Whatsoever parteth the hoof, and is cloven
footed
That is, whose hoof is parted and cloven quite through; for there
are some creatures that have partitions in their feet, but not
quite through, they are parted above, but underneath are joined
together by a skin; wherefore both these phrases are used to
describe the beasts lawful to be eaten: the Egyptians seem to
have borrowed this law from the Jews, for Chaeremon says
F24, that they abstain from such four
footed beasts that have only one hoof, or have many partitions,
or have no horns: and so the Targum of Jonathan adds here,
``which have horns,''which, though not in the text, agrees well with the creatures allowed by this law to be eaten, see ( Deuteronomy 14:4 Deuteronomy 14:5 ) for such are all horned cattle; nor are there any cattle horned forbid to be eaten:
and cheweth the cud among the beasts, that shall ye
eat:
who having no upper teeth cannot thoroughly chew their food at
once, and therefore bring it up again out of their stomachs into
their mouths and chew it over again, that it may be better
prepared for digestion in the stomach, and so yield better
nourishment; and this makes the flesh of such creatures fitter
for food: and these creatures have more stomachs than one; the
ventricles for rumination are four; the first is the paunch,
which in oxen is so big as to hold food of fifty pound weight,
the second the honeycomb, the third the tripe, the fourth the
honey tripe, and to which are helpful the pectoral muscle, the
abdomen, with the diaphragm F25: all this might have a moral
and spiritual meaning in it, and may be applied either to
ministers of the word; who ought rightly to divide the word of
truth, and give to everyone their part, and who should walk
uprightly according to it, and who should give themselves up
wholly to the meditation of it, and thoroughly digest it; and
study to show themselves workmen, that need not to be ashamed; or
to private Christians, who have a discerning spirit in spiritual
things, and can distinguish not only morality from immorality,
but spiritual things from carnal, heavenly things from earthly,
the voice of Christ from the voice of a stranger, and the
doctrines of Christ from the doctrines of men; and who also walk
as they should do, by faith on Christ, in the ways of God, and
according to the Gospel; these chew the cud, meditate on the
word, feed upon it while delivered, recall it, and have it
brought to their remembrance by the divine Spirit, and ponder it
in their hearts; see ( Psalms 1:1 Psalms 1:2 ) .
F24 Apud Porphyr. de Abstinentia, l. 4. sect. 7.
F25 Scheuchzer. Physic. Sacr. vol. 2. p. 278, 279.