Owl

Moses places the owl among the unclean birds; but whether all, or of what species, as there are several, is not said. (Lev. xi. 17. Deut. 14. 17.) The loneliness of the owl gave occasion to the Psalmist to describe thereby his solitary state of affliction. (Ps. c2: 7.)

There are several varieties of this species, all too well known to need a particular description. They are nocturnal birds of prey, and have their eyes better adapted for discerning objects in the evening or twilight than in the glare of day.

1. כזס ], Lev 11:17; Deu 14:16; Psa 102:6, is in our version rendered “the little owl.” Aquila, Theodotion, Jerom, Kimchi, and most of the older interpreters, are quoted to justify this rendering. Michaelis, at some length, supports the opinion that it is the horned owl. Bochart, though with some hesitation, suspected it to be the onocrotalus, a kind of pelican, because the Hebrew name signifies cup, and the pelican is remarkable for a pouch or bag under the lower jaw; but there are good reasons for supposing that bird to be the קאת of the next verse. Dr. Geddes thinks this bird the cormorant; and as it begins the list of water fowl, and is mentioned always in the same contexts with קאת , confessedly a water bird, his opinion may be adopted.

2. ינשופּ , Lev 11:17; Deu 14:16; Isa 34:11. In the two first places our translators render this “the great owl,” which is strangely placed after the little owl, and among water birds. “Our translators,” says the author of “Scripture Illustrated,” “seem to have thought the owl a convenient bird, as we have three owls in two verses.” Some critics think it means a species of night bird, because the word may be derived from נשפּ , which signifies the twilight, the time when owls fly about. But this interpretation, says Parkhurst, seems very forced; and since it is mentioned among water fowls, and the LXX have, in the first and last of those texts, rendered it by ιβις, the ibis, we are disposed to adopt it here, and think the evidence strengthened by this, that in a Coptic version of Lev 11:17, it is called ip or hip, which, with a Greek termination, would very easily make ιβις.

3. קפון , which occurs only in Isa 34:15, is in our version rendered “the great owl.”

4. לילית , Isa 34:14, in our version “the screech owl.” The root signifies night; and as undoubtedly a bird frequenting dark places and ruins is referred to, we must admit some kind of owl.

A place of lonely desolation, where The screeching tribe and pelicans abide, And the dun ravens croak mid ruins drear,

And moaning owls from man the farthest hide.

Fig. 284—Owl

There are noticed in Egypt and Syria three well known species of the genus Strix, or owl—’the great-eared owl;’ the common barn owl; and the little owl. In this list the long-eared owl, the short-eared owl, known nearly over the whole earth, and the Oriental owl of Hasselquist, are not included, and several other species of these wandering birds, both of Africa and Asiatic regions, occur in Palestine. The barn owl is still sacred in Northern Asia.

The eagle-owl, or great-eared owl, we do not find in ornithological works as an inhabitant of Syria, though no doubt it is an occasional winter visitant and the smaller species, which may be a rare but permanent resident, probably also visiting Egypt. It is not, however, we believe, that species, but the Otus ascalaphus of Cuvier, which is common in Egypt, and which in all probability is the type of the innumerable representations of an eared owl in hieroglyphical inscriptions.

Next we have the short-eared owl, likewise found in Egypt and Arabia, as well as to the north of Syria, a bold, pugnacious bird, residing in ruined buildings, mistaken by commentators for the screech-owl. The spectral species, again, confounded with the goat-sucker, is, we believe, Strix coromanda [NIGHT-HAWK], and the same as the Oriental owl of Hasselquist.

The little owl of Egypt is not likely to be the Passerine species of Europe, and probably does not occur under a distinct name in Biblical Hebrew; but that the owls which inhabited Palestine were numerous may be inferred with tolerable certainty from the abundance of mice, rats, and other vermin, occasioned by the offal and offerings at the numerous sacrifices, and consequently the number of nocturnal birds of prey that subsisted upon them, and were tolerated for that purpose.

