sparrow

While the Greek word strouthion is certainly the name for the sparrow, the Hebrew tsippor is actually an inclusive word that refers to sparrow-sized birds in general. These small birds, especially sparrows, were caught in nets and traps and were an important part of the diet of poor people.

There are three types of sparrow that are common in Israel, the House Sparrow Passer domesticus, the Spanish Sparrow Passer hispaniolensis, and the Dead Sea Sparrow Passer moabiticus. All three are small speckled brown birds. Additional small birds that abound around towns and settlements are members of the bunting, finch, and tit families. Sparrows in particular are usually found in fairly large numbers roosting and nesting together. All are seed eaters and live mainly on grass seeds and grain.

Sparrows were considered clean birds and were associated with the poor.

Sparrows or sparrow-like small birds are found all over the world. Finding a local word is not usually difficult. The reference to “a lonely bird on the housetop” in Psalms 102:7 takes on additional meaning if the sparrow was intended, since it is a bird that is seldom seen alone. It would then indicate the psalmist’s sense of loneliness at being separated from those with whom he belongs.

Source: All Creatures Great and Small: Living things in the Bible (UBS Helps for Translators)

complete verse (Deuteronomy 14:11)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Deuteronomy 14:11:

  • Kupsabiny: “You may eat all the birds that are clean.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “It is OK for you to eat birds that are clean.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “You (plur.) can eat any kind of bird that is-considered clean.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “‘You are permitted to eat the flesh of any bird that is acceptable to Yahweh.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Deuteronomy 14:11-18

Eagle: this bird is quite common in the Old Testament.

Vulture: see also Lev 11.18; Psa 102.6; Pro 30.17; Lam 4.19; Hos 8.1; Zeph 2.14.

Osprey: New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh has “black vulture.” See also Lev 11.13.

For the birds in verse 12 Revised English Bible has “griffon-vulture, black vulture, bearded vulture.”

In verse 13 the translations go their various ways: New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, New International Version, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, and Bible en français courant have three different kinds of birds instead of the two in Revised Standard Version. This is due to a problem in the Hebrew text, which does have three separate words. S.R. Driver and others maintain that the first word (raʾah) is a mistake; it is not found elsewhere in the Bible, and the third word (daʾyah) is a correction of the first one. New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, however, has three birds, “the kite, the falcon, and the buzzard”; and New International Version has “the red kite, the black kite, the falcon.”

Hebrew Old Testament Text Project recommends that two birds be listed, “the black kite and the red kite”; translators should feel free to follow the Revised Standard Version wording, the buzzard, the kite, after their kinds, if this is appropriate in their language.

Buzzard: this bird does not appear elsewhere in the Old Testament.

Kite: see also Lev 11.14; Isa 34.15.

After their kinds: this means “of all varieties,” “of every kind there is.”

For raven in verse 14 Revised English Bible has “every kind of crow,” and Good News Translation has simply “crows.” See also Gen 8.7; Lev 11.15; 1 Kgs 17.4, 6; Psa 147.9; Pro 30.17; Job 38.41; Song 5.11; Isa 34.11; Zeph 2.14.

For the first three birds in verse 15, New International Version has “horned owl, screech owl, gull”; Revised English Bible has “desert owl, short-eared owl, long-eared owl”; and New Jerusalem Bible has for the second and third birds “screech owl, seagull.”

Ostrich: see also Lev 11.16; Job 30.29; 39.13; Isa 13.21; 34.13; 43.20; Jer 50.39; Lam 4.3; Micah 1.8.

Night hawk: see also Lev 11.16.

Sea gull: see also Lev 11.16.

Hawk: see Lev 11.18; Job 39.26; Isa 34.11.

For the three birds in verse 16, Revised English Bible has “tawny owl, screech owl, little owl”; New Jerusalem Bible has “owl, barn owl, ibis”; for the third bird New International Version and New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh have “white owl.”

The terms little owl and great owl do not appear elsewhere in the Old Testament; “owl” is found in Lev 11.17; Psa 102.6; Isa 34.11, 15; Zeph 2.14.

Water hen: see also Lev 11.18. New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh has “white owl.”

As suggested above, it may be necessary in certain languages to combine all the birds in this verse as “all kinds of owls.”

Translations differ widely in the identification of the three birds in verse 17. For pelican New Revised Standard Version and New International Version have “desert owl,” and Revised English Bible “horned owl”; for carrion vulture New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh has “bustard,” New Jerusalem Bible “white vulture,” and Revised English Bible and New International Version “osprey”; for cormorant Revised English Bible has “fisher owl.”

Pelican: see Lev 11.18.

Carrion vulture appears nowhere else in the Old Testament.

Cormorant appears also in Lev 11.17.

The translations being cited all agree on the four birds of verse 18, with the exception of Revised English Bible, which instead of heron has “cormorant.” (Of course the bat is not a bird, but it was considered one by the Hebrews.)

Stork: see also Lev 11.19; Psa 104.17; Jer 8.7; Zech 5.9.

Heron … hoopoe … bat: see also Lev 11.19.

Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Deuteronomy. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2000. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .