Coney

Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary

שפן ,  Leviticus 11:5;  Deuteronomy 14:7;  Psalms 104:8; and  Proverbs 30:26 . Bochart and others have supposed the saphan of the Scriptures to be the jerboa; but Mr. Bruce proves that the ashkoko is intended. This curious animal is found in Ethiopia, and in great numbers on Mount Lebanon, &c. Instead of holes, they seem to delight in more airy places, in the mouths of caves, or clefts in the rock. They are gregarious, and frequently several dozens of them sit upon the great stones at the mouths of caves, and warm themselves in the sun, or come out and enjoy the freshness of the summer evening. They do not stand upright upon their feet, but seem to steal along as in fear, their belly being nearly close to the ground; advancing a few steps at a time, and then pausing. They have something very mild, feeble-like, and timid, in their deportment; are gentle and easily tamed, though, when roughly handled at the first, they bite very severely. Many are the reasons to believe this to be the animal called saphan in Hebrew, and erroneously by our translators, "the coney," or rabbit. The latter are gregarious indeed, and so far resemble the other, as also in size; but they seek not the same place of retreat; for the rabbit burrows most generally in the sand. Nor is there any thing in the character of rabbits that denotes excellent wisdom, or that they supply the want of strength by any remarkable sagacity. The saphan, then, is not the rabbit; which last, unless it was brought to him by his ships from Europe, Solomon never saw.

Let us now apply the characters of the ashkoko to the saphan. "He is above all other animals so much attached to the rocks, that I never once," says Mr. Bruce, "saw him on the ground, or from among large stones in the mouth of caves, where is his constant residence. He lives in families or flocks. He is in Judea, Palestine, and Arabia, and consequently must have been familiar to Solomon. David describes him very pertinently, and joins him to other animals perfectly known: ‘The hills are a refuge for the wild goats, and the rocks for the saphan:' and Solomon says that ‘they are exceeding wise,' that they are ‘but a feeble folk, yet make their houses in the rocks.' Now this, I think, very obviously fixes the ashkoko to be the saphan; for his weakness seems to allude to his feet, and how inadequate these are to dig holes in the rock, where yet, however, he lodges. From their tenderness these are very liable to be excoriated or hurt; notwithstanding which, they build houses in the rocks more inaccessible than those of the rabbit, and in which they abide in greater safety, not by exertion of strength, for they have it not, but are truly, as Solomon says, ‘a feeble folk,' but by their own sagacity and judgment; and are therefore justly described as wise. Lastly, what leaves the thing without doubt is, that some of the Arabs, particularly Damir, say that the saphan has no tail, that it is less than a cat, that it lives in houses or nests, which it builds of straw, in contradistinction to the rabbit and the rat, and those animals that burrow in the ground."

Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible

Coney ( Ev [Note: English Version.] tr. [Note: translate or translation.] of shâphân , RVm [Note: Revised Version margin.] rock badger ). The Hyrax syriacus , called by the Arabs wabr , also the ghanam beni Israel (the sheep of the children of Israel). The coney is a small rabbit-like animal, with short ears and a mere stump of a tail. It has stiff greyish-brown hair, with softer, lighter-coloured hair on the belly; it is nocturnal in its habits, and lives in holes in the rocks. Conies are very plentiful along the rocky shores of the Dead Sea, and also in the Lebanon, especially above Sidon; they can, however, be seen as a rule only between sunset and sunrise. They are gregarious in their habits, and disappear into their rocky fastnesses (  Psalms 104:18 ,   Proverbs 30:24;   Proverbs 30:26 ) with the greatest rapidity on the slightest approach of danger. The Bedouin, when hunting them, lie hidden for many hours during the night close to their holes. They feed on grass and sweet-smelling herbs, and their flesh is esteemed for eating by the Bedouin; they do not actually ‘chew the cud’ (  Leviticus 11:5 ,   Deuteronomy 14:7 ), though they work their jaws in a way that resembles a ruminant. Structurally the coney is so peculiar as to have an order, the Hyracoidea , to itself.