A night bird of prey, unfit for food. Several species are found in Palestine, and are mentioned in the Bible; as in Lev 11:17 Deu 14:16 Isa 14:23 34:15 Zep 2:14 . One of the words, however, translated "owl," probably means "OSTRICH," (which see;) and another, Lev 11:17 Deu 14:16 Isa 34:11, the ibis or night heron.\par

Owl. A number of species of the owl are mentioned in the Bible, Lev 11:17; Lev 14:16; Isa 14:23; Isa 34:15; Zep 2:14, and in several other places, the same Hebrew word is used, where it is translated ostrich. Job 30:29; Jer 50:39. Some of these species were common in Palestine, and, as is well known, were often found inhabiting ruins. Isa 34:11; Isa 34:13-15.

Ostrich, the true rendering of bath hayanah. (See OSTRICH.) Yanshowph; Lev 11:17, "the great owl." From a root, "twilight" (Bochart), or to puff the breath (Knobel). Deu 14:16; Isa 34:11. The horned owl, Bubo maximus, not as Septuagint the ibis, the sacred bird of Egypt. Maurer thinks the heron or crane, from nashaf "to blow," as it utters a sound like blowing a horn (Rev 18:2). Chaldee and Syriac support "owl." Kos; Lev 11:17, "the little owl." Athene meridionalis on coins of Athens: emblem of Minerva, common in Syria; grave, but not heavy. Psa 102:6, "I am like an owl in a ruin" (Syriac and Arabic versions), expressing his loneliness, surrounded by foes, with none to befriend. The Arabs call the owl "mother of ruins," um elcharab.

The Hebrew means a "cup", perhaps alluding to its concave face, the eye at the bottom, the feathers radiating on each side of the beak outward; this appears especially in the Otus vulgaris, the "long-cared owl". Kippoz. Isa 34:15, "the great owl." But Gesenius "the arrow snake," or "the darting tree serpent"; related to the Arabic kipphaz. The context favors "owl"; for "gather under her shadow" applies best to a mother bird fostering her young under her wings. The Septuagint, Chaldee, Arabic, Syriac, Vulgate read kippod, "hedgehog." The great eagle owl is one of the largest birds of prey; with dark plumage, and enormous head, from which glare out two great eyes. Lilith. Isa 34:14, "screech owl"; from layil "the night." Irby and Mangles state as to Petra of Edom "the screaming of hawks, eagles, and owls, soaring above our heads, annoyed at anyone approaching their lonely habitation, added much to the singularity of the scene." The Strix flammea, "the barn owl"; shrieking in the quietude of the night, it appalls the startled hearer with its unearthly sounds.

In the passages that speak of the unclean birds "the owl . . . . the little owl . . . . and the great owl," are enumerated. Lev 11:16-17; Deu 14:15-16. The Hebrew for the first is bath yaanah. (See OSTRICH.) The second is kos: it occurs in the above two passages and in Psa 102:6; and doubtless refers to the owl. The third, yanshuph, occurs also in Isa 34:11. This in the LXX and Vulgate is the ’ibis,’ and has been supposed by some to refer to the Ib is religiosa, a sacred bird of Egypt. There is also lilith in Isa 34:14 only, translated ’screech owl,’ (margin and R.V. ’night-monster’): its reference is doubtful. Also qippoz in Isa 34:15 only, ’great owl,’ (R.V. ’arrowsnake;’ LXX and Vulgate ’hedgehog,’ reading perhaps qippod with six Hebrew MSS.) There are several well-known species of the owl, but to which of them these various words refer cannot be specified with certainty. The Athene meridionalis is the owl most common in Palestine; the Strix flammea is the white owl.

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

Rendering in the English versions of the following Hebrew words: "kos" (Lev. xi. 17; A. V. "little owl"); "yanshuf" (ib.; A. V. "great owl"; LXX. ἶβις); "tinshemet" (ib. v. 18; R. V., after the Samaritan and Targum, "horned owl"; Vulgate and A. V. "swan"). The Authorized Version renders "bat ha-ya'anah," "ḳippoz," and "lilit" also by "owl" (but see Ostrich; Serpent).

