Ferret
“Sighing or groaning, from its cry”
Summary
An unclean creeping animal mentioned in Leviticus, probably not the modern ferret but likely the gecko lizard.
☩Identification
The Hebrew anakah, rendered 'ferret' in older translations, is now generally identified as the gecko lizard rather than the mammalian ferret. The name derives from a root meaning 'to sigh' or 'groan,' referring to the animal's cry. The Septuagint renders it mugale, which may indicate a shrew mouse, while rabbinical writers identified it with the hedgehog.
☩The Gecko
Geckos are small lizards that hide in holes by day and prey upon nocturnal insects at night. They can walk on perpendicular walls and even ceilings due to their uniquely structured feet with lamellated toes. Their harsh croak, stealthy pace, and sinister appearance have given them an undeserved reputation for malignity in many cultures.
☩Context in Leviticus
The anakah appears in a list of unclean 'creeping things' along with the weasel, mouse, tortoise, chameleon, lizard, snail, and mole. The associated names in this list support identifying anakah as a reptile rather than a mammal. The Revised Version translates it as 'gecko' with a marginal note suggesting four kinds of lizards are intended.
Related Verses1 mention
Leviticus· 1 verse
See Also
References
- 1.James Orr (ed.), "Ferret," in International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, vol. II (Howard-Severance Company, 1915).
- 2.Andrew Robert Fausset, "Ferret," in The Englishman's Critical and Expository Bible Cyclopædia (Hodder & Stoughton, 1878).
- 3.John McClintock and James Strong, "Ferret," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. III (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).
- 4.George Morrish, "Ferret," in Morrish's Concise Bible Dictionary (George Morrish, 1898).