EAGLE . (1) nesher , Deuteronomy 32:11 etc., Leviticus 11:13 RVm [Note: Revised Version margin.] ‘great vulture.’ (2) râchâm , Leviticus 11:18 , AV [Note: Authorized Version.] ‘ gier eagle ,’ RV [Note: Revised Version.] ‘ vulture .’ (3) aetos , Matthew 24:28 || Luke 17:37 (RVm [Note: Revised Version margin.] ‘vultures’), Revelation 4:7; Revelation 12:14 . The Heb. nesher is the equivalent of the Arab. [Note: Arabic.] nisr , which includes eagles, vultures, and ospreys. It is clear from Micah 1:16 ‘enlarge thy baldness as the eagle,’ that the vulture is referred to. There are eight varieties of eagles and four of vultures known in Palestine. The references to nesher are specially appropriate as applied to the griffon vulture ( Gyps fulvus ), a magnificent bird, ‘the most striking ornithological feature of Palestine’ (Tristram), found especially around the precipitous gorges leading to various parts of the Jordan Valley. Job 39:27; Job 39:30 and Jeremiah 49:16 well describe its habits; and its powerful and rapid flight is referred to in Isaiah 40:31 , Deuteronomy 28:49 , Habakkuk 1:8 . Râchâm corresponds to the Arab. [Note: Arabic.] rakhâm , the Egyptian vulture, a ubiquitous scavenger which visits Palestine from the south every summer.
E. W. G. Masterman.