Bible Thesaurus: Birds

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Thesaurus

Birds (125 Occurrences)
... Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia ABOMINATION, BIRDS OF. Leviticus ... addition.
Each of these birds is treated in order in this work. ...
/b/birds.htm - 62k

Fowler (3 Occurrences)
...Birds of all kinds abound in Palestine, and the capture of these for the table
and for other uses formed the employment of many persons. ...
/f/fowler.htm - 11k

Fowl (73 Occurrences)
... FOWL. foul (`oph; peteinon): The word is now generally restricted to the larger,
especially the edible birds, but formerly it denoted all flying creatures; in ...
/f/fowl.htm - 36k

Sparrow (4 Occurrences)
... 10:29), and five for two farthings (Luke 12:6). The Hebrew word thus rendered is
tsippor, which properly denotes the whole family of small birds which feed on ...
/s/sparrow.htm - 13k

Nests (9 Occurrences)
... Matthew 8:20 Jesus said to him, "The foxes have holes, and the birds of the sky
have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head." (WEB KJV WEY ASV ...
/n/nests.htm - 8k

Livestock (124 Occurrences)
... Genesis 1:26 God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let
them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the sky ...
/l/livestock.htm - 38k

Cormorant (4 Occurrences)
... (Leviticus 11:17; Deuteronomy 14:17), Hebrews shalak, "plunging," or "darting down,"
(the Phalacrocorax carbo), ranked among the "unclean" birds; of the same ...
/c/cormorant.htm - 10k

Partridge (2 Occurrences)
... Both are essentially mountain and rock birds, thus differing from the English partridge,
which loves cultivated fields. Noah Webster's Dictionary. ...
/p/partridge.htm - 13k

Animals (224 Occurrences)
... (WEB). Acts 10:12 in which were all kinds of four-footed animals of the earth, wild
animals, reptiles, and birds of the sky. (WEB WBS NAS RSV NIV). ...
/a/animals.htm - 37k

Quail (5 Occurrences)
... They nest on the ground and brood on from 12 to 20 eggs. The quail are more friendly
birds and live in the open, brooding along roads and around fields. ...
/q/quail.htm - 13k

Bible Concordance

Birds (125 Occurrences)

Matthew 6:26 See the birds of the sky, that they don't sow, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns. Your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren't you of much more value than they?
(WEB WEY ASV BBE DBY NAS RSV NIV)

Matthew 8:20 Jesus said to him, "The foxes have holes, and the birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head."
(WEB KJV WEY ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Matthew 13:4 As he sowed, some seeds fell by the roadside, and the birds came and devoured them.
(WEB WEY ASV BBE DBY NAS RSV NIV)

Matthew 13:32 which indeed is smaller than all seeds. But when it is grown, it is greater than the herbs, and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in its branches."
(WEB KJV WEY ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Mark 4:4 and it happened, as he sowed, some seed fell by the road, and the birds came and devoured it.
(WEB WEY ASV BBE DBY NAS RSV NIV)

Mark 4:32 yet when it is sown, grows up, and becomes greater than all the herbs, and puts out great branches, so that the birds of the sky can lodge under its shadow."
(WEB WEY ASV BBE DBY NAS RSV NIV)

Luke 2:24 And to make an offering, as it is ordered in the law of the Lord, of two doves or other young birds.
(BBE)

Luke 8:5 "The farmer went out to sow his seed. As he sowed, some fell along the road, and it was trampled under foot, and the birds of the sky devoured it.
(WEB WEY ASV BBE DBY NAS RSV NIV)

Luke 9:58 Jesus said to him, "The foxes have holes, and the birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head."
(WEB KJV WEY ASV BBE DBY WBS NAS RSV NIV)

Luke 12:24 Consider the ravens: they don't sow, they don't reap, they have no warehouse or barn, and God feeds them. How much more valuable are you than birds!
(WEB WEY ASV BBE DBY NAS RSV NIV)

Luke 13:19 It is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and put in his own garden. It grew, and became a large tree, and the birds of the sky lodged in its branches."
(WEB WEY ASV BBE DBY NAS RSV NIV)

Acts 10:12 in which were all kinds of four-footed animals of the earth, wild animals, reptiles, and birds of the sky.
(WEB WEY ASV BBE NAS RSV NIV)

Acts 11:6 When I had looked intently at it, I considered, and saw the four-footed animals of the earth, wild animals, creeping things, and birds of the sky.
(WEB WEY ASV BBE NAS RSV NIV)

Romans 1:23 and traded the glory of the incorruptible God for the likeness of an image of corruptible man, and of birds, and four-footed animals, and creeping things.
(WEB KJV WEY ASV BBE DBY WBS NAS RSV NIV)

1 Corinthians 15:39 All flesh is not the same flesh, but there is one flesh of men, another flesh of animals, another of fish, and another of birds.
(WEB KJV WEY ASV BBE DBY YLT NAS RSV NIV)

James 3:7 For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind:
(KJV WEY ASV DBY WBS NAS NIV)

Revelation 19:17 I saw an angel standing in the sun. He cried with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in the sky, "Come! Be gathered together to the great supper of God,
(WEB WEY ASV BBE DBY YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Revelation 19:21 The rest were killed with the sword of him who sat on the horse, the sword which came forth out of his mouth. All the birds were filled with their flesh.
(WEB WEY ASV BBE DBY YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Genesis 1:20 God said, "Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth in the open expanse of sky."
(WEB ASV BBE NAS RSV NIV)

Genesis 1:22 God blessed them, saying, "Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth."
(WEB ASV BBE NAS RSV NIV)

Genesis 1:26 God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the sky, and over the livestock, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth."
(WEB ASV BBE NAS RSV NIV)

Genesis 1:28 God blessed them. God said to them, "Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and subdue it. Have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the sky, and over every living thing that moves on the earth."
(WEB ASV BBE NAS RSV NIV)

