The Definition of the word Fox

Fox

(Heb. shu'al, a name derived from its digging or burrowing under "ground), the Vulpes thaleb, or Syrian fox, the only species of" "this animal indigenous to Palestine. It burrows, is silent and" "solitary in its habits, is destructive to vineyards, being a" "plunderer of ripe grapes (Cant. 2:15). The Vulpes Niloticus, or" "Egyptian dog-fox, and the Vulpes vulgaris, or common fox, are" also found in Palestine. "The proverbial cunning of the fox is alluded to in Ezek. 13:4, "and in Luke 13:32, where our Lord calls Herod "that fox." In" "Judg. 15:4, 5, the reference is in all probability to the" jackal. The Hebrew word shu'al_ through the Persian _schagal "becomes our jackal (Canis aureus), so that the word may bear" that signification here. The reasons for preferring the "rendering "jackal" are (1) that it is more easily caught than" "the fox; (2) that the fox is shy and suspicious, and flies" "mankind, while the jackal does not; and (3) that foxes are" "difficult, jackals comparatively easy, to treat in the way here" "described. Jackals hunt in large numbers, and are still very" numerous in Southern Palestine.