Leviticus 11:17
New International Version
the little owl, the cormorant, the great owl,

New Living Translation
the little owl, the cormorant, the great owl,

English Standard Version
the little owl, the cormorant, the short-eared owl,

Berean Standard Bible
the little owl, the cormorant, the great owl,

King James Bible
And the little owl, and the cormorant, and the great owl,

New King James Version
the little owl, the fisher owl, and the screech owl;

New American Standard Bible
the little owl, the cormorant, and the great owl,

NASB 1995
and the little owl and the cormorant and the great owl,

NASB 1977
and the little owl and the cormorant and the great owl,

Legacy Standard Bible
and the little owl and the cormorant and the great owl,

Amplified Bible
the little owl and the cormorant and the great owl,

Christian Standard Bible
little owls, cormorants, long-eared owls,

Holman Christian Standard Bible
the little owl, the cormorant, the long-eared owl,

American Standard Version
and the little owl, and the cormorant, and the great owl,

English Revised Version
and the little owl, and the cormorant, and the great owl;

GOD'S WORD® Translation
little owls, cormorants, great owls,

International Standard Version
owls, cormorants, the ibis,

Majority Standard Bible
the little owl, the cormorant, the great owl,

NET Bible
the little owl, the cormorant, the screech owl,

New Heart English Bible
the little owl, the cormorant, the great owl,

Webster's Bible Translation
And the little owl, and the cormorant, and the great owl,

World English Bible
the little owl, the cormorant, the great owl,
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
and the little owl, and the cormorant, and the great owl,

Young's Literal Translation
and the little owl, and the cormorant, and the great owl,

Smith's Literal Translation
And the cormorant, and the gannet, and the owl;
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
The screech owl, and the cormorant, and the ibis,

Catholic Public Domain Version
the owl, and the sea bird, and the ibis,

New American Bible
the little owl, the cormorant, the screech owl,

New Revised Standard Version
the little owl, the cormorant, the great owl,
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And the stork, the bee eater,

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And the owl and the pelican and the beeeater,
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
and the little owl, and the cormorant, and the great owl;

Brenton Septuagint Translation
and the night-raven and the cormorant and the stork,

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Clean and Unclean Animals
16the ostrich, the screech owl, the gull, any kind of hawk, 17 the little owl, the cormorant, the great owl, 18the white owl, the desert owl, the osprey,…

Cross References
Deuteronomy 14:16
the little owl, the great owl, the white owl,

Isaiah 34:11
The desert owl and screech owl will possess it, and the great owl and raven will dwell in it. The LORD will stretch out over Edom a measuring line of chaos and a plumb line of destruction.

Zephaniah 2:14
Herds will lie down in her midst, creatures of every kind. Both the desert owl and screech owl will roost atop her pillars. Their calls will sound from the window, but desolation will lie on the threshold, for He will expose the beams of cedar.

Jeremiah 8:7
Even the stork in the sky knows her appointed seasons. The turtledove, the swift, and the thrush keep their time of migration, but My people do not know the requirements of the LORD.

Job 30:29
I have become a brother of jackals, a companion of ostriches.

Psalm 102:6
I am like a desert owl, like an owl among the ruins.

Isaiah 13:21-22
But desert creatures will lie down there, and howling creatures will fill her houses. Ostriches will dwell there, and wild goats will leap about. / Hyenas will howl in her fortresses and jackals in her luxurious palaces. Babylon’s time is at hand, and her days will not be prolonged.

Isaiah 43:20
The beasts of the field will honor Me, the jackals and the ostriches, because I provide water in the wilderness and rivers in the desert, to give drink to My chosen people.

Isaiah 14:23
“I will make her a place for owls and for swamplands; I will sweep her away with the broom of destruction,” declares the LORD of Hosts.

Isaiah 34:15
There the owl will make her nest; she will lay and hatch her eggs and gather her brood under her shadow. Even there the birds of prey will gather, each with its mate.

Matthew 23:37
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those sent to her, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were unwilling!

Luke 13:34
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those sent to her, how often I have longed to gather your children together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were unwilling!

Revelation 18:2
And he cried out in a mighty voice: “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She has become a lair for demons and a haunt for every unclean spirit, every unclean bird, and every detestable beast.