Genesis 1:30 And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the air and every living thing moving on the face of the earth I have given every green plant for food: and it was so.
(See NIV)

Genesis 2:19 And from the earth the Lord God made every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and took them to the man to see what names he would give them: and whatever name he gave to any living thing, that was its name.
(See NIV)

Genesis 2:20 The man gave names to all livestock, and to the birds of the sky, and to every animal of the field; but for man there was not found a helper suitable for him.
(WEB ASV BBE NAS RSV NIV)

Genesis 6:7 Yahweh said, "I will destroy man whom I have created from the surface of the ground; man, along with animals, creeping things, and birds of the sky; for I am sorry that I have made them."
(WEB ASV NAS RSV NIV)

Genesis 6:20 Of the birds after their kind, of the livestock after their kind, of every creeping thing of the ground after its kind, two of every sort shall come to you, to keep them alive.
(WEB ASV NAS RSV)

Genesis 7:3 Also of the birds of the sky, seven and seven, male and female, to keep seed alive on the surface of all the earth.
(WEB ASV BBE NAS RSV)

Genesis 7:8 Clean animals, animals that are not clean, birds, and everything that creeps on the ground
(WEB ASV BBE NAS RSV NIV)

Genesis 7:14 they, and every beast after its kind, and all the cattle after their kind, and every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth after its kind, and every fowl after its kind, every bird of every sort.
(See NAS)

Genesis 7:21 All flesh died that moved on the earth, including birds, livestock, animals, every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, and every man.
(WEB ASV BBE NAS RSV NIV)

Genesis 7:23 Every living thing was destroyed that was on the surface of the ground, including man, livestock, creeping things, and birds of the sky. They were destroyed from the earth. Only Noah was left, and those who were with him in the ship.
(WEB ASV BBE NAS RSV NIV)

Genesis 8:17 Bring forth with you every living thing that is with you of all flesh, including birds, livestock, and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, that they may breed abundantly in the earth, and be fruitful, and multiply on the earth."
(WEB ASV BBE NAS RSV NIV)

Genesis 8:19 And every beast and bird and every living thing of every sort which goes on the earth, went out of the ark.
(See NIV)

Genesis 8:20 And Noah made an altar to the Lord, and from every clean beast and bird he made burned offerings on the altar.
(See NIV)

Genesis 9:2 And the fear of you will be strong in every beast of the earth and every bird of the air; everything which goes on the land, and all the fishes of the sea, are given into your hands.
(See NIV)

Genesis 9:10 and with every living creature that is with you: the birds, the livestock, and every animal of the earth with you, of all that go out of the ship, even every animal of the earth.
(WEB ASV BBE NAS RSV NIV)

Genesis 15:10 He brought him all of these, and divided them in the middle, and laid each half opposite the other; but he didn't divide the birds.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS NAS RSV NIV)

Genesis 15:11 The birds of prey came down on the carcasses, and Abram drove them away.
(WEB JPS ASV BBE DBY YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Genesis 40:17 In the uppermost basket there was all kinds of baked food for Pharaoh, and the birds ate them out of the basket on my head."
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Genesis 40:19 Within three more days, Pharaoh will lift up your head from off you, and will hang you on a tree; and the birds will eat your flesh from off you."
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Exodus 16:13 And it came about that in the evening little birds came up and the place was covered with them: and in the morning there was dew all round about the tents.
(BBE)

Leviticus 1:14 "'If his offering to Yahweh is a burnt offering of birds, then he shall offer his offering of turtledoves, or of young pigeons.
(WEB ASV BBE NAS RSV NIV)

Leviticus 11:13 "'These you shall detest among the birds; they shall not be eaten, they are an abomination: the eagle, and the vulture, and the black vulture,
(WEB ASV BBE NAS RSV NIV)

Leviticus 11:14 And the kite and the falcon, and birds of that sort;
(BBE)

Leviticus 11:15 Every raven, and birds of that sort;
(BBE)

Leviticus 11:16 And the ostrich and the night-hawk and the sea-hawk, and birds of that sort;
(BBE)

Leviticus 11:19 The stork and the heron, and birds of that sort, and the hoopoe and the bat.
(BBE)

Leviticus 11:46 This is the law about beasts and birds and every living thing moving in the waters, and every living thing which goes flat on the earth:
(BBE NIV)

Leviticus 14:4 then the priest shall command them to take for him who is to be cleansed two living clean birds, and cedar wood, and scarlet, and hyssop.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Leviticus 14:5 The priest shall command them to kill one of the birds in an earthen vessel over running water.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE WBS RSV NIV)

Leviticus 14:49 To cleanse the house he shall take two birds, and cedar wood, and scarlet, and hyssop.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Leviticus 14:50 He shall kill one of the birds in an earthen vessel over running water.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE WBS RSV NIV)

Leviticus 20:25 So then, make division between the clean beast and the unclean, and between the clean bird and the unclean: do not make yourselves disgusting by any beast or bird or anything which goes flat on the earth, which has been marked by me as unclean for you.
(See NIV)

Numbers 11:31 Then the Lord sent a wind, driving little birds from the sea, so that they came down on the tents, and all round the tent-circle, about a day's journey on this side and on that, in masses about two cubits high over the face of the earth.
(BBE)

Numbers 11:32 And all that day and all night and the day after, the people were taking up the birds; the smallest amount which anyone got was ten homers: and they put them out all round the tents.
(BBE)

Deuteronomy 14:11 Of all clean birds you may eat.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS RSV)

Deuteronomy 14:12 But these birds you may not take: the eagle and the gier-eagle and the ospray;
(BBE)

Deuteronomy 14:13 The falcon and the kite, and birds of that sort;
(BBE)

