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Bible Dictionaries
Swan
Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary
or תנשמת , Leviticus 11:18; Deuteronomy 14:16 . The Hebrew word is very ambiguous, for in the first of these places, it is ranked among water-fowls; and by the Vulgate, which our version follows, rendered "swan," and in the thirtieth verse, the same word is rendered "mole," and ranked among reptiles. Some translate it in the former place, "the bat," which they justify by the affinity which there is between the bat and the mole. The LXX in the former verse render it πορφυριωνα , the porphyrion, or "purple bird," probably the "flamingo;" and in the latter, "ibis." Parkhurst shows that the name is given from the creature's breathing in a strong and audible manner; and Michaelis learnedly conjectures, that in verse eighteen, and Deuteronomy 14:16 , it may mean the "goose," which every one knows is remarkable for its manner of "breathing out" or "hissing," when approached.
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Watson, Richard. Entry for 'Swan'. Richard Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary. https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/eng/wtd/s/swan.html. 1831-2.
