Whatsoever goeth upon the belly, and whatsoever goeth upon all four, or whatsoever hath more feet among all creeping things that creep upon the earth, them ye shall not eat; for they are an abomination.
Whatsoever goeth upon the belly, and whatsoever goeth upon all four. The first points to worms, snakes, serpents; and the second to small mammalia, as the mouse, etc. The statement is a repetition of the law as previously declared in regard to such animals, with a view probably to enforce a greater attention to it.
Or whatsoever hath more feet among all creeping things, х kaal (H3605) marbeeh (H7235) raglayim (H7272)]. (Gesenius renders these words, 'having many feet.' The margin, however, has, 'whatsoever doth multiply feet,' and this translation, while it is closer to the Hebrew original, is preferable on another account, as being in accordance with the zoological fact, that such animals increase the number of their feet with their growth. (See the notes on this subject, Kirby's 'Bridgewater Treatise,' 2:, pp. 70-77; also 'Introduction to Entomology,' Lett, 22:, 23:)