Mole
Archimandrite Nikifor’s Biblical Encyclopedia
(Lev 11:29; Isa 2:20) - a familiar insect-eating animal about the size of a rat, remarkable for living underground. Its body is covered with velvety fur and its eyes are very small. As it travels beneath the surface, it makes long tunnels and throws up small heaps of earth. The Mosaic Law classified it among unclean animals (Lev 11:29). The eastern mole described by the source differed from European kinds in having no visible eyes. It was about a handbreadth long, with a large round head, two small openings for ears, four projecting teeth, and no tail. Isaiah's image of casting idols of silver and gold 'to the moles and to the bats' expresses the idols' worthlessness and the contempt due them (Isa 2:20).