But the young man went down to wash himself, and a fish leaped out of the river, and would have swallowed up the young man.
ExplanationCommentary
Verse 2. Feet. Greek “to bathe.”—Fish. The learned are of opinion that this was the fish which Pliny calls callyonymus, (l. xxii. ch. 7.) the gall of which is of sovereign virtue to remove white specks that grow over the eyes. Challoner.—Other fishes have the like virtue; and as the aforesaid has no scales, and is not above a foot long, it could not be lawfully eaten by the Israelites, nor could it suffice for ten days’ provision, verse 6. Leviticus 11:10. Others, therefore, prefer ( Calmet.) the sea-calf, (Brado) the hippopotamus, (Grot.) the crocodile, (Carthus.) whale, (Theophylact.) sturgeon, or silurus. Bochart, Anim. iv. 15.—But there are great difficulties with respect to all these; and Fran. George adopts the sentiment of the Rabbins in favour of the pike, which seems the least objectionable, as it has scales, gills, and cannot live long out of water, verse 4. It grows to a great size in the Tigris, and its gall is good for the eyes. Calmet.