Ospray
ozniah (Lev 11:13; Deu 14:12). The sea eagle or fish hawk, Pandion haliaetus, the Septuagint. Or the short-toed eagle that feeds upon reptiles. The ossifrage (peres, means "the bone-breaker," the lamergeyer, Gypaetus (eagle and vulture combined) barbatus, "the bearded vulture." "Ospray" is a corruption of "ossifrage." It flies in easy curving lines, and then pounces perpendicularly with unerring aim on a fish.
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia on Ospray
Ospray os'-pra (`ozniyah; haliaetos; Latin Pandion haliaetus): A large hawk preferring a diet of fish. The word is found in the list of abominations only. See Le 11:13; De 14:12. The osprey was quite similar in appearance to some of the smaller eagles, and by some it is thought that the short-toed eagle is intended. But the eagle and the gier-eagle had been specified, and on account of the osprey plunging into water for food and having feet bare to the lower leg-joint and plumage of brighter and more distinctive marking, it seems very probable that it was recognized as a distinctive species, and so named separately. Moreover, the osprey was not numerous as were other hawks and eagles. It was a bird that lived almost wholly on fish, and these were not plentiful in the waters of Palestine. This would tend to make it a marked bird, so no doubt the translation is correct as it stands, as any hawk that lived on fish would have been barred as an article of diet (see Tristram, Natural History of the Bible, 182; also Studers, Birds of North America, p. 16). ⇒See the definition of ospray in t…
Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible on Ospray
The name of an unclean bird (Lv 11%, Dt 14"). It is pretty certainly Pandion halizetus, L. It is somewhat rare, and found along the coast and in the Hfleh marshes. Its food is fish, which it catches by poising above the water until it fixes an exact perpendicular over its victim, and then dropping suddenly into the water, from which it generally rises with the fish in its claws. Like other fish-eating birds it is seldom used as food for man, and would naturally be counted unclean. G. E. Post. OSSIFRAGE (015 peres, γύψ, gyps), RV ‘gier eagle.’—The etymology ‘ breaker’ (075), correspond- ing to ossifrage (‘bone-breaker,’ from the Lat.), strengthens the claim of the tr® of AV. As the bird is mentioned only twice (Lv 114%, Dt 1413), we have no side-light from Scripture to help us. The ossifrage is the Lammergeier, Gypxtus barbatus, L. It is one of the largest of the vultures, being 4 ft. 6 in. long. It is known in Arab. as δία) or nisr. It is not numerous in Pal., but generally diffused. Tristram says that there is a pair in nearly every wady. Its name is derived from its habit of carryi…
References
- Orr, J. (ed.) (1915) The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. Chicago: Howard-Severance Company. [Public Domain]
- Easton, M.G. (1893) Easton's Bible Dictionary. 3rd edn. Thomas Nelson. [Public Domain]
- Nave, O.J. (1897) Nave's Topical Bible. Topical Bible Publishing Co.. [Public Domain]
- Hastings, J. (ed.) (1909) A Dictionary of the Bible. Edinburgh: T&T Clark. [Public Domain]
- Smith, W. (ed.) (1884) Smith's Bible Dictionary. London: John Murray. [Public Domain]
- Fausset, A.R. (1878) Fausset's Bible Dictionary. [Public Domain]A Critical and Expository Bible Cyclopaedia