Ferret
FERRET
A sort of weasel, Lev 11:30 . The Hebrew word means rather a species of lizard, the gecko, which Moses forbids as unclean.
Fuente: American Tract Society Bible Dictionary
Ferret
See Lizard
Fuente: Plants Animals Of Bible
Ferret
evidently a conjectural rendering for anakah’ ( a sighing; Sept. , Vulg. mygale), one of the unclean creeping things mentioned in. Lev 11:30. The Rabbinical writers seem to have identified this animal with the’ hedgehog (see Lewysohn, Zool. des Talmuds, 129, 134). The Sept. and Vulg. refer to an animal which, according to Aristotle (Hist. Anim. 8:24), is the Mus araneus, or shrew-mouse; but the associated names render it more probable that the animal referred to in Leviticus was a reptile of the lizard tribe (so Bochart and Gesenius), deriving its name from the mournful cry, or wail, which some lizards utter, especially those of the Gecko family. The Lacerta gecko (otherwise called “fan-foot” lizard; Gecko lobulatus, the Ptyodactylus of Hasselquist) is perhaps the animal intended. “The geckos are small lizards, usually somewhat clumsy in form, stealthy and cat-like in their actions, secreting themselves in holes and crevices by day, and at night coming forth to prey upon nocturnal insects. The form of the eve indicates their season of activity, for the pupil, which is capable of great expansion and contraction, closes to a vertical line. The animals crawl with ease and confidence on perpendicular walls, and even on the under sides of ceilings, beams, and-the like, provided these have a somewhat roughened surface. This curious power, the rapidity with which they disappear in some crevice when alarmed, and their sombre and lurid hues, their association with night, their land and harsh, croak, their slow and stealthy pace, and especially a certain sinister expression of countenance, produced by the large globular eye, unprotected by as eyelid and divided by its linear pupil, have combined to give to these reptiles in all countries a popular reputation for malignity and venom, and they are generally much dreaded. This reputation, however, appears to be wholly groundless’; and the story told by Hasselquist of a man who would lay hold of the reptile, and whose hand instantly became covered with red pustules, inflamed and itching, must be received with suspicion. Still more incredible is another account by the same naturalist, to the effect that he saw at Cairo two women and a girl at the point of death from having eaten some cheese over which a gecko had crawled! The most interesting point in the economy of these curious lizards is the structure of their feet, by which they are enabled to defy the laws of gravity. The feet are nearly equal, short, stout, and terminated by five toes, differing- little in length, which radiate as if from a centre, so as to form two thirds of a circle. The under surface of the toes is, in most of the genera, much widened, and furnished with small plates or laminae, overlapping each other in a regular manner, which varies in different genera and species. The toes are frequently united by a membrane at their base. The claws are pointed, hooked, and kept constantly sharp, by an apparatus by which they are capable of retraction, like those of the cat. It is by means of the singular lamellated structure of the under surface of the toes that these reptiles, or at least many of them, are enabled to cling to vertical or even inverted surfaces, as house-flies do. The mode in which this is effected we do not thoroughly understand; but we may conjecture that it is by the raising, of these imbricated plates by muscular action, so as to form a vacuum beneath the sole, when the pressure of the external air causes the toe to adhere firmly to the surface. The similarity of the structure to that of the coronal sucker in the remora suggests this explanation. A familiar illustration of the principle is seen in the leathern suckers which children make, which adhere so firmly that large stones are lifted lay them.” SEE LIZARD.
Fuente: Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature
Ferret
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 Palestine. The Rabbinical writers regard it as the hedgehog. The translation of the Revised Version is to be preferred.
Fuente: Easton’s Bible Dictionary
Ferret
Hebrew ‘anaqah, from ‘aanaq “to groan.” Gosse refers it to the house mouse, from its squeak. Rather the gecko, which croaks as a frog and has feet so formed as to walk on the ceilings of houses which it enters (Lev 29:30, Speaker’s Commentary). It is enumerated with unclean creeping things, which favors the view that some lizard is meant.
Fuente: Fausset’s Bible Dictionary
Ferret
FERRET (anqah).An unclean animal, Lev 11:30, RV [Note: Revised Version.] gecko. Rabbinical writers suggest the bedgehog, but this is unlikely. For gecko see Lizard.
E. W. G. Masterman.
Fuente: Hastings’ Dictionary of the Bible
Ferret
feret (, ‘anakah, 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, Lev 11:30 includes (1) holedh, English Versions of the Bible weasel; (2) akhbar, English Versions of the Bible mouse; (3) cabh, the King James Version tortoise, the Revised Version (British and American) great lizard; (4) ‘anakkah, the King James Version ferret, the Revised Version (British and American) gecko; (5) koah the King James Version chameleon, the Revised Version (British and American) land crocodile; (6) leta’ah, English Versions of the Bible lizard; (7) homet, 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 ‘anakah, Septuagint has , mugale, which occurs in Herodotus and Aristotle and may be a shrew mouse or a field mouse. Just as the next word, koah, is found in other passages (see CHAMELEON) with the meaning of strength, so ‘anakah occurs in several places signifying moaning or sighing (Psa 12:5; Psa 79:11; Psa 102:20; Mal 2:13). It seems to be from the root, ‘anak, to choke, to be in anguish (compare ‘anak, a collar; hanak, to choke; Arabic unk, neck; Arabic khanak, to strangle; Greek ; 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 = shrew mouse or field mouse.
Fuente: International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
Ferret
Ferret [LIZARD]
Fuente: Popular Cyclopedia Biblical Literature
Ferret
anaqah. One of the creeping things forbidden to be eaten. It is not at all certain what animal is referred to, but it is judged not to have been what is now known as the ferret. The Jews’ Bible (by Leeser) has ‘hedgehog;’ others think the ‘shrew-mouse;’ and others the ‘gecko,’ a wall-lizard. Lev 11:30. The R.V. has ‘gecko,’ and in the margin to this and the three following names has “probably denoting four kinds of lizards.”
Fuente: Concise Bible Dictionary
Ferret
Lev 11:30
Fuente: Nave’s Topical Bible
Ferret
Ferret. Lev 11:30. The animal referred to was probably of the lizard tribe; the gecko, R. V. The rabbinical writers seem to have identified this animal with the hedgehog.
Fuente: People’s Dictionary of the Bible
Ferret
Ferret. One of the unclean creeping things mentioned in Lev 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.
Fuente: Smith’s Bible Dictionary
Ferret
, from , or cry out, Lev 11:30. The ferret is a species of the weasel; but Bochart will have the anakah to be the spotted lizard, called by Pliny stellio. Dr. James takes it for the frog, in allusion to the name, which literally signifies the crier, befitting the croaking of that animal; but we shall find the frog mentioned under another name. Dr. Geddes renders it the newt, or rather the lizard of the Nile; and it evidently must be of the lizard species. Pliny mentions the galleotes, covered with red spots, whose cries are sharp, which may be the gekko, which is probably the animal here intended. As its name, in the Indies tockai, and in Egypt gekko, is formed from its voice, so the Hebrew name anakah, or perhaps anakkah, seems to be formed in like manner; the double k being equally observable in all these appellations. If these remarks are admissible, this lizard is sufficiently identified.