Leviticus 11:17
New International Version
the little owl, the cormorant, the great owl,

New Living Translation
the little owl, the cormorant, the great owl,

English Standard Version
the little owl, the cormorant, the short-eared owl,

Berean Standard Bible
the little owl, the cormorant, the great owl,

King James Bible
And the little owl, and the cormorant, and the great owl,

New King James Version
the little owl, the fisher owl, and the screech owl;

New American Standard Bible
the little owl, the cormorant, and the great owl,

NASB 1995
and the little owl and the cormorant and the great owl,

NASB 1977
and the little owl and the cormorant and the great owl,

Legacy Standard Bible
and the little owl and the cormorant and the great owl,

Amplified Bible
the little owl and the cormorant and the great owl,

Christian Standard Bible
little owls, cormorants, long-eared owls,

Holman Christian Standard Bible
the little owl, the cormorant, the long-eared owl,

American Standard Version
and the little owl, and the cormorant, and the great owl,

English Revised Version
and the little owl, and the cormorant, and the great owl;

GOD'S WORD® Translation
little owls, cormorants, great owls,

International Standard Version
owls, cormorants, the ibis,

Majority Standard Bible
the little owl, the cormorant, the great owl,

NET Bible
the little owl, the cormorant, the screech owl,

New Heart English Bible
the little owl, the cormorant, the great owl,

Webster's Bible Translation
And the little owl, and the cormorant, and the great owl,

World English Bible
the little owl, the cormorant, the great owl,
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
and the little owl, and the cormorant, and the great owl,

Young's Literal Translation
and the little owl, and the cormorant, and the great owl,

Smith's Literal Translation
And the cormorant, and the gannet, and the owl;
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
The screech owl, and the cormorant, and the ibis,

Catholic Public Domain Version
the owl, and the sea bird, and the ibis,

New American Bible
the little owl, the cormorant, the screech owl,

New Revised Standard Version
the little owl, the cormorant, the great owl,
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And the stork, the bee eater,

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And the owl and the pelican and the beeeater,
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
and the little owl, and the cormorant, and the great owl;

Brenton Septuagint Translation
and the night-raven and the cormorant and the stork,

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Clean and Unclean Animals
16the ostrich, the screech owl, the gull, any kind of hawk, 17 the little owl, the cormorant, the great owl, 18the white owl, the desert owl, the osprey,…

Cross References
Deuteronomy 14:16
the little owl, the great owl, the white owl,

Isaiah 34:11
The desert owl and screech owl will possess it, and the great owl and raven will dwell in it. The LORD will stretch out over Edom a measuring line of chaos and a plumb line of destruction.

Zephaniah 2:14
Herds will lie down in her midst, creatures of every kind. Both the desert owl and screech owl will roost atop her pillars. Their calls will sound from the window, but desolation will lie on the threshold, for He will expose the beams of cedar.

Jeremiah 8:7
Even the stork in the sky knows her appointed seasons. The turtledove, the swift, and the thrush keep their time of migration, but My people do not know the requirements of the LORD.

Job 30:29
I have become a brother of jackals, a companion of ostriches.

Psalm 102:6
I am like a desert owl, like an owl among the ruins.

Isaiah 13:21-22
But desert creatures will lie down there, and howling creatures will fill her houses. Ostriches will dwell there, and wild goats will leap about. / Hyenas will howl in her fortresses and jackals in her luxurious palaces. Babylon’s time is at hand, and her days will not be prolonged.

Isaiah 43:20
The beasts of the field will honor Me, the jackals and the ostriches, because I provide water in the wilderness and rivers in the desert, to give drink to My chosen people.

Isaiah 14:23
“I will make her a place for owls and for swamplands; I will sweep her away with the broom of destruction,” declares the LORD of Hosts.

Isaiah 34:15
There the owl will make her nest; she will lay and hatch her eggs and gather her brood under her shadow. Even there the birds of prey will gather, each with its mate.

Matthew 23:37
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those sent to her, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were unwilling!

Luke 13:34
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those sent to her, how often I have longed to gather your children together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were unwilling!

Revelation 18:2
And he cried out in a mighty voice: “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She has become a lair for demons and a haunt for every unclean spirit, every unclean bird, and every detestable beast.

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.”

Matthew 10:29-31
Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. / And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. / So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.


Treasury of Scripture

And the little owl, and the cormorant, and the great owl,

no references listed for this verse.

Jump to Previous
Cormorant Gannet Great Ibis Owl
Jump to Next
Cormorant Gannet Great Ibis Owl
Leviticus 11
1. What animals may be eaten
4. and what may not be eaten
9. What fishes
13. What fowls
29. The creeping things which are unclean














the little owl
The little owl is listed among the unclean birds in Leviticus 11, which the Israelites were prohibited from eating. This prohibition reflects the broader Levitical concern with maintaining ritual purity and distinguishing between clean and unclean animals. The little owl, known for its nocturnal habits, may have been associated with darkness and death, which were often considered impure in ancient Israelite culture. Owls are mentioned in other parts of the Bible, such as Isaiah 34:11 and Psalm 102:6, often symbolizing desolation and loneliness, reinforcing their negative connotations.

