Eagle
1:
Eagle — (Herb. nesher; properly the griffon vulture or great vulture, so called from its tearing its prey with its beak), referred to for its swiftness of flight (Deut. 28:49; 2 Sam. 1:23), its mounting high in the air (Job 39:27), its strength (Ps. 103:5), its setting its nest in high places (Jer. 49:16), and its power of vision (Job 39:27–30).
This “ravenous bird” is a symbol of those nations whom God employs and sends forth to do a work of destruction, sweeping away whatever is decaying and putrescent (Matt. 24:28; Isa. 46:11; Ezek. 39:4; Deut. 28:49; Jer. 4:13; 48:40). It is said that the eagle sheds his feathers in the beginning of spring, and with fresh plumage assumes the appearance of youth. To this, allusion is made in Ps. 103:5 and Isa. 40:31. God’s care over his people is likened to that of the eagle in training its young to fly (Ex. 19:4; Deut. 32:11, 12). An interesting illustration is thus recorded by Sir Humphry Davy:, “I once saw a very interesting sight above the crags of Ben Nevis. Two parent eagles were teaching their offspring, two young birds, the maneuvers of flight. They began by rising from the top of the mountain in the eye of the sun. It was about mid-day, and bright for the climate. They at first made small circles, and the young birds imitated them. They paused on their wings, waiting till they had made their flight, and then took a second and larger gyration, always rising toward the sun, and enlarging their circle of flight so as to make a gradually ascending spiral. The young ones still and slowly followed, apparently flying better as they mounted; and they continued this sublime exercise, always rising till they became mere points in the air, and the young ones were lost, and afterwards their parents, to our aching sight.” (See Isa. 40:31.)
There have been observed in Palestine four distinct species of eagles, (1) the golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos); (2) the spotted eagle (Aquila naevia); (3) the common species, the imperial eagle (Aquila heliaca); and (4) the Circaetos gallicus, which preys on reptiles. The eagle was unclean by the Levitical law (Lev. 11:13; Deut. 14:12).
Easton, M. (1996, c1897). Easton's Bible dictionary. Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
2:
EAGLE Large, carnivorous bird of the falcon family noted for its strength, keen eyesight, and graceful flight. See Birds.
Elwell, W. A., & Comfort, P. W. (2001). Tyndale Bible dictionary. Tyndale reference library (395). Wheaton, Ill.: Tyndale House Publishers.
3:
eagle, a large predatory bird. The Hebrew word (nesher) that has traditionally been translated ‘eagle’ seems more likely to refer to the griffon vulture. Vultures and eagles are difficult to distinguish from a distance, and perhaps for that reason the same term is applied to both birds. The context determines which one is meant. The passage in Prov. 23:5 where a large bird (Heb. nesher) flies toward heaven is thought to refer to the imperial eagle (Aquila heliaca), as this bird was believed able to see into the sun. Where the same word depicts a bird as a symbol for swiftness, it may be the golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) that is alluded to, as this bird possesses great speed (cf. 2 Sam. 1:23; Jer. 4:13).
A number of other eagle species also nest in Palestine or pass through during migration, such as the booted eagle (Hieraaetus pennatus), Bonelli’s eagle (Hieraaetus fasciatus), and the tawny eagle (Aquila rapax), some or all of which may also have been present in biblical times. While the kind of ‘eagle’ referred to by Jesus as collecting where a body is to be found (Matt. 24:28; Luke 17:37) probably refers to a vulture, the great bird of Rev. 4:7 may well refer to an eagle. I.U.K.
Achtemeier, P. J., Harper & Row, P., & Society of Biblical Literature. (1985). Harper's Bible dictionary. Includes index. (1st ed.) (232). San Francisco: Harper & Row.
4:
Eagle
A large raptor. In the OT Heb. nešer designates both the vulture and the eagle. The unclean carrion vulture or gier eagle (Heb. rāḥām or rāḥāmâ; Lev. 11:18; Deut. 14:17), which could not be eaten, is different than the nešer. Almost all uses of nešer refer to the eagle, and most of the time the references are metaphorical.
For the biblical writers, the eagle was a symbol of speed (Deut. 28:49; 2 Sam. 1:23; Jer. 4:13; Lam. 4:19), notable for building its nest in lofty places (Jer. 49:16), for soaring swiftly to the heights (Prov. 23:5), and for attacking its prey ferociously and swiftly (Job 9:26; Hab. 1:8). Other characteristics that were prized included its lofty grandeur (Obad. 4), its gentle and protective care for its young (Exod. 19:4–6; cf. Deut. 32:11), and its youthful vigor (Ps. 103:5; Isa. 40:31, “they shall mount up with wings like eagles”). In Ezekiel’s vision of the throne chariot (Ezek. 1:10) the prophet saw four cherubim, each having four faces (of a man, a lion, an ox, and an eagle). The writer of Revelation borrowed from this image in his vision of the lamb on the throne, circled by four creatures, which are like a lion, an ox, a human, and an eagle (Rev. 4:7; Gk. aetós). John also employed the greatness of the eagle and its capacity for flight (or escape) in reference to the woman of Rev. 12:14 (cf. 8:13). Apart from those references, the eagle is mentioned in the NT only in Matt. 24:28 ( = Luke 17:37), where the reference is clearly to carrion-eating birds and not the noble eagle of the OT.
Richard A. Spencer
Freedman, D. N., Myers, A. C., & Beck, A. B. (2000). Eerdmans dictionary of the Bible (361). Grand Rapids, Mich.: W.B. Eerdmans.
