Deuteronomy 14:16 — Word Study
WLCאֶת־ הַכּ֥וֹס וְאֶת־ הַיַּנְשׁ֖וּף וְהַתִּנְשָֽׁמֶת׃
BSAthe little owlkôwç [or horned owl] the great owlyanshûwph [possibly a heron] the white owltanshemeth [or swan, a type of water bird]
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| אֶת־ | the object marker | Particle |
| הַכּ֥וֹס | the little owl | Particle, noun common masculine singular absolute |
| וְאֶת־ | and the object marker | Conjunction, particle |
| הַיַּנְשׁ֖וּף | the great owl | Particle, noun common masculine singular absolute |
| וְהַתִּנְשָֽׁמֶת׃ | and the barn owl | Conjunction, particle, noun common feminine singular absolute |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | the little owl, the great owl, the white owl, |
| KJV | The little owl, and the great owl, and the swan, |
| ASV | the little owl, and the great owl, and the horned owl, |
| YLT | the [little] owl, and the [great] owl, and the swan, |
| WEB | the little owl, the great owl, the horned owl, |
| BBE | The little owl and the great owl and the water-hen; |
Where they part company is כּוֹס — see How Translations Differ.
The sentence presents a list of owls, each introduced by conjunctions, creating a straightforward enumeration.
2 commentators on this verse
Jamieson, Cambridge & more — read them ›
clause
The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
Every word here is used elsewhere in the Old Testament.
Bars are logarithmic — אֵת, the commonest word in the Hebrew Bible, stands about 11,000 times, so a linear scale would leave everything else invisible. Click a row to open that word.
Deep Study — Deuteronomy 14:16
Sections marked generated are written from the data on this page rather than by a named author. Everything else — the lexicon entries, the cross references, the manuscript readings, the counts — is quoted from its source unchanged.
Context — Clean and Unclean Animalsgenerated
Deuteronomy 14:16 is part of a larger section that outlines which animals are considered clean and unclean for the Israelites. This section serves to guide the people in their dietary laws, emphasizing the importance of ritual purity. The mention of these specific birds indicates their status as unclean according to the Mosaic Law, reflecting the broader theme of holiness in the community's life.
Cross References
The Key Word — כּוֹס, ha.Kosgenerated
The word כּוֹס (kos) primarily means 'cup,' but in this context, it refers to a type of owl. The connection may arise from the owl's shape resembling a cup, particularly its large eyes. The parsing as a noun in the masculine singular indicates a specific type of owl that is considered unclean.
This word appears in the context of dietary laws, and its classification as unclean signifies that it was not permissible for the Israelites to consume. The lexicons confirm this dual meaning, but the emphasis here is on its identification as an unclean bird.
How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated
This study reads the verse in the Berean Standard Bible, so the BSB is the wording every comparison below is made against.
Sentence Structuregenerated
The main clause lists the three types of owls: הַכּ֥וֹס, הַיַּנְשׁ֖וּף, and הַתִּנְשָֽׁמֶת. Each noun phrase is connected by conjunctions, indicating a simple enumeration. The structure emphasizes the categorization of these birds as unclean.
The syntax is straightforward, with each bird presented as a separate noun phrase, allowing for clarity in the list of unclean animals. The use of the object marker אֵת before each noun signifies their direct inclusion in the list.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
In the Septuagint, the word for the little owl is rendered as κύκνον, which typically means 'swan.' This choice may reflect a broader interpretation of the Hebrew text, indicating a potential widening of the term's meaning.
The translation choices in the Septuagint suggest a different cultural understanding of these birds, possibly influenced by the local fauna known to Greek speakers.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Deuteronomy 14:16 lists three types of owls: the little owl, the great owl, and the white owl. These birds are considered unclean and not suitable for consumption according to the dietary laws given to the Israelites.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
In the context of the dietary laws, being unclean means that these birds are not permissible for the Israelites to eat.
The classification of clean and unclean animals is based on the laws given to the Israelites, reflecting God's standards for holiness and purity.
The dietary laws of the Old Testament are not typically observed by Christians today, but they provide insight into the cultural and religious practices of ancient Israel.
This section includes various birds and animals, such as the ostrich, the gull, and the stork, all classified according to their purity.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- What do you think the significance of dietary laws is in understanding holiness?
- How can the classification of clean and unclean animals inform our understanding of God's standards?
- What parallels can you draw between the dietary laws and other areas of life where purity is emphasized?
