Lexical Summary
tsippor: Bird, Sparrow
Original Word:צִפּוֹר
Part of Speech:Noun Feminine
Transliteration:tsippowr
Pronunciation:tsip-PORE
Phonetic Spelling:(tsip-pore')
KJV: bird, fowl, sparrow
NASB:bird, birds, bird's, fowl, sparrow
Word Origin:[fromH6852 (צָּפַר - depart)]
1. a little bird (as hopping)
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
bird, fowl, sparrow
Or tsippor {tsip-pore'}; fromtsaphar; a little bird (as hopping) -- bird, fowl, sparrow.
see HEBREWtsaphar
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originfrom an unused word
Definitiona bird
NASB Translationbird (26), bird's (1), birds (11), fowl (1), sparrow (1).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
I. ,
40Amos 3:5 (Psalm 102:8, compare KöSynt § 252 a, soPsalm 104:17, yet compare AlbrZAW xvi (1896). 71), ; — absoluteHosea 11:11 15t.,Genesis 15:10 11t., constructDeuteronomy 4:17 5t.,Psalm 8:9; pluralLeviticus 14:4 5t.; —
bird,Amos 3:5;Hosea 11:11 (simile; "" ),Lamentations 3:52;Job 40:29;Psalm 102:8;Psalm 124:7;Proverbs 6:5;Proverbs 7:23;Proverbs 26:2;Proverbs 27:8 (all simile),Leviticus 14:5 10t.Leviticus 14;Deuteronomy 4:17,Deuteronomy 14:11 ( distributive);Deuteronomy 22:6bird's nest,Ecclesiastes 12:4; pluralIsaiah 31:5 (simile),Nehemiah 5:18;Leviticus 14:4 (, in purify.; compare WeHeid. 2.171 RSSemitic i. 402, 2nd ed. 422),Leviticus 14:49 (id.),Psalm 104:17;Ecclesiastes 9:12.
Genesis 15:10 (two), or indefinitePsalm 11:1 (figurative),Psalm 8:9, especiallyEzekiel 39:17;Psalm 148:10,Psalm 17:23;Genesis 7:14, also redund. with ,Ezekiel 39:4birds of prey of all kinds.
[]Dan 4:18 (compare Kp. 165, Anm. 3) (see Biblical Hebrew II. ); — plural absoluteDaniel 4:30, emphaticDaniel 4:11, construct )Daniel 4:9;Daniel 4:18.
Topical Lexicon
Overview of Scriptural Usageצִפּוֹר (tsippōr) appears about forty times across the Old Testament as a collective term for small birds. Its field of meaning embraces sparrows, doves, partridges and other winged creatures whose size and everyday familiarity make them ideal vehicles for teaching divine truth in narrative, law, poetry and prophecy.
Creation and Divine Care
Birds are included among the works of the fifth day (Genesis 1:20–22, where a broader term is used), and tsippōr is later invoked to remind Israel not to confuse the Creator with created things. InDeuteronomy 4:17 Moses warns against fashioning an idol “in the form of any bird that flies in the sky.” The admonition assumes that even the most beautiful tsippōr remains a creature under God’s sovereign rule, never to be worshiped.
Levitical Cleansing and Atonement Typology
Leviticus 14 repeatedly commands the use of “two live clean birds” in the purification of a leper and of a defiled house (Leviticus 14:4-7, 14:49-53). One bird is slain over running water; the other, dipped in the sacrificial blood, is released alive into the open field. Symbolically, the first bird represents substitutionary death, the second the new life of the one now declared clean. This two-fold action anticipates the death and resurrection motifs ultimately fulfilled in the saving work of Jesus Christ (compareRomans 4:25). The chosen creature is humble, inexpensive, and accessible, underscoring that God’s provision is available to rich and poor alike.
Ethics of Compassion
Deuteronomy 22:6-7 legislates mercy toward birds:
“If you come across a bird’s nest along the road, … do not take the mother with the young. You may take the young, but be sure to let the mother go, so that it may go well with you and you may have a long life.”
Here the least of creatures becomes a test case for covenant kindness. By preserving the adult bird, Israel protects the continuity of life and learns to practice restraint—a principle that informs broader biblical ethics (Matthew 10:29-31).
Historical Narratives
When David appeals to Saul, he likens himself to a bird barely escaping a hunter: “For the king of Israel has come out to seek a single flea, like one hunts a partridge in the mountains” (1 Samuel 26:20). The metaphor communicates vulnerability and innocence, themes common to tsippōr imagery.