E. W. G. Masterman.

Fausset's Bible Dictionary

shaphan , from the root "to hide"; the S. Arab, thofun; the Syrian Arab, weber . A pachydermatous animal, gregarious, greybacked, white on the belly, with long hair, short tail, and round ears; common on the ridges of Lebanon; living in caves and clefts; the Hyrax Syriacus, not the rabbit or coney.  Proverbs 30:26; "the coneys are but a feeble folk, yet make they their houses in the rocks:" exactly true of the hyrax; with weak teeth, short incisors, and nails instead, it seems defenseless, but its security is in rocky hiding places, such as Ain Feshkah on the Dead Sea shore.

"No animal" (says Tristram). "gave us so much trouble to secure." It is described as "chewing the cud" ( Leviticus 11:5;  Deuteronomy 14:7), in phenomenal language, because the motion of its jaws is like that of ruminating animals; so also the hare. Though in some respects like the rodentia , it is really akin to the rhinoceros; its molar teeth differ only in the size; its body is as large as the rabbit. The "exceeding wisdom" of the coneys is illustrated in their setting an old male sentry near their holes to warn his companions when danger approaches, by a whistling sound.

Morrish Bible Dictionary

One of the animals the Israelites were not to eat: it is described as chewing the cud, but not dividing the hoof. The rabbit, which is only another name for Coney, is not known in Palestine. The Hebrew word shaphan is supposed to signify the Syrian Hyrax, an animal about the size of the rabbit, but which does not really chew the cud. It has the habit of continually rubbing its teeth together when at rest, and thus has the appearance of chewing. It is an animal that forms a wholesome meal, and therefore one that would have needed to be specified under the Jewish ritual.  Leviticus 11:5;  Deuteronomy 14:7 . It exactly answers to the other notices respecting the shaphan, such as living among the rocks, which it constantly does, and it is exceedingly quick in leaping from rock to rock,  Psalm 104:18; it is also extremely difficult to catch; one of their number being on the watch while the others feed: at the approach of an enemy a signal is given, and all disappear. This agrees with its being called 'exceeding wise.'  Proverbs 30:24,26 . The Hyrax is classed among the pachydermatous animals.

American Tract Society Bible Dictionary

An old English name for the rabbit; used in Scripture to translate the Hebrew  Leviticus 11:5   Deuteronomy 14:7   Psalm 104:18   Proverbs 30:26 . This animal is externally of the size and form of the rabbit, and of a brownish color. It is, however, much clumsier in its structure, without tail, and having long bristly hairs scattered through the fur. The feet are naked below, and the nails flat and rounded, except those in the inner toe of the hind feet, which are long and awl-shaped. They cannot dig, but reside in the clefts of rocks. They are called by Solomon, "wise," and "a feeble folk;" they are timid and gregarious in their habits, and so gentle and quiet, that they shrink from the shadow of a passing bird. The name of Spain is said to have been given to it by Phoenician voyagers, who seeing its western coast overrun with animals resembling the shaphan, called it Hispania, or Coley-land. Some eminent interpreters think the Shaphan means the Jerboa.

Easton's Bible Dictionary

 Proverbs 30:26 Psalm 104:18 Proverbs 30:24 Leviticus 11:5 Deuteronomy 14:7

The animal intended by this name is known among naturalists as the Hyrax Syriacus. It is neither a ruminant nor a rodent, but is regarded as akin to the rhinoceros. When it is said to "chew the cud," the Hebrew word so used does not necessarily imply the possession of a ruminant stomach. "The lawgiver speaks according to appearances; and no one can watch the constant motion of the little creature's jaws, as it sits continually working its teeth, without recognizing the naturalness of the expression" (Tristram, Natural History of the Bible). It is about the size and color of a rabbit, though clumsier in structure, and without a tail. Its feet are not formed for digging, and therefore it has its home not in burrows but in the clefts of the rocks. "Coney" is an obsolete English word for "rabbit."