"Kos," referred to in Ps. cii. 7 as living among ruins, may be identified with the Carina glaux, the emblem of Pallas Athene, and called by the Arabs "bumah," the most abundant of all owls in Palestine. "Yanshuf" is usually identified with the Bubo ascalaphus, which inhabits ruins and caves throughout Palestine, but is especially abundant around Petra, the ancient Edom (comp. Isa. xxxiv. 11). There are also found in Palestine the white owl, the great horned owl, the wood-owl (Syrnium aluco), the Indian fish-owl (Ketupa ceylonensis), and the long-eared and the short-eared owl (Strix otus and S. brachyotus).

The terms for "owl" occurring in the Talmud are: , and . This bird was eaten in Babylon, but was forbidden as food in Meraba,where it was called (Ḥul. 63a). There is also or (or ; comp. Targ. on "kos," Lev. xi. 17), described by Rashi as a bird screeching in the night, with a countenance resembling that of a cat, the cheeks of a man, and having the eyes in front (Niddah 23a; Ber. 57b). It is said that its appearance in dreams is of bad omen (ib.).

Bibliography:

Tristram, Nat. Hist. p. 191;

Lewysohn, Z. T. p. 162.

OWL

1. bath ya‘ânâh, RV [Note: Revised Version.] ‘ostrich’ (wh. see).

2. yanshûph, Lev 11:17, Deu 14:15, ‘great owl’; [yanshöph], Isa 34:11 owl,’ RVm [Note: Revised Version margin.] ‘bittern’; commonly thought to be the ibis.

3. kôs, Lev 11:17, Deu 14:16, ‘little owl’; Psa 102:6 ‘owl.’

4. qippôz, Isa 34:15, AV [Note: Authorized Version.] ‘great owl,’ RV [Note: Revised Version.] ‘arrowsnake.’ The description’ make her nest, and lay, and hatch’ certainly seems to point to some bird, but what kind is uncertain

5. tinshemeth, Lev 11:18, Deu 14:15, AV [Note: Authorized Version.] ‘swan,’ RV [Note: Revised Version.] ‘horned owl.’ See Swan.

6. lîlîth, Isa 34:14, AV [Note: Authorized Version.] ‘screech owl,’ AVm [Note: Authorized Version margin.] and RV [Note: Revised Version.] ‘night monster,’ RVm [Note: Revised Version margin.] ‘Lilith,’ the fabulous monster which is in Jewish folklore such an enemy of children.

Owls are very plentiful in Palestine. Most common of all is the little bömeh (Athene glaux), whose melancholy cry can be heard anywhere in the open country when twilight begins. It is a general favourite and very tame. The great Egyptian eagle-owl, the next most common species, is a large bird, nearly two feet long, with long ear tufts (see No. 5). It haunts ruins, and has a prolonged and desolate cry.

