Genesis 15:11
New International Version
Then birds of prey came down on the carcasses, but Abram drove them away.

New Living Translation
Some vultures swooped down to eat the carcasses, but Abram chased them away.

English Standard Version
And when birds of prey came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away.

Berean Standard Bible
And the birds of prey descended on the carcasses, but Abram drove them away.

King James Bible
And when the fowls came down upon the carcases, Abram drove them away.

New King James Version
And when the vultures came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away.

New American Standard Bible
And birds of prey came down upon the carcasses, and Abram drove them away.

NASB 1995
The birds of prey came down upon the carcasses, and Abram drove them away.

NASB 1977
And the birds of prey came down upon the carcasses, and Abram drove them away.

Legacy Standard Bible
Then the birds of prey came down upon the carcasses, and Abram drove them away.

Amplified Bible
The birds of prey swooped down on the carcasses, but Abram drove them away.

Christian Standard Bible
Birds of prey came down on the carcasses, but Abram drove them away.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Birds of prey came down on the carcasses, but Abram drove them away.

American Standard Version
And the birds of prey came down upon the carcasses, and Abram drove them away.

Contemporary English Version
And when birds came down to eat the animals, Abram chased them away.

English Revised Version
And the birds of prey came down upon the carcases, and Abram drove them away.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
When birds of prey came down upon the carcasses, Abram drove them away.

Good News Translation
Vultures came down on the bodies, but Abram drove them off.

International Standard Version
When birds of prey swooped down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away.

Majority Standard Bible
And the birds of prey descended on the carcasses, but Abram drove them away.

NET Bible
When birds of prey came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away.

New Heart English Bible
And the birds of prey came down on the carcasses, but Abram drove them away.

Webster's Bible Translation
And when the fowls came down upon the carcases, Abram drove them away.

World English Bible
The birds of prey came down on the carcasses, and Abram drove them away.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
and the ravenous birds come down on the carcasses, and Abram causes them to turn back.

Young's Literal Translation
and the ravenous birds come down upon the carcases, and Abram causeth them to turn back.

Smith's Literal Translation
And the birds will come down upon the dead carcases, and Abram will drive them together.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And the fowls came down upon carcasses, and Abram drove them away.

Catholic Public Domain Version
And birds descended upon the carcasses, but Abram drove them away.

New American Bible
Birds of prey swooped down on the carcasses, but Abram scared them away.

New Revised Standard Version
And when birds of prey came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And when the birds of prey came down upon the carcasses, Abram drove them away.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And a bird of prey was descending on the carcasses and Abram was driving it off.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And the birds of prey came down upon the carcasses, and Abram drove them away.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And birds came down upon the bodies, even upon the divided parts of them, and Abram sat down by them.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
God Confirms His Promise
10So Abram brought all these to Him, split each of them down the middle, and laid the halves opposite each other. The birds, however, he did not cut in half. 11And the birds of prey descended on the carcasses, but Abram drove them away. 12As the sun was setting, Abram fell into a deep sleep, and suddenly great terror and darkness overwhelmed him.…

Cross References
Matthew 13:4
And as he was sowing, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it.

Mark 4:4
And as he was sowing, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it.

Luke 8:5
“A farmer went out to sow his seed. And as he was sowing, some seed fell along the path, where it was trampled, and the birds of the air devoured it.

Jeremiah 34:18-20
And those who have transgressed My covenant and have not fulfilled the terms of the covenant they made before Me, I will treat like the calf they cut in two in order to pass between its pieces. / The officials of Judah and Jerusalem, the court officials, the priests, and all the people of the land who passed between the pieces of the calf, / I will deliver into the hands of their enemies who seek their lives. Their corpses will become food for the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth.

1 Samuel 17:44-46
“Come here,” he called to David, “and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field!” / But David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD of Hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. / This day the LORD will deliver you into my hand. This day I will strike you down, cut off your head, and give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds of the air and the creatures of the earth. Then the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel.

Ezekiel 39:17-20
And as for you, son of man, this is what the Lord GOD says: Call out to every kind of bird and to every beast of the field: ‘Assemble and come together from all around to the sacrificial feast that I am preparing for you, a great feast on the mountains of Israel. There you will eat flesh and drink blood. / You will eat the flesh of the mighty and drink the blood of the princes of the earth as though they were rams, lambs, goats, and bulls—all the fattened animals of Bashan. / At the sacrifice I am preparing, you will eat fat until you are gorged and drink blood until you are drunk. ...

Deuteronomy 28:26
Your corpses will be food for all the birds of the air and beasts of the earth, with no one to scare them away.

Isaiah 18:5-6
For before the harvest, when the blossom is gone and the flower becomes a ripening grape, He will cut off the shoots with a pruning knife and remove and discard the branches. / They will all be left to the mountain birds of prey, and to the beasts of the land. The birds will feed on them in summer, and all the wild animals in winter.

Revelation 19:17-18
Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and he cried out in a loud voice to all the birds flying overhead, “Come, gather together for the great supper of God, / so that you may eat the flesh of kings and commanders and mighty men, of horses and riders, of everyone slave and free, small and great.”

Hosea 9:11-13
Ephraim’s glory will fly away like a bird, with no birth, no pregnancy, and no conception. / Even if they raise their children, I will bereave them of each one. Yes, woe be to them when I turn away from them! / I have seen Ephraim, like Tyre, planted in a meadow. But Ephraim will bring out his children for slaughter.

1 Kings 14:11
Anyone belonging to Jeroboam who dies in the city will be eaten by dogs, and anyone who dies in the field will be eaten by the birds of the air.’ For the LORD has spoken.

