The Natural History of the Bible: Or, a Description of All the Quadrupeds, Birds, Fishes, Reptiles, and Insects, Trees, Plants, Flowers, Gums, and Precious Stones, Mentioned in the Sacred Scriptures; Collected From the Best Authorities, and Alphabetically Arranged

Excerpt from The Natural History of the Bible: Or, a Description of All the Quadrupeds, Birds, Fishes, Reptiles, and Insects, Trees, Plants, Flowers, Gums, and Precious Stones, Mentioned in the Sacred Scriptures; Collected From the Best Authorities, and Alphabetically Arranged

There are few things more difficult to be determined with any degree of certainty and precision, than those which refer to the natural history of the world in the earlier ages; for we have no ancient history of nature which describes animals, plants, c.under their original names. This difficulty is always felt, and has always been regretted, in perusing the Sacred Scriptures; for our ignorance of the various beasts, birds, and plants which are expressly mentioned or incidentally referred to there, prevents us from discovering the propriety of many allusions to their nature and habits, and conceals from us the beauty of many similes which are founded on their characteristic qualities. The utility of a clear and correct explanation of these will be apparent from the following considerations:

I. The distinction between clean and unclean Animals, forms an important part of the Mosaic ritual. Neither the indulgence of the former in the food of the Jews, nor the prohibition of the latter, was merely arbitrary, but founded, among other reasons, upon judicious rules of dietetic regimen, adapted primarily to the climate, or to the nature and qualities of the animals, as salutary or unwholesome, as proper or improper, to be eaten. To perceive the propriety of the regulations in this respect, it is highly necessary to determine what those animals were, and to point out those instincts, habits, and qualities on account of which they were either allowed or prohibited.

The natural history of foreign countries was very little known at the time when our translation of the Bible was made. Hence we find in it the names of animals unknown in the East; as the Whale and the Badger, creatures with which the Jews must have been wholly unacquainted. And though in the book of Job there are very particular descriptions of the Leviathan and Behemoth, our Translators discover their ignorance of the creatures described, by retaining the Hebrew names; whereas to the reem they assign the name of the Unicorn, which is known to be a fabulous animal. Indeed, they frankly acknowledge, in their preface, the obscurity experienced by them in the Hebrew words which occur but once, and "in the names of certain birds, beasts, precious stones," &c. How considerably such difficulties have been diminished since their time, by a knowledge of the oriental dialects, and by the labours of such men as Bochart and Michaelis, not to name many others, is well known to such as are conversant in these studies.

II. The language of the East was highly figurative. Apologues, fables, and parables were the common vehicles of moral truth.

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