Birds of the Bible – Birds of the What??

Wood Stork flying over Lake Morton by Lee 2009

Wood Stork flying over Lake Morton by Lee 2009

In my last post, Birds of the Bible – Birds of the Air Updated, I mentioned that I was going to search my many versions of the Bible. WELL!! I may just have bit off more than I can chew or have more material for articles than I have years left on this earth. :0)

So far in my searching through the two sources that I am using, [e-Sword and Bible Gateway] I have been busy for the last several days, just trying to find verses with “Birds of the“[in English versions]. Have I ever been surprised! There have been translations with “0” (Zero) verses up to several with over 50 verses.

Mallards flying off by Ian

Mallards flying off by Ian

Before you get too upset with me using so many versions, let me place a disclaimer here. I believe God inspired the original manuscripts, and that they have been preserved through diligent copying of those. He promised: “For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.” Matthew 5:18, KJV. I use the KJV, but also use a few other Bibles that I believe are very close to those original scripts. I do use other versions occasionally, like this, to find verses about the birds. Some versions today are questionable as to the way it was translated.

Thousands of Snow Geese flying ©Hager Mannwr-moreno

Along with all the “Birds of the”; sky, heavens, heaven, trees, air, mountains, waste land, sky lodge, and hills, some versions use fowl and fowls. My next search is of the fowls, so the verses can be matched.

What are they doing? Why are they there? What lessons can we learn from them, etc.? That is where the Birds of the What?? is heading. Stay turned.

For a starter, almost all of the versions list Genesis 1:26. They all mention God creating man, and then giving them rule over the “birds of the …”

And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
Then God said, “Let Us (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) make man in Our image, according to Our likeness [not physical, but a spiritual personality and moral likeness]; and let them have complete authority over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the cattle, and over the entire earth, and over everything that creeps and crawls on the earth.”

    Vermilion-Flycatcher-male-flying ©Brent Paull

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