Lexical Summary yanshuph or yanshoph: Owl Original Word: יַנְשׁוּף Strong's Exhaustive Concordance great owl Or yanshowph {yan-shofe'}; apparently from nashaph; an unclean (acquatic) bird; probably the heron (perhaps from its blowing cry, or because the night-heron is meant (compare nesheph))) -- (great) owl.s see HEBREW nashaph see HEBREW nesheph NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom nashaph Definition (a ceremonially unclean bird) perhaps an owl NASB Translation great owl (2), owl (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs יַנְשׁוּף and (Isaiah 34:11) יַנְשׁוֺף noun [masculine] a bird (with harsh, strident note ? BoHeroz, ii. 284; ed. Rosenm. iii. 29, TristrNHB 192 think of נֶשֶׁף — i.e. a twilight bird; on formative compare LagBN 127 BaNB 231); — unclean Leviticus 11:17; Deuteronomy 14:16; inhabiting deserts Isaiah 34:11. Probably a kind of owl Bol.c., 'Great Owl,' Egyptian Eagle-owl (bubo ascalaphus) Tristrl.c. compare ᵑ6 ᵑ7 Di Dr - WhiteHpt (Leviticus), > ᵐ5. ᵑ9 Leviticus, Isaiah ibis. Topical Lexicon Definition and Identity יָנְשׁוּף (yanshuph) designates a nocturnal bird of prey—most commonly rendered “desert owl” or “horned owl.” Its habitat among ruins and barren places, its eerie cry, and its nocturnal habits explain its biblical associations with uncleanness and desolation. Occurrences in Scripture 1. Leviticus 11:17 – included among the birds Israel was forbidden to eat. Symbolic and Theological Significance Uncleanness: By categorizing the yanshuph as unclean, the Law underscored Israel’s call to discernment. Nocturnal scavengers that feed on carrion and dwell in darkness were fitting symbols of impurity, contrasting sharply with the light-oriented holiness demanded of the covenant community (Leviticus 11:44–45). Judgment and Desolation: Isaiah summons the image of the owl to dramatize the completeness of Edom’s devastation. A land once inhabited by people becomes a haunt for night-loving birds; the presence of the yanshuph testifies that human life and ordered society have vanished, leaving only wilderness and ruin. The prophetic picture prefigures ultimate judgment scenes in later Scripture (for example, Revelation 18). Cultural and Natural Background Ancient Near-Eastern peoples often regarded owls with dread because their shrill cries pierced the night and were thought to presage calamity. The desert owl of the southern Levant thrives in rocky wadis and abandoned structures, emerging at dusk to hunt rodents and lizards. Its ability to flourish where humans cannot heightens its suitability as an emblem of forsaken places. Ministerial Application 1. Holiness and Separation: The yanshuph reminds believers that God’s people are to avoid the moral corruption symbolized by creatures associated with darkness (1 Thessalonians 5:5–8). Summary Across Law and Prophets, יָנְשׁוּף functions as more than a zoological term. It embodies the biblical realities of holiness in everyday choices and the stark consequences of rebellion. Its mournful hoot echoing through deserted ruins calls each generation to revere God’s ordinances, to flee the moral wasteland of sin, and to seek refuge in the light of His salvation. Forms and Transliterations הַיַּנְשֽׁוּף׃ הַיַּנְשׁ֖וּף הינשוף הינשוף׃ וְיַנְשׁ֥וֹף וינשוף haiyanShuf hay·yan·šūp̄ hayyanšūp̄ veyanShof wə·yan·šō·wp̄ wəyanšōwp̄Links Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Leviticus 11:17 HEB: הַשָּׁלָ֖ךְ וְאֶת־ הַיַּנְשֽׁוּף׃ NAS: and the cormorant and the great owl, KJV: and the cormorant, and the great owl, INT: and the little and the cormorant and the great Deuteronomy 14:16 Isaiah 34:11 3 Occurrences |
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