### Core Meaning & Semantic Range
The Hebrew word **chôled**, represented by `{{H2467}}`, is the specific term for the **weasel**. Its definition is tied to the animal's gliding motion. The word appears only **1 time** in **1 unique verse**, making its context highly specific and significant.
### Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis
The single use of `{{H2467}}` is found in [[Leviticus 11:29]], within the legal framework defining which animals are ritually pure and impure. The **weasel** is explicitly listed among the "creeping things{H8318} that creep{H8317} upon the earth{H776}" that are to be considered unclean{H2931}. It is grouped with other small creatures like the mouse{H5909} and the tortoise{H6632}.
### Related Words & Concepts
Several related words from its context clarify its meaning and significance:
* `{{H2931}}` **ṭâmêʼ** (foul in a religious sense; defiled, ... unclean): This is the key status applied to the weasel. The term is used throughout the law to distinguish between what is holy and what is profane, as seen in [[Ezekiel 22:26]] where priests are faulted for not showing a difference between the unclean and the clean.
* `{{H8318}}` **sherets** (a swarm, i.e. active mass of minute animals; creep(-ing thing), move(-ing creature)): This word defines the category to which the weasel belongs. This term is also used in the creation account when God commands the waters to bring forth the "moving creature" [[Genesis 1:20]].
* `{{H5909}}` **ʻakbâr** (a mouse (as nibbling); mouse): This animal is listed directly alongside the weasel in [[Leviticus 11:29]], providing a clear example of the type of creature being classified as unclean.
* `{{H4327}}` **mîyn** (a sort, i.e. species; kind): This term, used at the end of the list in [[Leviticus 11:29]], is fundamental to the biblical system of classification. It appears frequently in the Genesis creation narrative to describe animals being made "after his kind" [[Genesis 1:24]].
### Theological Significance
The theological importance of `{{H2467}}` is tied directly to its classification as unclean.
* **Ritual Purity:** The declaration that the **weasel** is unclean establishes a boundary for the Israelite people. Contact with such creatures resulted in ritual defilement, requiring a process of purification [[Leviticus 5:2]].
* **Divine Order:** The specific listing of the **weasel** is part of a larger, divinely instituted system of ordering the natural world. This classification separates creatures into categories that reflect principles of holiness and separation.
* **Symbol of Holiness:** By adhering to these dietary and purity laws, including the avoidance of animals like the **weasel**, the Israelites were to live as a people set apart for God, reflecting His own holiness [[Leviticus 11:44]].
### Summary
In summary, **chôled** `{{H2467}}` is a precise term for the **weasel** whose singular biblical mention in [[Leviticus 11:29]] embeds it within the core of Israel's purity laws. While the word itself is rare, its context reveals its role in the broader theological framework of holiness, divine order, and the call for God's people to be distinct from the world around them.
TRV