Bible Encyclopedia: Pigeon

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International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

PIGEON

The rich provided large and expensive cotes of molded pottery for their birds, each section big enough for the home of one pair of birds, the regular rows of openings resembling lattice work, so that Isaiah refers to them as "windows" (Isaiah 60:8). Septuagint reads sun nossois, literally, "with young" or "fledglings" (see below). The middle classes modeled cotes of oven-baked clay, and the very poor cut holes in the walls, over the doors, and allowed the birds to enter and live with the family.

In wild estate, rock and wood pigeons swarmed in countless numbers through rocky caves and caverns and over the plains of Gennesaret, the forests of Gilead and the woody slopes of Carmel. They remained throughout the season, breeding at all times. The doves were migratory, and were kept in confinement only as caged pets or to be held for sale for sacrifice. For these purposes, it appears that the dove was slightly preferred. When only one bird was to be used, a dove is always specified; where two, almost in every case the dove is mentioned first. Where one or the other will suffice, the dove seems to have been given preference. This may have been because it required greater effort to procure a dove, and so it was considered a greater sacrifice. Everyone having a home of any sort had pigeons they could use, or they could be taken wild at any time. The dove is first mentioned in Genesis 15:9: "And he said unto him, Take me a heifer three years old, and a she-goat three years old, and a ram three years old, and a turtle-dove, and a young pigeon."

It will be observed that the dove is mentioned first, and it is specified that the pigeon was to be young. It is probable that the people protected their domesticated pigeons by using the wild for sacrifice, whenever possible. Young birds could be taken from a nest at almost any time. The old birds, among the wild, were shy creatures and far more difficult to capture in nets or snares than doves that came close to cities and villages to live, and exhibited much less fear of man than the wild pigeons. The next reference is in Leviticus 5:7: "And if his means suffice not for a lamb, then he shall bring his trespass-offering for that wherein he hath sinned, two turtle-doves, or two young pigeons, unto Yahweh; one for a sin-offering, and the other for a burnt-offering." Here two birds of each kind were to be offered, if the person making the sacrifice could not afford a lamb. Again in Leviticus 12:6: "And when the days of her purifying are fulfilled, for a son, or for a daughter, she shall bring a lamb a year old for a burnt-offering, and a young pigeon, or a turtledove, for a sinoffering, unto the door of the tent of meeting, unto the priest." Here is a rare instance where the text or the translators place the pigeon first.

"And on the eighth day he shall bring two turtle-doves, or two young pigeons, to the priest, to the door of the tent of meeting" (Numbers 6:10). In Songs 2:14:

"O my dove, that art in the clefts of the rock,

In the covert of the steep place,

Let me see thy countenance,

Let me hear thy voice;

For sweet is thy voice, and thy countenance is comely."

Here the text reads "dove," but the description of the location and the implication of the text prove the bird to have been a rock pigeon-a tender, loving thing, yet shy and timid, that peeps with eyes of bright concern over the rocks of its chosen home, down at the intruder. Isaiah 60:8: "Who are these that fly as a cloud, and as the doves to their windows?" Here is another place where the wrong bird is used. Doves were wild and migratory. They had no "windows." But the tile pots massed in one diamond-shaped cote appeared at a little distance, like latticed windows. This should read "pigeons" instead of "doves." For the same reason see Jeremiah 48:28: "O ye inhabitants of Moab, leave the cities and dwell in the rock; and be like the dove that maketh her nest over the mouth of the abyss." Again the bird intended is the rock pigeon. Luke 2:24: "A sacrifice according to that which is said in the law of the Lord, A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons." This describes the sacrifice offered in the temple by Mary following the birth of Jesus.

Gene Stratton-Porter

Greek

4058. peristera -- a dove
... a dove. Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine Transliteration: peristera Phonetic Spelling:
(per-is-ter-ah') Short Definition: a dove Definition: a dove, pigeon. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/4058.htm - 6k

Strong's Hebrew

1469. gozal -- young birds
... young. Word Origin from an unused word Definition young birds NASB Word Usage
young (1), young pigeon (1). young pigeon. Or (shortened ...
/hebrew/1469.htm - 6k

3123. yonah -- dove
... Word Origin from an unused word Definition dove NASB Word Usage dove (13),
dove's (1), doves (8), pigeon (1), pigeons (9). dove, pigeon. ...
/hebrew/3123.htm - 6k

699. arubbah -- a lattice, window, sluice
... Feminine participle passive of 'arab (as if for lurking); a lattice; (by implication)
a window, dove-cot (because of the pigeon-holes), chimney (with its ...
/hebrew/699.htm - 6k

Library

Of the Meaning of the Sacrifice Abraham was Commanded to Offer ...
... it, God said to him, "Take me an heifer of three years old, and a she-goat of three
years old, and a ram of three years old, and a turtle-dove, and a pigeon. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/augustine/city of god/chapter 24 of the meaning of.htm

Whether Christ was Becomingly Presented in the Temple?
... Reply to Objection 4: The law ofLev.12:6, 8 "commanded those who could, to offer,
for a son or a daughter, a lamb and also a turtle dove or a pigeon: but those ...
/.../aquinas/summa theologica/whether christ was becomingly presented.htm

The Purification of the virgin and the Presentation in the Temple
... The sin-offering was, in all cases, a turtle-dove or a young pigeon. But,
while the more wealthy brought a lamb for a burnt-offering ...
/.../the life and times of jesus the messiah/chapter vii the purification of.htm