Revelation 19:17-18
Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and he cried out in a loud voice to all the birds flying overhead, “Come, gather together for the great supper of God, / so that you may eat the flesh of kings and commanders and mighty men, of horses and riders, of everyone slave and free, small and great.”

Matthew 10:29-31
Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. / And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. / So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.


Treasury of Scripture

And the little owl, and the cormorant, and the great owl,

no references listed for this verse.

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Leviticus 11
1. What animals may be eaten
4. and what may not be eaten
9. What fishes
13. What fowls
29. The creeping things which are unclean














the little owl
The Hebrew word for "little owl" is "כּוֹס" (kos). This bird is often associated with desolation and ruins in biblical literature, symbolizing a creature that inhabits places of abandonment. In the context of Leviticus, the little owl is listed among unclean birds, emphasizing the importance of distinguishing between what is holy and unholy. The little owl's nocturnal nature can also be seen as a metaphor for spiritual vigilance, reminding believers to be watchful and discerning in their spiritual walk.

the cormorant
The term "cormorant" is translated from the Hebrew "שָׁלָךְ" (shalak). This bird is known for its fishing abilities, often diving into water to catch its prey. In ancient times, the cormorant was seen as a symbol of greed and insatiability due to its voracious appetite. Its inclusion in the list of unclean animals serves as a caution against excessive desires and the importance of self-control. Spiritually, it calls believers to focus on heavenly treasures rather than earthly gains.

the great owl
The "great owl" is derived from the Hebrew "יַנְשׁוּף" (yanshuph). This bird, like the little owl, is associated with desolation and is often found in deserted places. The great owl's presence in the list of unclean animals highlights the theme of separation from impurity. Historically, owls were often seen as omens or symbols of mystery and wisdom. For the faithful, the great owl can serve as a reminder of the need for wisdom in discerning God's will and the importance of seeking purity in one's life.

(17) And the little owl.--With the exception of the parallel passage, Deuteronomy 14:16, this bird only occurs once more, in Psalm 102:6, where it is properly rendered in the Authorised Version by "owl," omitting the word "little," and is described as inhabiting deserted ruins. It not only feeds upon insects and molluscs, hares, rabbits, ducks, geese, and birds of prey, but devours mice and rats, which are especially detested by the Jews. Its flesh is, however, regarded by some tribes as very savoury. The name kos which is translated "owl" in the three above-named passages, is the common Hebrew word for "cup," and it is supposed that it has been given to this bird because the sitting owl especially widens towards the upper part, thus imparting to it a cup-like appearance.

And the cormorant.--Of all the web-footed birds which prey on fish, cormorants are the most voracious. They usually assemble in flocks on the rocks which overhang the sea, whence they drop down from the greatest height upon their victim, dive after it with the rapidity of a dart, and invariably gulp their prey head foremost. The cormorant is to be found in every climate, and is the destruction of all the finny tribe in any fresh-water river which he happens to occupy for a time. Hence he is called the feathered terror of the finny tribe. From the skill which he displays in casting himself down from a great height, and in plunging dart-like after his victim, he derives his Hebrew name, which denotes "darter." The flesh of the cormorant, though rank, is eaten in some regions; whilst the skin, which is tough, is made into garments. The Hebrew name only occurs again in the duplicate catalogue of unclean animals in Deuteronomy 14:17. By comp. Leviticus 11:17-18 of the list before us with the parallel list in Deuteronomy 14:16-17, it will be seen that though the two catalogues respectively enumerate in these two verses the same six birds, yet the order is different. The cormorant, which is here second in Leviticus 11:17, is in Deuteronomy 14 sixth in Leviticus 11:17. There can, therefore, hardly be any doubt that the verse before us has been disturbed, and that by placing the cormorant here sixth, as it is in Deuteronomy, we obtain the two species of owls naturally following each other, as is the case in the parallel catalogue. . . .

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
the little owl,
הַכּ֥וֹס (hak·kō·ws)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 3563: A cup, a lot, some unclean bird, an owl

the cormorant,
הַשָּׁלָ֖ךְ (haš·šā·lāḵ)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 7994: (bird of prey) probably cormorant

the great owl,
הַיַּנְשֽׁוּף׃ (hay·yan·šūp̄)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 3244: (a ceremonially unclean bird) perhaps an owl


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OT Law: Leviticus 11:17 The little owl the cormorant the great (Le Lv Lev.)
Leviticus 11:16
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