The meaning of Land in the Bible
(From International Standard Bible Encyclopedia)
((1) 'erets; (2) 'adhamah; (3) sadheh, "a piece of land"; (4) ge, "earth"; (5) agros, "field"; (6) chora, "region"; (7) chorion, diminutive of chora; (8) xeros, "dry land"; (9) 'ezrach, "native" the King James Version "born in the land," "born among you," the Revised Version (British and American) "home-born" (Leviticus 19:34; Leviticus 14:16; Numbers 15:30); "like a green tree in its native soil" (Psalms 37:35)): 'Erets occurs hundreds of times and is used in much the same way as 'adhamah, which also occurs often: e.g. "land of Egypt," 'erets mitsrayim (Genesis 13:10), and 'adhmath mitsrayim (Genesis 47:20). The other words occur less often, and are used in the senses indicated above.
See COUNTRY; EARTH.
Alfred Ely Day
LAND-CROCODILE (Revised Version (British and American))]
land-crok'-o-dil (koach; Septuagint chamaileon, Leviticus 11:30; the King James Version Chameleon): Koach is found only here, meaning an animal, the fifth in the list of unclean "creeping things." Elsewhere is it translated "strength" or "power," and it has been thought that here is meant the desert monitor, Varanus griseus, a gigantic lizard, which is common in Egypt and Palestine, and which attains the length of 4 ft. "Chameleon," which the King James Version has here, is used by the Revised Version (British and American) for tinshemeth (the King James Version "mole"), the eighth in the list of unclean "creeping things" (compare nasham, "to breathe"; translated "swan" in Leviticus 11:18 margin). While it is by no means certain what animal is meant, there could be no objection to "monitor" or "desert monitor." "Land-crocodile" is objectionable because it is not a recognized name of any animal.
See CHAMELEON; LIZARD.
Alfred Ely Day
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