5776. oph

Lexical Summary

oph: bird, birds

Original Word: עוֹף
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: `owph
Pronunciation: ohf
Phonetic Spelling: (ofe)
NASB: bird, birds
Word Origin: [(Aramaic) corresponding to H5775 (עוֹף - birds)]

1. fowl

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

fowl

(Aramaic) corresponding to owph -- fowl.

see HEBREW owph

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
(Aramaic) corresponding to oph
Definition
fowl
NASB Translation
bird (1), birds (1).

Topical Lexicon

Biblical Usage

In both Daniel 2:38 and Daniel 7:6, עוֹף designates “birds” or “flying creatures.” Though the term is common elsewhere for literal birds, Daniel employs it figuratively:

• Daniel 2:38 – Nebuchadnezzar’s God-given dominion extends over “the beasts of the field and the birds of the air.”
• Daniel 7:6 – The third beast is portrayed with “four wings of a bird on its back,” signifying speed and far-reaching power.

Historical Context in Daniel

Daniel addressed exiles living under Babylonian and later Persian rule. The imagery of birds served to:

1. Affirm divine sovereignty: even the highest earthly monarch rules only by God’s decree (Daniel 2:37-38).
2. Foreshadow shifting empires: the winged leopard (Daniel 7:6) anticipates the swift conquests of the Greco-Macedonian realm that followed Medo-Persia.

Prophetic Symbolism

1. Dominion and breadth – Birds, occupying the heavens above the earth, symbolize comprehensive oversight (compare Genesis 1:28). By linking Nebuchadnezzar to the birds, Scripture underlines that his reach is extensive but delegated.
2. Swiftness – Wings on the leopard stress rapid expansion; historically fulfilled in Alexander the Great’s lightning campaigns (see also Habakkuk 1:8).
3. Transience – Birds are migratory; empires too are fleeting. Daniel 2:44 anticipates an eternal kingdom that will replace all temporary powers.

Theological Themes

• God’s providence: “He has made you ruler over them all” (Daniel 2:38). Avian imagery underscores that creation, from ground beasts to sky dwellers, is subject to God and can be reassigned at His will.
• Human limitation: Even with bird-like reach, earthly sovereignty remains finite; it is “until the Ancient of Days came” (Daniel 7:22).
• Eschatological hope: By contrasting feathered ferocity with heaven’s court, Daniel points readers to the ultimate rule of the Son of Man (Daniel 7:13-14).

Intertextual Resonance

While Daniel 2:38 and Daniel 7:6 contain the only occurrences of עוֹף numbered 5776, the wider canon employs related avian language to communicate:

• Shelter under divine wings (Psalm 91:4).
• Sudden judgment “like an eagle swooping down” (Deuteronomy 28:49).
• Gospel advance pictured as an eagle in mid-heaven proclaiming good news (Revelation 14:6).

These parallels enrich Daniel’s prophecy by framing earthly empires within God’s larger redemptive narrative.

Ministry Application

1. Confidence in God’s sovereignty – Believers can rest knowing that political powers, no matter how expansive or rapid, remain under the Creator’s hand.
2. Urgency in mission – The winged leopard’s speed challenges the church to proclaim the kingdom with equal zeal (Matthew 24:14).
3. Humility in leadership – Any authority we hold, whether civic or ecclesial, is bestowed and bounded by God (Romans 13:1).

See Also

Genesis 1:20; Job 12:7-10; Psalm 8:6-8; Matthew 6:26; Revelation 4:7

Forms and Transliterations

וְעוֹף־ ועוף־ ע֖וֹף עוף ‘ō·wp̄ ‘ōwp̄ of veof wə‘ōwp̄- wə·‘ō·wp̄-

Englishman's Concordance

Daniel 2:38
HEB: חֵיוַ֨ת בָּרָ֤א וְעוֹף־ שְׁמַיָּא֙ יְהַ֣ב
NAS: of the field, or the birds of the sky,
KJV: of the field and the fowls of the heaven
INT: the beasts of the field the birds of the sky has given

Daniel 7:6
HEB: אַרְבַּ֛ע דִּי־ ע֖וֹף עַל־ [גַּבַּיַּהּ
NAS: wings of a bird; the beast
KJV: wings of a fowl; the beast
INT: four which of a bird had upon back

2 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 5776
2 Occurrences

‘ō·wp̄ — 1 Occ.
wə·‘ō·wp̄- — 1 Occ.