What Does Leviticus 11:14 Mean?

(14) **And the vulture.**—Rather, *the kite. *Its name in the original (*dââh*), which literally denotes *the swift, majestic and gliding flier, *appropriately describes this bird, which sails with its expanded wings through the air, where it often pauses as if suspended, watching for its prey. Kites are very plentiful in Syria, and are frequently seen hovering over the plains, the villages, and the outskirts of towns, and looking out for garbage and offal, and hence are often seen in company with the vulture at their useful task of devouring the carrion. Their gregarious habits are referred to by Isaiah (Isaiah 34:15), where they are mentioned in company with other raptatores as suitable inhabitants of devastated Edom. The kite is used by different Eastern tribes as food. **And the kite.**—Rather, *the falcon. *“The greedy one” (*ayah*), as it is called in the original, fitly describes this most sagacious, sanguinary, and rapacious robber. Its piercing sight is referred to by Job (28:7), where it is translated *vulture *in the Authorised Version, though in the passage before us and in the parallel passage in Deuteronomy 14:13, it is rendered *kite. *It exists in Syria in a great variety of species, for which reason the text adds “after his kind.” The falcon is eaten in the Levant, and is considered rather delicate.