עׇזְנִיָּה (oz.niy.yah)
oz.niy.yah
vulture
H:N-FQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 2 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:N-F
Word Overview
The Hebrew noun ozniyyah refers to an unclean bird of prey, most likely a vulture or buzzard. It appears only twice in the Old Testament, both times within lists of prohibited animals in Leviticus 11:13 and Deuteronomy 14:12. These passages outline dietary laws that separated Israel from surrounding nations, marking certain creatures as ritually unfit for consumption.
Lexical sources suggest the word may describe an osprey or black eagle, though its exact identity remains uncertain. Some scholars propose it could even refer to an extinct species, indicating that the precise zoological classification is less important than its functional role in the text: it is a scavenging predator deemed unclean.
This term highlights how ancient Israelite law used observable nature to teach spiritual boundaries. By excluding birds associated with death and decay, the law reinforced themes of purity and life. The ambiguity of the bird’s identity does not weaken its theological purpose; instead, it underscores that the focus was on category rather than scientific precision.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word ozniyyah appears in lists of birds that ancient Israel was not to eat. These laws helped the people feel different from their neighbors by setting clear boundaries about what was clean and what was not. For us today, this reminds us that God cares about how we live out our daily lives, including what we consume.
While the specific bird is hard to identify now, the point remains: God calls His people to be set apart. We can apply this by thinking carefully about what influences our hearts and bodies. Choosing purity in small things helps us stay close to Him.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 2 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- the/ osprey1×
- and/ the/ osprey1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- וְ/הָֽ/עָזְנִיָּֽה\׃1×
- הָ/עָזְנִיָּֽה\׃1×
Key Verses
-
Leviticus 11:13
“‘You shall detest these among the birds; they shall not be eaten because they are an abomination: the eagle, the vulture, the black vulture,
This verse lists ozniyyah among birds that are an abomination and must not be eaten, establishing it as ritually unclean.
-
Deuteronomy 14:12
But these are they of which you shall not eat: the eagle, the vulture, the osprey,
Here the word is repeated in a restatement of dietary laws, reinforcing the prohibition against eating this specific bird.