmless creature of the same size and quality with the rabbit, and with the like incurvating posture, and disposition or the fore teeth, but is of a browner colour, with smaller eyes, and a head more pointed, like the marmots; the fore feet likewise are short, and the hinder are nearly as long in proportion as those of the jerboa; and though this animal is known to burrow sometimes in the ground, yet its usual residence and refuge is in the holes and clifts of the rocks; but a learned man o, and very inquisitive in the things of nature, tells us, that the “cuniculus”, coney, or rabbit, this sort of animals do chew half an hour after eating:
but divideth not the hoof; which is well known of this creature:
he [is] unclean unto you; not fit or proper to be eaten of, but to be abstained from as an unclean animal; and may be an emblem of timorous persons, as these creatures by Aristotle p are observed to be, and it is well known they are; even of the fearful and unbelieving, reckoned among the impure, who will have their portion in the lake of fire, Re 21:8.
m Hierozoic par. 1. l. 3. c. 33. col. 1015, 1016. n Travels, p. 177, 348. Ed. 2. o Scheuchzer. ut supra, (Physic. Sacr. vol. 2.) p. 281. p Hist. Animal. l. 1. c. 1.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(5) And the coney, because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not . . . Better, though he cheweth the cud, yet he divideth not. (See Lev. 11:4.) The coney, which is the old English name for rabbit, is the meaning of the Hebrew expression shaphan, according to the definition of those who had to explain and administer this law at the time of Christ. As these interpreters lived in Palestine, where they saw the animals in question, the objection that the rabbit is not indigenous in Palestine falls to the ground. These shrewd Administrators of the law must also have noticed that it was the habit of the feeble conies to seek refuge and build in the fissures of the rocks, which not unfrequently are on a level with the ground. The rabbit, moreover, well suits the hare, by which it is immediately followed. Modern expositors, however, identify it with the Syrian hyrax, or rock-badger, which is about the size of a well-grown rabbit. It resembles the guinea-pig or the Alpine marmot, has long hair of a brownish grey or brownish-yellow colour on the back, but white on the belly, a very short tail, and short round ears. The action of its jaws when it is at rest resembles that of the ruminants.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
5. The coney The shaphan, erroneously translated coney, is a gregarious, thick-skinned animal, living in caves and clefts of the rocks in Palestine. Its scientific name is hyrax Syriacus. Aside from this verse and its concordant, Deu 14:7, it is mentioned only in Psa 104:18 and in Pro 30:26. It is scarcely of the size of the cat, timid, yet easily tamed, gray on the back, white on the belly, with long hair, a very short tail, and round ears. It resembles the Alpine marmot, and is not now very common in Palestine, though occasionally seen among the hills. It is singular in its structure and anatomy, being neither a ruminant nor a rodent, but is classed by naturalists between the hippopotamus and the rhinoceros. See Robinson, 3:387.
Because he cheweth the cud From the motion of their jaws both the hyrax and the hare were long supposed to ruminate, even by Linnaeus and other eminent naturalists. It is the opinion of modern scientists that they are only apparent, not real ruminants. The popular view is evidently given here. The mention of rumination is merely incidental, since it was not sufficient to classify them as clean. According to Revelation J.G. Wood the coney and the rabbit are rodents, and have to be working their chisel-like incisive teeth continually, to keep them sharp and from growing too long.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Lev 11:5. The coney Heb. shapan; some kind of animal, so called from hiding itself by burrowing in the ground: a rabbit, or rather a large kind of mouse, according to Bochart, who maintains this latter interpretation by the following reasons; 1st, Because the rabbit does not ruminate as the shapan is said to do in this verse: 2nd, Because rabbits do not dwell in rocks, as the shepanim are said to do, Psa 104:18 but in earthy or sandy soils, where they may easily burrow: 3rdly, Because rabbits formerly were not known in Judea, but were peculiar to Spain. However, from the resemblance between these shepanim or large mice, and the rabbits with which Spain abounded, Bochart thinks, the Phoenicians called that country , Spenie, whence are derived its Greek, Latin, and more modern names. (See Bochart, vol. 1: p. 631 vol. 2: p. 1002, & seq.) But Dr. Shaw imagines, with great probability, that another animal of Mount Libanus, well known in those parts, and very like a rabbit, whose modern name is Daman Israel, is meant in this place; see Travels, p. 176.
See commentary on Lev 11:4
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Lev 11:5 And the coney, because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not the hoof; he [is] unclean unto you.
Ver. 5. And the coney. ] Which hath his name in Hebrew from hiding himself in holes. A weak, but a wise creature. Pro 30:26 And wisdom is better than strength. Ecc 9:15 The hare that trusts to the swiftness of her legs, is at length taken and torn in pieces; when the coney that flees to the rocks, doth easily avoid the dogs that pursue her. See Isa 40:30-31 .
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
coney = the old English name for rabbit.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
the coney: Shaphan, most probably an animal resembling the rabbit, called by Dr. Shaw, daman (probably for ganam) Israel, “Israel’s lamb,” and by Bruce, ashkoko, which name he imagines is “derived from the singularity of these long herenacious hairs, which, like small thorns, grow about his back, and which an Amhara are called ashok.” This curious animal abounds in Judea, Palestine, Arabia, and Ethiopia; and is described as being about seventeen inches when sitting. It has no tail; and at first sight gives the idea of a rat. Its colour is grey, mixed with reddish brown; the belly white, the body covered with strong polished hairs, for the most part about two inches in length; the ears round, and not pointed; the feet round, of a soft, pulpy, tender substance; the toes projecting beyond the nails, which are rather broad than sharp; the upper jaw is longer than the other; it lives upon grain, fruit, and roots, and certainly chews the cud; and it does not burrow like the hare and rabbit, but lives in clefts of the rocks. Psa 104:18, Pro 30:26
but divideth: Job 36:14, Mat 7:26, Rom 2:18-24, Phi 3:18, Phi 3:19, 2Ti 3:5, Tit 1:16
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Lev 11:5. The coney Hebrews , shapan. It is doubted whether we translate the word right; Bochart takes it to be a large species of rat, somewhat between a coney and a rat, which was common both in Egypt and Palestine. This animal, it appears, chews the cud, but divides not the hoof, and therefore answers to the description here given. It is also frequent in those countries, and dwells in rocky places, as the shapan is represented to do, Psa 104:18; Pro 30:26; but which the coney does not, but burrows in the ground. Nor does the coney appear to have been anciently known in Judea, but to have been peculiar to Spain.