Wisdom Literature
Proverbs and Ecclesiastes exploit the habits of birds to illustrate prudence or folly:
• “How futile it is to spread the net where any bird can see it.” (Proverbs 1:17)
• “Deliver yourself like a gazelle from the hunter, and like a bird from the snare of the fowler.” (Proverbs 6:5)
• “Like a fluttering sparrow or darting swallow, an undeserved curse does not come to rest.” (Proverbs 26:2)
The repeated snare motif warns of consequences for naïveté, while the unpredictable flight of a sparrow depicts the impotence of baseless malice.
Psalms: Refuge and Deliverance
The Psalter frequently employs tsippōr to celebrate God’s protection:
• “In the LORD I take refuge. How then can you say to me: ‘Flee like a bird to your mountain’?” (Psalm 11:1)
• “Even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she places her young near Your altars.” (Psalm 84:3)
• “We have escaped like a bird from the snare of the fowler; the net is torn, and we have escaped.” (Psalm 124:7)
Whether depicting restful nearness to the sanctuary or dramatic rescue from danger, the imagery encourages trust in God’s covenant faithfulness.
Prophetic Imagery and Restoration
Prophets apply tsippōr both to judgment and to hope:
•Hosea 11:11 pictures Israel’s future repentance—“They will come trembling like birds from Egypt … Then I will settle them in their homes, declares the LORD.”
•Lamentations 3:52 laments persecution—“Without cause my enemies hunted me like a bird.”
The shared vocabulary links chastening and consolation, assuring that divine compassion will surmount discipline.
Christological Echoes
Jesus later affirms God’s meticulous care for small birds: “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father” (Matthew 10:29). The Lord anchors believers’ confidence in the same truths embedded in tsippōr passages: omniscient providence, redemptive concern, and infinite worth assigned to those created in God’s image.
Practical Ministry Applications
1. Pastoral Counseling: Employ bird metaphors to illustrate God’s watchful eye over seemingly insignificant details of a believer’s life (Psalm 84:3;Matthew 10:29-31).
2. Teaching on Mercy: UseDeuteronomy 22:6-7 to model ethical stewardship of creation and compassionate engagement with vulnerable people.
3. Evangelism:Leviticus 14’s twin-bird ceremony provides a vivid Old Testament picture of substitution and freedom—a bridge to explaining the gospel.
Summary
Throughout Scripture צִפּוֹר serves as a versatile symbol of frailty, deliverance, and divine solicitude. Whether fluttering near the altar, fleeing a snare, or set free after sacrificial cleansing, the modest bird invites God’s people to marvel at the Creator’s grace and to live accordingly.
Forms and Transliterations
הַצִּפֹּ֣ר הַצִּפֹּ֤ר הַצִּפֹּ֥ר הַצִּפֹּ֧ר הַצִּפּ֔וֹר הַצִּפּ֣וֹר הַצִפֹּ֖ר הצפור הצפר וְכַ֨צִּפֳּרִ֔ים וְצִפֳּרִים֙ וְצִפּ֥וֹר וּ֝כְצִפּ֗וֹר וּבַצִּפֹּ֣ר ובצפר וכצפור וכצפרים וצפור וצפרים כְּ֝צִפּ֗וֹר כְּ֭צִפּוֹר כְּצִפֳּרִ֣ים כְּצִפּ֥וֹר כְצִפּוֹר֙ כַּצִּפּ֑וֹר כַּצִּפּ֖וֹר כַּצִּפּ֣וֹר כצפור כצפרים לְצִפּ֨וֹר לצפור צִפֳּרִ֑ים צִפֳּרִ֣ים צִפֳּרִ֥ים צִפּ֣וֹר צִפּ֣וֹר ׀ צִפּ֥וֹר צִפּ֧וֹר צִפּ֨וֹר ׀ צִפּֽוֹר׃ צִפּוֹר֙ צפור צפור׃ צפרים chetzippOr ha·ṣip·pōr haṣ·ṣip·pō·wr haṣ·ṣip·pōr haṣippōr haṣṣippōr haṣṣippōwr hatzipPor hatztzipPor kaṣ·ṣip·pō·wr kaṣṣippōwr katztzipPor kə·ṣip·po·rîm kə·ṣip·pō·wr ḵə·ṣip·pō·wr kəṣipporîm kəṣippōwr ḵəṣippōwr ketzipPor ketzippoRim lə·ṣip·pō·wr ləṣippōwr letzipPor ṣip·po·rîm ṣip·pō·wr ṣipporîm ṣippōwr tzipPor tzippoRim ū·ḇaṣ·ṣip·pōr ū·ḵə·ṣip·pō·wr ūḇaṣṣippōr uchetzipPor ūḵəṣippōwr uvatztzipPor veChatztzippoRim vetzipPor vetzippoRim wə·ḵaṣ·ṣip·po·rîm wə·ṣip·po·rîm wə·ṣip·pō·wr wəḵaṣṣipporîm wəṣipporîm wəṣippōwr
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