Bittern

קפוד . Isa 14:23; Isa 34:11; and Zep 2:14. Interpreters have rendered this word variously: an owl, an osprey, a tortoise, a porcupine, and even an otter. “How unhappy,” says Mr. Harmer, “that a word which occurs but three times in the Hebrew Bible should be translated by three different words, and that one of them should be otter!” Isaiah, prophesying the destruction of Babylon, says that “the Lord will make it a possession for the bittern, and pools of water;” and Zep 2:14, prophesying against Nineveh, says that “the cormorant and bittern shall lodge in the upper lintels of it: their voice shall sing in the windows.” The Arabic version reads “alhoubara.” According to Dr.

Shaw, the houbara is “of the bigness of a capon, but of a longer body. It feeds on little shrubs and insects, like the graab el Sahara; frequenting, in like manner, the confines of the desert;” Golius interprets it the bustard; and Dr. Russel says that the Arabic name of the bustard is “houbry.”

The word thus rendered occurs but three times in Scripture (Isa 14:23; Isa 34:11; and Zep 2:14), and has been variously interpreted—owl, osprey, tortoise, porcupine, otter, and in the Arabic, bustard. Bochart, Shaw, Lowth and other great authorities, have supported the opinion that it refers to the porcupine; but this is in the highest degree improbable, for the texts above quoted make it clear that the animal referred to must from its habits be not a hedgehog, nor even a mammal, but a bird. We think the term most applicable to the heron tribes, whose beaks are formidable spikes that often kill hawks; a fact well known to Eastern hunters. Of these, the common night heron, with its pencil of white feathers in the crest, is a species not uncommon in the marshes of Western Asia; and of several species of bittern, Ardea (botaurus) stellaris has pointed long feathers on the neck and breast, freckled with black, and a strong pointed bill. After the breeding-season it migrates and passes the winter in the south, frequenting the marshes and rivers of Asia and Europe, where it then roosts high above ground, uttering a curious note before and after its evening flight, very distinct from the booming sound produced by it in the breeding-season, and while it remains in the marshes. Though not building, like the stork, on the tops of houses, it resorts, like the heron, to ruined structures, and we have been informed that it has been seen on the summit of Tauk Kesra at Ctesiphon.

A fowl about the size of a heron, and of the same genus. Nineveh and Babylon became a possession for "the bittern" and other wild birds, Isa 14:23 34:11 Zep 2:14 . According to some critics, the more probable meaning of the Hebrew word is hedge-hog, or porcupine; and Mr. Rich says he found "great quantities" of porcupine quills among the ruins of Babylon; but others think this inconsistent with Zep 2:14, and understand the word is referring to the common night-heron, a bird like the bittern found among the marshes of Western Asia, resorting to ruined buildings, and uttering a peculiar harsh cry before and after its evening flight.\par

Bittern. The word occurs in Isa 14:23; Isa 34:11; Zep 2:14, and we are inclined to believe that the Authorized Version is correct. The bittern, (Botaurus stellaris), belongs to the Ardeidae, the heron family of birds, and is famous for the peculiar nocturnal booming sound which it emits.

(qippod. The accompaniment of the desolation reigning in Babylon (Isa 14:23), Idumea (Isa 34:11), Nineveh (Zep 2:14). An aquatic solitary bird, frequenting marshy pools, such as the plain of Babylonia abounded in: the Al-houbara of the Arabic version, the size of a large fowl. The Botaurus stellaris, of the heron kind. Gesenius translates "the hedgehog" (from its rolling itself together; qaapad, "to contract oneself"), and Strabo says that enormous hedgehogs were found in the islands of the Euphrates. The Arabic kunfud resembles qippod somewhat. But the hedgehog or porcupine would never "lodge" or perch on the chapiters of columns," as margin Zep 2:14 says of the qippod. Still the columns might be fallen on the ground within reach of the hedgehog, and Idumea is not a marshy region suited to an aquatic bird such as the bittern.

(קַפֹּד or קַפּוֹד, kippod’; Sept. ἐχῖνος, i.e. hedgehog) occurs but three times in Scripture, in connection with the desolations of Babylon, Idumeea, and Nineveh (Isa 14:23; Isa 34:11; Zep 2:14), and has been variously interpreted owl, osprey, tortoise, porcupine, otter, and, in the Arabic, bustard. Bochart, Shaw, Lowth, and other authorities, have supported the opinion that it refers to the porcupine (see especially Keith, Evidence, ed. 1840, p. 435, 490), making the first syllable to be derived from קָנֶה, kaneh’, "spine;" in confirmation of which, Bochart, with his wonted learning, cites the Chaldee, Hebrew, Arabic, and Ethiopian names of the porcupine and hedgehog, which apparently confirm his opinion, while Gesenius defends the same identification, although by a different derivation, from קָפִר, kaphad’, "to contract," i.e. into a ball; but this meaning is utterly irreconcilable with the context. In Isa 14:23, "I will make it a possession for the bittern, and pools of water," etc., the words are plain and natural. Marshes and pools are not the habitation of hedgehogs, for they shun water. In Isa 34:11, it is said, the cormorant and the bittern shall possess it, the owl also and the raven shall dwell in it," etc., that is, in the ruins of Idumea. Here, again, the version is plain, and a hedgehog most surely would be out of place. Zep 2:14, " Both the cormorant and the bittern shall lodge in the upper lintels of it, and their voice shall sing in the windows," etc. Surely here kippod cannot mean the hedgehog, a nocturnal, grovelling, worm-eating animal, entirely or nearly mute, and incapable of climbing up walls; one that does not haunt ruins, but earthy banks in wooded regions, and that is absolutely solitary in its habits. The arguments respecting the Heb. term itself, drawn from indications of manners, such as the several texts contain, are, on the contrary, positive, and leave no doubt that the animal meant is not a hedgehog, nor even a mammal, but a bird, and that of some aquatic species. Hence the word must bear an interpretation which is applicable to one of the feathered tribes, probably to certain wading species, which have, chiefly on the neck, long pointed feathers, more or less speckled. This is confirmed by the Arabic version, which has Alioubara, the name of a bird which, according to Shaw, is of the size of a capon, but of a longer habit of body.

The bittern answers these conditions, and is a solitary bird, loving marshy ground. Its scientific name is Botaurus stellaris, and it belongs to the Gruidae, or cranes. The Arabian bustard, Otis houbara, might be selected if it were not that bustards keep always in dry deserts and uplands, and that they never roost-their feet not admitting of perching-but rest on the ground. The term seems most applicable to the heron tribes, whose beaks are formidable spikes that often kill hawks-a fact well known to Eastern hunters. Of these, Nycticorax Europcus, or common night-heron, with its pencil of white feathers in the crest, is a species not uncommon in the marshes of Western Asia; and of several species of bittern, the Ardea (botaurus) stellaris has pointed long feathers on the neck and breast, freckled with black, and a strong pointed bill. After the breeding season it migrates, and passes the winter in the south, frequenting the marshes and rivers of Asia and Europe, where it then roosts high above ground, uttering a curious note before and after its evening flight, very distinct from the booming sound produced by it in the breeding-season, and while it remains in the marshes. Though not building, like the stork, on the tops oft houses, it resorts, like the heron, to ruined structures, and is said to have been seen on the summit of Tank Kesra at Ctesiphon. The common bittern is a bird nearly of the size of the common heron, but differing from it greatly in the color of its plumage. The crown of the head is black, with a black spot also on each side about the angle of the mouth; the back and upper part are elegantly variegated with different colors, black, brown, and gray, in beautiful arrangement. This species of bird is common only in fenny countries, where it is met with skulking about the reeds and sedge; and its sitting posture is with the head and neck erect, and the beak pointed directly upward. It permits persons to approach near to it without rising. It flies principally toward the dusk of the evening, and then rises in a very singular manner, by a spiral ascent, till quite out of sight. It makes a curious noise when among the reeds, and a very different, though sufficiently singular one, as it rises on the wing in the night. (See Penny Cyclopcedia, s.v.) SEE PORCUPINE.

The word in the LXX, ἐχῖνος, signifies ’hedgehog or porcupine,’ and this rendering is preferred by some Hebrew scholars for the Hebrew word. qippod; but as in two of the passages it is mentioned with a bird called the Cormorant, it is more probably a bird, and the description well agrees with the habits of the bittern, for the passages point to desolations because of the judgements of God. Isa 14:23; Isa 34:11; Zep 2:14. The bittern is a bird that shuns society, and it is at home in any desolate marshy place. The spots and marks on its feathers correspond with the colours of the reeds among which it dwells, so that it escapes observation. Its doleful cry has often been treated as an omen of evil.

BITTERN (Isa 14:23; Isa 34:11, Zep 2:14).—Although the bird of this name—the Botaurus stellaris—is found in Palestine, especially in the Huleh marshes, the philological evidence is quite against this translation. The Heb. word is kippôd, and is generally accepted to be the equivalent of the Arab. [Note: Arabic.] kunfudh, ‘porcupine.’ This animal suits the Scriptural requirements at least as well as the bittern. It (the Hystrix cristata) is common all over Palestine. Large specimens measure as much as 3 ft. from the nose to the tip of the spines. The porcupine is a vegetable-eating, nocturnal animal; it is solitary in its habits, and very timid of man. It glides about in the twilight or starlight in a most weird way, giving vent at times to peculiar short grunts. When roused to self-defence, the porcupine is most dangerous; its erect quills, which pierce like a needle, make it most difficult to capture. In all respects the porcupine is a likely and appropriate inhabitant of desolate ruins untrodden by the foot of man. Porcupine are eaten by both fellahin and Bedouin.

