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Pelican

animal_term theological_term standard

A pelican is a large water bird named in some Bible translations; in a few passages the underlying Hebrew term may refer to a different bird.

At a Glance

Traditional Bible translation for a large bird named in several Old Testament passages; the precise Hebrew identification is not always certain.

Key Points

Description

Pelican is the traditional English rendering of a Hebrew bird term found in several Old Testament passages, especially in poetic descriptions of desolation and abandoned places. In many English translations it appears in Psalm 102:6, Isaiah 34:11, and Zephaniah 2:14, and in some versions it is also associated with the list of unclean birds in the Mosaic law. The exact zoological identification is not certain in every passage, and some translators prefer cormorant, bittern, owl, or another bird depending on the context and the understanding of the Hebrew term. For dictionary purposes, the key point is not species precision but the biblical imagery: a lonely bird in a ruined or deserted setting that reinforces the text’s message of judgment, emptiness, or isolation.

Biblical Context

The pelican appears in Old Testament passages that describe wasteland, desolation, or judgment. The image helps portray places emptied of life and cut off from ordinary human activity. In such contexts, the bird is part of the Bible’s broader use of creation imagery to communicate the consequences of sin, covenant judgment, or utter ruin.

Historical Context

Ancient readers and translators often had to identify birds by habitat, behavior, or general appearance rather than by modern zoological categories. As a result, older English translations sometimes used 'pelican' where later translations choose a different bird. The history of translation shows that the term is traditional and meaningful, even when the exact species cannot be fixed with certainty.

Jewish and Ancient Context

Second Temple and later Jewish interpreters inherited the same difficulty of identifying several ancient bird names. In the Torah’s clean/unclean lists and in poetic texts, the concern is usually the category and symbolism of the bird rather than precise modern taxonomy. The biblical imagery would have communicated barrenness, wilderness, or ritual impurity without requiring exact species identification.

Primary Key Texts

Secondary Key Texts

Original Language Note

The Hebrew bird term is traditionally rendered 'pelican' in some English translations, but the exact identification is uncertain in certain passages. Some versions and scholars suggest a different bird, such as cormorant or bittern, depending on the context.

Theological Significance

Pelican imagery does not teach a doctrine by itself, but it contributes to the Bible’s language of judgment, desolation, and abandonment. The passages using this image remind readers that Scripture often employs the created order to vividly portray covenant consequences and the seriousness of divine warning.

Philosophical Explanation

This entry illustrates the difference between semantic certainty and interpretive certainty. Even where the exact species is unclear, the communicative meaning of the text can remain clear. Biblical interpretation should therefore focus on the passage’s intended sense rather than demand more zoological precision than the text supplies.

Interpretive Cautions

Do not overstate certainty about the exact bird in every passage. Translation traditions vary, and the main interpretive point is the poetic image, not a precise species identification. Avoid building doctrine or allegory on the animal itself.

Major Views

Most interpreters agree that the word points to some kind of bird associated with desolation or wilderness, but they differ on whether 'pelican' is the best rendering in every passage. The differences are lexical and translational rather than doctrinal.

Doctrinal Boundaries

This is a lexical and imagery entry, not a doctrinal category. The Bible’s message does not depend on certainty about the bird’s modern species name. The relevant doctrinal point is the truth conveyed by the text in context.

Practical Significance

Readers are helped by recognizing that Bible writers used familiar natural images to communicate loneliness, ruin, and judgment. The entry also reminds us to read translation notes carefully and to distinguish the Bible’s message from uncertain species labels.

Related Entries

See Also

Data

Machine-readable JSON for Pelican

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