People's Dictionary of the Bible

Coney is the Syrian hyrax, a small animal, resembling in size and form the rabbit, and of a brownish color. It is, however, much heavier than the hare or rabbit, almost without a tall, and has long bristly hairs scattered through the fur. The feet are naked below, and the nails flat and rounded, except those on the inner toe of the hind feet, which are long and awl-shaped. The coney cannot dig, but resides in the clefts of rocks. It is called by Solomon "wise," and "a feeble folk;" is quiet and gregarious in habit, and so timid that it starts at the shadow of a passing bird. It is described as chewing its cud,  Leviticus 11:5.;  Deuteronomy 14:7; for it has a peculiar movement of the jaw as if chewing. It is a very nimble, active animal.

Smith's Bible Dictionary

Coney. (Hebrew, shaphan ). A gregarious animal of the class Pachydermata , which is found in Palestine, living in the caves and clefts of the rocks, and has been erroneously identified with the rabbit or coney. Its scientific name as Hyrax syriacus .

The hyrax satisfies exactly the expressions in  Psalms 104:18;  Proverbs 30:26. Its color is gray or brown on the back, white on the belly; it is like the alpine marmot, scarcely of the size of the domestic cat, having long hair, a very short tail and round ears. It is found on Lebanon and in the Jordan and Dead Sea valleys.

Holman Bible Dictionary

Procavia syriaca Hyrax syriacus  Leviticus 11:5 Deuteronomy 14:7 Psalm 104:18 Proverbs 30:26

Webster's Dictionary

(1): (n.) A rabbit. See Cony.

(2): (n.) A fish. See Cony.

King James Dictionary

Coney. See Cony.

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

kō´ni ( שׁפן , shāphān ( Leviticus 11:5;  Deuteronomy 14:7;  Psalm 104:18;  Proverbs 30:26 )): The word "coney" (formerly pronounced cooney ) means "rabbit" (from Latin cuniculus ). Shāphān is rendered in all four passages in the Septuagint χοιρογρύλλιος , choirogrúllios , or "hedge-hog," but is now universally considered to refer to the Syrian hyrax, Procavia (or Hyrax ) Syriaca , which in southern Palestine and Sinai is called in Arabic wabar , in northern Palestine and Syria ṭabsūn , and in southern Arabia shufun , which is etymologically closely akin to shāphān ̌ . The word " hyrax " (ὕραξ , húrax ) itself means "mouse" or "shrew-mouse" (compare Latin sorex ), so that it seems to have been hard to find a name peculiar to this animal. In  Leviticus 11:5 the Revised Version, margin, we find "rock badger," which is a translation of klip das , the rather inappropriate name given by the Boers to the Cape hyrax. The Syrian hyrax lives in Syria, Palestine and Arabia. A number of other species, including several that are arboreal, live in Africa. They are not found in other parts of the world. In size, teeth and habits the Syrian hyrax somewhat resembles the rabbit, though it is different in color, being reddish brown, and lacks the long hind legs of the rabbit. The similarity in dentition is confined to the large size of the front teeth and the presence of a large space between them and the back teeth. But whereas hares have a pair of front teeth on each jaw, the hyrax has one pair above and two below. These teeth differ also in structure from those of the hare and rabbit, not having the persistent pulp which enables the rabbit's front teeth to grow continually as they are worn away. They do not hide among herbage like hares, nor burrow like rabbits, but live in holes or clefts of the rock, frequently in the faces of steep cliffs. Neither the hyrax nor the hare is a ruminant, as seems to be implied in  Leviticus 11:5 and   Deuteronomy 14:7 , but their manner of chewing their food may readily have led them to be thought to chew the cud. The hyrax has four toes in front and three behind (the same number as in the tapir and in some fossil members of the horse family), all furnished with nails that are almost like hoofs, except the inner hind toes, which have claws. The hyraxes constitute a family of ungulates and, in spite of their small size, have points of resemblance to elephants or rhinoceroses, but are not closely allied to these or to any other known animals.

The camel, the coney and the hare are in the list of unclean animals because they "chew the cud but divide not the hoof," but all three of these are eaten by the Arabs.

Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature

Bibliography Information McClintock, John. Strong, James. Entry for 'Coney'. Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature. https://www.studylight.org/encyclopedias/eng/tce/c/coney.html. Harper & Brothers. New York. 1870.