Mole rat

This word occurs only once in the Hebrew Bible and it is very difficult to know what it refers to. In the Masoretic Text it is written as two words lachpor perot which seem to mean “to dig holes". But the ancient versions interpret the two words of the Masoretic Text to be a single word lachafarparot a noun phrase literally meaning to “the dig-diggers” or “to the search-searchers” so it is taken by them to mean “to the moles". The verb form chafar occurs more frequently in the Bible and means “to dig", “to search” or “to spy” (Joshua 2:2 Joshua 2:3). The only place where the supposed noun form occurs is in Isaiah 2:20 where it is in parallel with a word meaning “bats". “Moles” and “bats” seems to be a strange pairing especially since the Israelites classified bats among the birds.

Besides “moles” other interpretations that have been made by commentators are “scavengers” (which both search and dig around in refuse) “woodborers” (a type of small beetle) and “woodpeckers".

Strictly speaking moles which feed on worms are not found in Israel. The closest equivalent there is the Syrian Mole Rat Spalax leucodon ehrenbergi which burrows underground like a mole but is a rodent feeding on roots and bulbs.

Some scholars and some versions translate the Hebrew word choled as “mole rat” or “mole", but see 2.26 Mongoose, weasel. KJV translates another Hebrew word tinshemeth as “mole", but see 4.3 Chameleon.