Charles Ellicott Commentary Leviticus 11:17

"and the little owl, and the cormorant, and the great owl," — Leviticus 11:17 (ASV)

And the little owl.— With the exception of the parallel passage, Deuteronomy 14:16, this bird occurs only one other time, in Psalms 102:6, where it is properly translated in the Authorized Version as “owl,” omitting the word “little,” and is described as inhabiting deserted ruins. It not only feeds upon insects and mollusks, hares, rabbits, ducks, geese, and birds of prey, but devours mice and rats, which are especially detested by the Jews. Its flesh is, however, regarded by some tribes as very savory. The name kos, which is translated “owl” in the three above-mentioned passages, is the common Hebrew word for “cup,” and it is supposed that this name has been given to this bird because the sitting owl especially widens towards the upper part, thus imparting to it a cup-like appearance.

And the cormorant.— Of all the web-footed birds that prey on fish, cormorants are the most voracious. They usually assemble in flocks on the rocks that overhang the sea, from where they drop down from the greatest height upon their victim, dive after it with the rapidity of a dart, and invariably gulp their prey head foremost. The cormorant is to be found in every climate and is the destruction of all fish in any freshwater river that it happens to occupy for a time.

For this reason, it is called the feathered terror of fish. From the skill that it displays in casting itself down from a great height, and in plunging dart-like after its victim, it derives its Hebrew name, which means “darter.” The flesh of the cormorant, though rank, is eaten in some regions; while the skin, which is tough, is made into garments.

The Hebrew name only occurs again in the duplicate catalog of unclean animals in Deuteronomy 14:17. By comparing Leviticus 11:17-18 of the list before us with the parallel list in Deuteronomy 14:16-17, it will be seen that though the two catalogs respectively enumerate in these two verses the same six birds, the order is different. The cormorant, which is second here in Leviticus 11:17, is sixth in Deuteronomy 14:17. There can, therefore, hardly be any doubt that this verse (Leviticus 11:17) has been disturbed, and that by placing the cormorant here sixth, as it is in Deuteronomy, we obtain the two species of owls naturally following each other, as is the case in the parallel catalog.

And the great owl. —Rather, the night owl, as the name in the original (yanshûph) means “night-bird.” Besides the parallel passage in Deuteronomy 14:16, this bird of prey occurs only one other time, in Isaiah 34:11, where the Authorized Version translates it simply as “owl,” omitting the word “great,” and where it is associated with the raven and other dismal birds as fit occupants of deserted ruins. According to the description of it that prevailed in the time of Christ, its eyes are directed forward, it utters frightful shrieks in the night, and has a face like a cat, and cheeks like a human being.

In consequence of its repulsive visage and human appearance, it was considered a bad omen if one saw an owl in a dream. That the two kinds of owls are mentioned here is probably due to their disgusting habit of ejecting pellets, each one of which sometimes contains from four to seven skeletons of mice. Therefore, instead of saying after his kind, to include the other varieties, the lawgiver enumerates them separately.