Albert Barnes Commentary Leviticus 11

Yahweh speaks to Moses and Aaron jointly. (Leviticus 15:1.) The high priest, in regard to the legal purifications, is treated as coordinate with the legislator.

Rather, These are the animals which ye may eat out of all the beasts; that is, out of the larger creatures, the quadrupeds, as distinguished from birds and reptiles. See (Genesis 1:24). Of quadrupeds, those only might be eaten which completely divided the hoof and chew the cud (Leviticus 11:3–8).

Parteth ... - Rather, is clovenfooted and completely separates the hoofs.

Divideth not the hoof - The toes of the camel are divided above, but they are united below in a sort of cushion or pad resting upon the hard bottom of the foot, which is “like the sole of a shoe.” The Muslims eat the flesh of the camel, but it is said not to be wholesome.

The coney - The Old English name for a rabbit. The animal meant is the Hyrax Syriacus. It bears some resemblance to the guinea pig or the marmot, and in its general appearance and habits (Proverbs 30:26; Psalms 104:18), it might easily be mistaken for a rodent. But Cuvier discovered that, in its anatomy, it is a true pachyderm, allied to the rhinoceros and the tapir, though inferior to them in size.

He chews the cud - The Hyrax has the same habit as the hare, the rabbit, the guinea pig, and some other rodents, of moving its jaws when it is at rest as if it were masticating. These rodents were familiarly spoken of as ruminating animals, just as the bat was considered among birds because it flies , and as whales and their relatives are spoken of as fish when scientific precision is not necessary.