Board index ‹ Specific Bible verses, texts, and passages ‹ Isaiah

[Reconnoiter]

Jim,

I have a really random question. Isaiah 40:31 is a very popular passage and admittedly one of my all time favorites. What kind/species of eagle/bird would the author be referring to? What's most likely? Thanks!

[jimwalton]

There are 11 species of eagle in Israel, and to which particular specie he is referring is unknowable and ultimately irrelevant. The term he uses is נֶשֶׁר† (nesher), which is a general term for a vulture or eagle. Eagles were often used as positive symbols, so the likelihood here is that he is referring to an eagle, not a vulture. His point is that power, grace, majesty, and speed—images for his purposes of renewal, strength, endurance, and ultimately hope—are characteristics of a person who lives by the covenant, as opposed to the proud who are brought to nothing (vv. 23-24).