Snail

The snail is mentioned twice in the KJV Bible. Leviticus 11:30 lists the snail (chomet) among unclean creeping things, in a group with the chameleon, lizard, sand reptile, and mole — though the identification of some of these terms remains uncertain and some modern translations render chomet as skink or a type of lizard rather than a snail. Psalm 58:8 uses the image of a snail that melts as it moves — a simile for the wicked: Let them be like the snail that dissolves into slime. The reference likely alludes to the glistening wet track that a snail leaves behind, which ancient people apparently thought meant the creature was melting or wasting away as it moved. The image captures the psalmist's wish that the wicked would waste away and perish.