A small burrowing mammal with a large back. It has thick, short legs and long claws on the front feet.
The King James Version calls them “coney,” while modern translations call them “rock badger” (Leviticus 11:5; Deuteronomy 14:7; Psalm 104:18; Proverbs 30:26). The Bible's rock badger is likely the Syrian rock hyrax (Hyrax syriaca). It is the only hyrax species found outside Africa.
This small ungulate (hoofed animal) lives among rocks from the Dead Sea valley to Mount Hermon. It is a plant-eating animal about the size of a rabbit. It looks more like a guinea pig than a rabbit. It has small ears and a smaller tail. It has wide nails with four toes on its front legs and three on its back legs. Its toes are connected with skin almost like a web. Pads on its feet act as sucking discs, allowing it to not slip on rocks. Some people call it the bear rat because of Its yellow and brown fur, which makes it look like a tailless rat. It has black whiskers that may be 17.8 centimeters (seven inches) long.
Rock badgers live together in colonies of from six to 50 animals. They often sun themselves on rocks. They are difficult to catch. They have guards, and if they spot danger, the group will hide. They use sharp whistles to warn the colony of danger. Thus, the Bible praises them for hiding in the rocks (Psalm 104:18). The Bible calls them wise for making “their homes in the rocks” (Proverbs 30:24, 26).
The badger does not chew its cud, but the way it eats looks like it chews its cud. That is likely the reason it was included with other cud-chewing animals in the Jewish food laws (Leviticus 11:5; Deuteronomy 14:7). Jews were forbidden to eat it because it did not have split hooves. Meanwhile, some Arabs eat it and even value its meat.