Lexical Summary oach: Falcon, owl Original Word: אֹחַ Strong's Exhaustive Concordance doleful creature Probably from 'ach; a howler or lonesome wild animal -- doleful creature. see HEBREW 'ach NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom an unused word Definition owl NASB Translation owls (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs [אֹחַ] noun [masculine] jackal (Assyrian a—û Dlw) plural אֹחִים Isaiah 13:21 ׳וּמָֽלְאוּ בָּֽתֵּיהֶם א "" צִיִּים). II. אחח? Topical Lexicon Natural History and Identification אֹחַ designates the great eagle-owl, a large nocturnal raptor native to the arid and rocky regions of the Near East. Standing up to two feet tall with a wingspan that can exceed six feet, this owl prefers abandoned ruins, cliffs, and desert wadis—habitats that match the prophetic setting in which Scripture mentions it. Its deep, resonant hoot carries far across barren landscapes, a sound ancient hearers readily associated with desolation and night. Biblical Setting The word occurs once, in Isaiah 13:21, within the oracle announcing Babylon’s downfall: “But desert creatures will lie down there, and their houses will be full of owls; ostriches will dwell, and wild goats will leap about” (Berean Standard Bible). The passage portrays the world-power’s magnificent palaces reduced to a haunt for wild animals. The appearance of the eagle-owl in this list reinforces the vision of total abandonment—no human voice remains, only the eerie calls of creatures that thrive where civilization has collapsed. Symbolic and Theological Significance 1. A Token of Divine Judgment Parallel Imagery Elsewhere in Scripture Though אֹחַ itself is unique to Isaiah 13:21, other Hebrew terms for owls reinforce the same themes. These parallels show the consistency of Scripture in using nocturnal, unclean birds as emblems of devastation. Historical Notes Babylon fell to the Medes and Persians in 539 BC. Within a few generations its canals silted, commerce moved north to Seleucia and Ctesiphon, and the once-great city became deserted mounds, a perfect habitat for the eagle-owl described by Isaiah nearly two centuries earlier. Nineteenth-century travelers such as Austen Henry Layard recorded large owls nesting in the ruins, an incidental vindication of the prophetic picture. Ministry Applications • Preaching on Isaiah 13 may highlight the folly of trusting in cultural grandeur; only the Kingdom of God endures. Key Reference Forms and Transliterations אֹחִ֑ים אחים ’ō·ḥîm ’ōḥîm oChimLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Isaiah 13:21 HEB: וּמָלְא֥וּ בָתֵּיהֶ֖ם אֹחִ֑ים וְשָׁ֤כְנוּ שָׁם֙ NAS: will be full of owls; Ostriches KJV: shall be full of doleful creatures; and owls INT: will be full and their houses of owls will live there |
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