Coney: (Heb. shaphan; i.e., "the hider"), an animal which inhabits the
mountain gorges and the rocky districts of Arabia Petraea and the
Holy Land. "The conies are but a feeble folk, yet make they their
houses in the rocks"
(Proverbs 30:26; Psalms 104:18) They are gregarious, and
"exceeding wise"
(Proverbs 30:24) and are described as chewing the cud
(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."