E. W. G. Masterman.

bit´ẽrn (קפד, ḳippōdh; Latin Botaurus stellaris; Greek ἐχῖνος, echı́nos): A nocturnal member of the heron family, frequenting swamps and marshy places. Its Hebrew name means a creature of waste and desert places. The bittern is the most individual branch of the heron (ardeidae) family on account of being partially a bird of night. There are observable differences from the heron in proportion, and it differs widely in coloration. It is one of the birds of most ancient history, and as far back as records extend is known to have inhabited Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia and America. The African bird that Bible historians were familiar with was 2 1/2 ft. in length. It had a 4-inch bill, bright eyes and plumage of buff and chestnut, mottled with black. It lived around swamps and marshes, hunting mostly at night, and its food was much the same as that of all members of the heron family, frogs being its staple article of diet. Its meat has not the fishy taste of most members of the heron family, and in former times wa s considered a great delicacy of food. In the days of falconry it was protected in England because of the sport afforded in hunting it. Aristotle mentions that previous to his time the bittern was called óknos, which name indicates “an idle disposition.” It was probably bestowed by people who found the bird hiding in swamps during the daytime, and saw that it would almost allow itself to be stepped upon before it would fly. They did not understand that it fed and mated at night. Pliny wrote of it as a bird that “bellowed like oxen,” for which reason it was called Taurus. Other medieval writers called it botaurus, from which our term “bittern” is derived. There seems to be much confusion as to the early form of the name; but all authorities agree that it was bestowed on the bird on account of its voice. Turner states that in 1544 the British called it “miredromble,” and “botley bump,” from its voice. Rolland says the French called it, Boeuf d’eau. In later days “bog-bull,” “stake-driver” and “thunder-pumper” have attached themselves to it as terms fitly descriptive of its voice. Nuttall says its cry is “like the interrupted bellowing of a bull, but hollower and louder, and is heard at a mile’s distance, as if issuing from some formidable being that resided at the bottom of the waters.” Tristram says, “Its strange booming note, disturbing the stillness of night, gives an idea of desolation which nothing but the wail of a hyena can equal.” Thoreau thought its voice like the stroke of an ax on the head of a deeply driven stake. In ancient times it was believed the bird thrust its sharp beak into a reed to produce this sound. Later it was supposed to be made by pushing the bill into muck and water while it cried. Now the membrane by which the sound is produced has been located in the lungs of the bird. In all time it has been the voice that attracted attention to the bittern, and it was solely upon the ground of its vocal attainments that it entered the Bible. There are three references, all of which originated in its cry. Isaiah in prophesying the destruction of Babylon (Isa 14:23 in the King James Version) wrote: “I will also make it a possession for the bittern, and pools of water”; in other words he would make of it a desolate and lonely swamp. Again in Isa 34:11 in the King James Version, in pronouncing judgment against Idumaea, he wrote, “But the cormorant and the bittern shall possess it.” In the Revised Version (British and American), “cormorant” and “bittern” are changed to “pelican” and “porcupine.” The change from the cormorant to pelican makes less difference, as both are water birds, and the Hebrew shālākh, which means “a plunging bird,” would apply equally to either of them. If they were used to bear out the idea that they would fill the ruins with terrifying sound, then it is well to remember that the cormorant had something of a voice, while the pelican is notoriously the most silent of birds. The change from bittern to porcupine is one with which no ornithologist would agree. About 620 bc, the prophet Zephaniah (Zep 2:14) clearly indicates this bird: “And herds shall lie down in the midst of her, all the beasts of the nations: both the pelican and the porcupine shall lodge in the capitals thereof; their voice shall sing in the windows; desolation shall be in the thresholds: for he hath laid bare the cedar work.” This should forever settle the question raised by some modern commentators as to whether a bird or beast is intended by the word ḳippōdh. In some instances it seems to have been confounded with ḳunfudh, the hedgehog or porcupine. No natural historian ever would agree to this, because these animals are not at home in the conditions that were known to exist here. Even granting that Nineveh was to be made dry, it must be remembered that the marshes of the Tigris lay very close, and the bird is of night, with a voice easily carrying over a mile. Also it was to “sing” and to “lodge” on the “upper lintels” which were the top timbers of the doors and windows. These formed just the location a bittern would probably perch upon when it left its marshy home and went booming through the night in search of a mate. It was without doubt the love song of the bittern that Isaiah and Zephaniah used in completing prophecies of desolation and horror, because with the exception of mating time it is a very quiet bird. For these reasons the change from bittern to porcupine in the Revised Version (British and American), of the paragraph quoted, is a great mistake, as is also that of cormorant to pelican.

Bittern. This bird is similar to the heron. The KJV uses "bittern" in (Isa 14:23; Isa 34:11); and (Zep 2:14), referring to a creature that dwells in ruined places-- a symbol of abandonment.

The bittern can be found in marshes all over the world. His loud cry, hollow and drum-like, booms through the darkness while he hunts his prey. The bittern was considered an omen of desolation and a prophecy of evil. Bitterns are large birds, about two feet long, with a gift of camouflage. A bittern may freeze with his long beak tilted skyward and be overlooked among reeds swaying gently in the wind. Bitterns eat frogs, snails, worms, and small fish.

Other translations of the Hebrew word for bittern are hedgehog (Isa 14:23; Zep 2:14), (RSV) and porcupine (Isa 14:23), (NKJV; (Isa 34:11), RSV, NKJV).