H0604 H0604
And the gecko; unclean reptile listed in Leviticus 11:30, possibly a lizard species or ferret (identification uncertain)
This term identifies an unclean animal in the Levitical purity laws, traditionally understood as a type of lizard (gecko) or possibly a shrew-mouse. It appears in the list of swarming creatures that are ritually unclean and forbidden as food. The exact species identification is uncertain—ancient and modern interpreters have proposed various small reptiles or rodents. What matters for the law is its classification among the prohibited creatures.
Senses
1. sense 1 — Leviticus 11:30 lists this creature among unclean swarming things. English and French 'gecko,' Spanish 'erizo' (hedgehog), and German 'gecko' show the uncertainty of identification. The term appears only here in the unclean animal catalog. Whether a specific lizard species, shrew, or other small creature, it belonged to the category of swarming animals that made a person ritually unclean through contact. The taxonomy matters less than the ritual boundary it marked. 1×
AR["وَ-الْحِرْذَوْنُ"]·ben["এবং-টিকটিকি"]·DE["und-der-gecko"]·EN["and-the-gecko"]·FR["et-le-gecko"]·heb["ו-ה-והאנקה"]·HI["और-गेको"]·ID["dan-tokek"]·IT["e-il-gecko"]·jav["Lan-cicak-tembok"]·KO["그리고-그-도마뱀붙이와"]·PT["E-o-gecko"]·RU["и-геккон"]·ES["Y-el-erizo"]·SW["Na-nyoka"]·TR["ve-anan"]·urd["اور-کرلا"]
Related Senses
H6629 1. flock, sheep/goats (small livestock) (274×)H1241 1. cattle, herd (bovine livestock) (183×)H0352a 1. ram (male sheep) (156×)H6499 1. young bull, bullock (130×)H3532 1. lamb, young male sheep (105×)H2543 1. donkey (male ass) (96×)H7794 1. ox, bull (79×)H7462b 1. shepherd (agent noun) (76×)H5795 1. she-goat(s), female goat(s) (68×)H7462b 2. to shepherd, tend, pasture (60×)H1581 1. camel (domestic animal) (54×)H0738b 1. lion (46×)G4263 1. sheep (39×)H5739 1. flock or herd of livestock (38×)H5695 1. calf, young bull (35×)H0738a 1. lion (large predatory feline) (34×)H0860 1. female donkey (34×)H3611 1. dog (animal) (32×)H3715a 1. young lion, lion cub (31×)G0721 1. Lamb (29×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† II. אֲנָקָה n.f. ferret, or shrew-mouse, unclean animal Lv 11:30 (TristrFFP 24; ܐܳܡܰܩܬܳܐ, 𝔗 אקמתא).