Lexical Summary daah: kite Original Word: דָּאָה Strong's Exhaustive Concordance vulture From da'ah; the kite (from its rapid flight) -- vulture. See ra'ah. see HEBREW da'ah see HEBREW ra'ah NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom daah Definition perhaps kite (a bird of prey) NASB Translation kite (3). Brown-Driver-Briggs דָּאָה noun feminine a bird of prey, possibly kite (ᵑ9 Saad BoHieroz. ii. 191 Di Leviticus 11:14; Aramaic דַּיְתָא,  ; Late Hebrew דַּיָּה of different birds of prey; name probably from flying, swooping), Leviticus 11:14 forbidden as food; compare also Deuteronomy 14:13 וְהָרָאָה ואתהָֿאַיָּה והַדַּיָּה, where for הראה read הַדָּאָה & strike out הַדַּיָּה; so ⅏ ᵐ5; compare Di l.c. ר Reš 20th letter; = 200 in post-Biblical Hebrew. רָאָה Deuteronomy 14:13 textual error; see דָּאָה Topical Lexicon Hebrew Background דָּאָה designates a bird of prey belonging to the kite family. While Leviticus 11:14 contains its solitary explicit occurrence, a cognate form (דַּיָּה) appears elsewhere, confirming that ancient Israel recognized several species within the same raptor group. Natural History and Identification Modern ornithology identifies the red kite (Milvus milvus) and the black kite (Milvus migrans) as the most probable representatives. Both soar with forked tails, ride thermal currents in lazy circles, and subsist largely on carrion, refuse, and small vertebrates. Their scavenging habits made them familiar sights above Near-Eastern villages, shepherd camps, and battlefields, where discarded meat or carcasses lay exposed. By day they hovered silently; at dusk they settled in communal roosts, filling the sky with high-pitched whistles. Biblical Occurrence Leviticus 11:14 – “the kite, the falcon of any kind” – lists דָּאָה among creatures that Israel must not eat. The surrounding context divides land animals, aquatic life, insects, and birds into clean and unclean categories, shaping Israel’s table fellowship and underscoring its distinct calling. Historical and Cultural Context Egyptian tomb paintings depict kites soaring over fields, and Mesopotamian omen texts note their keen eyesight as portents. In Canaan, their daily presence around refuse heaps would have been as common as village dogs. By proscribing such omnivorous scavengers, the Law distanced Israel from the ritual spheres of death, decay, and idolatrous augury that neighboring peoples often associated with birds of prey. Ritual and Theological Significance 1. Holiness through Separation: The kite’s inclusion among forbidden foods exemplifies the principle, “Be holy, because I am holy” (Leviticus 11:44). Israel’s diet became a living reminder that fellowship with the Holy One excludes the defilement symbolized by carrion feeders. Prophetic and Poetic Allusions Isaiah 34:15 (with the cognate דַּיָּה) places the kite amid ruins of divine judgment, illustrating how places rejected by God become haunts for scavengers. Such imagery intensifies warnings of covenant breach and invites repentance. Lessons for Ministry • Discernment: Just as the kite hovers to locate its next meal, believers must watch vigilantly, yet choose nourishment that edifies (Philippians 4:8). Contemporary Observations Migratory patterns have returned red kites to the hills of modern Israel after decades of scarcity, offering fresh visual aids for biblical teaching and reminding viewers that “the earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof” (Psalm 24:1). Key Reference Leviticus 11:14 – An emblem of the divine call to maintain purity by refusing what feeds on corruption. Forms and Transliterations הַ֨דָּאָ֔ה הדאה had·dā·’āh haddā’āh haddaAhLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Leviticus 11:14 HEB: וְאֶת־ הַ֨דָּאָ֔ה וְאֶת־ הָאַיָּ֖ה NAS: and the kite and the falcon KJV: And the vulture, and the kite INT: and the kite and the falcon kind 1 Occurrence |
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