These are the birds you may not eat: the griffon vulture, the bearded vulture, the black vulture,
Parallel translations
- WEB But these are they of which you shall not eat: the eagle, the vulture, the osprey,
- KJV But these are they of which ye shall not eat: the eagle, and the ossifrage, and the ospray,
- BSB but these you may not eat: the eagle, the bearded vulture, the black vulture,
- NKJV But these you shall not eat: the eagle, the vulture, the buzzard,
- NASB But these are the ones that you shall not eat: the eagle and the vulture and the buzzard,
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Birds such as the eagle, vulture, and osprey may not be eaten. The forbidden list begins with large birds of prey.
Overview
The list of unclean birds starts with raptors and scavengers, many of which feed on carrion or blood. Their exclusion fits the broader concern of the dietary laws with avoiding what is associated with death and uncleanness. These distinctions, marking Israel as holy, were fulfilled and set aside in Christ.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 1
- Lev 11:13–19“‘These you shall detest among the birds; they shall not be eaten, they are an abomination: the eagle, and the vulture, and the black vulture,
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Moses promised a Prophet like himself to whom Israel must listen (18:15); Jesus is that Prophet, the one who keeps the covenant we broke and becomes the curse for us by hanging on a tree (Gal 3:13).
How Deuteronomy 14:12 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.