- How does understanding these classifications affect your view of the Old Testament laws?
Commentators on this verse — 2 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Deuteronomy 14:16 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryThe little owl, and the great owl, and the swan, The swan - rather the goose (Michaelis) or the kite (Gesenius).
Read Robert Jamieson on Deuteronomy 14 →CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges16. little owl] kτs, LXX, νυκτικόραξ (?), both night-jar and screech-owl. Tristram (93): ‘probably’ the southern little owl, Athene glaux, ‘one of the most universally distributed birds in the Holy Land.’ It inhabits ruins, Psalms 102:6 (7). Arabs call it ‘mother of ruins.’ great owl] yanshuph, LXX, εἶβις. Tristram (93): eagle-owl, bubo ascalaphus, haunting ruins and caverns. horned owl] tinshemeth, A.V. swan. Tristram: probably the glossy ibis. Owls are eaten by one tribe, at least, in Arabia, for which they are derided by other Arabs (Doughty, i. 305). The owl is one of the birds to which most often the Arabs attribute human qualities.
Read Cambridge on Deuteronomy 14 →The verse in English, compared — 17 translations, and where they part company
Every translation on this page is a decision someone had to make and commit to. Read down a column and you see one translator's judgement; read across a row and you see the range the Greek actually allows. The BSB is the wording the rest of this page is measured against, so it is listed first.
Modern formal
the little owl, the great owl, the white owl,
the little owl, the great owl, the horned owl,
the little owl, the great owl, the white owl,
the little owl, the long-eared owl, the white owl,
Tyndale line
The little owl, and the great owl, and the swan,
the little owl, and the great owl, and the horned owl,
the little owl, and the great owl, and the horned owl;
The little owl, and the great owl, and the swan,
Neither the litle owle, nor the great owle, nor the redshanke,
Strictly literal
the owl, and the ibis and the swan,
the [little] owl, and the [great] owl, and the swan,
the little owl, and the great owl, and the waterhen,
The little owl, and the great owl and the swan,
the little owl, the great owl, the white owl,
From the Latin
The heron, and the swan, and the stork,
Simplified
little owl, eagle owl, barn owl,
The little owl and the great owl and the water-hen;
Counted from the translations carried on this site, not from a survey of every English Bible. A rendering shared by many versions is usually inherited rather than independently arrived at — the Tyndale line in particular runs through most of them.
The sentence as the grammar sees it — from the MACULA Hebrew treebank
This is not our own analysis: it is the scholarly syntax tree for the verse, showing how the clause actually holds together.
Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.
The four witnesses to this verse — Masoretic, Septuagint, Samaritan, Qumran
The Masoretic Text lists the same three types of owls, while the Samaritan Pentateuch differs by including the term for cormorant instead of the great owl. This indicates a variation in the understanding or classification of unclean birds between these ancient witnesses.
אֶת־ הַכּ֥וֹס וְאֶת־ הַיַּנְשׁ֖וּף וְהַתִּנְשָֽׁמֶת׃
2 of the 5 words are matched. This is the word-by-word correspondence, not the Septuagint's own sentence — its word order and its articles are its own.
ואת הכוס ואת השׁלך ואת הינשׁוף ואת התנשׁמת
1 word differs from the Masoretic Text: שׁלך (cormorant)
Four traditions, not one. “On the leather” means the letters physically survive on the scroll, as against letters an editor has supplied to fill a hole in it — a restoration is a scholar’s reading, not a reading of the manuscript. Words in [square brackets] are supplied; the notes count them apart from what survives.
The map of this verse — what each word keeps company with
This is a map of two things, both counted rather than judged. Company kept: which words stand within three words of each of these, anywhere in the Hebrew Bible — the thicker the line, the more often the pair meet compared with chance. Built from: the words a word is made out of, taken from its own Strong’s entry. It is not a map of meaning: nothing here claims two words mean the same thing. Click any circle to see the numbers behind it.
Lexicons — every word in Deuteronomy 14:16
One dossier per word, with every reference work grouped by kind — Hebrew lexicons, morphology, Bible dictionaries, topical chains and the English of the translators themselves. The verse sits at the head of each block with the word under study lit, so you never lose your place. The panel above gives the short answer; this is the long one, and it is the part of the page worth indexing.
Every entry below is the lexicographer's own text. On the Hebrew: Brown-Driver-Briggs entire and its gloss set, Strong's Hebrew Dictionary, and Tyndale House's Translators Brief lexicon. Where a cell says a work has no entry, that work genuinely has none for this word.