2 Kings 9:36-37
So they went back and told Jehu, who replied, “This is the word of the LORD, which He spoke through His servant Elijah the Tishbite: ‘On the plot of ground at Jezreel the dogs will devour the flesh of Jezebel. / And Jezebel’s body will lie like dung in the field on the plot of ground at Jezreel, so that no one can say: This is Jezebel.’”

Job 39:30
His young ones feast on blood; and where the slain are, there he is.”

Psalm 79:2
They have given the corpses of Your servants as food to the birds of the air, the flesh of Your saints to the beasts of the earth.

Isaiah 56:9
Come, all you beasts of the field; eat greedily, all you beasts of the forest.


Treasury of Scripture

And when the fowls came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away.

fowls.

Ezekiel 17:3,7
And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; A great eagle with great wings, longwinged, full of feathers, which had divers colours, came unto Lebanon, and took the highest branch of the cedar: …

Matthew 13:4
And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up:

Abram.

Psalm 119:13
With my lips have I declared all the judgments of thy mouth.

Jump to Previous
Abram Birds Bodies Carcases Carcasses Causeth Drove Evil Fowls Prey Ravenous Scared Turn
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Abram Birds Bodies Carcases Carcasses Causeth Drove Evil Fowls Prey Ravenous Scared Turn
Genesis 15
1. God encourages Abram, who asks for an heir.
4. God promises him a son, and a multiplying of his seed.
6. Abram is justified by faith.
7. Canaan is promised again,
9. and confirmed by a sign, and a vision,
18. prophetic of the condition of his posterity till brought out of Egypt.














And the birds of prey
The phrase "birds of prey" in Hebrew is "עַיִט" (ayit), which refers to birds that feed on carrion, such as vultures or hawks. In the ancient Near Eastern context, these birds were often seen as symbols of death and destruction. Their presence in this narrative can be interpreted as a representation of obstacles or challenges that threaten to disrupt God's covenant with Abram. Spiritually, these birds can symbolize the forces of evil or doubt that attempt to interfere with God's promises. Abram's vigilance in driving them away reflects the believer's duty to guard against spiritual attacks and maintain faith in God's promises.

descended on the carcasses
The act of descending upon the carcasses indicates an immediate threat to the sacrificial offering Abram had prepared. In the Hebrew context, sacrifices were sacred acts of worship and covenant-making with God. The carcasses represent Abram's obedience and commitment to God's instructions. The descending birds symbolize the ever-present challenges and distractions that can arise when one is in the process of fulfilling divine instructions. Historically, this imagery would resonate with the audience familiar with the vulnerability of sacrifices left exposed in the open.

but Abram drove them away
Abram's action of driving the birds away is significant. The Hebrew verb used here is "וַיַּשֵּׁב" (vayyashév), which implies a forceful and determined action. This reflects Abram's active role in protecting the sanctity of the covenantal act. From a spiritual perspective, Abram's determination serves as an example of faith in action. It highlights the importance of perseverance and vigilance in the face of challenges to one's faith journey. Abram's actions demonstrate a proactive faith that does not passively wait for divine intervention but actively participates in the fulfillment of God's promises.

(11) And when the fowls . . . --Heb., And the birds of prey came down upon the carcases, and Abram scared them away. Had there been a sacrifice the fire would have kept the vultures from approaching; but the bodies lay exposed, and Abram therefore kept guard over them, lest the purpose of the ceremonial should be frustrated by any want of respect shown to the outward symbols.

Verse 11. - And when the fowls - literally, and the bird of prey, a collective singular with the article, as in Genesis 14:13, symbolizing the Egyptians and other adversaries of Israel, as in Ezekiel 17:3, 7, 12; Ezekiel 39:4, 17; Revelation 19:17, 18 (Knobel, Rosenmüller, Lunge, Keil, Kalisch), which may be regarded as probable if the divided victims represented Israel in affliction, which is doubtful (vide supra). It does not appear necessary to attach any special significance to the descent of the vultures, which are always attracted towards carrion, and the introduction of which here completes the naturalness of the scene - came down upon the caresses (the LXX. interpolates, ἐπὶ τὰ διχοτομήματα), Abram drove them away. Literally, caused them to be blown away, i.e. by blowing. "Though Abram is here represented as the instrument, yet the effect is to be ascribed primarily to the tutelar agency of omnipotence" (Bush; cf. Exodus 15:10; Ezekiel 21:31). The act of scaring the voracious birds has been taken to represent the ease with which Abram or Israel would ward off his enemies (Jonathan, Targums, Rosenmüller, Bush); the averting of destruction from the Israelites through Abram's merit (Kalisch, Keil); Abram's religious regard for and observance of God's treaty (Wordsworth); the patriarch's expectation that God was about to employ the sacrificial victims for some holy purpose (Alford); simply his anxiety to preserve the victims pure and un-mutilated for whatever end they might have to serve (Murphy).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
And the birds of prey
הָעַ֖יִט (hā·‘a·yiṭ)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 5861: A hawk, other bird of prey

descended
וַיֵּ֥רֶד (way·yê·reḏ)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 3381: To come or go down, descend

on
עַל־ (‘al-)
Preposition
Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against

the carcasses,
הַפְּגָרִ֑ים (hap·pə·ḡā·rîm)
Article | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 6297: A carcase, an idolatrous image

but Abram
אַבְרָֽם׃ (’aḇ·rām)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 87: Abram -- 'exalted father', the original name of Abraham

drove them away.
וַיַּשֵּׁ֥ב (way·yaš·šêḇ)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 5380: To blow, to disperse


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OT Law: Genesis 15:11 The birds of prey came down (Gen. Ge Gn)
Genesis 15:10
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