In the Bible, vultures are often associated with desolation, judgment, and the aftermath of divine retribution. These birds of prey are mentioned in various contexts, symbolizing both physical and spiritual realities.

Biblical References:

1. Leviticus 11:13-14 · In the Mosaic Law, vultures are listed among the unclean birds that the Israelites were forbidden to eat: "These you shall regard as detestable among the birds. They must not be eaten because they are detestable: the eagle, the bearded vulture, the black vulture."

2. Deuteronomy 14:12-13 · This passage reiterates the dietary laws concerning unclean birds, including vultures: "But these you may not eat: the eagle, the vulture, the black vulture."

3. Job 28:7 · The vulture is noted for its keen sight: "No bird of prey knows that path; no falcon’s eye has seen it." Here, the vulture's ability to see what is hidden to others is highlighted, symbolizing discernment and awareness.

4. Isaiah 34:15 · In a prophecy concerning the desolation of Edom, vultures are mentioned as inhabitants of the desolate land: "There the owl will make her nest and lay her eggs; she will hatch and gather her young under her shadow. Even the birds of prey will gather there, each with its mate."

5. Matthew 24:28 · Jesus uses the imagery of vultures to describe the inevitability of judgment: "Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather." This metaphor underscores the certainty and inescapability of divine judgment.

6. Revelation 19:17-18 · In the apocalyptic vision, an angel calls the birds, including vultures, to feast on the flesh of the defeated enemies of God: "Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and he cried out in a loud voice to all the birds flying overhead, 'Come, gather together for the great supper of God, so that you may eat the flesh of kings, commanders, mighty men, horses and riders, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, small and great.'"

Symbolism and Interpretation:

In biblical symbolism, vultures often represent the aftermath of divine judgment. Their presence signifies the completion of God's retributive justice, as they consume the remains of those who have fallen under His wrath. This imagery serves as a stark reminder of the consequences of sin and rebellion against God.

Vultures are also seen as symbols of desolation and abandonment. Their gathering in desolate places, as depicted in Isaiah 34:15, emphasizes the totality of destruction that follows divine judgment. The presence of vultures in these contexts serves as a visual representation of the barrenness and emptiness left in the wake of God's righteous anger.

In the New Testament, the metaphor of vultures gathering around a carcass (Matthew 24:28) is used by Jesus to illustrate the certainty of His return and the accompanying judgment. This imagery reinforces the idea that just as vultures are drawn to a carcass, so too will the signs of the end times be unmistakable and unavoidable.

Overall, vultures in the Bible are powerful symbols of judgment, desolation, and the fulfillment of divine prophecy. Their presence in the scriptural narrative serves as a sobering reminder of the consequences of turning away from God's commandments and the ultimate triumph of His justice.

Further Diplomacy
... the hands were clenched hard. Her head was forced forward, the long neck
curved sinuously like a vulture's. She began to speak in ...
//christianbookshelf.org/miller/the yoke/chapter xxvi further diplomacy.htm

The Hidden Path
... HYMNS THE HIDDEN PATH. "There is a path which no fowl knoweth, and which the vulture's
eye hath not seen.""Job 28:7. TP. tr., Emma Frances Bevan, 1899. ...
/.../bevan/hymns of ter steegen and others second series/the hidden path.htm

Frank Leigh's Song. AD 1586
... smart? Ah ruthless dove, the vulture's talons wearing, Why flesh them,
traitress, in this faithful heart? Is this my meed? Must ...
/.../kingsley/andromeda and other poems/frank leighs song a d 1586.htm

Thy Footsteps are not Known
... Job 28. O path which no eagle knoweth,. No vulture's eye hath seen,. Where
never the lion goeth,. Nor the fierce lion's track hath been; ...
/.../bevan/hymns of ter steegen suso and others/thy footsteps are not known.htm

The Ark among the Flags
... Gentle souls spring up in unfavourable soil. Rameses was a strange father for
such a daughter. How came this dove in the vulture's cage? ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture k/the ark among the flags.htm

Letter ccxxxvi. To the Same Amphilochius.
... Hemlock is a vegetable, just as vulture's flesh is flesh; yet no one in his senses
would eat henbane nor dog's flesh unless he were in very great straits. ...
/.../basil/basil letters and select works/letter ccxxxvi to the same.htm

God's Exhaustive Knowledge of Man.
... augmenting knowledge of what he is and what he does, so that it shall seem to him
that he is going down so far along that path which the vulture's eye hath not ...
/.../shedd/sermons to the natural man/gods exhaustive knowledge of man.htm

Christ's First and Last Subject
... As well may the sheep lick blood with the wolf, as well may the dove be comrade
at the vulture's feast of carrion, as a penitent sinner revel in sin. ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 6 1860/christs first and last subject.htm

Concerning Worship.
... This is that divine and spiritual worship, which the world neither knoweth nor
understandeth, which the vulture's [807] eye seeth not into. ...
/.../proposition xi concerning worship.htm

Striking Similes
... Like scents from a twilight garden. Like separated souls. Like serpents struggling
in a vulture's grasp. Like sheep from out the fold of the sky, stars leapt. ...
/.../kleiser/fifteen thousand useful phrases/section viii striking similes.htm

Vulture's (1 Occurrence)
... Multi-Version Concordance Vulture's (1 Occurrence). Job 28:7 There is a path which
no fowl knoweth, and which the vulture's eye hath not seen: (KJV DBY). ...
/v/vulture's.htm - 6k

Vultures (6 Occurrences)

/v/vultures.htm - 8k

Vultur's (1 Occurrence)

/v/vultur's.htm - 6k

Birds (125 Occurrences)
... sea-mew, and the hawk after its kind, and the little owl, and the cormorant, and
the great owl, and the horned owl, and the pelican, and the vulture, and the ...
/b/birds.htm - 62k

Fowl (73 Occurrences)
... DBY WBS YLT). Job 28:7 There is a path which no fowl knoweth, and which
the vulture's eye hath not seen: (KJV WBS YLT). Job 28:21 ...
/f/fowl.htm - 36k

Knoweth (152 Occurrences)
... death. (WBS). Job 28:7 There is a path which no fowl knoweth, and which
the vulture's eye hath not seen: (KJV JPS ASV DBY WBS). Job ...
/k/knoweth.htm - 35k

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