The eagle is referenced numerous times throughout the Bible, both literally and symbolically. Here is an overview of some of the key things the Bible says about eagles:
Eagles as symbols of strength and speed
The eagle is described as a strong and swift bird of prey. Passages that highlight the eagle’s speed and strength include:
– “Saul and Jonathan, beloved and lovely! In life and in death they were not divided; they were swifter than eagles, they were stronger than lions.” (2 Samuel 1:23)
– “The Lord satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.” (Psalm 103:5) This refers to the eagle’s long life span and how it renews its strength.
– “They shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.” (Isaiah 40:31) Here the eagle’s ability to soar high is used as a metaphor for mounting up spiritually.
Eagles as a symbol of God’s powerful care and protection
The eagle is used to describe God’s power and protection for His people:
– “You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself.” (Exodus 19:4) God brought Israel safely out of Egypt as an eagle protects its young.
– “Like an eagle that stirs up its nest, that flutters over its young, spreading out its wings, catching them, bearing them on its pinions, the Lord alone guided him, no foreign god was with him.” (Deuteronomy 32:11-12) This describes God protecting Israel like an eagle protects its young.
– “The Lord God is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation; this is my God, and I will praise him, my father’s God, and I will exalt him. The Lord is a warrior; the Lord is his name…He spread his wings and caught them; he carried them on his pinions.” (Exodus 15:2-3, 10) Again emphasizing God’s protection.
Eagles as symbols of resurrection and renewal
The eagle’s ability to renew its youth and molt old feathers is used to symbolize spiritual renewal and resurrection:
– “But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” (Isaiah 40:31) Rising up like an eagle is contrasted with weakness and weariness.
– “Who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.” (Psalm 103:5) Renewal of youth is likened to the eagle’s long life span.
– “Awake, awake, clothe yourself with strength, O arm of the Lord; awake, as in days gone by, as in generations of old. Was it not you who…who pursued them, and passed safely through the sea, with the water of the great deep as into a path made for the redeemed to cross?” (Isaiah 51:9-10) Here Israel is called to awake and renew their strength like the eagle.
Eagles as birds of prey
The eagle is described as a fierce predator that feeds on carrion and prey:
– “Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.” (Matthew 24:28 and Luke 17:37) Both include the eagle in a list of birds that eat dead bodies.
– “The Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind and said: Does the eagle soar at your command and build his nest on high? He dwells on a cliff and stays there at night; a rocky crag is his stronghold. From there he seeks out his food; his eyes detect it from afar. His young ones feast on blood, and where the slain are, there is he.” (Job 39:26-30) This emphasizes the eagle’s predatory nature.
– “Even a young lion lying down among the sheep, an eagle swooping down—anyone who saw it would slink away, with a shout: ‘Where is God my helper?'” (Job 9:26) The eagle here is a symbol of a powerful threat.
Eagles as unclean birds
Along with other birds of prey, the eagle was considered unclean and not to be eaten according to the Law of Moses:
– “These are the birds you are to regard as unclean and not eat…the eagle, the vulture, the black vulture…” (Leviticus 11:13, Deuteronomy 14:12)
– “These you may eat of all the winged insects that walk on all fours: those that have jointed legs above their feet, with which to leap on the ground. Of these you may eat: the locust of any kind, the bald locust of any kind, the cricket of any kind, and the grasshopper of any kind. But all other winged insects that have four feet are detestable to you.” (Leviticus 11:21-23) Insects including locusts were permitted but eagles and birds of prey were not.
Eagles as symbols of destruction
The eagle can be a symbol of destructive forces sent as judgment:
– “Their slain will be thrown out, and the stench of their corpses will rise; the mountains will flow with their blood. The whole cosmos will rejoice when Babylon falls like the slain of Egypt, when her wealth is seized and her foundations destroyed. Babylon was a golden cup in the Lord’s hand, making the whole earth drunk. The nations drank her wine; therefore the nations have gone mad. Babylon will suddenly fall and be shattered.” (Jeremiah 51:39-41) Comparing Babylon’s destruction to an eagle attacking its prey.
– “‘A lion has come out of his lair; a destroyer of nations has set out. He has left his place to lay waste your land… Look! He advances like the clouds, his chariots come like a whirlwind, his horses are swifter than eagles.'” (Jeremiah 4:7,13) Imagery of an eagle’s swiftness is applied to Babylon’s approaching army.
– “A great eagle with great wings and long pinions, rich in plumage of many colors, came to Lebanon and took the top of the cedar.” (Ezekiel 17:3) The eagle here symbolizes Babylon plundering Israel.
Eagles as symbols of pride and arrogance
Because of its noble bearing and soaring high, the eagle can represent pride and arrogance:
– “‘Your heart became proud on account of your beauty, and you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor. So I threw you to the earth; I made a spectacle of you before kings’.” (Ezekiel 28:17) The context is Satan’s arrogance.
– “Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, who rely on horses, who trust in the multitude of their chariots and in the great strength of their horsemen, but do not look to the Holy One of Israel, or seek help from the LORD…But the Egyptians are mere mortals and not God; their horses are flesh and not spirit.” (Isaiah 31:1, 3) Egypt and those who rely on it are contrasted with God’s power symbolized by the eagle.
– “The Lord of hosts has sworn: “As I have planned, so shall it be, and as I have purposed, so shall it stand… I have stirred up one from the north, and he comes—one from the rising sun who calls on my name… He swoops down like an eagle and soars.” (Isaiah 14:24, 25, 29) Referring to God humbling the arrogance of Assyria by raising up Babylon against it.
Positive qualities and attributes of eagles
Though sometimes symbols of destructive forces, eagles are more frequently used in the Bible to represent positive qualities and attributes:
– Strength – Eagles are strong birds of prey that powerfully grasp their victims.
– Swiftness – Eagles can swiftly swoop down on prey and fly at high speeds. Their speed is used to represent God swiftly coming to defend and protect.
– Keen sight – An eagle’s vision is legendary for being sharp and keen, able to spot prey from far distances. Eagles are observant and perceptive.
– Majesty – Eagles are majestic birds that soar high and have a regal bearing. Their majesty reflects attributes like nobility and splendor.
– Renewal – Eagles periodically renew their youth through molting. This can represent renewal and restoration spiritually. The righteous are renewed in strength like eagles.
– Freedom – Eagles soar unhindered through the skies with their great wings. Their freedom represents liberty from oppression and bondage.
In summary, eagles have many admirable qualities like strength, speed, vision, freedom, majesty, and renewal. When used symbolically in the Bible, eagles most frequently represent God Himself protecting, saving, strengthening, and restoring His people.
