The term "coney" appears in the Bible as a reference to a small, rock-dwelling mammal known for its agility and communal living. In modern terms, the coney is often identified with the hyrax, a small herbivorous mammal found in Africa and parts of the Middle East. The coney is mentioned in several passages in the Old Testament, where it is noted for its behavior and habitat.

Biblical References:

1. Leviticus 11:5 : "The coney, though it chews the cud, does not have a split hoof; it is unclean for you." In the dietary laws given to the Israelites, the coney is listed among the animals that are considered unclean. Although it is described as chewing the cud, it does not have the divided hoof required for an animal to be deemed clean according to Mosaic Law.

2. Deuteronomy 14:7 : "But of those that chew the cud or have split hooves, you are not to eat the following: the camel, the rabbit, and the coney." This passage reiterates the dietary restrictions concerning the coney, emphasizing its status as an unclean animal.

3. Psalm 104:18 : "The high mountains are for the wild goats, the cliffs a refuge for the coneys." Here, the coney is depicted as a creature that finds safety and refuge in the rocky cliffs. This verse highlights the coney's natural habitat and its ability to thrive in rugged terrain.

4. Proverbs 30:26 : "the coneys are creatures of little power, yet they make their home in the rocks." This proverb underscores the wisdom and resourcefulness of the coney. Despite its small size and apparent vulnerability, the coney is able to secure its safety by dwelling in the rocks, illustrating a theme of strength through strategic living.

Cultural and Theological Significance:

In biblical times, the coney was well-known to the inhabitants of the Near East. Its mention in the dietary laws reflects the broader theme of holiness and separation that characterized the Israelite identity. The coney's classification as unclean serves as a reminder of the distinctiveness required of God's people.

The references to the coney in Psalms and Proverbs highlight its role in the natural order as a symbol of wisdom and prudence. The coney's ability to find refuge in the rocks is often interpreted as an allegory for seeking protection and security in God. This imagery resonates with the biblical theme of God as a rock and fortress for His people.

Overall, the coney serves as a reminder of the importance of discernment, resourcefulness, and reliance on divine provision. Its presence in Scripture invites reflection on the ways in which seemingly insignificant creatures can embody profound spiritual truths.Coney

(shaphan), a gregarious animal of the class Pachydermata, which is found in Palestine, living in the caves and clefts of the rocks, and has been erroneously identified with the rabbit or coney. Its scientific name as Hyrax syriacus . The hyrax satisfies exactly the expressions in (Psalms 104:18; Proverbs 30:26) Its color is gray or brown on the back, white on the belly; it is like the alpine marmot, scarcely of the size of the domestic cat, having long hair, a very short tail and round ears. It is found on Lebanon and in the Jordan and Dead Sea valleys.

Coney

An old English name for the rabbit; used in Scripture to translate the Hebrew SHAPHAN, which agrees with the Ashkoko or Syrain Hyrax, Le 11:5 De 14:7 Psalm 104:18 Proverbs 30:26. This animal is externally of the size and form of the rabbit, and of a brownish color. It is, however, much clumsier in its structure, without tail, and having long bristly hairs scattered through the fur. The feet are naked below, and the nails flat and rounded, except those in the inner toe of the hind feet, which are long and awl-shaped. They cannot dig, but reside in the clefts of rocks. They are called by Solomon, "wise," and "a feeble folk;" they are timid and gregarious in their habits, and so gentle and quiet, that they shrink from the shadow of a passing bird. The name of Spain is said to have been given to it by Phoenician voyagers, who seeing its western coast overrun with animals resembling the shaphan, called it Hispania, or Coley-land. Some eminent interpreters think the SHAPHAN means the Jerboa.

(Hebrews 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; Psalm 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."

1. (n.) A rabbit. See Cony.

2. (n.) A fish. See Cony.

CONEY

ko'-ni (shaphan (Leviticus 11:5 Deuteronomy 14:7 Psalm 104:18 Proverbs 30:26)): The word "coney" (formerly pronounced cooney) means "rabbit" (from Latin cuniculus). Shaphan is rendered in all four passages in the Septuagint choirogrullios, or "hedge-hog," but is now universally considered to refer to the Syrian hyrax, Procavia (or Hyrax) Syriaca, which in southern Palestine and Sinai is called in Arabic wabar, in northern Palestine and Syria Tabsun, and in southern Arabia shufun, which is etymologically closely akin to shaphan. The word "hyrax" (hurax) itself means "mouse" or "shrew-mouse" (compare Latin sorex), so that it seems to have been hard to find a name peculiar to this animal. In Leviticus 11:5 the Revised Version, margin, we find "rock badger," which is a translation of klip das, the rather inappropriate name given by the Boers to the Cape hyrax. The Syrian hyrax lives in Syria, Palestine and Arabia. A number of other species, including several that are arboreal, live in Africa. They are not found in other parts of the world. In size, teeth and habits the Syrian hyrax somewhat resembles the rabbit, though it is different in color, being reddish brown, and lacks the long hind legs of the rabbit. The similarity in dentition is confined to the large size of the front teeth and the presence of a large space between them and the back teeth. But whereas hares have a pair of front teeth on each jaw, the hyrax has one pair above and two below. These