the cormorant
The cormorant, a water bird known for its diving ability, is also deemed unclean. In ancient times, cormorants were often found along the coasts and were known for their voracious appetites. The inclusion of the cormorant in this list may reflect its association with scavenging and consuming dead fish, which would render it unclean according to Levitical law. The cormorant's presence in the list underscores the importance of distinguishing between animals that were considered suitable for consumption and those that were not, emphasizing the Israelites' call to holiness and separation from practices of surrounding nations.

the great owl
The great owl, another nocturnal bird, is similarly classified as unclean. Owls, in general, were often associated with ruins and desolate places, as seen in passages like Isaiah 13:21 and Jeremiah 50:39. This association with desolation and the night may have contributed to their unclean status. The great owl's inclusion in the list serves as a reminder of the symbolic nature of the dietary laws, which were intended to teach the Israelites about purity, holiness, and the importance of living in accordance with God's commands. The emphasis on separation from unclean animals can be seen as a type pointing to the separation from sin and the call to holiness found in the New Testament, as believers are called to be set apart in Christ.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Moses
The author of Leviticus, who received the laws from God to instruct the Israelites.

2. Israelites
The people to whom the laws in Leviticus were given, as they journeyed from Egypt to the Promised Land.

3. Mount Sinai
The place where God delivered the laws to Moses, including dietary laws.

4. Clean and Unclean Animals
The classification system given by God to the Israelites, distinguishing between animals that could and could not be eaten.

5. The Wilderness
The setting in which the Israelites received these laws, emphasizing their need for guidance and holiness.
Teaching Points
Understanding Holiness
The dietary laws, including the prohibition of certain birds, were given to set the Israelites apart as a holy nation. As Christians, we are called to live distinct lives that reflect God's holiness.

Obedience to God's Commands
The specific instructions about clean and unclean animals teach us the importance of obedience to God's commands, even when we may not fully understand the reasons behind them.

Symbolism of Purity
The distinction between clean and unclean animals symbolizes the need for spiritual purity. We are called to examine our lives and remove anything that defiles us spiritually.

Freedom in Christ
While the dietary laws were specific to the Israelites, Christians are reminded of the freedom we have in Christ. However, this freedom should be exercised with consideration for others and in a way that honors God.

Respect for Creation
The mention of specific birds reminds us of the diversity and intentionality in God's creation. We are called to steward the earth responsibly and with respect for all living creatures.(17) And the little owl.--With the exception of the parallel passage, Deuteronomy 14:16, this bird only occurs once more, in Psalm 102:6, where it is properly rendered in the Authorised Version by "owl," omitting the word "little," and is described as inhabiting deserted ruins. It not only feeds upon insects and molluscs, hares, rabbits, ducks, geese, and birds of prey, but devours mice and rats, which are especially detested by the Jews. Its flesh is, however, regarded by some tribes as very savoury. The name kos which is translated "owl" in the three above-named passages, is the common Hebrew word for "cup," and it is supposed that it has been given to this bird because the sitting owl especially widens towards the upper part, thus imparting to it a cup-like appearance.

And the cormorant.--Of all the web-footed birds which prey on fish, cormorants are the most voracious. They usually assemble in flocks on the rocks which overhang the sea, whence they drop down from the greatest height upon their victim, dive after it with the rapidity of a dart, and invariably gulp their prey head foremost. The cormorant is to be found in every climate, and is the destruction of all the finny tribe in any fresh-water river which he happens to occupy for a time. Hence he is called the feathered terror of the finny tribe. From the skill which he displays in casting himself down from a great height, and in plunging dart-like after his victim, he derives his Hebrew name, which denotes "darter." The flesh of the cormorant, though rank, is eaten in some regions; whilst the skin, which is tough, is made into garments. The Hebrew name only occurs again in the duplicate catalogue of unclean animals in Deuteronomy 14:17. By comp. Leviticus 11:17-18 of the list before us with the parallel list in Deuteronomy 14:16-17, it will be seen that though the two catalogues respectively enumerate in these two verses the same six birds, yet the order is different. The cormorant, which is here second in Leviticus 11:17, is in Deuteronomy 14 sixth in Leviticus 11:17. There can, therefore, hardly be any doubt that the verse before us has been disturbed, and that by placing the cormorant here sixth, as it is in Deuteronomy, we obtain the two species of owls naturally following each other, as is the case in the parallel catalogue. . . .

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
the little owl,
הַכּ֥וֹס (hak·kō·ws)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 3563: A cup, a lot, some unclean bird, an owl

the cormorant,
הַשָּׁלָ֖ךְ (haš·šā·lāḵ)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 7994: (bird of prey) probably cormorant

the great owl,
הַיַּנְשֽׁוּף׃ (hay·yan·šūp̄)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 3244: (a ceremonially unclean bird) perhaps an owl


Links
Leviticus 11:17 NIV
Leviticus 11:17 NLT
Leviticus 11:17 ESV
Leviticus 11:17 NASB
Leviticus 11:17 KJV

Leviticus 11:17 BibleApps.com
Leviticus 11:17 Biblia Paralela
Leviticus 11:17 Chinese Bible
Leviticus 11:17 French Bible
Leviticus 11:17 Catholic Bible

OT Law: Leviticus 11:17 The little owl the cormorant the great (Le Lv Lev.)
Leviticus 11:16
Top of Page
Top of Page