Richard Whitekettle, «Rats are Like Snakes, and Hares are Like Goats: A Study in Israelite Land Animal Taxonomy», Vol. 82 (2001) 345-362
Israelite taxonomic thought drew a contrast between a land animal taxon referred to by the words Cr#$ or #&mr that contained animals such as rats and snakes (Land Animals I), and a land animal taxon referred to by the words hmhb or hyx that contained animals such as hares and goats (Land Animals II). This essay shows that the Land Animals I taxon was characterized by locomotory movement in the horizontal plane and the Land Animals II taxon was characterized by locomotory movement in the vertical plane. Thus, the contrast was between land animals that were perceived to move along the ground (Land Animals I) and land animals that were perceived to move over the ground (Land Animals II).
1 Kgs 5,13; and Ezek 38,20. A threefold truncated form of this schema, containing only the Land Animals I, Land Animals II, and Aerial Animals taxa, is found in Gen 1,30; 6,7; 7,8.23; 8,17; Lev 20,25b; and Hos 2,20. A twofold truncated form of this schema, containing only the Land Animals I and Land Animals II taxa, is found in Ezek 8,10. The following are the taxonomic labels used in the fourfold schema and its two truncated forms:
Land Animals I | #&mr
|
Gen 6,7; 7,23; 1 Kgs 5,13; Ezek 8,10 |
hmd)h #&mr | Hos 2,20 | |
hmd)h #&mr lk | Gen 6,20 | |
hmd)b #&mr-lk | Deut 4,17-18 | |
Cr)-l( #&mwr lk | Gen 1,30 | |
hmd)h #&mrt r#$) lk | Gen 9,2; Lev 20,25b | |
hmd)h-l( #&mr-r#$) lk | Gen 7,8 | |
Cr)h-l( #&mrh #&mrh-lk | Gen 8,17 | |
Cr)h-l( tcr#$h #$pn-lk | Lev 11,46 | |
Cr)h-l( #&mrh #&mrh-lk | Gen 1,26 | |
hmd)h-l( #&mrh #&mrh-lk | Ezek 38,20 | |
Land Animals II | hmhb
|
Gen 1,26; 6,7.20; 7,8.23; 8,17; Lev 11,46; 20,25b; 1 Kgs 5,13; Ezek 8,10 |
hd#&h tyx | Ezek 38,20; Hos 2,20 | |
Cr)h tyx-lk | Gen 1,30; 9,2 | |
Cr)b r#$) hmhb-lk | Deut 4,17-18 | |
Aerial Animals | Pw( |
Gen 6,20; 7,8; 8,17; Lev 11,46; 20,25b; 1 Kgs 5,13 |
Mym#$h Pw( | Gen 1,26; 6,7; 7,23; Ezek 38,20; Hos 2,20 | |
Mym#$h Pw(-lk | Gen 1,30; 9,20 | |
Mym#$h Pw(t r#$) Pnk rwpc-lk | Deut 4,17-18 | |
Aquatic Animals | Mygd | 1 Kgs 5,13 |
Myh ygd | Ezek 38,20 | |
Myh tgd | Gen 1,26 | |
Myh ygd-lk | Gen 9,2 | |
Mymb t#&mrh hyxh #$pn lk | Lev 11,46 | |
Cr)l txtm Mymb-r#$) hgd-lk | Deut 4,17-18 |
Note, that, there are two classes of Land Animals in this taxonomic schema, one of which is referred to by the words Cr#$ or #&mr (above, and hereafter, Land Animals I), while the other is referred to by the words hmhb or hyx (above, and hereafter, Land Animals II)3. The following animals are those that are either specifically identified in the textual record, or, those that can be identified through clear inference from the textual record (marked by an asterisk), as belonging to one of these two classes of Land Animals: