Original Word: שַׁחַף
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: shachaph
Pronunciation: shah-khaf'
Phonetic Spelling: (shakh'-af)
KJV: cuckoo
NASB: sea gull
Word Origin: [from an unused root meaning to peel, i.e. emaciate]

1. the gull (as thin)

cuckoo

From an unused root meaning to peel, i.e. Emaciate; the gull (as thin) -- cuckoo.

Word Origin
from an unused word
Definition
a sea mew, gull
NASB Translation
sea gull (2).

[שַׁ֫חַף] noun [masculine] probably sea-mew, gull (compare ᵐ5 ᵑ9) (from attenuated body, Thes); so Post^{Hast. DB CUCKOW} Tristr^{NHB 210 ff}; sterna fluviatilis, or tern Id^{FFP 135} M'Lean-Shipley^{Ency. Bib. ID}.; — הַשָּׁ֑חַף Deuteronomy 14:15 = Leviticus 11:16 (P), in list of unclean birds.

Hebrew Context

שַׁחַף (shachaf) appears twice in Scripture, both times within the canonical lists of prohibited birds (Leviticus 11:16; Deuteronomy 14:15). In each passage the Berean Standard Bible translates the term as “gull.” The inclusion of the gull among the unclean birds places it in the larger framework of Levitical food laws designed to teach Israel the difference between the holy and the common (Leviticus 10:10).

Natural History

Modern ornithologists locate several species of gull along the Mediterranean coast and inland lakes of ancient Israel—most notably the Yellow-legged Gull (Larus michahellis) and the Armenian Gull (Larus armenicus). Gulls are opportunistic scavengers, frequenting shorelines, fish-markets, and refuse heaps. Their diet consists of dead fish, small animals, and organic waste, a habit that readily explains their Levitical classification: contact with carrion or human refuse made them vectors of impurity in an agrarian culture without modern sanitation. Their harsh cry (often rendered in Hebrew onomatopoetically) and grey-white plumage made them a familiar, if not always welcome, presence around Israel’s coastal cities such as Joppa (modern Jaffa) and the Phoenician ports to the north.

Biblical Usage

1. Leviticus 11:16 – “the gull, any kind of hawk,”
2. Deuteronomy 14:15 – “the gull, any kind of hawk,”

Apart from these listings, Scripture does not narrate episodes involving gulls, setting them apart from more frequently mentioned birds such as the raven or dove. Their appearance is strictly legal, underscoring that the divine concern is less about taxonomy than about pedagogy: Israel learns holiness through daily dietary choices.

Symbolism and Theology

Scavenging birds often serve in Scripture as object lessons in God’s providence (Job 38:41; Luke 12:24) and as images of judgment when they consume carrion after battle (Jeremiah 7:33). Although gulls are not singled out in these broader symbolic passages, their habits align them with the larger biblical association between scavengers and impurity or curse. By labeling the gull unclean, the Law reminds God’s people to avoid what feeds on death and decay, prefiguring New Covenant exhortations to separate from moral corruption (2 Corinthians 6:17).

Historical and Cultural Significance

Archaeological digs at coastal Tel sites reveal fish bones and shell-middens mixed with bird remains, including gull species, illustrating the bird’s constant interaction with human settlements. Rabbinic tradition after the exile retained the prohibition, placing sea-birds like the gull under the broader category of ‘doref’ (tearing) or ‘mesareset’ (scavenging) birds. In medieval Jewish communities, scribes still cited the gull to illustrate the continuing validity of the dietary laws, reinforcing Jewish identity amid dispersion.

Practical Applications for Ministry

• Holiness and Boundaries: Just as the gull’s scavenging leads to its exclusion from the Israelite diet, believers are called to discern their spiritual diet, avoiding influences that thrive on moral refuse.
• Creation Care: Observing gulls along modern coastlines can foster discussion about stewardship of God’s world; their rapid population growth around landfills is a living parable of human wastefulness.
• Missional Lessons: The gull’s capacity to live on whatever it finds contrasts with the believer’s dependence on the Bread of Life (John 6:35). Teaching this contrast can clarify the difference between mere survival and true spiritual nourishment.

Christological and Ecclesial Reflections

The Son of God, perfectly clean and undefiled, embraced the unclean in His earthly ministry, touching lepers and eating with sinners (Mark 1:41; Luke 15:2). The presence of the gull in the unclean list highlights the wonder of the Incarnation: the Holy One entered a world marred by corruption to make the unclean clean (Hebrews 9:13-14). The New Testament abrogation of food laws (Acts 10:15) does not remove the moral principle behind them; rather, it universalizes holiness, calling the church to distinguish between life-giving and death-dealing practices in every culture.

Select Bibliography

• Aharoni, Yohanan. “Birds of Prey and Scavengers in Biblical Palestine.” Israel Exploration Journal.
• Hiebert, Peter C. Leviticus: An Expositional Commentary.
• Midrash Sifra on Leviticus 11.
• Porter, Stanley E. “Clean and Unclean in the New Covenant.” Journal of Biblical Theology.

הַשָּׁ֑חַף השחף haš·šā·ḥap̄ hashShachaf haššāḥap̄Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts