Topical Encyclopedia
In the context of the Bible, the term "rat" is not explicitly mentioned in most English translations, including the Berean Standard Bible . However, the concept and presence of rodents, which would include rats, can be inferred from various passages that discuss unclean animals and pests.
Biblical References and Context1.
Unclean Animals: In
Leviticus 11 and
Deuteronomy 14, the Mosaic Law provides detailed instructions on clean and unclean animals. While rats are not specifically named, they fall under the category of "creeping things" that are considered unclean.
Leviticus 11:29-31 states, "Of the animals that move along the ground, these are unclean for you: the weasel, the rat, any kind of great lizard, the gecko, the monitor lizard, the wall lizard, the skink, and the chameleon." This passage highlights the rat as part of a broader category of creatures that were not to be consumed or touched by the Israelites, emphasizing the importance of ritual purity.
2.
Pests and Plagues: Rats, as common pests, are often associated with destruction and disease. In
1 Samuel 6, the Philistines, after capturing the Ark of the Covenant, are afflicted with a plague. In an attempt to appease the God of Israel, they create golden images of the tumors and rats that were ravaging their land.
1 Samuel 6:4-5 records, "The Philistines asked, 'What guilt offering should we send to Him?' And they replied, 'Five gold tumors and five gold rats, according to the number of the Philistine rulers, because the same plague has struck both you and your rulers. Make images of your tumors and of the rats that are destroying the land, and give glory to the God of Israel.'" This passage illustrates the destructive nature of rats and their symbolic representation of divine judgment.
3.
Symbolism and Interpretation: In biblical symbolism, rats can represent uncleanness, destruction, and divine judgment. Their presence in the narrative of the Ark of the Covenant underscores the consequences of disobedience and the need for reverence towards God. The use of rats in the guilt offering by the Philistines signifies an acknowledgment of God's power and a plea for mercy.
Cultural and Historical ContextIn ancient Near Eastern cultures, rats were likely common pests, as they are today. Their ability to spread disease and consume stored food would have made them a significant concern for agrarian societies. The biblical references to rats and similar creatures reflect the practical and spiritual challenges they posed to the Israelites.
Theological ImplicationsFrom a theological perspective, the mention of rats in the Bible serves as a reminder of the importance of holiness and the consequences of sin. The laws concerning unclean animals, including rats, highlight the need for separation from impurity and the pursuit of a life that honors God. The narrative involving the Philistines and the Ark of the Covenant further emphasizes God's sovereignty and the necessity of respecting His holiness.
In summary, while the Bible does not frequently mention rats explicitly, their presence in the scriptural narrative serves as a symbol of uncleanness and divine judgment, reflecting broader themes of purity, obedience, and reverence for God.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
1. (
n.) One of several species of small rodents of the genus Mus and allied genera, larger than mice, that infest houses, stores, and ships, especially the Norway, or brown, rat (M. decumanus), the black rat (M. rattus), and the roof rat (M. Alexandrinus). These were introduced into America from the Old World.
2. (n.) A round and tapering mass of hair, or similar material, used by women to support the puffs and rolls of their natural hair.
3. (n.) One who deserts his party or associates; hence, in the trades, one who works for lower wages than those prescribed by a trades union.
4. (v. i.) In English politics, to desert one's party from interested motives; to forsake one's associates for one's own advantage; in the trades, to work for less wages, or on other conditions, than those established by a trades union.
5. (v. i.) To catch or kill rats.
Greek
3841. pantokrator -- almighty... almighty. Part of Speech: Noun, Masculine Transliteration: pantokrator Phonetic
Spelling: (pan-tok-
rat'-ore) Short Definition: ruler of the universe Definition
...193. akrates -- powerless, impotent
... powerless, impotent. Part of Speech: Adjective Transliteration: akrates Phonetic
Spelling: (ak-rat'-ace) Short Definition: lacking self-control, inclined to...
194. akratos -- unmixed
... unmixed. Part of Speech: Adjective Transliteration: akratos Phonetic Spelling:
(ak'-rat-os) Short Definition: unmixed, undiluted Definition: unmixed, undiluted...
Strong's Hebrew
7569. rattoq -- a chain... 7568, 7569. rattoq. 7570 . a chain. Transliteration: rattoq Phonetic
Spelling: (
rat-toke') Short Definition: chain. Word Origin
...780. Ararat -- a district in E. Armenia
... 779, 780. Ararat. 781 . a district in E. Armenia. Transliteration: Ararat
Phonetic Spelling: (ar-aw-rat') Short Definition: Ararat....
7572. rattiqah -- chain
... 7571, 7572. rattiqah. 7573 . chain. Transliteration: rattiqah Phonetic Spelling:
(rat-tee-kaw') Short Definition: chain. Word Origin see rattoq. chain...
