Prayer Tents Bible References - Prayer Tents

LIZARD

A reptile, usually small, of the suborder Lacertilia, a wide variety of which are found in the Middle East. Six different Hebrew words appear as designation of lizards only in Lev. 11:29-30. Because Hebrew zoological terms did not have the precision of modern scientific terminology, little is absolute about the meaning of these terms beyond the probability that they all stand for types of lizards: Heb. ṣāḇ (NRSV “great lizard”; KJV “tortoise”); ʾănāqâ (NRSV “gecko”; lit., “groaning, crying,” which may stand for the gecko’s characteristic sound); kōaḥ (NRSV “land crocodile”; lit., “strength,” probably used for the most powerful-appearing lizard); lĕṭāʾâ (NRSV “lizard”); ḥōmeṭ (NRSV “sand lizard”); and tinšemeṯ (NRSV “chameleon”; also used for a variety of birds at Lev. 11:18; Deut. 14:16). Heb. śĕmāmîṯ (Prov. 30:28) may be another word for some kind of lizard; in Talmudic Aramaic the word (spelled sĕmāmîṯ or sĕmāmîṯāʾ) is used for poisonous spiders as well as lizards.

Jesper Svartvik






Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible (2000)

Info Language Arrow Return to Top
Prayer Tents is a Christian mission organization that serves Christians around the world and their local bodies to make disciples ("evangelize") more effectively in their communities. Prayer Tents provides resources to enable Christians to form discipleship-focused small groups and make their gatherings known so that other "interested" people may participate and experience Christ in their midst. Our Vision is to make disciples in all nations through the local churches so that anyone seeking God can come to know Him through relationships with other Christians near them.

© Prayer Tents 2024.
Prayer Tents Facebook icon Prayer Tents Twitter icon Prayer Tents Youtube icon Prayer Tents Linkedin icon