What does עוֹף (ʿwōp) mean in the Bible?
עוֹף (ʿwōp): Birds defined by their covering wings—the physical capacity for flight, not taxonomy alone.
Hebrew · H5775
עוֹף
A bird (as covered with feathers, or rather as covering with wings), often collectively
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עוֹף H5775
Pronunciation ʿwōp
What does עוֹף (ʿwōp) mean in the Bible?
עוֹף (ʿwōp): Birds defined by their covering wings—the physical capacity for flight, not taxonomy alone.
Full entry for עוֹף (H5775) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render H5775?
The BSB source-word alignment has 71 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include bird (12), the birds (12), birds (9), and the birds (5), to the birds (5).
Where does עוֹף (ʿwōp) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Genesis 1:20. Its strongest book concentrations include Genesis (22), Leviticus (10), Jeremiah (9), Ezekiel (6).
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders It bird 12× Genesis 1:21, Genesis 1:30, Genesis 2:19, Genesis 6:20
the birds 12× Genesis 7:8, Genesis 9:10, Deuteronomy 28:26, 2 Samuel 21:10
birds 9× Genesis 7:21, Genesis 8:17, Leviticus 1:14, Leviticus 11:13
and the birds 5× Genesis 1:26, Genesis 1:28, Jeremiah 15:3, Ezekiel 29:5
to the birds 5× Genesis 2:20, 1 Samuel 17:44, 1 Samuel 17:46, Psalms 79:2
flying 4× Leviticus 11:20, Leviticus 11:21, Leviticus 11:23, Deuteronomy 14:19
by the birds 3× 1 Kings 14:11, 1 Kings 16:4, 1 Kings 21:24
for the birds 3× Jeremiah 7:33, Jeremiah 16:4, Jeremiah 34:20
and birds 2× Genesis 7:23, Jeremiah 12:4
and let birds 2× Genesis 1:20, Genesis 1:22
a bird 1× Ecclesiastes 10:20
and bird 1× Genesis 6:7
ask the birds 1× Job 12:7
Both the birds 1× Jeremiah 9:10
but the birds 1× Genesis 40:17
from the birds 1× Job 28:21
like a bird 1× Hosea 9:11
like birds 1× Hosea 7:12
Like fluttering birds 1× Isaiah 16:2
of [every kind of] bird 1× Genesis 7:3
of any bird 1× Leviticus 7:26
or bird 1× Leviticus 20:25
than the birds 1× Job 35:11
Then the birds 1× Genesis 40:19
Show sample aligned rows
Genesis 1:20 וְעוֹף֙ to and let birds Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular Genesis 1:21 ע֤וֹף to bird Noun - masculine singular Genesis 1:22 וְהָע֖וֹף to and let birds Conjunctive waw, Article | Noun - masculine singular Genesis 1:26 וּבְע֣וֹף to and the birds Conjunctive waw, Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular construct Genesis 1:28 וּבְע֣וֹף to and the birds Conjunctive waw, Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular construct Genesis 1:30 ע֨וֹף to bird Noun - masculine singular construct Genesis 2:19 ע֣וֹף to bird Noun - masculine singular construct Genesis 2:20 וּלְע֣וֹף to to the birds Conjunctive waw, Preposition-l | Noun - masculine singular construct Genesis 6:7 ע֣וֹף to and bird Noun - masculine singular construct Genesis 6:20 מֵהָע֣וֹף to bird Preposition-m, Article | Noun - masculine singular
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Genesis 1:20
Aligned rows 71
Books represented 14
Genesis 22 Leviticus 10 Deuteronomy 3 1 Samuel 2 2 Samuel 1 1 Kings 4 Job 3 Psalms 4 Ecclesiastes 1 Isaiah 1 Jeremiah 9 Ezekiel 6 Hosea 4 Zephaniah 1
Source forms
ע֣וֹף 11x ‘ō·wp̄ Genesis 2:19, Genesis 6:7, Genesis 7:23, Genesis 9:2
הָע֔וֹף 8x hā·‘ō·wp̄ Genesis 7:8, Genesis 8:19, Leviticus 11:13, Leviticus 11:20
לְע֥וֹף 6x lə·‘ō·wp̄ 1 Samuel 17:44, 1 Samuel 17:46, Jeremiah 7:33, Jeremiah 16:4
ע֥וֹף 5x ‘ō·wp̄ Deuteronomy 14:20, Deuteronomy 28:26, 1 Kings 16:4, 1 Kings 21:24
וּבְע֣וֹף 3x ū·ḇə·‘ō·wp̄ Genesis 1:26, Genesis 1:28, Hosea 4:3
בָּע֧וֹף 2x bā·‘ō·wp̄ Genesis 8:17, Genesis 9:10
הָע֣וֹף 2x hā·‘ō·wp̄ Genesis 7:14, Genesis 8:20
הָע֛וֹף 2x hā·‘ō·wp̄ Genesis 40:19, Leviticus 1:14
Parsing patterns
Noun - masculine singular construct 21x Genesis 1:30, Genesis 2:19, Genesis 6:7, Genesis 7:23
Article | Noun - masculine singular 14x Genesis 7:8, Genesis 7:14, Genesis 8:19, Genesis 8:20
Preposition-l | Noun - masculine singular construct 7x 1 Samuel 17:44, 1 Samuel 17:46, Psalms 79:2, Jeremiah 7:33
Noun - masculine singular 4x Genesis 1:21, Leviticus 17:13, Deuteronomy 14:20, Jeremiah 5:27
Conjunctive waw, Article | Noun - masculine singular 3x Genesis 1:22, Genesis 40:17, Leviticus 11:46
Conjunctive waw, Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular construct 3x Genesis 1:26, Genesis 1:28, Hosea 4:3
Preposition-b, Article | Noun - masculine singular 3x Genesis 7:21, Genesis 8:17, Genesis 9:10
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular 2x Genesis 1:20, Jeremiah 12:4
Evidence Summary
Hebrew word. Birds defined by their covering wings—the physical capacity for flight, not taxonomy alone.
Source Gloss
a bird (as covered with feathers, or rather as covering with wings), often collectively
Extended definition Source: Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon + Brown-Driver-Briggs
Birds defined by their covering wings—the physical capacity for flight, not taxonomy alone.
a bird (as covered with feathers, or rather as covering with wings), often collectively BDB: flying creatures Usage: bird, that flieth, flying, fowl.
Grammatical Forms
How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
Selected Scripture Witnesses
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Biblical Witnesses
Bird species acceptable as sacrificial offering to the Lord
Flying creatures classified as unclean for dietary purposes
Showing 2 selected witnesses from 71 lexical occurrence verses.
Word Origins
עוֹף is built from this root:
Part of These Phrases
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
Sources
MorphGNT Strong's Dictionary XML — CC0 1.0 Public Domain
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible (morphhb/OSHB) — CC BY 4.0
Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon — CC BY 4.0
Berean Standard Bible (BSB) source-word alignment - CC0 Public Domain