Deuteronomy 14:14 Every raven, and all birds of that sort;
(BBE)

Deuteronomy 14:15 And the ostrich and the night-hawk and the sea-hawk and birds of that sort;
(BBE)

Deuteronomy 14:18 The stork and the heron and birds of that sort, and the hoopoe and the bat.
(BBE)

Deuteronomy 14:20 Of all clean birds you may eat.
(WEB ASV BBE)

Deuteronomy 28:26 Your dead body shall be food to all birds of the sky, and to the animals of the earth; and there shall be none to frighten them away.
(WEB ASV BBE NAS RSV NIV)

1 Samuel 17:44 The Philistine said to David, "Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the sky, and to the animals of the field."
(WEB ASV BBE NAS RSV NIV)

1 Samuel 17:46 Today, Yahweh will deliver you into my hand. I will strike you, and take your head from off you. I will give the dead bodies of the army of the Philistines this day to the birds of the sky, and to the wild animals of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel,
(WEB ASV BBE NAS RSV NIV)

1 Samuel 26:20 Then do not let my blood be drained out on the earth away from the face of the Lord: for the king of Israel has come out to take my life, like one going after birds in the mountains.
(BBE)

2 Samuel 21:10 Rizpah the daughter of Aiah took sackcloth, and spread it for her on the rock, from the beginning of harvest until water was poured on them from the sky. She allowed neither the birds of the sky to rest on them by day, nor the animals of the field by night.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE WBS NAS RSV NIV)

1 Kings 4:33 He spoke of trees, from the cedar that is in Lebanon even to the hyssop that springs out of the wall; he spoke also of animals, and of birds, and of creeping things, and of fish.
(WEB ASV BBE NAS RSV NIV)

1 Kings 14:11 He who dies of Jeroboam in the city shall the dogs eat; and he who dies in the field shall the birds of the sky eat: for Yahweh has spoken it."'
(WEB ASV BBE NAS RSV NIV)

1 Kings 16:4 The dogs will eat Baasha's descendants who die in the city; and he who dies of his in the field the birds of the sky will eat."
(WEB ASV BBE NAS RSV NIV)

1 Kings 21:24 The dogs will eat he who dies of Ahab in the city; and the birds of the sky will eat he who dies in the field."
(WEB ASV BBE NAS RSV NIV)

Nehemiah 5:18 Now that which was prepared for one day was one ox and six choice sheep; also fowls were prepared for me, and once in ten days store of all sorts of wine: yet for all this I didn't demand the bread of the governor, because the bondage was heavy on this people.
(See NAS)

Job 12:7 "But ask the animals, now, and they shall teach you; the birds of the sky, and they shall tell you.
(WEB ASV BBE NAS RSV NIV)

Job 28:21 Seeing it is hidden from the eyes of all living, and kept close from the birds of the sky.
(WEB ASV BBE NAS RSV NIV)

Job 35:11 who teaches us more than the animals of the earth, and makes us wiser than the birds of the sky?'
(WEB ASV BBE NAS RSV NIV)

Psalms 8:8 The birds of the sky, the fish of the sea, and whatever passes through the paths of the seas.
(WEB ASV BBE NAS RSV NIV)

Psalms 11:1 In Jehovah do I take refuge: How say ye to my soul, Flee as a bird to your mountain;
(See JPS)

Psalms 50:11 I know all the birds of the mountains. The wild animals of the field are mine.
(WEB ASV BBE RSV)

Psalms 78:27 He rained also flesh on them as the dust; winged birds as the sand of the seas.
(WEB ASV BBE RSV NIV)

Psalms 79:2 They have given the dead bodies of your servants to be food for the birds of the sky, the flesh of your saints to the animals of the earth.
(WEB ASV BBE NAS RSV NIV)

Psalms 84:3 The little birds have places for themselves, where they may put their young, even your altars, O Lord of armies, my King and my God.
(BBE)

Psalms 104:12 The birds of the sky nest by them. They sing among the branches.
(WEB ASV BBE DBY NAS RSV NIV)

Psalms 104:17 where the birds make their nests. The stork makes its home in the fir trees.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Psalms 105:40 At the people's request he sent birds, and gave them the bread of heaven for food.
(BBE)

Psalms 148:10 wild animals and all livestock; small creatures and flying birds;
(WEB ASV BBE RSV NIV)

Proverbs 1:17 For in vain the net is spread in the eyes of any bird;
(See NIV)

Ecclesiastes 9:12 For man also doesn't know his time. As the fish that are taken in an evil net, and as the birds that are caught in the snare, even so are the sons of men snared in an evil time, when it falls suddenly on them.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Ecclesiastes 12:4 And the doors shall be shut in the street, when the sound of the grinding is low; and one shall start up at the voice of a bird, and all the daughters of music shall be brought low;
(See NIV)

Song of Songs 2:12 The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land;
(KJV ASV WBS)

Isaiah 16:2 For it will be that as wandering birds, as a scattered nest, so will the daughters of Moab be at the fords of the Arnon.
(WEB JPS ASV BBE NAS RSV NIV)

Isaiah 18:6 They will be left together for the ravenous birds of the mountains, and for the animals of the earth. The ravenous birds will summer on them, and all the animals of the earth will winter on them.
(WEB JPS ASV BBE DBY NAS RSV NIV)

Isaiah 31:5 As birds hovering, so Yahweh of Armies will protect Jerusalem. He will protect and deliver it. He will pass over and preserve it."
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Isaiah 34:11 But the birds of the waste land will have their place there; it will be a heritage for the bittern and the raven: and it will be measured out with line and weight as a waste land.
(BBE)

Jeremiah 4:25 I saw, and behold, there was no man, and all the birds of the sky had fled.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE NAS RSV)

Jeremiah 5:26 For there are sinners among my people: they keep watch, like men watching for birds; they put a net and take men in it.
(BBE NIV)

Jeremiah 5:27 As a cage is full of birds, so are their houses full of deceit: therefore they are become great, and grew rich.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS NAS RSV NIV)

Jeremiah 7:33 The dead bodies of this people shall be food for the birds of the sky, and for the animals of the earth; and none shall frighten them away.
(WEB ASV BBE NAS RSV NIV)

Jeremiah 9:10 For the mountains will I take up a weeping and wailing, and for the pastures of the wilderness a lamentation, because they are burned up, so that none passes through; neither can men hear the voice of the livestock; both the birds of the sky and the animals are fled, they are gone.
(WEB ASV NAS RSV NIV)

Jeremiah 12:4 How long shall the land mourn, and the herbs of the whole country wither? for the wickedness of those who dwell therein, the animals are consumed, and the birds; because they said, He shall not see our latter end.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS NAS RSV NIV)

Smith's Bible Dictionary

Birds

[SPARROW]

ATS Bible Dictionary

Birds

Birds, like other animals, were divided by Moses into clean and unclean; the former might be eaten, the latter not. The general ground of distinction is, that those which feed on grain or seeds are clean; while those which devour flesh, fish, or carrion, are unclean. Turtledoves, young pigeons, and perhaps some other kinds of birds, were prescribed in the Mosaic law as offerings, Le 5:7-10 14:4-7 Luke 2:24.

There is great difficulty in accurately determining the different species of birds prohibited in Le 11:13-19 De 14:11-20, and the proper version of the Hebrew names. The information we have respecting them may be found under the names by which they are translated in our Bible.

Moses, to inculcate humanity on the Israelites, ordered them, if they found a bird's nest, not to take the dam with the young, but to suffer the old one to fly away, and to take the young only, De 22:6,7.

Cages for singing birds are alluded to in Jeremiah 5:27; and snares in Proverbs 7:23 Ecclesiastes 9:12. Birds of prey are emblems of destroying hosts, Isaiah 46:11 Jeremiah 12:9 Ezekiel 32:4 Revelation 19:17-19; and the Lord comes to the defense of his people with the swiftness of the eagle, Isaiah 31:5.

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

ABOMINATION, BIRDS OF

Leviticus 11:13-19: "And these ye shall have in abomination among the birds; they shall not be eaten, they are an abomination: the eagle, and the gier-eagle, and the osprey, and the kite, and the falcon after its kind, every raven after its kind, and the ostrich, and the night-hawk, and the sea-mew, and the hawk after its kind, and the little owl, and the cormorant, and the great owl, and the horned owl, and the pelican, and the vulture, and the stork, the heron after its kind, and the hoopoe, and the bat." Deuteronomy 14:12-18 gives the glede in addition.

Each of these birds is treated in order in this work. There are two reasons why Moses pronounced them an abomination for food. Either they had rank, offensive, tough flesh, or they were connected with religious superstition. The eagle, gier-eagle, osprey, kite, glede, falcon, raven, night-hawk, sea-mew, hawk, little owl, cormorant, great owl, horned owl, pelican and vulture were offensive because they were birds of prey or ate carrion or fish until their flesh partook of the odor of their food. Young ostriches have sweet, tender flesh and the eggs are edible also. In putting these birds among the abominations Moses must have been thinking of grown specimens. (Ostriches live to a remarkable age and on account of the distances they cover, and their speed in locomotion, their muscles become almost as hard as bone.)

There is a trace of his early Egyptian training when he placed the stork and the heron on this list. These birds, and the crane as well, abounded in all countries known at that time and were used for food according to the superstitions of different nations. These three were closely related to the ibis which was sacred in Egypt and it is probable that they were protected by Moses for this reason, since they were eaten by other nations at that time and cranes are used for food today by natives of our southeastern coast states and are to be found in the markets of our western coast. The veneration for the stork that exists throughout the civilized world today had its origin in Palestine. Noting the devotion of mated pairs and their tender care for the young the Hebrews named the bird chacidhah, which means kindness. Carried down the history of ages with additions by other nations, this undoubtedly accounts for the story now universal, that the stork delivers newly-born children to their homes; so the bird is loved and protected.

One ancient Roman writer, Cornelius Nepos, recorded that in his time both crane and storks were eaten; storks were liked the better. Later, Pliny wrote that no one would touch a stork, but everyone was fond of crane. In Thessaly it was a capital crime to kill a stork. This change from regarding the stork as a delicacy to its protection by a death penalty merely indicates the hold the characteristics of the bird had taken on people as it became better known, and also the spread of the regard in which it was held throughout Palestine. The hoopoe (which see) was offensive to Moses on account of extremely filthy nesting habits, but was considered a great delicacy when captured in migration by residents of southern Europe.

See also ABOMINATION; BIRDS, UNCLEAN.

Gene Stratton-Porter

BIRDS

burds (`ayiT; Greek variously ta peteina (Matthew 13:4) ta ornea tou ouranou (Revelation 19:17) ornis (Matthew 23:37 Luke 13:34) Latin, avis; Old English "brid"):

I. Meaning of the Word.

All authorities agree that the exact origin of the word bird, as we apply it to feathered creatures, is unknown.

1. In Early Hebrew:

The Hebrew `ayiT means to "tear and scratch the face," and in its original form undoubtedly applied to birds of prey. It is probable that no spot of equal size on the face of the globe ever collected such numbers of vultures, eagles and hawks as ancient Palestine. The land was so luxuriant that flocks and herds fed from the face of Nature. In cities, villages, and among tent-dwellers incessant slaughter went on for food, while the heavens must almost have been obscured by the ascending smoke from the burning of sacrificed animals and birds, required by law of every man and woman. From all these slain creatures the offal was thrown to the birds. There were no guns; the arrows of bowmen or "throw sticks" were the only protection against them, and these arms made no noise to frighten feathered creatures, and did small damage. So it easily can be seen that the birds would increase in large numbers and become so bold that men were often in actual conflict with them, and no doubt their faces and hands were torn and scratched.

