the monitor lizard
The term used here is "koach," which can also mean "strength" or "power" in Hebrew. Monitor lizards are known for their size and strength, and their presence in this list highlights the diversity of God's creation. In a spiritual sense, the monitor lizard can symbolize the need to recognize and respect the power of God, as well as the importance of exercising self-control and restraint in our own lives.

the common lizard
The Hebrew word "leta'ah" is used here, which is somewhat ambiguous and may refer to a variety of small lizards. Lizards were prevalent in the ancient world, often seen scurrying across rocks and walls. Their inclusion as unclean animals serves as a metaphor for the subtle and often unnoticed influences that can lead us away from holiness. Just as lizards can blend into their surroundings, so too can sin subtly infiltrate our lives if we are not vigilant.

the skink
The word "chomet" is used in Hebrew, which is thought to refer to a type of lizard that burrows or hides in the ground. Skinks are known for their smooth, shiny scales and ability to move quickly. This creature's inclusion in the list of unclean animals may symbolize the hidden sins or temptations that can ensnare us if we are not careful. It serves as a call to bring hidden things into the light and to live transparently before God.

the chameleon
The Hebrew term "tinshamet" is used here, which is also associated with the word for "breath" or "respiration." Chameleons are known for their ability to change color and adapt to their environment. Spiritually, this can represent the danger of conforming to the world rather than being transformed by the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:2). The chameleon reminds us of the importance of maintaining our distinct identity as followers of Christ, not compromising our values to fit in with the world around us.

And the chameleon.--The ancient versions agree that by this animal (khoach), which denotes "strength," and which occurs nowhere else in the Bible as the name of a reptile, is meant the chameleon. Its power of enduring for a long time without food, which led the ancients to believe that it entirely subsisted upon air, may be the cause both of its Hebrew name (as specified above), and the name chameleon, i.e., "a lion on the ground," a reptile with the strength of a lion, The belief that it lives upon the air had also given rise to its Aramaic name in the time of Christ (zekitha), which denotes the animal that fills itself with air. The perplexity which the administrators of the law experienced about its food, and the time of feeding this creature, may be gathered from the story in the Talmud attributed to one of the sons of Noah, of what happened in the Ark. Sem, the son of Noah, said, "We had much trouble with the chameleon, for whilst we fed the day animals by day and the night animals by night, we did not know what the chameleon fed on. One day, however, I broke open a pomegranate, and a worm fell out of it, which the creature immediately devoured. Afterwards I pounded together fruit, and when it bred maggots the chameleon ate them." The common chameleon is found in Syria and Palestine, and some eastern tribes believe that its flesh when eaten boiled is a remedy for leanness, and if eaten dry cures fever. In Spain chameleons are kept in rooms to destroy troublesome flies.

And the lizard.--Though the ancient authorities agree that the creature here named (l'taah) is lizard, yet the description which the administrators of the law give of it, does not enable us to define the species to which it belongs. The characteristics which they give of the lizard are as follows: It has a thick though soft and smooth skin, and lays eggs in which the yolk and the white are not separated. Its tail when cut off will move for some time afterwards, and the creature itself when apparently dead will sometimes revive by pouring cold water over it.

And the snail.--This meaning of the Hebrew name (chomet) is attested by the highest Jewish authorities of ancient times. It denotes the testaceous kinds, whilst the word (shabbel) in Psalm 58:8 describes the naked species. Snails abound in a great variety of species in the East, and some kinds were eaten by the ancients as a great luxury. It was believed that the slime which it constantly emits as it crawls along brings about its death by a process of dissolution. Hence the remark "and snail which melteth, let every one of them pass away" (Psalm 58:8).

And the mole.--The word (tinshemeth) here translated "mole" is the same which is used in Leviticus 11:18 for an unclean bird. That the Authorised Version, however, gives the correct rendering of the word is not only attested by the ancient versions, but by the following description, which the administrators of the law in the time of Christ give of the reptile here intended. It has no eyes, and burrows into the earth, and destroys the roots. For this reason, as well as for its carrying quantities of corn to its nest, it was ordained during the second Temple that the creature may be killed on the middle days of the two pilgrim festivals, i.e., of the Feasts of Passover and of Tabernacles. In Isaiah 2:20, however, which is the only other passage where the mole occurs in the Hebrew Scriptures, the name for it is cnapar perah. We have already seen in the case of the snail that two different names for the same creature are used designedly to describe the different characteristics of the same animal. . . .

Parallel Commentaries ...