Lexical Summary racham or rachamah: To have compassion, to show mercy, womb (as a noun) Original Word: רָחָם Strong's Exhaustive Concordance gier- eagle Or (feminine) rachamah {raw-khaw-maw'}; from racham; a kind of vulture (supposed to be tender towards its young) -- gier- eagle. see HEBREW racham NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom an unused word Definition carrion vulture NASB Translation carrion vulture (2). Brown-Driver-Briggs רָחָם noun [masculine] carrion-vulture; — absolute ׳הָר Leviticus 11:18 (Samaritan רחמה; so perhaps read) = הָרָחָ֫מָה "" Deuteronomy 14:17 (on accent see Dr; compare Ges§ 90f). רָחָ֫מָה noun [masculine] id.; Deuteronomy 14:17, see foregoing. רחן (apparently √ of following; meaning dubious). Topical Lexicon Identification of the Bird The term designates a large carrion-eating raptor native to the Near East—most commonly understood as a vulture or kite. Its behavior of circling over decay and living off dead flesh made it a vivid emblem of impurity to ancient Israel. Early Jewish commentators (e.g., the Targums) link it to a variety of vulture, while later naturalists have proposed the Egyptian vulture or the black kite. Whatever exact species is intended, the defining trait is scavenging on carcasses. Canonical Appearances 1. Leviticus 11:18 lists the bird among creatures Israel must not eat. “You are not to eat the short-eared owl, the fisher owl, the white owl, the desert owl, the osprey, the commorant, the vulture, the stork, any kind of heron, the hoopoe, or the bat.” (Deuteronomy 14:16–18; emphasis added) Historical Significance in Israel’s Dietary Laws The ban served at least three purposes: Symbolic and Theological Implications 1. Death and judgment. Vultures gather where the slain lie (Job 39:30; Matthew 24:28). By branding the bird unclean, Torah visually linked death with ceremonial defilement and anticipated final judgment. Connection to the Holiness Code Leviticus frames clean/unclean laws between two affirmations of God’s holiness (Leviticus 11:44–45). The carrion bird, feeding on death outside camp, contrasts with sacrifices consumed on the altar inside the sanctuary. Thus dietary discernment mirrored liturgical reality: what entered the body paralleled what entered God’s altar. Lessons for Contemporary Ministry • Discipleship: Just as Israel distinguished edible from inedible, the church must distinguish edifying teaching from toxic error (Hebrews 13:9). Christological Foreshadowing Uncleanness attached to the vulture underscores humanity’s plight under sin. In His atoning death, Christ “became sin for us” (2 Corinthians 5:21), taking on the defilement symbolized by carrion to make His people clean (Hebrews 9:13–14). The bird’s exclusion from the Israelite table points forward to the Lamb whose flesh and blood grant eternal life (John 6:53). Summary Though appearing only twice, the word enriches biblical theology by illustrating separation from death, the call to holiness, and the anticipation of the One who conquers corruption. The scavenging raptor, unfit for Israel’s diet, becomes a compelling reminder that God’s people feast on life, not death. Forms and Transliterations הָרָחָ֖מָה הָרָחָֽם׃ הרחם׃ הרחמה hā·rā·ḥā·māh hā·rā·ḥām haraCham haraChamah hārāḥām hārāḥāmāhLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Leviticus 11:18 HEB: הַקָּאָ֖ת וְאֶת־ הָרָחָֽם׃ NAS: and the pelican and the carrion vulture, KJV: and the pelican, and the gier eagle, INT: and the white and the pelican and the carrion Deuteronomy 14:17 2 Occurrences |