John Gill Commentary Leviticus 11:6

"And the hare, because she cheweth the cud but parteth not the hoof, she is unclean unto you." — Leviticus 11:6 (ASV)

And the hare, because he cheweth the cud
Or, "though he chews" it:

but divideth not the hoof, he is unclean to you; and so not to be eaten; so Plutarch ^F17 says, that the Jews are said to abstain from the hare, disdaining it as a filthy and unclean animal, and yet was in the greatest esteem with the Romans of any four footed beast, as Martial says ^F18 : Moses, as Bochart ^F19 and other learned men observe, is the only writer that spoke of the hare as chewing the cud; though they also observe, that Aristotle ^F20 makes mention of that in common with those that do chew the cud, namely a "coagulum" or "runnet" in its stomach; his words are: ``all that have many bellies have what is called (puetia) , a coagulum or runnet, and of them that have but one belly, the hare;'' only that.

This creature being prone to lust, may be an emblem of lustful persons, who give up themselves to lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness, (Ephesians 4:19) .

(The "hare" is this verse may be an animal that is now extinct but was alive at the time of Moses. It is otherwise only mentioned in (Deuteronomy 14:7) . Editor.)

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FOOTNOTES:

• F17: Sympos. l. 9. c. 5.
• F18: L. 13. Epigr. 87.
• F19: Ut supra, (Hierozoic par. 1. l. 3.) c. 31. col. 977.
• F20: De Part. Animal. l. 3. c. 15. & Hist. Animal. l. 3. c. 21.