6527. parat -- perhaps divide
... 6526, 6527. parat. 6528 . perhaps divide. Transliteration: parat Phonetic Spelling:
(paw-rat') Short Definition: improvise. Word Origin a prim....
2661. chaphor -- mole
... which ought rather to be joined as one word, thus chapharperah {khaf-ar- pay-raw'};
by reduplication from chaphar; a burrower, ie Probably arat -- + mole....
3399. yarat -- to be precipitate, to precipitate
... yarat. 3400 . to be precipitate, to precipitate. Transliteration: yarat Phonetic
Spelling: (yaw-rat') Short Definition: contrary. Word Origin a prim....
4803. marat -- to make smooth, bare or bald, to scour, polish
... 4802, 4803. marat. 4804 . to make smooth, bare or bald, to scour, polish.
Transliteration: marat Phonetic Spelling: (maw-rat') Short Definition: polished....
8295. sarat -- to incise, scratch
... 8294, 8295. sarat. 8296 . to incise, scratch. Transliteration: sarat Phonetic
Spelling: (saw-rat') Short Definition: cuts. Word Origin a prim....
Library
Ranee Khet Mission.
... I have mentioned rats. In their division of commonrat and musk-rat, they are
troublesome enough in the plains, but they are a plague in the hills....
Enoch, the Deathless
... The prisoner in the Bastille, when his reason reeled through prolonged silence and
loneliness, was saved from mental collapse by the friendship of arat; and a...
Letter iv. You Reply to the Conclusion of My Letter: "What have we...
... What, I say, could have tempted grave and pious men thus to disturb the foundation
of the Temple, in order to repair a petty breach orrat-hole in the wall, or...
Lovely to a Poet or an Artist's Eye is the Unevenly-Built and...
... "He is arat"arat!" exclaimed Henri, suddenly executing a sort of reasonless
war-dance round the kitchen""One wants a cat to catch him!"....
On the Way to Thebes
... Kenkenes climbed over a chaos of prostrate columns, fallen architraves and broken
colossi, and the sounds of his advance stirred therat, the huge spider, the...
Preaching the Gospel, Healing the Sick
... A child whose arm has been badly scalded months before, and who has received no
treatment during that period but an application ofrat oil and charred matting...
By Far the Ablest of These Seven Essays is from the Pen of the "...
... excites perhaps only a smile of pity." (p.265.) You shall be shewn Bentley in his
attack on Collins the freethinker, enjoying "rare sport,"""rat-hunting in...
A Question for the Beginning
... the older of us have seen, men with their bones full of the iniquity of their youth,
or drifted away from the city to die, down in the country like arat in a...
Fearlessness.
... irksome, and so the women who might be the mothers of John Wesleys and Fenelons
and Metchers and Inskips and Cookmans are petting poodle-dogs andrat-terriers....
Down the Islands
... well-marked effect which Dr. Davy could hear of, apart from damage to artificial
structures, was the partial sinking of a causeway leading toRat Island, in...
Thesaurus
Rat (1 Occurrence)... of small rodents of the genus Mus and allied genera, larger than mice, that infest
houses, stores, and ships, especially the Norway, or brown,
rat (M. decumanus
...Mole (2 Occurrences)
... The Hebrews holed (Leviticus 11:29), rendered "weasel," was probably the
mole-rat. The true mole (Talpa Europoea) is not found in Palestine....
Lizard (3 Occurrences)
... On the same grounds, choledh, English Versions of the Bible "weasel," Septuagint
gale, might be the mole-rat. See CHAMELEON; TORTOISE; WEASEL....
Weasel (1 Occurrence)
... rendering. In spite of this array of authorities, it is worth while to consider
the claims of the mole-rat, Spalax typhlus, Arabic khuld....
Emerods (8 Occurrences)
... In the light of the modern research which has proved that therat-flea (Pulex cheopis)
is the most active agent in conveying the virus of plague to the human...
Rate (23 Occurrences)
Zoology
... 3) Camelidae, Camel PROBOSCIDEA: Elephant HYRACOIDEA: Coney SIRENIA: Dugong (sv
BADGER) CETACNA: Whale, Dolphin, Porpoise RODENTIA: Mouse, Mole-Rat (sv MOLE...
Levirate
... brother.". Noah Webster's Dictionary. (a.) Alt. of Leviratical. Int. Standard
Bible Encyclopedia. LEVIRATE; LAW. lev'-i-rat. See MARRIAGE....
Gopher (1 Occurrence)
... 1. (n.) One of several North American burrowing rodents of the genera Geomys and
Thomomys, of the family Geomyidae; -- called also pocket gopher and pouchedrat...
Rasses
Resources
What does it mean that there is nothing new under the sun? | GotQuestions.orgWhat does the Bible say about snitching / being a snitch? | GotQuestions.orgWhat does it mean that we are not to love the world? | GotQuestions.orgRat: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.comBible Concordance •
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