tsab . From tsaabab "to move slowly" (Leviticus 11:29); rather "the great lizard." Septuagint translated "the land crocodile": mentioned by Herodotus iv. 192; the varan , of the desert; it subsists on beetles, etc.; of a dusky yellow color, with dark green spots and yellow claws; the waran el hard , the Ρsammosaurus scincus or Μonitor terrestris of Cuvier. Arabic dhab , a lizard often two feet long, abounding in Egypt and Syria. Tristram makes it the Uromastix spinipes (Nat. Hist., 255). Its flesh dried was used as a charm or medicine; the Arabs made broth of its flesh (Hasselquist, 220); the Syrians ate its flesh (Jerome adv. Jovin. ii. 7, 334). Several kinds of tortoise (marsh tortoises, etc.) abound in Palestine. Some have even conjectured that "the tortoise" is meant by the word translated "bittern" in the prophecies of Isaiah and Zephaniah. (See BITTERN.)
From the co-author of the classic Jamieson, Fausset and Brown Commentary, Fausset's Bible Dictionary stands as one of the best single-volume Bible encyclopedias ever written for general use. The author's writing style is always clear and concise, and he tackles issues important to the average student of the Bible, not just the Biblical scholars. This makes Fausset an excellent tool for both everyday Bible study and in-depth lesson or sermon preparation.Wikipedia
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