H5322b H5322b
hawk, a bird of prey; generic term including hawks and falcons
This noun designates the hawk family, classified as unclean birds in Leviticus 11:16 and Deuteronomy 14:15 (both adding 'according to its kind,' indicating multiple species). Job 39:26 celebrates the hawk's instinctive migration: 'Does the hawk soar by your wisdom and spread its wings toward the south?' The reference captures the hawk's seasonal flight from Palestine to warmer regions. Ancient naturalists recognized multiple raptor species under this term. The hawk exemplifies wild, untamable creatures that operate by divine instinct rather than human training—soaring beyond our control yet within God's design.
Senses
1. sense 1 — The dietary laws group the hawk with eagles, vultures, and other raptors as ritually unclean—perhaps because they feed on carrion or blood. Job's poetic reference shifts from prohibition to admiration: the hawk's migratory wisdom testifies to the Creator's design embedded in creation. Cross-linguistic translations are straightforward (gavilán, hawk, halcón), all denoting the same recognizable bird family. The phrase 'according to its kind' acknowledges multiple hawk species, from small sparrowhawks to larger falcons. 3×
AR["البَازَ", "الصَّقْرُ", "الْبَازِيَ"]·ben["-বাজ", "বাজপাখি"]·DE["[נץ]", "der-hawk"]·EN["the-hawk"]·FR["le-hawk", "נץ"]·heb["ה-נץ", "נץ"]·HI["अपनी जाति के अनुसार", "बाज", "बाज़"]·ID["elang"]·IT["il-hawk"]·jav["alap-alap", "manuk-alap-alap"]·KO["그-매를", "매가"]·PT["falcão", "o-gavião"]·RU["-ястреба", "кобчика", "ястреб"]·ES["el-gavilán", "halcón"]·SW["kipanga", "mwewe"]·TR["atmaca", "doğanı", "şahin"]·urd["باز"]
Related Senses
H6629 1. flock, sheep/goats (small livestock) (274×)H1241 1. cattle, herd (bovine livestock) (183×)H0352a 1. ram (male sheep) (156×)H6499 1. young bull, bullock (130×)H3532 1. lamb, young male sheep (105×)H2543 1. donkey (male ass) (96×)H7794 1. ox, bull (79×)H7462b 1. shepherd (agent noun) (76×)H5795 1. she-goat(s), female goat(s) (68×)H7462b 2. to shepherd, tend, pasture (60×)H1581 1. camel (domestic animal) (54×)H0738b 1. lion (46×)G4263 1. sheep (39×)H5739 1. flock or herd of livestock (38×)H5695 1. calf, young bull (35×)H0738a 1. lion (large predatory feline) (34×)H0860 1. female donkey (34×)H3611 1. dog (animal) (32×)H3715a 1. young lion, lion cub (31×)G0721 1. Lamb (29×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† II. נֵץ n.m. a bird of prey, generic name, incl. hawk and falcon (TristrNHB; accipiter BoHieroz. ii. 266 ff.; ed. Rosenm iii. 5 ff. cf. NowArch. i. 116);—unclean bird, Lv 11:16 (P), Dt 14:15 (varieties, לְמִינֵהוּ); bird of passage Jb 39:26.