2. In Later Usage:

Later, as birds of song and those useful for food came into their lives, the word was stretched to cover all feathered creatures. In the King James Version `ayiT is translated "fowl," and occurs several times: "And when the fowls came down upon the carcasses, Abram drove them away" (Genesis 15:11). "They shall be left together unto the fowls of the mountains, and to the beasts of the earth; and the fowls shall summer upon them, and all the beasts of the earth shall winter upon them" (Isaiah 18:6). "There is a path which no fowl knoweth, and which the vulture's eye hath not seen" (Job 28:7). The American Standard Revised Version changes these and all other references to feathered creatures to "birds," making a long list. The Hebrew `ayiT in its final acceptance was used in Palestine as "bird" is with us.

3. In Old English:

Our earliest known form of the word is the Old English "brid," but they applied the term to the young of any creature. Later its meaning was narrowed to young produced from eggs, and the form changed to "bird."

II. Natural History of Birds.

The first known traces of birds appear in the formation of the Triassic period, and are found in the shape of footprints on the red sandstone of the Connecticut valley.

1. Earliest Traces and Specimens:

This must have been an ancient sea bed over which stalked large birds, leaving deeply imprinted impressions of their feet. These impressions baked in the sun, and were drifted full of fine wind-driven sand before the return of the tide. Thus were preserved to us the traces of 33 species of birds all of which are proven by their footprints to have been much larger than our birds of today. The largest impressions ever found measured 15 inches in length by 10 in width, and were set from 4 to 6 ft. apart. This evidence would form the basis for an estimate of a bird at least four times as large as an ostrich. That a bird of this size ever existed was not given credence until the finding of the remains of the dinornis in New Zealand. The largest specimen of this bird stood 10 1/2 ft. in height. The first complete skeleton of a bird was found in the limestone of the Jurassic period in Solenhofen, Bavaria. This bird had 13 teeth above and 3 below, each set in a separate socket, wings ending in three-fingered claws much longer than the claws of the feet, and a tail of 20 vertebrae, as long as the body, having a row of long feathers down each side of it, the specimen close to the size of a crow. The first preserved likeness of a bird was found frescoed on the inside of a tomb of Maydoon, and is supposed to antedate the time of Moses 3,000 years. It is now carefully preserved in the museum of Cairo. The painting represents six geese, four of which can be recognized readily as the ancestors of two species known today. Scientists now admit that Moses was right in assigning the origin of birds to the water, as their structure is closer reptilian than mammalian, and they reproduce by eggs. To us it seems a long stretch between the reptile with a frame most nearly bird-like and a feathered creature, but there is a possibility that forms making closer connection yet will be found.

2. Structural Formation:

The trunk of a bird is compact and in almost all instances boat-shaped. Without doubt prehistoric man conceived his idea of navigation and fashioned his vessel from the body of a water bird, and then noticed that a soaring bird steered its course with its tail and so added the rudder. The structural formation of a bird is so arranged as to give powerful flight and perfect respiration. In the case of a few birds that do not fly, the wings are beaten to assist in attaining speed in running, as the ostrich, or to help in swimming under the water, as the auk. The skull of a young bird is made up of parts, as is that of man or animal; but with age these parts join so evenly that they appear in a seamless formation. The jaws extend beyond the face, forming a bill that varies in length and shape with species, and it is used in securing food, in defense, feather dressing, nest building-in fact it is a combination of the mouth and hand of man. The spine is practically immovable, because of the ribs attached to the upper half and the bony structure supporting the pelvic joints of the lower. In sharp contrast with this the neck is formed of from 10 to 23 vertebrae, and is so flexible that a bird can turn its head completely around, a thing impossible to man or beast. The breast bone is large, strong, and provided with a ridge in the middle, largest in birds of strong flight, smallest in swimmers, and lacking only in birds that do not fly, as the ostrich. The wings correspond to the arms of man, and are now used in flight and swimming only. Such skeletons as the Archeopteryx prove that the bones now combined in the tip of the wing were once claws. This shows that as birds spread over land and developed wing power in searching longer distances for food or when driven by varying conditions of climate, the wings were used more in flight, and the claws gradually joined in a tip and were given covering that grew feathers, while the bill became the instrument for taking food and for defense. At the same time the long tail proving an encumbrance, it gradually wore away and contracted to the present form. Studied in detail of bony structure, muscle, and complicated arrangement of feathers of differing sizes, the wing of a bird proves one of Nature's marvels. The legs are used in walking or swimming, the thigh joint being so enveloped in the body that the true leg is often mistaken for it. This makes the knee of a man correspond to the heel of a bird, and in young birds of prey especially, the shank or tarsus is used in walking, until the bones harden and the birds are enabled to bear their weight on the feet and straighten the shank. The toes vary with species. Pliny classified birds by them: "The first and principal difference and distinction in birds is taken from their feet; for they have either hooked talons, as Hawkes, or long round claws as Hens, or else they be broad, flat and whole-footed as Geese." Flight is only possible to a bird when both wings are so nearly full-feathered that it balances perfectly. In sleep almost every bird places its head under its wing and stands on one foot. The arrangement by which this is accomplished, without tiring the bird in the least, is little short of miraculous and can be the result only of slow ages of evolution. In the most finished degree this provision for the comfort of the bird is found among cranes and other long-legged water birds. The bone of one part of the leg fits into the bone of the part above, so that it is practically locked into place with no exertion on the part of the bird. At the same time the muscles that work the claws, cross the joints of the leg so that they are stretched by the weight of the bird, and with no effort, it stands on earth or perches on a branch. This explains the question so frequently asked as to why the feet of a perching bird do not become so cramped and tired that it falls.

