Biblical Hebrew Forum

["K Randolph" <kwrandolph AT gmail.com>]

Gary:

No they are not synonyms. עוף (WP first of all is a verb referring to
generic flying, as contrasted to soaring, swooping down (a bird of
prey on its dinner) or a quick flight as in escape. As a noun, it
refers to any flying creature, including insects and bats.

צפור TsPWR is one type of bird, commonly recognized as a sparrow.
Though from its use, it looks as if it can also refer to almost any
type of small bird.

Karl W. Randolph.

On 6/5/07, Gary Hedrick <garyh AT cjfm.org> wrote:
>             What's the difference between tsipor, or 9|5*7 (Gen. 7:14) and
> oof, or 4|3 (Lev. 11:13)? Or are they synonymous?
>
>             The KJV translators evidently saw oof as "fowl" (and indeed this
> is what the Israelis today call chicken in the kitchen) and tsipor was a
> bird. This is how they distinguish between the two in Gen. 7:14. The NIV, on
> the other hand, has "bird" for oof and "every winged creature" for tsipor
> kal canaph.
>
>             In scanning the WWW for clues, I saw where many skeptics say
> that the Bible mistakenly categorizes bats as "birds" in the Leviticus
> passage. However, the rationale behind this criticism escapes me because in
> modern Hebrew, the verbal form of oof is simply "to fly." And a bat
> certainly flies.
>
>             So again, my question is, what distinction, if any, is there
> between tsipor and oof?
>
>
>
> Gary Hedrick
>
> San Antonio, TX