Heron

אנפה , Lev 11:19; Deu 14:18. This word has been variously understood. Some have rendered it the kite, others the woodcock, others the curlieu, some the peacock, others the parrot, and others the crane. The root, אנפ , signifies to breathe short through the nostrils, to snuff, as in anger; hence to be angry; and it is supposed that the word is sufficiently descriptive of the heron, from its very irritable disposition. Bochart, however, thinks it the mountain falcon; the same that the Greeks call ανοπαια, mentioned by Homer; and this bears a strong resemblance to the Hebrew name.

Ardea Cinerea

Heron (Lev 11:19; Deu 14:18). The original word anaphahis a disputed name of an unclean bird, and which has also been translated kite, woodcock, parrot, and crane. For the first of these see Glede; the second is rare and only a momentary visitor in Palestine; the third, surely, required no prohibition where it was not a resident species, and probably not imported till the reign of Solomon; and as the crane, we have already shown it to have been likewise exotic, making only a momentary appearance, and that rarely, in Syria. If the Hebrew name be derived from a word signifying ’to breathe short,’ or ’to sniff through the nostrils with an irritated expression,’ the most obvious application would be to the goose, a bird not, perhaps, otherwise noticed in the Hebrew Scriptures, though it was constantly eaten in Egypt, was not held unclean by the Jews, and, at some seasons, must have frequented the lakes of Palestine. The heron, though not constantly hissing, can utter a similar sound of displeasure with much more meaning, and the common species is found in Egypt, and is also abundant in the Hauran of Palestine, where it frequents the margins of lakes and pools, and the reedy watercourses in the deep ravines, striking and devouring an immense quantity of fish.

This name is put in Lev 11:19 Deu 14:18, for a Hebrew word of very uncertain meaning. See BIRDS.\par

H’eron. Lev 11:19; Deu 14:18. A common large, wading, unclean bird. Nearly all of the species known in English ornithology are found in the vicinity of Palestine. Canon Cook and others think the bird intended is the plover, (Charadrius aedicnemus), a greedy, thick kneed, high-flying migratory bird, very common in the East, on the banks of rivers and shores of lakes. -- Editor.

anaphah. An unclean bird (Lev 11:19; Deu 14:18). Rather "the great plover," thick kneed, Charadrius oedicnemus, widely spread in Europe, Asia, and N. Africa. It lives on slugs, worms, frogs, and toads (Speaker’s Commentary). But Gesenius derives it from anaph "to snort angrily," which applies well to the heron, an irritable, voracious, bird, frequenting marshes. The addition "after her kind" implies that a genus is meant.

[He’ron]

A bird that was unclean to the Israelites. The name anaphah cannot be identified, but several species of heron are found throughout Palestine, which are doubtless included because of the words ’after her kind.’ The Ardea cinerea is a heron common in Palestine. They live upon fish, frogs, and reptiles. (R.V. margin has ’ibis.’) Lev 11:19; Deu 14:18.

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By: Emil G. Hirsch, I. M. Casanowicz

Enumerated among the unclean birds (Lev. xi. 19 [R. V. margin, "ibis"]; Deut. xiv. 18; comp. Targ. , where the context points to some bird of the Ardeidœ family). There are at least seven species of heron common in Palestine, especially in the marshy regions; and the addition of "after its kind" ("leminehu") in the passages mentioned above would imply that various species were included under "anafah."

In the Talmud the heron is characterized, in allusion to the etymology of its name ("anaf"), as a cruel and irascible bird, and is contrasted with the pious stork (Ḥul. 63a; comp. Rashi to Lev. xi. 19).

Bibliography:

Tristram, The Natural History of the Bible, p. 241;

L. Lewysohn, Zoologie des Talmuds, p. 169.

HERON.—The Heb. word ’anâphâh designates an unclean bird (Lev 11:19, Deu 14:18), not otherwise mentioned in the Bible, but sufficiently well known to be taken as a type of a class. The occurrence of this name immediately after stork, and followed by the expression ‘after her kind,’ makes it probable that the EV [Note: English Version.] rendering is correct. The heron belongs to the same group as the stork, and no fewer than six species of the genus Ardea alone are found in Palestine.

her´un (אנפה, ’ănāphāh; χαραδριός, charadriós; Latin Ardea cinerea): Herons are mentioned only in the abomination lists of Lev 11:19 (margin “ibis”) and Deu 14:18. They are near relatives of crane, stork, ibis and bittern. These birds, blue, white or brown, swarmed in Europe and wintered around Merom, along the Jordan, at the headwaters of the Jabbok and along its marshy bed in the dry season. Herons of Southern Africa that summered in the Holy Land loved to nest on the banks of Merom, and raise their young among the bulrushes, papyrus, reeds and water grasses, although it is their usual habit to build in large trees. The white herons were small, the blue, larger, and the brown, close to the same size. The blue were 3 1/2 ft. in length, and had a 5-ft. sweep. The beak, neck and legs constituted two-thirds of the length of the body, which is small, lean and bony, taking its appearance of size from its long loose feathers. Moses no doubt forbade these birds as an article of diet, because they ate fish and in older specimens would be tough, dark and evil smelling. The very poor of our western and southeastern coast states eat them.

Heron. The Bible mentions herons only in the lists of unclean birds (Lev 11:19; Deu 14:18). Several species of herons and egrets made their home in Palestine. Egyptian carvings picture herons and their nests among the reeds of marshes and lakes.

A tall, graceful bird, the heron flies with its neck curled and its long legs stretched out behind. The heron eats fish, frogs, and small reptiles, which it spears swiftly with a long, sharp beak.

A heron is a wading bird (genus Ardea) with a long, thin neck and long legs. It has a comblike growth on the inside of its third toe.

Herons are usually white, blue, green, or gray. The white heron can grow nearly a meter long (more than 3 feet). The dwarf heron is smaller, about 55.9 centimeters (22 inches) long.

Herons often live and nest in large groups called rookeries. Both parents feed the young. They eat fish, small reptiles, and insects, swallowing them whole. In late fall, adults and young migrate to warmer southern areas.

At least seven kinds of heron have been seen in the Holy Land. The white ibis, also called the buff-backed heron (Buphus russatus), was likely the most common. The purple heron (Ardea purpureus) breeds in summer wherever there is standing water.
The blue-gray heron (Ardea cinerea) spends winter in southern Europe and North Africa. It migrates to northern Europe in early spring. In Israel, it builds winter nests near swamps and riverbanks. It can stand still in water for hours, then strike quickly with its long beak to catch prey. It often nests in tall trees and may return to the same nest year after year.

Leviticus 11:19 and Deuteronomy 14:18 list the heron as an unclean bird for the Israelites. Some scholars think these verses may refer to the cormorant, but most think they mean one of the herons.

See also Birds; Cormorant.

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