אֵת (eth) is primarily a grammatical marker in Hebrew, indicating the definite direct object of a verb. It is not translated into English and typically precedes nouns that are definite. The word is derived from a demonstrative sense of entity, related to the Hebrew word for 'self.' Its Aramaic equivalent is יָת (yat).
אֵת the mark of the accusative, prefixed as a rule only to nouns that are definite
base
H853 אֵת the mark of the accusative, prefixed as a rule only to nouns that are definite
853 'eth ayth
apparent contracted from 226 in the demonstrative sense of
entity; properly, self (but generally used to point out more
definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or
namely):--(as such unrepresented in English).
see HEBREW for 0226
אֵת (et) — [Obj.].
sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative
Aramaic equivalent: yat (יָת "whom" H3487)
HTo — ParticleHTo
כּוֹס (kos) primarily means 'cup,' referring to a container, but it also denotes a type of owl, considered unclean. The word seems to derive from a root meaning to hold together. The entries indicate a figurative use of 'cup' as a lot or potion, but there is no significant disagreement among the lexicons.
כּוֹס n.f. cup
base
כּוֹס n.[m.] a kind of owl
base
H3563a כּוֹס cup H3563b כּוֹס n. [m.] a kind of owl
3563 kowc koce
from an unused root meaning to hold together; a cup (as a
container), often figuratively, a lot (as if a potion); also
some unclean bird, probably an owl (perhaps from the cup-like
cavity of its eye):--cup, (small) owl. Compare 3599.
see HEBREW for 03599
כּוֹס (kos) — cup.
cup
כּוֹס (kos) — owl.
a kind of owl (an unclean bird)
Art | N-ms — Particle · noun common masculine singular absoluteHTd/Ncmsa
oul (bath ha-ya`anah; 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…
Owl
(1.) Heb. bath-haya’anah, “daughter of greediness” or of “shouting.” In the list of unclean birds (Lev. 11:16; Deut. 14:15); also mentioned in Job 30:29; Isa. 13:21; 34:13; 43:20; Jer. 50:39; Micah 1:8. In all these passages the Revised Version translates “ostrich” (q.v.), which is the correct rendering.
(2.) Heb. yanshuph, rendered “great owl” in Lev. 11:17; Deut. 14:16, and “owl” in Isa.…
A number of species of the owl are mentioned in the Bible, (Leviticus 11:17; 14:16; Isaiah 14:23; 34:15; Zephaniah 2:14) and in several other places the same Hebrew word is used where it is translated ostrich. (Job 30:29; Jeremiah 50:39) Some of these species were common in Palestine, and, as is well known, were often found inhabiting ruins. (Isaiah 34:11,13-15)
A night bird of prey, unfit for food. Several species are found in Palestine, and are mentioned in the Bible; as in Le 11:17 De 14:16 Isa 14:23 34:15 Zep 2:14. One of the words, however, translated "owl," probably means "OSTRICH," (which see;) and another, Le 11:17 De 14:16 Isa 34:11, the ibis or night heron.
אֵת (eth) is primarily a grammatical marker in Hebrew, indicating the definite direct object of a verb. It is not translated into English and typically precedes nouns that are definite. The word is derived from a demonstrative sense of entity, related to the Hebrew word for 'self.' Its Aramaic equivalent is יָת (yat).
אֵת the mark of the accusative, prefixed as a rule only to nouns that are definite
base
H853 אֵת the mark of the accusative, prefixed as a rule only to nouns that are definite
853 'eth ayth
apparent contracted from 226 in the demonstrative sense of
entity; properly, self (but generally used to point out more
definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or
namely):--(as such unrepresented in English).
see HEBREW for 0226
אֵת (et) — [Obj.].
sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative
Aramaic equivalent: yat (יָת "whom" H3487)
HC/To — Conjunction · particleHC/To
יַנְשׁוּף (yanshuwph) refers to a type of bird, likely a heron or owl, characterized by a harsh call. It is classified as an unclean aquatic bird, possibly linked to the night-heron. The entries suggest it may be associated with its distinctive cry, but there is no significant disagreement among the sources.
יַנְשׁוּף and יַנְשׁוֹף n.[m.] a bird (with harsh, strident note?)
base
H3244 יַנְשׁוּף and יַנְשׁוֹף a bird (with harsh, strident note?)
