Charles Ellicott Commentary Leviticus 11:19

"and the stork, the heron after its kind, and the hoopoe, and the bat." — Leviticus 11:19 (ASV)

And the stork. Besides the parallel passage, Deuteronomy 14:18, the word (chasidah) here translated “stork” also occurs in Job 39:13, Psalms 104:17, Jeremiah 8:7, and Zechariah 5:9. It is translated this way in all these instances, except Job 39:13, where the Authorised Version has “wing” in the text and “stork” in the margin. Its name literally means “the pious” or “the kind” in Hebrew, and it is so called because the ancients regarded it as a symbol of maternal and filial affection and tenderness.

The mother stork has been known to prefer dying with her offspring in a fire rather than abandon them after her attempts to rescue them failed. The white stork is one of the largest land birds. Its black and powerful wings strikingly contrast with the pure white of its plumage.

This explains the remark, they had wings like the wings of the stork (Zechariah 5:9). Storks build on the tallest towers and most prominent ruins, and also on the tops of high trees, where they can still be seen today by the Sea of Galilee. It is to this that the Psalmist alludes: as for the stork, the fir-trees are her home (Psalms 104:17).

They regularly return to these nests at the proper season, which marks them as the most punctual of migratory birds. It is to this characteristic of their nature that the prophet refers: the stork in heaven knoweth her appointed times (Jeremiah 8:7). The stork feeds on fish, reptiles, and all kinds of offal and garbage, which is why it is placed here in the list of unclean birds.

The heron. While the two preceding birds are named for their good qualities, namely, “the merciful” and “the pious,” this bird, which only occurs again in the parallel passage in Deuteronomy 14:18, is called (anaphah) “the angry” or “the cruel,” which aptly describes the heron. It is related to the stork and is of such a savage nature that it will defend itself with its beak against dogs even after its legs have been shot and broken.

The heron lives on the banks of rivers and in marshy places, feeding on fish, frogs, lizards, snails, field mice, and all sorts of insects. This is why it is included here in the forbidden list of unclean birds. It exists in a variety of species, which explains the accompanying phrase, after her kind.

And the lapwing. This is better understood as the hoopoe. This unclean bird, which only occurs again in the parallel list in Deuteronomy 14:18, and which, according to the ancients, builds its nest from human dung, feeds on offal and garbage.

Its repulsive smell during brooding time, and for weeks afterward, is completely unbearable. Although its flesh, which in the autumn tastes like quail, is eaten in some places, Muslims nevertheless regard it as forbidden. According to another ancient tradition, the bird referred to here is “the mountain cock.”

And the bat. The list, which opens with the eagle, the king of the birds, suitably concludes with the hybrid bat. This is the vilest creature, something between a bird and a mouse, and is appropriately associated in the Bible with the mole as a symbol of darkness .

The bat was classified among the birds because the air is its home. Like the swallow, which it resembles in its manner of flight, it wheels through the air in every direction searching for the twilight and nocturnal insects on which it preys. Additionally, it performs the most abrupt and skilful maneuvers during its flight.

Bats are abundant in Syria in a great variety of species. They enter houses and make the rooms highly offensive to live in. Those who have experienced the sickening odour of these creatures in the East will readily understand why the loathsome bats are included in the list of unclean birds. Some ancient nations ate bats and considered them delicious food. Besides being the lowest, the bat is placed last here because it forms the connecting link between the volatile bipeds and quadrupeds.