Why Does the Bible Say Rabbits Chew Cud?

Rabbits and badgers do not chew their cud.

Leviticus 11:5-6

And the coney, because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not the hoof; he is unclean unto you.

And the hare, because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not the hoof; he is unclean unto you.

 

Answer:

   First, a coney, described in verse 5, is another name for a badger, as we would know them today. The problem seen here is that both species do not chew cud. Chewing cud is a process that animals use to bring back up food, chew it again, and then swallow, allowing them to digest it easier. This is known as rumination. The solution is simply that these animals move their mouths in the same manner as those that do, and that is how they were categorized. As I pointed out in another article, the bible is not a science book. Much of what we know today was not known until the last 100 years thus things were categorized in a way that made sense to them.

   An interesting note is that rabbits perform something known as refection. This is a process they use where certain vegetables are passed into their dung. When it comes out, the rabbits actually put the dung back in their mouths and chew it up better. The motion being used resembles chewing cud, and if one did not know better with modern science, you would think they were. This was simply a classification of the animals. No contradiction!