Fovrl is the rendering of the following Hcb. words in the Bible : 1. Usuallj' Cl'S'' (ppih, a flier), Ttrtn'ov, any Avinged animal, a generic term for the feathered race, frequently with the addition of C1'^"'n, ''of the heavens." 2.10^1-' (ji'yit, so called from rushing on its prej' ; compai-e Jer. xii, 9, where it is spoken of a beast), a ravenous bird (Job xxviii, 7) ; as an emblem of a warlike king (Isa. xlvi, 11) ; collect, for birds of prejf (Gen. xv, 11; Isa. xviii, G; Ezek. xxxix, 4); like ijpvtov, as a vulture (Rev. xviii, 2; xix, 17, 21); translated yb?r^ in Gen. xv, 11; Job xxviii, 7; Isa. xviii, 0. 3. "il2!i (fsippo/, so called from it^ twitter, ing; Chald. ^S^, Dan. iv, 9, 11, 18, 80), a small bird, spec, a sparrow (Psa. Ixxxiv, 4; cii, 8; Prov. xxvi, 2; xxvii, 8; Job xl, 29; Eccles. xii, 6, etc.), or simi- lar small birds (Psa. xi, 1 ; civ, 17 ; cxxiv, 7 : as caught by the fowler, Piov. vi, 5; vii, 23; Amos iii, 5, etc. ; also collect., birds of any kind. Gen. xv, 10; Lev. xiv, 4-53 ; Deut. iv, 17 ; Psa. viii, 9 ; cxlviii, 10, etc. ; and even a bird of prey, Ezek. xxxix, 4), occa- sionally rendered by swallow and sparrow. In Neh. V, 18, the word seems to liave the sjiccial sense which "fowl" has with us, as it is enumerated among the viands provided for Nehemiah's table. 4. C"i"t3"i2 (barbnrim'), " fatted /wr^s," 1 Kings iv, 23, as provi- ded for the table of Solomon, where Kimchi under- stands capons, but Gesenius, with the Jerus. Targum, ffeese, so called from the ])Ureness and whiteness of their plumage. The ancient Egj'ptians had spacious poultrj'-yards, set apart for keeping geese and other
FOWL
634
FOWLER
wild-fowl, which they fattened for the table ; and their poulterers liestowed especial care upon tha geese (Wil- kinson, i, 215 ; ii, 174, abridgni.). See Fatted Fowl.
kuche, De gallis et gallinis ad arum Jehovce nonfractis, Kint. 1741). The Talmud mentions geese (T^IS, Choi. xii, 1 ; Eehor. vii, -1), a well-known article of luxury
Geese brought and numbered. Britiali Museum— from Thehes. Viz 1 A scribe. 2. Men brinRins; csjs iji baskets. 3. One of the feeders of (.-eose. 4. Table, on which are baskets containinj efrgs and flowers, scribe reading the account before the steward or master of the estate, written on a papyrus he holds in his hands. 6. Man bringing the goslings kets. 1. Tlie feeders of the geese doing obeisance ; others seated in an attitude of respect ; and S, bowing as he brings up the geese with their youn: 9. A large flock of geese brought by others, 10, 11, 12.
bas-
in the jST. T. the word translated "fowls" is most frequently to. Trtrnvu, which comprehends all kinds of birds (including ravens, Luke xii, 24); hut in Kev. six, 17-21, where the context shows that birds of prey are meant, the Greek is tu ijovta. Tiie same distinc- tion is observed in the apocryphal writings: comp. Ju- dith xi, 7 ; Ecclus. xvii, 4 ; xliii, 1 ', with 2 Mace, xv, 33. See Cock; SrAUROw.
The following statements are from Winer, ii, 663. Clean birds (nniTJ ^'"IBlJ-bs, Dent, xiv, 11, 20), i. e. all not named in Lev. xi, 13-19 ; Deut. xiv, 12-18, were (as well as their eggs, d"':;"^3) used for food (Luke xi, 12), e. g. quails (q. v.), chickens, doves, also wild-fowl ; hence bird-catching was verj' common (Psa. cxxiv, 7 ; Amos iii, 5 ; Hos. v. 1 ; vii, 12, etc.), for which purpose nets, traps, and stool-birds (Jer. v, 27 ; Ecclus. xi,31 [37]) were used (see Gesen. Thes. p. 685). See Fowler. In robl)ing a nest of its eggs or j'oung, however, ths mother-bird must be allowed to escajic (Uaut. xxii, 6 sq. ; see Michaelis, Syntagm. Comm. ii, 89 S(i. ; Mos. Eecht, iii, 181 sq.), a prescription founded not only on motives of humanity (comp. Lev. xxii, 28 ; yet see Ilcumann, De legis die. sensu, Gott. 1748 ; also in his X^ova StjUoge Dissertatt. p. 282 -sq.) ; although the Talmudists (Mishna, Chollin, xii, 2) refer this onlj' to clean birds, and make many nice distinctions in the matter, with various penalties attached {Maccolh, iii, 4). Birds were not regularly offered in sacrifice, ex- cept in commutation for some costlier victim (Lev. i, 15-17 ; compire Jlishna, Kinnim. v, 11). See Dove. The bird was first brought to the altar, where the priest (with his nail) nipped off the head, or rather cracked (p5 -) the neck, so tliat it still hung to the bird (Lev. v, 8) ; he then squeezed out the blood (suf- ficient, at least, in quantit)' for sprinkling), and finally threw the body into the fire, but without the crop, wliich (with its contents and the offal) was separately (51:::) thrown into the ash-hcap under the altar. Be- fore the fiesh was committed to the flames, however, a folding back or breaking of the wings (T^Sj^S -•"B"^) is prescribed, a symbol of which the meaning is not clear (see Dassov, De ave ungue secia, Viteb. 1G97 ; Es-
with modern Jews. The Hebrews were accustomed to play with parlor-birds, especially children (Jol) xl, 29 [24]; Baruch iii, 17 ; comp. CatuU. ii, 1 sq. ; Plant. Cujit. v, 4, 5). Of that form of divination which drew omens from the appearance or flight of birds (Muller, Etriisl-. ii, 187 scj.), an example occurs in the histoiy of the Herodian family (.losephns. Ant. xix, 8, 2). See SooTHS.VYEU. The foble of the phoenix (Plin}', x, 2 ; Ovid, Met. xv, 392 sq. ; comp. Herod, ii, 73) is thought bj' some (also Ewald) to be alluded to in Job xxix, 18 (see Gesenius, Tlies. Ileb. p. 453 sq.). See generally Tenzel, in the Thesidir. theol. philol. i, 559 sq. Comp. Bird.