Enoch, the Deathless
... by the friendship of a rat; and a similar story is told of an English prisoner,
who, under similar circumstances, found solace in the company of a pigeon. ...
/.../milligan/men of the bible some lesser-known/enoch the deathless.htm

Introductory
... addressed to it by others. It separates its acquisitions and distributes them
among the pigeon-holes of the memory. Out of these again ...
/.../stalker/the preacher and his models/lecture i introductory.htm

Man's Difficulty Concerning Prayer.
... What perfection in a dwelling would it be that its furniture and the paths between
were fitted as the trays and pigeon-holes of a cabinet? ...
/.../macdonald/unspoken sermons/mans difficulty concerning prayer.htm

The Fixed Heart
... merely a fluttering love, that, like some butterfly, lights now on this, now on
that, sweet flower, but which has a flight straight as a carrier pigeon to its ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture j/the fixed heart.htm

Abraham's Sacrifice of a Heifer Three Years Old, of a Goat, and of ...
... 2638] "Take Me an heifer of three years old, and a she goat of three years old,
and a ram of three years old, and a turtle dove, and a young pigeon;" which is ...
/.../chapter ii abrahams sacrifice of a.htm

The Dedication
... As an offering for the mother, the law required a lamb of the first year for a burnt
offering, and a young pigeon or a turtledove for a sin offering. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/white/the desire of ages/chapter 5 the dedication.htm

The Rhythm of Life
... soul's communication with God. One of our Cambridge naturalists told me once
of an experiment he had made with a pigeon. The bird had ...
/.../peabody/mornings in the college chapel/vii the rhythm of life.htm

Smith's Bible Dictionary

Pigeon

[TURTLE-DOVE]

Easton's Bible Dictionary

Pigeons are mentioned as among the offerings which, by divine appointment, Abram presented unto the Lord (Genesis 15:9). They were afterwards enumerated among the sin-offerings (Leviticus 1:14; 12:6), and the law provided that those who could not offer a lamb might offer two young pigeons (5:7; Comp. Luke 2:24). (see DOVE.)

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary

1. (n.) Any bird of the order Columbae, of which numerous species occur in nearly all parts of the world.

2. (n.) An unsuspected victim of sharpers; a gull.

3. (v. t.) To pluck; to fleece; to swindle by tricks in gambling.

Thesaurus

Pigeon (3 Occurrences)
... 2. (n.) An unsuspected victim of sharpers; a gull. 3. (vt) To pluck; to fleece;
to swindle by tricks in gambling. Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia. PIGEON. ...
/p/pigeon.htm - 13k

Pigeon-dealers (3 Occurrences)
Pigeon-dealers. Pigeon, Pigeon-dealers. Pigeons . Multi-Version
Concordance Pigeon-dealers (3 Occurrences). Matthew ...
/p/pigeon-dealers.htm - 7k

Turtledove (5 Occurrences)
... The pigeon and the turtle-dove were the only birds permitted to be offered
in sacrifice (Leviticus 1:14; 5:7; 14:22; 15:14, 29, etc.). ...
/t/turtledove.htm - 10k

Turtle-dove (5 Occurrences)
... The pigeon and the turtle-dove were the only birds permitted to be offered
in sacrifice (Leviticus 1:14; 5:7; 14:22; 15:14, 29, etc.). ...
/t/turtle-dove.htm - 9k

Pigeons (14 Occurrences)
... 21:12 Entering the Temple, Jesus drove out all who were buying and selling there,
and overturned the money-changers' tables and the seats of the pigeon-dealers ...
/p/pigeons.htm - 11k

Entering (124 Occurrences)
... 21:12 Entering the Temple, Jesus drove out all who were buying and selling there,
and overturned the money-changers' tables and the seats of the pigeon-dealers ...
/e/entering.htm - 37k

Money-changers (5 Occurrences)
... 21:12 Entering the Temple, Jesus drove out all who were buying and selling there,
and overturned the money-changers' tables and the seats of the pigeon-dealers ...
/m/money-changers.htm - 9k

Dove (27 Occurrences)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary. 1. (pp) of Dive. 2. (n.) A pigeon of the genus Columba
and various related genera. The species are numerous. ...
/d/dove.htm - 28k

Pig (4 Occurrences)

/p/pig.htm - 8k

Birds (125 Occurrences)
... the description of the sacrifice of Abram, where it was specified that he was to
use, with the animals slaughtered, a turtle dove and a young pigeon, the birds ...
/b/birds.htm - 62k

Bible Concordance

Pigeon (3 Occurrences)

Genesis 15:9 He said to him, "Bring me a heifer three years old, a female goat three years old, a ram three years old, a turtledove, and a young pigeon."
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS NAS RSV NIV)

Leviticus 1:14 "'If his offering to Yahweh is a burnt offering of birds, then he shall offer his offering of turtledoves, or of young pigeons.
(Root in WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Leviticus 12:6 "'When the days of her purification are completed, for a son, or for a daughter, she shall bring to the priest at the door of the Tent of Meeting, a year old lamb for a burnt offering, and a young pigeon, or a turtledove, for a sin offering:
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Subtopics

Pigeon

Pigeon used As Sacrifice

Related Terms

Pigeon-dealers (3 Occurrences)

Turtledove (5 Occurrences)

Turtle-dove (5 Occurrences)

Pigeons (14 Occurrences)

Entering (124 Occurrences)

Money-changers (5 Occurrences)

Dove (27 Occurrences)

Pig (4 Occurrences)