Original Word: קָאַת
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: qa'ath
Pronunciation: kah-ath'
Phonetic Spelling: (kaw-ath')
KJV: cormorant
NASB: pelican
Word Origin: [from H6958 (קוֹא קָיָה - Line)]

1. probably the pelican (from vomiting)

cormorant

From qow'; probably the pelican (from vomiting) -- cormorant.

see HEBREW qow'

Word Origin
of uncertain derivation
Definition
(a bird) perhaps pelican
NASB Translation
pelican (5).

קָאַת, קָאָת noun [feminine] a bird, usually pelican (compare ᵐ5 Leviticus, Deuteronomy, Psalms, ᵑ9 Psalms (derived by Thes from [קוא], קיא (see Kö^{ii. 1, 173}, and, on ת, Ges^{§ 80g}), as throwing up food from its crop for its young); but sea-fowl improbable in Psalms, Isaiah; Late Hebrew קָאָת, ᵑ7 קָאתָא id.); — absolute הַקָּאָת Leviticus 11:18 = Deuteronomy 14:17, as unclean; קָאַת (van d. H. Gi; Baer קָאָת) Isaiah 34:11; Zephaniah 2:14, as inhabiting ruins; construct קְאַת מִדְכָּר Psalm 102:7, simile of loneliness.

קַב see I. קבב. Below

I. קבב (√ of following; compare Arabic arch, dome (hence 'al-cove'), vaulted tent, especially tent of honour Goldziher^{ZMG xlvii (1893), 74 f.} Jacob^{Beduinenleben (2) 86, 245}; Syriac vault, dome, id., vaulted tent PS^3466b; so Late Hebrew קוּבָּה, specifically lupanar; ᵑ7 קוּבְּתָא vault (especially vaulted heavens); perhaps also Assyrian ‡abâbu, shield).

Definition and Identification

קָאַת designates a large, solitary, marsh-dwelling bird known for haunting desolate places. English versions vary (“pelican,” “desert owl,” “bittern”), but in every context the creature functions as a vivid emblem of abandonment and bleakness.

Occurrences in Scripture

1. Leviticus 11:18; Deuteronomy 14:17 – listed among the birds Israel must regard as unclean, underscoring its association with death-laden habitats and reinforcing Israel’s separation from impurity.
2. Psalm 102:6 – “I am like a desert owl of the wilderness”. The psalmist’s comparison to the קָאַת amplifies the depth of his isolation before he lays hold of God’s immutable covenant love.
3. Isaiah 34:11 – in the judgment on Edom, “The desert owl and screech owl will possess it”. The bird becomes a witness that when God’s wrath falls, flourishing lands revert to wasteland.
4. Zephaniah 2:14 – over fallen Nineveh “The desert owl and the screech owl will roost on her columns”. The once-proud empire is reduced to a perch for wilderness creatures, proving the certainty of divine retribution.

Unclean Status and Theological Implications

By placing the קָאַת among forbidden foods, the Law teaches that holiness involves more than ritual; it demands avoidance of what symbolizes ruin and corruption. The bird’s habitat—rotting carcasses, saline pools, deserted ruins—mirrors the moral decay from which God shields His people.

Symbol of Desolation in Prophetic Poetry

Prophets employ the קָאַת to dramatize total devastation. Where human sin has invited covenant curses (Deuteronomy 29:23), the land is left to creatures that thrive only where life has vanished. The same image reappears in Revelation 18:2, where Babylon becomes “a haunt for every unclean bird,” forging a thematic link between Old and New Testament judgments.

Spiritual Lament in Psalm 102

The afflicted petitioner likens himself to the קָאַת not merely to evoke loneliness but to confess that apart from God he inhabits moral wasteland. Yet the psalm moves from despair to hope (Psalm 102:12-13), directing sufferers today to anchor their cries in the Lord’s abiding kingship.

Historical and Cultural Background

Ancient Near Eastern texts and artwork depict pelican-like birds inhabiting the Syrian-Arabian desert fringe, feeding on fish snared in intermittent pools. Their eerie nocturnal calls, coupled with nests in ruined walls, made them natural symbols of cursed territory in Israelite imagination.

Ministry Applications

• Preaching: The bird’s portrayal of lifeless desolation reinforces warnings against sin’s consequences while magnifying God’s grace that restores wastelands (Isaiah 35:1).
• Counseling: Psalm 102 authorizes believers to voice feelings of abandonment, yet guides them to God’s unchanging character.
• Missions: The global mission of Christ turns places once fit only for קָאַת into habitations of praise, illustrating that no land is beyond redemption (Acts 8:26-40 in desert Gaza).

Eschatological Overtones

The recurring presence of the קָאַת in oracles of judgment anticipates the final purification of creation. When the Lord makes “all things new” (Revelation 21:5), the regions occupied by such birds will bloom, fulfilling promises of cosmic restoration (Isaiah 11:9).

Summary

קָאַת embodies uncleanness, loneliness, and desolation. Scripture uses this bird to warn of the fate awaiting unrepentant nations and to give voice to personal lament, yet its dark symbolism ultimately magnifies the brightness of God’s redemptive purposes, turning wastelands into gardens through the gospel of Jesus Christ.

הַקָּאָ֖ת הקאת וְהַקָּאָ֥ת והקאת לִקְאַ֣ת לקאת קָאַ֣ת קָאַת֙ קאת hakkaAt haq·qā·’āṯ haqqā’āṯ kaAt likAt liq’aṯ liq·’aṯ qā’aṯ qā·’aṯ vehakkaAt wə·haq·qā·’āṯ wəhaqqā’āṯInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts