13 And these are they which ye shall have in abomination among the fowls; they shall not be eaten, they are an abomination: the eagle, and the ossifrage, and the ospray,

14 And the vulture, and the kite after his kind;

15 Every raven after his kind;

16 And the owl, and the night hawk, and the cuckow, and the hawk after his kind,

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

18 And the swan, and the pelican, and the gier eagle,

19 And the stork, the heron after her kind, and the lapwing, and the bat.

20 All fowls that creep, going upon all four, shall be an abomination unto you.

We have heard the laws of cleanliness for beasts and fish, today we hear them for the birds. For this we are not given a clear defining principle, though, most of this is simply a long list of birds which cannot be eaten.

Looking at the list, however, a pattern does emerge. When we look at hawks, eagles, and osprey, we see that birds of prey are being forbidden. This maintains the pattern seen previously, where other predator animals were also forbidden. God’s people are not to be ravenous or murderous, only standing against the Lord’s foes when commanded, and otherwise establishing peace with all.

We also see forbidden the scavenger birds, such as the vulture and the raven. God’s people are not meant to be opportunists taking advantage of others’ misfortune. We are to prosper by honest labor.

Finally, we also see the dark and the strange flying creatures forbidden. Nocturnal animals like owls and bats must not be eaten. So, too, we must not deal in the dark, make alliances with the shadows, or serve the prince of darkness.

Again, we see the pattern continuing of the laws having a clear symbolism for what God’s people should be, and what they should not be. In our next post we will hear the instructions for the last category: insects.