3. Birds' Food, Blood, etc.:

Birds feed according to their nature, some on prey taken alive, some on the carrion of dead bodies, some on fish and vegetable products of the water, some on fruit seed, insects and worms of the land. Almost every bird indulges in a combination of differing foods. Their blood is from 12 degrees to 16 degrees warmer than that of the rest of the animal kingdom, and they exhibit a corresponding exhilaration of spirits. Some indulge in hours of sailing and soaring, some in bubbling notes of song, while others dart near earth in playful dashes of flight. Birds are supposed to be rather deficient in the senses of taste and touch, and to have unusually keen vision. They reproduce by eggs that they deposit in a previously selected and prepared spot, and brood for a length of time varying with the species. The young of birds of prey, song birds, and some water birds, remain in the nests for differing lengths of time and are fed by the old birds; while others of the water birds and most of the game birds leave the nest as soon as the down is dry, and find food as they are taught by their elders, being sheltered at night so long as needful.

III. Birds of the Bible.

The birds of the Bible were the same species and form as exist in Palestine today. Because of their wonderful coloring, powerful flight, joyous song, and their similarity to humanity in home-making and the business of raising their young, birds have been given much attention, and have held conspicuous place since the dawn of history. When the brain of man was young and more credulous than today he saw omens, signs and miracles in the characteristic acts of birds, and attributed to them various marvelous powers: some were considered of good omen and a blessing, and some were bad and a curse.

1. Earliest Mention:

The historians of the Bible frequently used birds in comparison, simile, and metaphor. They are first mentioned in Genesis 7:14, 15, "They, and every beast after its kind, and all the cattle after their kind, and every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth after its kind, and every bird after its kind, every bird of every sort." This is the enumeration of the feathered creatures taken into the ark to be preserved for the perpetuation of species after the flood abated. They are next found in the description of the sacrifice of Abram, where it was specified that he was to use, with the animals slaughtered, a turtle dove and a young pigeon, the birds not to be divided. It is also recorded that the birds of prey were attracted by the carcasses as described in Genesis 15:9-11, "And he said unto him, Take me a heifer three years old, and a she-goat three years old, and a ram three years old, and a turtle-dove, and a young pigeon. And he took him all these, and divided them in the midst, and laid each half over against the other: but the birds divided he not. And the birds of prey came down upon the carcasses, and Abram drove them away." Palestine abounded in several varieties of "doves" (which see) and their devotion to each other, and tender, gentle characteristics had marked them as a loved possession of the land; while the clay cotes of pigeons were reckoned in establishing an estimate of a man's wealth.

2. Used in Sacrifice:

In an abandon of gratitude to God these people offered of their best-loved and most prized possessions as sacrifice; and so it is not surprising to find the history of burnt offerings frequently mentioning these birds which were loved and prized above all others. Their use is first commanded in Leviticus 1:14-17, "And if his oblation to Yahweh be a burnt-offering of birds, then he shall offer his oblation of turtle-doves, or of young pigeons. And the priest shall bring it unto the altar, and wring off its head, and burn it on the altar; and the blood thereof shall be drained out on the side of the altar; and he shall take away its crop with the filth thereof, and cast it beside the altar on the east part, in the place of the ashes." Again in Leviticus 5:7-10, we read: "And if his means suffice not for a lamb, then he shall bring his trespass-offering for that wherein he hath sinned, two turtle-doves, or two young pigeons, unto Yahweh; one for a sin-offering, and the other for a burnt-offering." Throughout the Bible these birds figure in the history of sacrifice (Leviticus 12:8; Leviticus 14:4-8 Numbers 6:10, etc.).

3. Other References:

The custom of weaving cages of willow wands, in which to confine birds for pets, seems to be referred to when Job asks (Job 41:5): + "Wilt thou play with him as with a bird? Or wilt thou bind him for thy maidens?" - SeeJob 12:7: + "But ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee; And the birds of the heavens, and they shall tell thee." David was thinking of the swift homeward flight of an eagle when he wrote: "In Yahweh do I take refuge: How say ye to my soul, Flee as a bird to your mountain?" (Psalm 11:1).

His early days guarding the flocks of his father no doubt suggested to him the statement found in Psalm 50:11: "I know all the birds of the mountains; And the wild beasts of the field are mine" (the Revised Version margin, "in my mind"). In describing Lebanon, the Psalmist wrote of its waters: "By them the birds of the heavens have their habitation; They sing among the branches" (Psalm 104:12). - He mentioned its trees: + "Where the birds make their nests: As for the stork, the fir-trees are her house" (Psalm 104:17). - See also Psalm 78:27; Psalm 148:10.

