Lexical Summary gerah: cud Original Word: גֵּרָה Strong's Exhaustive Concordance cud From garar; the cud (as scraping the throat) -- cud. see HEBREW garar NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom garar Definition cud NASB Translation cud (11). Brown-Driver-Briggs I. גֵּרָה noun feminine cud (Arabic  , so called from sound of rumination ?) — גֵּרָה Leviticus 11:3 10t. — cud, only in legislation of clean and unclean animals, and almost always with (יֵ֯, תַ֯, הָ֯) מַעֲלֵה Leviticus 11:3,4 (twice in verse); Leviticus 11:5,6,26 (P) Deuteronomy 14:6 (twice in verse); Deuteronomy 14:7; יִגָּ֑ר ׳ג (compare גרר Niph`al) Leviticus 11:7; Deuteronomy 14:8 has גֵּרָת without verb, but read there as Leviticus 11:7 (so ⅏ ᵐ5 Di). Topical Lexicon Biblical setting and distribution The word appears exclusively in the dietary legislation of Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14, always in the phrase “chews the gerah,” rendered in English as “chews the cud.” All eleven occurrences (Leviticus 11:3–7, 26; Deuteronomy 14:6–8) occur in lists that identify land animals the Israelites might eat or must avoid. Function within the dietary laws In both chapters the act of “chewing the cud” combines with another physical trait—the fully split hoof—to mark an animal as ceremonially clean. Either characteristic on its own is insufficient. The camel, hyrax, and rabbit chew the cud yet lack the proper hoof, while the pig possesses the hoof but not the cud-chewing action; all are therefore declared unclean (Leviticus 11:4–7; Deuteronomy 14:7–8). The pairing creates a practical test an agrarian people could apply quickly, guarding covenant purity at the dinner table and reinforcing Israel’s distinction from surrounding nations. Practical and hygienic value Ruminants are grazing animals whose multiple-stomach system filters parasites and plant toxins more thoroughly than that of non-ruminants, reducing the risk of disease. While Scripture does not explain the laws in medical terms, the physiological benefits harmonize with the Creator’s care for His people, illustrating that covenant holiness and human health are never at odds. Symbolic and theological significance 1. Discernment and meditation. Chewing the cud is a slow, repetitive process that breaks down food for deeper nourishment. The picture recalls the righteous person who “meditates day and night” on the law (Psalm 1:2). Just as ruminants repeatedly bring up swallowed fodder, believers return to God’s Word until its truths are fully assimilated. Continuity and fulfillment in the New Covenant Jesus declared all foods clean (Mark 7:19), and Acts 10:9-16 confirms the lifting of Mosaic restrictions. Yet the underlying lessons embodied by the gerah remain: discernment, wholehearted devotion, and visible distinctiveness. Paul applies the concept figuratively: “Whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31). Rabbinic and historical reception Post-exilic Judaism retained the cud-chewing criterion as a central test of kosher status. The Mishnah (Hullin 3:1-8) elaborates detailed guidelines for identifying true ruminants, attesting the lasting influence of the Levitical text on Jewish identity and diet. Ministry applications • Catechesis: The gerah motif provides a vivid object lesson for teaching biblical meditation and the congruity of faith and practice. Key texts Leviticus 11:3 “You may eat any animal that has a split hoof completely divided and that chews the cud.” Deuteronomy 14:6 “You may eat any animal that has a split hoof divided in two and that chews the cud.” Deuteronomy 14:8 “And the pig, though it has a split hoof, does not chew the cud; it is unclean for you.” Summary Strong’s Hebrew 1625, translated “cud,” serves as more than an agricultural detail; it anchors a divinely given taxonomy that guarded Israel’s health, modeled spiritual discernment, and foreshadowed the comprehensive holiness fulfilled in Christ. Forms and Transliterations גֵּרָ֖ה גֵּרָ֣ה גֵּרָה֙ גֵרָ֔ה גֵרָ֜ה גֵרָ֣ה גֵרָה֙ גרה הַגֵּרָ֔ה הגרה וְגֵרָה֙ וגרה gê·rāh ḡê·rāh geRah gêrāh ḡêrāh hag·gê·rāh haggeRah haggêrāh vegeRah wə·ḡê·rāh wəḡêrāhLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Leviticus 11:3 HEB: פְּרָסֹ֔ת מַעֲלַ֥ת גֵּרָ֖ה בַּבְּהֵמָ֑ה אֹתָ֖הּ NAS: [and] chews the cud, among the animals, KJV: [and] cheweth the cud, among the beasts, INT: hoofs chews the cud the animals you may eat Leviticus 11:4 Leviticus 11:4 Leviticus 11:5 Leviticus 11:6 Leviticus 11:7 Leviticus 11:26 Deuteronomy 14:6 Deuteronomy 14:7 Deuteronomy 14:7 Deuteronomy 14:8 11 Occurrences |
    |