teeth differ also in structure from those of the hare and rabbit, not having the persistent pulp which enables the rabbit's front teeth to grow continually as they are worn away. They do not hide among herbage like hares, nor burrow like rabbits, but live in holes or clefts of the rock, frequently in the faces of steep cliffs. Neither the hyrax nor the hare is a ruminant, as seems to be implied in Leviticus 11:5 and Deuteronomy 14:7, but their manner of chewing their food may readily have led them to be thought to chew the cud. The hyrax has four toes in front and three behind (the same number as in the tapir and in some fossil members of the horse family), all furnished with nails that are almost like hoofs, except the inner hind toes, which have claws. The hyraxes constitute a family of ungulates and, in spite of their small size, have points of resemblance to elephants or rhinoceroses, but are not closely allied to these or to any other known animals.

The camel, the coney and the hare are in the list of unclean animals because they "chew the cud but divide not the hoof," but all three of these are eaten by the Arabs.

The illustration is from a photograph of a group of conies in the Syrian Protestant College at Beirut, prepared by Mr. Douglas Carruthers, who collected these specimens in a cliff in the neighborhood of Tyre. Specimens from the Dead Sea are redder than those from Syria.

Alfred Ely Day

8227. shaphan -- hyrax
... 8226, 8227. shaphan. 8227a . hyrax. Transliteration: shaphan Phonetic Spelling:
(shaw-fawn') Short Definition: coney. coney; a species of rock-rabbit ...
/hebrew/8227.htm - 5k

Bible Study.
... little thing. "Well," said I, "I wouldn't like to be as a coney." But
he went on to say that it built upon a rock. The children ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/moody/moodys anecdotes and illustrations/bible study.htm

Assurance of Salvation.
... says: "I never heard of a stork that when it met with a fir tree demurred as to
its right to build its nest there; and I never heard of a coney yet that ...
/.../moody/the way to god and how to find it/chapter vii assurance of salvation.htm

The Clean and the Unclean
... Jews could not even eat with the Arabs, who were near akin to them, for they frequently
partook of the flesh of the camels, the hare, and the coney, all which ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 9 1863/the clean and the unclean.htm

The Two Talents
... How wide the range"from the colossal elephant, to the coney that burrows in the
rock"from the whale, that makes the deep hoary with its lashings, to the ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 4 1858/the two talents.htm

The Resurrection of the Dead, and Eternal Judgment:
The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3. <. ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/the resurrection of the dead.htm

Coney (2 Occurrences)
... "Coney" is an obsolete English word for "rabbit.". Noah Webster's Dictionary. 1.
(n.) A rabbit. See Cony. ... See Cony. Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia. CONEY. ...
/c/coney.htm - 12k

Rock-badger (2 Occurrences)
... r.-baj'-er: This term is found in the Revised Version margin for "coney," shaphan
(Leviticus 11:5; compare Deuteronomy 14:7 Psalm 104:18 Proverbs 30:26). ...
/r/rock-badger.htm - 7k

Shaphan (26 Occurrences)
... A coney, a scribe or secretary of king Josiah (2 Kings 22:3-7). He consulted Huldah
concerning the newly-discovered copy of the law which was delivered to him ...
/s/shaphan.htm - 18k

Rockbadger
... r.-baj'-er: This term is found in the Revised Version margin for "coney," shaphan
(Leviticus 11:5; compare Deuteronomy 14:7 Psalm 104:18 Proverbs 30:26). ...
/r/rockbadger.htm - 6k

Parted (67 Occurrences)
... you. (WEB BBE). Leviticus 11:5 The coney, because he chews the cud but
doesn't have a parted hoof, he is unclean to you. (WEB). Leviticus ...
/p/parted.htm - 26k

Zoology
... sv ANTELOPE), Chamois (2) Cervidae, Roe Deer, Fallow Deer, Red Deer (sv DEER) (3)
Camelidae, Camel PROBOSCIDEA: Elephant HYRACOIDEA: Coney SIRENIA: Dugong (sv ...
/z/zoology.htm - 18k

Divide (71 Occurrences)
... (KJV WBS NAS). Leviticus 11:5 And the coney, because he cheweth the cud, but divideth
not the hoof; he is unclean unto you. (Root in KJV WBS YLT NAS). ...
/d/divide.htm - 31k

Hare (2 Occurrences)
... hare"): This animal is mentioned only in the lists of unclean animals in Leviticus
and Deuteronomy, Where it occurs along with the camel, the coney and the ...
/h/hare.htm - 12k

Rock (176 Occurrences)
... Leviticus 11:5 And the coney, because he cheweth the cud but parteth not
the hoof, he is unclean unto you. (See JPS BBE DBY RSV). ...
/r/rock.htm - 49k

Divideth (20 Occurrences)
... (KJV WBS). Leviticus 11:5 And the coney, because he cheweth the cud, but divideth
not the hoof; he is unclean unto you. (KJV WBS YLT). ...
/d/divideth.htm - 12k

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