3244 yanshuwph yan-shoof'
or yanshowph {yan-shofe'}; apparently from 5398; an unclean
(acquatic) bird; probably the heron (perhaps from its blowing
cry, or because the night-heron is meant (compare
5399))):--(great) owl.s
see HEBREW for 05398
see HEBREW for 05399
יַנְשׁוּף (yan.shuph) — owl.
1) great owl, eared owl
1a) an unclean animal
Art | N-ms — Particle · noun common masculine singular absoluteHTd/Ncmsa
oul (bath ha-ya`anah; 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…
Owl
(1.) Heb. bath-haya’anah, “daughter of greediness” or of “shouting.” In the list of unclean birds (Lev. 11:16; Deut. 14:15); also mentioned in Job 30:29; Isa. 13:21; 34:13; 43:20; Jer. 50:39; Micah 1:8. In all these passages the Revised Version translates “ostrich” (q.v.), which is the correct rendering.
(2.) Heb. yanshuph, rendered “great owl” in Lev. 11:17; Deut. 14:16, and “owl” in Isa.…
A number of species of the owl are mentioned in the Bible, (Leviticus 11:17; 14:16; Isaiah 14:23; 34:15; Zephaniah 2:14) and in several other places the same Hebrew word is used where it is translated ostrich. (Job 30:29; Jeremiah 50:39) Some of these species were common in Palestine, and, as is well known, were often found inhabiting ruins. (Isaiah 34:11,13-15)
A night bird of prey, unfit for food. Several species are found in Palestine, and are mentioned in the Bible; as in Le 11:17 De 14:16 Isa 14:23 34:15 Zep 2:14. One of the words, however, translated "owl," probably means "OSTRICH," (which see;) and another, Le 11:17 De 14:16 Isa 34:11, the ibis or night heron.
תִּנְשֶׁ֫מֶת (tanshemeth) refers to an unclean animal, specifically a bird and a lizard, with possible identifications including the ibis, water-hen, and chameleon. The exact meaning remains uncertain, as it may also refer to an extinct species. The term is derived from a root meaning 'hard breather' and reflects the characteristics of these creatures.
תִּנְשֶׁ֫מֶת n.f. an animal
unclean bird, the ibis, water-hen
unclean, lizard, or chameleon
base
H8580 תִּנְשֶׁ֫מֶת an animal . unclean bird, the ibis, water-hen
. unclean, lizard, or chameleon
8580 tanshemeth tan-sheh'-meth
from 5395; properly, a hard breather, i.e. the name of two
unclean creatures, a lizard and a bird (both perhaps from
changing color through their irascibility), probably the
tree-toad and the water-hen:--mole, swan.
see HEBREW for 05395
תִּנְשֶׁ֫מֶת (tan.she.met) — chameleon.
1) an unclean animal of some kind
1a) an unclean bird
1a1) perhaps the ibis, water-hen, species of owl, barn owl
1b) an unclean lizard
1b1) perhaps the chameleon
1c) perhaps an extinct lizard or bird, exact meaning unknown
Conj | Art | N-fs — Conjunction · particle · noun common feminine singular absoluteHC/Td/Ncfsa
oul (bath ha-ya`anah; 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…
Owl
(1.) Heb. bath-haya’anah, “daughter of greediness” or of “shouting.” In the list of unclean birds (Lev. 11:16; Deut. 14:15); also mentioned in Job 30:29; Isa. 13:21; 34:13; 43:20; Jer. 50:39; Micah 1:8. In all these passages the Revised Version translates “ostrich” (q.v.), which is the correct rendering.
(2.) Heb. yanshuph, rendered “great owl” in Lev. 11:17; Deut. 14:16, and “owl” in Isa.…
A number of species of the owl are mentioned in the Bible, (Leviticus 11:17; 14:16; Isaiah 14:23; 34:15; Zephaniah 2:14) and in several other places the same Hebrew word is used where it is translated ostrich. (Job 30:29; Jeremiah 50:39) Some of these species were common in Palestine, and, as is well known, were often found inhabiting ruins. (Isaiah 34:11,13-15)
A night bird of prey, unfit for food. Several species are found in Palestine, and are mentioned in the Bible; as in Le 11:17 De 14:16 Isa 14:23 34:15 Zep 2:14. One of the words, however, translated "owl," probably means "OSTRICH," (which see;) and another, Le 11:17 De 14:16 Isa 34:11, the ibis or night heron.