Topical Bible: The Eagle: Soaring to Heaven

◄ The Eagle: Soaring to Heaven ►

Jump to: Torrey's • Library • Subtopics • Terms

Topical Encyclopedia

The eagle, a majestic bird of prey, is frequently mentioned in the Bible, symbolizing strength, swiftness, and the divine. Its imagery is used to convey various spiritual truths and lessons, reflecting the bird's characteristics and its significance in the ancient Near Eastern context.

Symbol of Strength and Renewal

The eagle is often associated with strength and renewal. In Isaiah 40:31 , it is written, "But those who wait upon the LORD will renew their strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not faint." This verse highlights the eagle's ability to soar high above the earth, symbolizing the spiritual renewal and strength that believers receive from God. The imagery of mounting up with wings like eagles suggests a divine empowerment that enables believers to rise above life's challenges.

Swiftness and Judgment

The eagle's swiftness is another prominent theme in the Bible. In Deuteronomy 28:49 , the eagle is used to describe the speed and ferocity of an invading nation: "The LORD will bring a nation against you from afar, from the ends of the earth, like an eagle swooping down, a nation whose language you will not understand." Here, the eagle's rapid descent serves as a metaphor for the sudden and overwhelming nature of divine judgment. This imagery underscores the idea that God's judgments are swift and unavoidable, much like the eagle's swift flight.

Protection and Care

The eagle also symbolizes God's protective care for His people. In Exodus 19:4 , God reminds the Israelites of His deliverance: "You have seen for yourselves what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Myself." This metaphor illustrates God's nurturing and protective nature, as an eagle cares for its young. The image of being carried on eagles' wings conveys a sense of security and divine guidance, emphasizing God's role as a protector and provider.

Vision and Insight

Eagles are known for their keen eyesight, which is often used metaphorically in the Bible to represent vision and insight. In Job 39:27-29 , the eagle's ability to see from great heights is highlighted: "Does the eagle soar at your command and make his nest on high? He dwells on a cliff and lodges there; his stronghold is on a rocky crag. From there he spies out food; his eyes see it from afar." This passage underscores the eagle's ability to perceive things from a distance, symbolizing spiritual discernment and the ability to see beyond the immediate circumstances.

Heavenly Aspirations

The eagle's ability to soar high into the sky is often seen as a metaphor for heavenly aspirations and spiritual elevation. In Proverbs 23:5 , the fleeting nature of wealth is compared to an eagle flying toward heaven: "When you glance at wealth, it disappears, for it makes wings for itself and flies like an eagle to the sky." This imagery serves as a reminder of the transitory nature of earthly possessions and the importance of setting one's sights on heavenly, eternal values.

Conclusion

The eagle, with its powerful wings and majestic flight, serves as a profound symbol in the Bible, representing strength, swiftness, protection, vision, and spiritual aspiration. Through its various depictions, the eagle invites believers to trust in God's strength, seek His protection, and aspire to spiritual heights, reflecting the divine nature and purposes in their lives.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Proverbs 23:5
Will you set your eyes on that which is not? for riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

On the Words, Maker of Heaven and Earth, and of all Things visible ...
... of the clouds [1086] , and hath bent down the heaven to the ... What man can behold the
eagle's lofty flight ... If then thou canst not discern the soaring of the most ...
/.../cyril/lectures of s cyril of jerusalem/lecture ix on the words.htm

Within the Veil
... Mine but to be simple; in the fields of heaven. All my sweet employ,. Loving and
delighting, as a child that singeth. With unbiden joy". As an eagle soaring. ...
/.../bevan/hymns of ter steegen suso and others/within the veil.htm

Life and Character of John
... Jesus, they were ready, like Elijah of old, to call consuming fire from heaven. ... not
weakness, and giving him for his symbol a bold eagle soaring with outspread ...
/.../history of the christian church volume i/section 41 life and character.htm

John Chapter x. 22-42
... The evangelist John himself looked to heaven and earth when wishing to speak of ... armies
above the heavens; he thought, and, like the eagle soaring beyond the ...
/.../augustine/homilies on the gospel of john/tractate xlviii john chapter x.htm

John ii. 11
... nothing of earthly things, but were above them all; and like a sort of light-winged
eagle, soaring high by their works; reached [611] to heaven itself, and by ...
/.../homilies on the gospel of st john and hebrews/homily xxiii john ii 11.htm

Warning.
... t count this time.' Well, he may not count it, and a kind heaven may not ... Canon
Wilberforce walking in the Isle of Skye, saw a magnificent eagle soaring upward. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/moody/sowing and reaping/chapter viii warning.htm

On the Feast of the Nativity of St John the Baptist
... is likened unto a soaring eagle, wrote of him that "he bore witness to the light.".
Dear children, how could we praise this exalted prince of Heaven better, or ...
//christianbookshelf.org/tauler/the inner way/sermon xi on the feast.htm

A Bundle of Myrrh
... come near to this mine of treasure, "seeing it is hid from the eyes of all living,
and kept close from the fowls of heaven." O for the soaring eagle wing of ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 10 1864/a bundle of myrrh.htm

Sovereignty of God in Administration
... At God's decree fire and brimstone descended from Heaven and the cities of the ... panther,
the untameable wolf, the fierce tiger; the high-soaring eagle and the ...
/.../pink/the sovereignty of god/chapter three sovereignty of god.htm

To his Father, when He had Entrusted to Him the Care of the Church ...
... as a park is better than and preferable to a tree, the whole heaven with its ... like
an eaglet, not quite vainly flying close to a mighty and high soaring eagle. ...
/.../cyril/lectures of s cyril of jerusalem/oration xii to his father.htm