צפור, a common name for all birds, but is sometimes used for the
sparrow in particular.
Birds are distinguished by the Jewish legislator into clean and unclean.
Such as fed upon grain and seeds were allowed for food, and such as
devoured flesh and carrion were prohibited.
Moses, to inspire the Israelites with sentiments of tenderness toward
the brute creation, commands them, if they find a bird’s nest, not to
take the dam with the young, but to suffer the old one to fly away, and
to take the young only, Deut. xxii, 6. This is one of those merciful
constitutions in the law of Moses which respect the animal creation, and
tended to humanize the heart of that people, to excite in them a sense
of the divine providence extending itself to all creatures, and to teach
them to exercise their dominion over them with gentleness. Beside, the
young never knew the sweets of liberty; the dam did: they might be taken
and used for any lawful purpose; but the dam must not be brought into a
state of captivity. The poet Phocylides has a maxim, in his admonitory
poem, very similar to that in the sacred texts:--
Μηδέ τις ὄρνιθας καλιῆς ἅμα ϖάντας ἑλέσθω,
Μητερα δ’ ἐκπρολίπης, ἵν’ ἔχῃς ϖάλι τῆσδε νεοττούς.
Nor from a nest take all the birds away,
The mother spare, she’ll breed a future day.
It appears that the ancients hunted birds. Baruch, iii, 17, speaking of
the kings of Babylon, says, “They had their pastime with the fowls of
the air;” and Daniel, iii, 38, tells Nebuchadnezzar that God had made
the fowls of the air subject to him.
Birds were offered in sacrifice on many occasions. In the sacrifices for
sin, he who had not a lamb, or a kid, “might offer two turtles, or two
young pigeons; one for a sin-offering, the other for a burnt-offering.
These he presented to the priest, who offered that first which was for
the sin-offering, and wrung off the head from the neck, but did not
divide it asunder: the other he was to offer for a burnt-offering,” Lev.
v, 7, 8. When a man who had been smitten with a leprosy was healed, he
came to the entrance of the camp of Israel, and the priest went out to
inspect him, whether he were entirely cured, Lev. xiv, 5, 6. After this
inspection, the leprous person came to the door of the tabernacle, and
offered two living sparrows, or two birds; (pure birds, those of which
it was lawful to eat;) he made a wisp with branches of cedar and hyssop,
tied together with a thread, or scarlet ribbon; he filled an earthen pot
with running water, that the blood of the bird might be mingled with it;
then the priest, dipping the bunch of hyssop and cedar into the water,
sprinkled with it the leper who was healed; after which he let loose the
living bird, to fly where it would. In Palestine dead bodies were
sometimes left exposed to birds of prey, as appears from Scripture; but,
generally, they were buried in the evening: even criminals were taken
down from the gallows.
sparrow in particular.
Birds are distinguished by the Jewish legislator into clean and unclean.
Such as fed upon grain and seeds were allowed for food, and such as
devoured flesh and carrion were prohibited.
Moses, to inspire the Israelites with sentiments of tenderness toward
the brute creation, commands them, if they find a bird’s nest, not to
take the dam with the young, but to suffer the old one to fly away, and
to take the young only, Deut. xxii, 6. This is one of those merciful
constitutions in the law of Moses which respect the animal creation, and
tended to humanize the heart of that people, to excite in them a sense
of the divine providence extending itself to all creatures, and to teach
them to exercise their dominion over them with gentleness. Beside, the
young never knew the sweets of liberty; the dam did: they might be taken
and used for any lawful purpose; but the dam must not be brought into a
state of captivity. The poet Phocylides has a maxim, in his admonitory
poem, very similar to that in the sacred texts:--
Μηδέ τις ὄρνιθας καλιῆς ἅμα ϖάντας ἑλέσθω,
Μητερα δ’ ἐκπρολίπης, ἵν’ ἔχῃς ϖάλι τῆσδε νεοττούς.
Nor from a nest take all the birds away,
The mother spare, she’ll breed a future day.
It appears that the ancients hunted birds. Baruch, iii, 17, speaking of
the kings of Babylon, says, “They had their pastime with the fowls of
the air;” and Daniel, iii, 38, tells Nebuchadnezzar that God had made
the fowls of the air subject to him.
Birds were offered in sacrifice on many occasions. In the sacrifices for
sin, he who had not a lamb, or a kid, “might offer two turtles, or two
young pigeons; one for a sin-offering, the other for a burnt-offering.
These he presented to the priest, who offered that first which was for
the sin-offering, and wrung off the head from the neck, but did not
divide it asunder: the other he was to offer for a burnt-offering,” Lev.
v, 7, 8. When a man who had been smitten with a leprosy was healed, he
came to the entrance of the camp of Israel, and the priest went out to
inspect him, whether he were entirely cured, Lev. xiv, 5, 6. After this
inspection, the leprous person came to the door of the tabernacle, and
offered two living sparrows, or two birds; (pure birds, those of which
it was lawful to eat;) he made a wisp with branches of cedar and hyssop,
tied together with a thread, or scarlet ribbon; he filled an earthen pot
with running water, that the blood of the bird might be mingled with it;
then the priest, dipping the bunch of hyssop and cedar into the water,
sprinkled with it the leper who was healed; after which he let loose the
living bird, to fly where it would. In Palestine dead bodies were
sometimes left exposed to birds of prey, as appears from Scripture; but,
generally, they were buried in the evening: even criminals were taken
down from the gallows.