MOLE RAT

This translates the Hebrew word hhoʹledh, and the animal that it designates was unclean for food. (Lev. 11:29) Although numerous translations render hhoʹledh as “weasel” (AS, AV, RS), there is a basis for preferring “mole rat.” In Arabic, a language related to Hebrew, a very similar word, khuld, means “mole rat.” Also, hhoʹledh may be related to a post-Biblical Hebrew term signifying “dig” or “hollow out.” This would harmonize with the mole rat’s characteristic digging.

The mole rat is a rodent measuring eight inches (c. 20 centimeters) or more in length. It resembles a short-legged, tailless and neckless cylindrical lump of soft, thick fur, generally a yellowish gray-brown color. The head is recognizable by the furless muzzle and two pairs of large protruding teeth.

Mole rats live in underground communities and dig subterranean sleeping quarters and large storage chambers. These creatures subsist on vegetable matter, primarily on roots and bulbs. Thus they differ from true moles, which feed on insects and earthworms, and are not considered native to Palestine.