Nate stands between a skeptical biologist and a group of rabbits, defending the Bible's accuracy on cud-chewing animals.

Armchair Biologist Says Bible Wrong About Rabbits — Then Science Showed Up to Back Up the Bible

What happens when an armchair biologist opens Leviticus and decides he has caught Moses in a scientific error? He picks a fight about Bible rabbits chew cud, of course. Nate spent most of this episode doing something he did not plan on: digging through peer-reviewed zoology to answer a skeptic who insisted rabbits and rock hyraxes do not ruminate. Turns out the skeptic was half right and completely wrong at the same time. Before that, Nate corrected a viral video claiming Jesus is returning to marry five women, and a caller named Ben asked the hardest question of the day: how do you forgive the men who murdered your brother?

Bible Rabbits Chew Cud: The Biblical Bottom Line

The Hebrew phrase in Leviticus 11:5-6 is maʿaleh gerah, literally “bringing up what has been swallowed”. It describes an observable behavior, not a four-chambered stomach. Modern zoology confirms that rabbits practice cecotrophy, re-ingesting soft cecotropes and re-chewing them, while rock hyraxes engage in merycism, bringing boluses back up for secondary mastication. The behavior matches the text. As one Bible encyclopedia notes, the classification is based on appearance: “They appear to chew their food as the true ruminants do”. For more on how Scripture handles scientific objections, explore our statement of faith on biblical authority.

On forgiveness, Nate pointed Ben to the cross: “While we were still enemies of God, Christ Jesus died for us.” Forgiveness releases the debt to God as judge; it does not require trust or deny justice. For a deeper look at sharing hard truths with grace, see our guide to graceful disagreement.

The “Five Wives” Viral Video and the Bride of Christ

The episode opened with Nate correcting a woman who claimed Jesus is returning to marry “five women” from the Parable of the Ten Virgins. The parable is about readiness, not matrimony. The bride of Christ is the collective church, the body of believers, not a polygamous wedding party. Nate’s summary: “Read your Bible. But please listen to what you’re reading.” It set the tone for a show that kept returning to the same theme: Scripture is right, even when the internet is confidently wrong.