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Friday, October 31st, 2025
the Week of Proper 25 / Ordinary 30
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Hare
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
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hâr ( ארנבת , 'arnebheth ( Leviticus 11:6; Deuteronomy 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 δασύπους , dasúpous , "rough-footed," which, while not the commonest Greek word (λαγῶς , lagō̇s ), 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 ̌ .
Leviticus 11:4-7 : Leviticus 11:4 , English Versions of the Bible "camel"; Septuagint τὸν κάμηλον , tón kámēlon ; Vulgate (Jerome's Latin Bible , 390-405 ad) camelus; Hebrew הגּמל , ha -gāmāl ̌ . Leviticus 11:5 , English Versions of the Bible "coney"; Septuagint τὸν δασύποδα , tón dasúpoda ; Vulgate, choerogryllus; Hebrew השׁפן , ha -shāphān ̌ . Leviticus 11:6 , English Versions of the Bible "hare"; Septuagint τὸν χοιρογρύλλιον , tón choirogrúllion Vulgate, lepus; Hebrew הארנבת , ha -'arnebeth ̌ . Leviticus 11:7 , English Versions of the Bible "swine"; Septuagint τὸν ὗν , tón hún ; Vulgate, sus; Hebrew החזיר , ha -ḥăzı̄r ̌ .
Deuteronomy 14:7 : English Versions of the Bible "camel"; Septuagint τὸν κάμηλον , tón kámēlon Vulgate, camelum; Hebrew הגּמל , hagāmāl ; English Versions of the Bible "hare"; Septuagint δασύποδα , dasúpoda ; Vulgate, leporem; Hebrew הארנבת , hā'arnebeth ; English Versions of the Bible "coney"; Septuagint χοιρογρύλλιον , choirogrúllion ; Vulgate, choerogryllum; Hebrew השׁפן , hashāphān ̌ .
Deuteronomy 14:8 : English Versions of the Bible "swine"; Septuagint τὸν ὗν , tón hún Vulgate, sus; Hebrew החזיר , haḥezı̄yr ̌ .
It is evident from the above and from the meanings of δασύπους , dasúpous and χοιρογρύλλιος , choirogrúllios as given in Liddell and Scott, that the order of Septuagint in Leviticus 11:5 , Leviticus 11:6 does not follow the Hebrew, but has apparently assimilated the order of that of Deuteronomy 14:7 , Deuteronomy 14:8 . In Psalm 104:18 , Septuagint has χοιρογρυλλιος , choirogrullios for שׁפן , shāphān ; also in Proverbs 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 Palestine, differs somewhat from the European hare. Lepus judeae is cited by Tristram from Northeastern Palestine, and he also notes three other species from the extreme south.
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Bibliography Information
Orr, James, M.A., D.D. General Editor. Entry for 'Hare'. International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. https://www.studylight.org/encyclopedias/eng/isb/h/hare.html. 1915.
