Luke 11:12

Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a
scorpion
&c.] Of which there are three sorts; some are terrestrial, or land scorpions, scorpions of the earth, a kind of serpents, very venomous and mischievous, to whom the wicked Jews are compared, ( Ezekiel 2:6 ) and the locusts in ( Revelation 9:3 Revelation 9:5 ) others are airy, or flying scorpions, a sort of fowl; and others are sea scorpions; of the fish kind: it is not easy to say which of them is here meant. There is an herb which is called (Nynbrqe) ^F14, "the scorpion": it leaves are like unto a scorpion, as the Jewish commentators say ^F15. This is observed with the same view as the former. By it may be meant here, either the fish that is so called, since a fish is mentioned before; or rather, the land scorpion, which is of the serpent kind; this brings forth little worms, in the form of eggs, as ^F16 Pliny says: and it is said, that a scorpion put into an empty eggshell, has been used to be given to persons, whose death has been desired; which it bursting from, at once strikes and kills: but what father would do so to a child!

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FOOTNOTES:

F14 Misn. Erubin, c. 2. sect. 6.
F15 Maimon. & Bartonora in lb,
F16 Lib. 11. c. 25.