The origin of the oft-quoted phrase, "A little bird told me," can be found in Ecclesiastes 10:20: "Revile not the king, no, not in thy thought; and revile not the rich in thy bedchamber: for a bird of the heavens shall carry the voice, and that which hath wings shall tell the matter." In a poetical description of spring in the So of Solomon, we read: + "The flowers appear on the earth; The time of the singing of birds is come, And the voice of the turtle-dove is heard in our land" (Songs 2:12). - In his prophecy concerning Ethiopia, Isaiah wrote, "They shall be left together unto the ravenous birds of the mountains, and to the beasts of the earth; and the ravenous birds shall summer upon them, and all the beasts of the earth shall winter upon them" (Isaiah 18:6). In foretelling God's judgment upon Babylon, Isaiah (Isaiah 46:11) refers to Cyrus as "a ravenous bird (called) from the east, the man of my counsel from a far country"; "probably in allusion to the fact that the griffon was the emblem of Persia; and embroidered on its standard" (HDB, I, 632); (see EAGLE). Jeremiah 4:25 describes the habit of birds, which invariably seek shelter before an approaching storm. In His denunciation of Israel, Yahweh questions, in Jeremiah 12:9, "Is my heritage unto me as a speckled bird of prey? are the birds of prey against her round about?" When Jeremiah threatened the destruction of Jerusalem, he wrote that Yahweh would "cause them to fall by the sword before their enemies, and by the hand of them that seek their life: and their dead bodies will I give to be food for the birds of the heavens" (Jeremiah 19:7): that is, He would leave them for the carrion eaters. Ezekiel threatens the same fate to the inhabitants of Gog (Ezekiel 39:4, 17). Hosea (Hosea 9:11) prophesies of Ephraim, "Their glory shall fly away like a bird." In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus mentions the birds, as recorded by Matthew 6:26: "Behold the birds of the heaven, that they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; and your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are not ye of much more value than they?" In the sermon from the boat where He spoke the parable of the Sower He again mentioned the birds: "As he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the birds came and devoured them" (Matthew 13:4). Mark describes the same sermon in Mark 4:4, and Mark 4:32 quotes the parable of the Mustard Seed: "Yet when it is sown, (it) groweth up, and becometh greater than all the herbs, and putteth out great branches; so that the birds of the heaven can lodge under the shadow thereof." In Luke 8:5, Luke gives his version of the parable of the Sower, and in Luke 13:19 of the Mustard Seed. See also Revelation 19:17, 21. These constitute all the important references to birds in the Bible, with the exception of a few that seem to belong properly under such subjects as TRAP; NET; CAGE, etc.

Gene Stratton-Porter

BIRDS OF PREY

pra: They were undoubtedly the first birds noticed by the compilers of Biblical records. They were camp followers, swarmed over villages and perched on the walls of cities. They were offensive in manner and odor, and of a boldness unknown to us in birds. They flocked in untold numbers, there was small defense against them, and the largest and strongest not only carried away meat prepared for food and sacrifice, but also preyed upon the much-prized house pigeons, newly born of the smaller animals, and even at times attacked young children. See Genesis 15:11, "And the birds of prey came down upon the carcasses, and Abram drove them away." Because they were attracted from above the clouds by anything suitable for food, people recognized that these were birds of unusual vision. When Job wanted to tell how perfectly the path to the gold mine was concealed, he wrote, "That path no bird of prey knoweth" (Job 28:7). The inference is, that, if it were so perfectly concealed that it escaped the piercing eyes of these birds, it was not probable that man would find it. These birds were so strong, fierce and impudent that everyone feared them, and when the prophets gave warning that people would be left for birds of prey to ravage, they fully understood what was meant, and they were afraid (Isaiah 18:6). In His complaint against His heritage, Yahweh questions, "Is my heritage unto me as a speckled bird of prey? are the birds of prey against her round about?" (Jeremiah 12:9). And when he prophesied the destruction of Jerusalem, Jeremiah painted a dreadful picture, but one no doubt often seen in that land of pillage and warfare: "Their dead bodies will I give to be food for the birds of the heavens, and for the beasts of the earth" (Jeremiah 19:7).

Gene Stratton-Porter

BIRDS, UNCLEAN

un-klen': The lists of birds forbidden as food are given in Leviticus 11:13-19 and Deuteronomy 14:12-18. The names are almost identical, Deuteronomy containing one more than Leviticus and varying the order slightly. In Deuteronomy 14:13 the first name, ha-ra'ah, is almost certainly a corruption of ha-da'-ah, the first name in Leviticus 11:14. In the American Standard Revised Version it is translated "kite" in Leviticus, while in Deuteronomy it is translated "glede." The additional one in Deuteronomy is ha-dayyah, and is translated "kite." Doubtless the three words, ha-da'ah, ha-'ayyah and ha-dayyah, are generic and refer to different birds of the kite or perhaps falcon family, so it is impossible to give specific meanings to them. There are twenty-one names in all, counting the extra one in Deuteronomy. The translation of many of these words is disputed. The American Standard Revised Version gives them as follows: eagle, gier eagle, osprey, kite, falcon, glede, every raven, ostrich, night-hawk, sea-mew, hawk, little owl, cormorant, great owl, horned owl, pelican, vulture, stork, heron, hoopoe and bat. It will be observed that all of them are either carrion-eaters, birds of prey, or water fowl. The names of those birds which may be eaten are not given, the principle of classification is that of elimination. No principle of separation is given as is the case with the animals. The reason for the prohibition doubtless lies in the unsanitary and repulsive nature of the flesh of these birds, the Divine command endorsing the instincts which were repelled by such food. For particulars, see separate articles on each of these birds.

See also ABOMINATION, BIRDS OF.

James Josiah Reeve

BIRDS OF ABOMINATION

See ABOMINATION, BIRDS OF.

Greek

3555. nossia -- a brood of young birds
... a brood of young birds. Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine Transliteration: nossia Phonetic
Spelling: (nos-see-ah') Short Definition: a brood of young birds ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/3555.htm - 6k

3556. nossion -- a young bird
... bird. Part of Speech: Noun, Neuter Transliteration: nossion Phonetic Spelling:
(nos-see'-on) Short Definition: a nestling, the young of birds Definition: a ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/3556.htm - 5k

1350. diktuon -- a net
... 6; Jn 21:6,8,11). [1350 () was also used for hunting nets, especially to
catch birds.]. Word Origin from dikein (to cast) Definition ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/1350.htm - 6k

4071. peteinon -- winged
... Definition: a bird, fowl. Word Origin from peteinos; from petomai Definition
winged NASB Word Usage birds (14). bird, fowl. Neuter of a ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/4071.htm - 6k

3803. pagis -- a trap, snare
... Transliteration: pagis Phonetic Spelling: (pag-ece') Short Definition: a snare,
trap Definition: a snare, trap (especially for catching birds) hence, met ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/3803.htm - 7k

