Tortoise
Summary
The Hebrew word 'tsab' in Leviticus 11:29, traditionally translated 'tortoise,' more likely refers to a large desert lizard such as the thorny-tailed lizard.
☩Biblical Reference
The word 'tsab' occurs only in Leviticus 11:29 as the name of an unclean animal among the 'creeping things.' The same Hebrew word appears elsewhere meaning 'covered wagons' or 'litters,' suggesting something that moves slowly or is covered.
☩Identification
Modern scholars generally reject the 'tortoise' translation in favor of some species of large lizard. The Hebrew 'tsab' closely resembles the Arabic 'dhab,' which refers to the Uromastix spinipes (thorny-tailed lizard), a large lizard about eighteen inches long with a powerful spiny tail that it uses for defense. The Revised Version translates it as 'great lizard.' This lizard is common in the deserts of Palestine, North Africa, and Arabia.
☩Description of the Dhab
The Uromastix spinipes has a relatively smooth body terminating in a massive tail armed with rings of spiny scales. It lives in rock holes and burrows in sand, feeds chiefly on beetles, and is grass green spotted with brown, but becomes darker when irritated. It has a slow, awkward gait, turning its head cautiously from side to side as it walks. The Arabs eat its flesh and have a proverb about its knotty tail.
Related Verses1 mention
Leviticus· 1 verse
References
- 1.John McClintock and James Strong, "Tortoise," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. X (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).
- 2.James Orr (ed.), "Tortoise," in International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, vol. V (Howard-Severance Company, 1915).
- 3.George Morrish, "Tortoise," in Morrish's Concise Bible Dictionary (George Morrish, 1898).