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the monitor lizard
The monitor lizard, a larger reptile, is also deemed unclean. These lizards are known for their strength and predatory nature. In the ancient Near East, they were likely seen as formidable creatures. Their unclean status may symbolize the need to avoid spiritual predators or influences that could lead believers away from God's commandments. The monitor lizard's presence in the list serves as a reminder of the vigilance required to maintain spiritual purity.

the common lizard
The common lizard represents the everyday, ordinary creatures that the Israelites would encounter. Its inclusion highlights that even familiar and seemingly harmless animals can be unclean. This serves as a metaphor for the subtle ways in which impurity can infiltrate daily life. The common lizard's mention encourages believers to be mindful of their surroundings and the influences they allow into their lives, echoing the call to holiness found throughout Leviticus.

the skink
Skinks are smooth, shiny lizards that are often found in desert regions. Their unclean status may be linked to their habitat, as deserts were often associated with desolation and spiritual barrenness in biblical literature. The skink's presence in the list can be seen as a warning against spiritual dryness and the importance of remaining connected to the life-giving presence of God. This connection is further emphasized in the New Testament, where Jesus is described as the living water.

and the chameleon
The chameleon, known for its ability to change color, is the final creature listed. Its unique characteristic of adaptation may symbolize the dangers of spiritual compromise or hypocrisy. The chameleon's inclusion serves as a caution against conforming to the world or altering one's beliefs to fit in. This aligns with the biblical call to be transformed by the renewing of the mind, as stated inRomans 12:2, and to maintain a steadfast commitment to God's truth.

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) inPsalm 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 inLeviticus 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. InIsaiah 2:20, however, which is the only other passage where the mole occurs in the Hebrew Scriptures, the name for it iscnapar 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. . . .

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