E. W. G. Masterman.

oul (היּענה בּת, bath ha-ya‛ănāh; Latin Ulula): The name of every nocturnal bird of prey of the Natural Order Striges. These birds range from the great horned owl of 2 feet in length, through many subdivisions to the little screech-owl of 5 inches. All are characterized by very large heads, many have ear tufts, all have large eyes surrounded by a disk of tiny, stiff, radiating feathers. The remainder of the plumage has no aftershaft. So these birds make the softest flight of any creature traveling on wing. A volume could be written on the eye of the owl, perhaps its most wonderful feature being in the power of the bird to enlarge the iris if it wishes more distinct vision. There is material for another on the prominent and peculiar auditory parts. With almost all owls the feet are so arranged that two toes can be turned forward and two back, thus reinforcing the grip of the bird by an extra toe and giving it unusual strength of foot. All are night-hunters, taking prey to be found at that time, of size according to the strength. The owl was very numerous in the caves, ruined temples and cities, and even in the fertile valleys of Palestine. It is given place in the Bible because it was considered unfit for food and because people dreaded the cries of every branch of the numerous family. It appeared often, as most birds, in the early versions of the Bible; later translators seem to feel that it was used in several places where the ostrich really was intended (see OSTRICH). It would appear to a natural historian that the right bird could be selected by the location, where the text is confusing. The ostrich had a voice that was even more terrifying, when raised in the night, than that of the owl. But it was a bird of the desert, of wide range and traveled only by day. This would confine its habitat to the desert and the greenery where it joined fertile land, but would not bring it in very close touch with civilization. The owl is a bird of ruins, that lay mostly in the heart of rich farming lands, where prosperous cities had been built and then destroyed by enemies. Near these locations the ostrich would be pursued for its plumage, and its nesting conditions did not prevail. The location was strictly the owl’s chosen haunt, and it had the voice to fit all the requirements of the text. In the lists of abominations, the original Hebrew yanshūph, derived from a root meaning twilight, is translated “great owl” (see Lev 11:17 and Deu 14:16). It is probable that this was a bird about 2 ft. in length, called the eagle-owl. In the same lists the word kōṣ (τικόραξ, nuktikórax) refers to ruins, and the bird indicated is specified as the “little owl,” that is, smaller than the great owl - about the size of our barn owl. This bird is referred to as the “mother of ruins,” and the translations that place it in deserted temples and cities are beyond all doubt correct. Ḳippōz (ἐχῖνος, echı́nos) occurs once (Isa 34:15), and is translated “great owl” in former versions; lately (in the American Standard Revised Version) it is changed to “dart-snake” (the English Revised Version “arrowsnake”). In this same description lı̄lı̄th (ὀνοκένταυρος, onokéntauros), “a specter of night,” was formerly screech-owl, now it reads “night monster,” which is more confusing and less suggestive. The owls in the lists of abominations (Lev 11:17, Lev 11:18; Deu 14:16) are the little owl, the great owl and the horned owl. The only other owl of all those that produced such impressions of desolation in the Books of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Job, and Micah is referred to in Psa 102:6:

“I am like a pelican of the wilderness;

I am become as an owl of the waste places.”

Here it would appear that the bird habitual to the wilderness and the waste places, that certainly would be desert, would be the ostrich - while in any quotation referring to ruins, the owl would be the bird indicated by natural conditions.

Psa 102:6 (a) This bird represents the Lord JESUS in His solitude and loneliness. As the owl was surrounded by the barren, hot sands with only reptiles for company, so the Saviour was surrounded by wicked influences and evil enemies. As the owl had no trees in which to make its nest, and rest there, so the Saviour had no place to lay His head, and no resting place for His heart in this life.

Owl. The owl is mentioned several times in the Bible (Lev 11:16-17; Psa 102:6; Jer 50:39; Mic 1:8). The largest species native to Palestine is the great owl, sometimes called an eagle owl. Several varieties of smaller owls are also common. Among them are screech owls, whose calls and whistles bring an eerie feeling in the night.

Other varieties of owls mentioned by different translations of the Bible include the short-eared owl (Lev 11:16), (NKJV, NEB); long-eared owl (Lev 11:16), (NEB); horned owl (Lev 11:16), (NIV); little owl (Lev 11:17), (KJV, NIV, NASB); tawny owl (Lev 11:17), (NEB); fisher owl (Lev 11:17), (NKJV); desert owl (Lev 11:18), (NIV); and white owl (Lev 11:18), (NKJV, NIV, NASB).

The owl is no wiser than any other bird, but his facial features give him a thoughtful and solemn look. Owls have round faces with a circle of feathers around their heads, framing and highlighting their large eyes. These feathers also serve as a sound collector for the ears. An owl’s fluffy feathers make him appear larger than he actually is. They also enable him to fly silently, since the edges of the feathers pierce the air with little wind resistance.

Owls have good night vision, which enables them to stalk their prey at night. Unlike other birds, whose eyes are set on opposite sides of their head, the owl looks directly ahead. He navigates in the dark mostly by sound. Alerted by a noise, he plunges in toward his prey with his claws spread for the kill.

Owls serve a useful agricultural purpose, since they feed on rats, mice, and other rodents. But the Hebrew people considered the owl an unclean bird and often associated it with scenes of desolation. The scops owl may be the satyr of such verses as (Isa 13:21) and (34:14) (night creature, NKJV). It has a horned look and does a hop-like dance much like a goat.