Leviticus 11:14

Summary

Leviticus 11:14 continues the list of birds forbidden as food, naming two specific raptors: the da'ah ("black kite", H1676) and the ayah ("hawk", H0344), the second explicitly followed by a phrase indicating that its various kinds are included in the prohibition.

Key words

• da'ah ("black kite", H1676) — feminine singular noun, the first bird named, marked with the definite article ha ("the", H9009) and preceded by the direct object marker 'et (H0853), signaling it as a specific accusative item in the list.
• 'ayah ("hawk", H0344) — feminine singular noun, also definite and marked by 'et, structured in parallel with da'ah.
• min ("kind", H4327) — masculine singular noun in construct form, meaning it grammatically links to what follows ("kind of X"); here it takes a pronominal suffix rather than a following noun.
• -ah ("its/her", H9024) — third person feminine singular pronominal suffix attached to min, referring back to 'ayah ("hawk"), producing leminah ("according to its kind").
• ve ("and", H9002) — conjunction appearing twice, joining the two bird names into a single list entry within the larger catalogue of forbidden creatures.

What the text says

The Hebrew clause consists of two coordinated direct objects, each introduced by 'et and the definite article: ha-da'ah ("the black kite") and ha-'ayah ("the hawk"). These are governed by a verb from the preceding verses (not repeated here), continuing a list structure typical of Leviticus 11's catalogue of forbidden birds.

The phrase le-minah ("according to its kind") attaches only to 'ayah, using the construct noun min ("kind", H4327) with a third-person feminine singular suffix. This construction indicates that the prohibition covers not merely the specific bird named but its broader category — the grammatical form extends the referent from a single species-name to an entire class sharing that designation. The suffix's feminine gender agrees with the feminine noun 'ayah, confirming that "its kind" refers back to the hawk rather than to the kite mentioned earlier in the verse.

Differences between versions

The LXX lists three items — gypa ("vulture"), iktina ("kite"), and ta homoia autō ("things like it") — where the Hebrew presents two nouns (da'ah and 'ayah) with the suffixed phrase "according to its kind" attached to the second. The Vulgate gives milvum ac vulturem ("kite and vulture") juxta genus suum ("according to its kind"), preserving two bird names but applying the "kind" phrase to both rather than to the second noun alone as in the Hebrew. The English renderings (BSB, RV1909, SBLIBRE) vary in identifying the second bird as "falcon" or "buitre" ("vulture"), diverging from the Hebrew term 'ayah ("hawk").