3732. orneon -- a bird
... Word Origin from ornis Definition a bird NASB Word Usage bird (1), birds (2). bird,
fowl. Neuter of a presumed derivative of ornis; a birdling -- bird, fowl. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/3732.htm - 6k

2201. zeugos -- a pair, a yoke
... yoke, pair. From the same as zugos; a couple, ie A team (of oxen yoked together)
or brace (of birds tied together) -- yoke, pair. see GREEK zugos. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/2201.htm - 6k

4421. ptenos -- winged
... Word Origin from petomai Definition winged NASB Word Usage birds (1). bird.
Contraction for peteinon; a bird -- bird. see GREEK peteinon. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/4421.htm - 6k

Strong's Hebrew

1469. gozal -- young birds
... 1468, 1469. gozal. 1470 . young birds. Transliteration: gozal Phonetic
Spelling: (go-zawl') Short Definition: young. Word Origin ...
/hebrew/1469.htm - 6k

6853. tsippar -- a bird
... 6852, 6853. tsippar. 6854 . a bird. Transliteration: tsippar Phonetic
Spelling: (tsef-ar') Short Definition: birds. Word Origin ...
/hebrew/6853.htm - 6k

6524c. parach -- to fly
... parach. 6525 . to fly. Transliteration: parach Short Definition: birds. Word Origin
a prim. root Definition to fly NASB Word Usage birds (2). 6524b, 6524c. ...
/hebrew/6524c.htm - 5k

5775. oph -- flying creatures
... 5774b, 5775. oph. 5776 . flying creatures. Transliteration: oph Phonetic
Spelling: (ofe) Short Definition: birds. Word Origin from ...
/hebrew/5775.htm - 6k

6833. tsippor -- a bird
... Word Origin from an unused word Definition a bird NASB Word Usage bird (26), bird's
(1), birds (11), fowl (1), sparrow (1). bird, fowl, sparrow. ...
/hebrew/6833.htm - 6k

5861. ayit -- a bird of prey
... Word Origin from it Definition a bird of prey NASB Word Usage bird of prey (3),
birds of prey (4), predatory (1). bird, fowl, ravenous bird. ...
/hebrew/5861.htm - 6k

5776. oph -- fowl
... Word Origin (Aramaic) corresponding to oph Definition fowl NASB Word Usage bird
(1), birds (1). fowl. (Aramaic) corresponding to owph -- fowl. see HEBREW owph. ...
/hebrew/5776.htm - 6k

6963. qol -- sound, voice
... Word Origin from an unused word Definition sound, voice NASB Word Usage birds (1),
bleating (1), crackling (2), cry (2), crying (1), growl* (1), listen (4 ...
/hebrew/6963.htm - 6k

Library

The Song of Birds. April 1.
... The Song of Birds. April 1. St. Francis called the birds his brothers.
Perfectly sure that he himself was a spiritual being, he ...
//christianbookshelf.org/kingsley/daily thoughts /the song of birds april.htm

A Charm of Birds. March 2.
... A Charm of Birds. March 2. Little do most people know how much there is
to learn"what variety of character, as well as variety ...
//christianbookshelf.org/kingsley/daily thoughts /a charm of birds march.htm

And that which Follows Concerning Birds of the Air and Lilies of ...
... Section 35. And that which follows concerning birds of the air and lilies
of the field� 35. And that which follows concerning ...
/.../augustine/of the work of monks /section 35 and that which.htm

A Charm of Birds. June 17.
... A Charm of Birds. June 17. Listen to the charm of birds in any sequestered
woodland on a bright forenoon in early summer. As you ...
//christianbookshelf.org/kingsley/daily thoughts /a charm of birds june.htm

God Cares for Birds and Flowers. --Luke, xii. 24-27.
... ORIGINAL HYMNS HYMN CCLXXVII. God cares for Birds and Flowers."Luke, xii. 24-27.
8.6.8.6 James Montgomery. God cares for Birds and Flowers."Luke, xii.24-27. ...
/.../montgomery/sacred poems and hymns/hymn cclxxvii god cares for.htm

But if the Soul of Birds is to be Esteemed Divine Because Future ...
... Chapter XCIV. But if the soul of birds is to be esteemed divine because future
events are� But if the soul of birds is to be esteemed ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/origen/origen against celsus/chapter xciv but if the.htm

Concerning the Living Soul, Birds, and Fishes (Ver. 24) --The ...
... Book XIII. Chapter XXI."Concerning the Living Soul, Birds, and Fishes (Ver.
24)"The Sacrament of the Eucharist Being Regarded. 29. ...
/.../the confessions and letters of st/chapter xxi concerning the living soul.htm

But Besides, if Birds of Augury Converse with one Another...
... Chapter XCI. But besides, if birds of augury converse with one another�
But besides, if birds of augury converse with one another ...
/.../origen/origen against celsus/chapter xci but besides if.htm

Of Diomede, who after the Destruction of Troy was Placed among the ...
... Chapter 16."Of Diomede, Who After the Destruction of Troy Was Placed Among the Gods,
While His Companions are Said to Have Been Changed into Birds. ...
/.../augustine/city of god/chapter 16 of diomede who after.htm

God Cannot be Attained unto by the Power of Memory, which Beasts ...
... Book X. Chapter XVII."God Cannot Be Attained Unto by the Power of Memory,
Which Beasts and Birds Possess. 26. Great is the power ...
/.../the confessions and letters of st/chapter xvii god cannot be attained.htm

Subtopics

Birds

Birds are Hostile to Strange Kinds

Birds of Abomination

Birds of Cruel and Rapacious Kings

Birds of Hostile Nations

Birds of People of Different Countries

Birds of Prey

Birds of the Devil and his Spirits

Birds of Unsettled Person

Birds: (Snaring) Death

Birds: (Snaring) Designs of the Wicked