a species of lizard which has the faculty of changing the colour of its skin. It is ranked among the unclean animals in
Leviticus 11:30 , where the Hebrew word so translated is
coah (RSV, "land crocodile"). In the same verse the Hebrew
tanshemeth , rendered in Authorized Version "mole," is in Revised Version "chameleon," which is the correct rendering. This animal is very common in Egypt and in the Holy Land, especially in the Jordan valley.
These dictionary topics are from
M.G. Easton M.A., D.D., Illustrated Bible Dictionary, Third Edition,
published by Thomas Nelson, 1897. Public Domain, copy freely.