top of page
  • Writer's pictureBible Brian

Leviticus says bats are owph, not birds


Due to the imperfections of translation, Leviticus 11:13-19 lists bats as birds. Modern skeptics pick up on this and claim it proves the Bible was written by ignorant, bronze age goat herders. In reality, the Jews were simply not using the Linnean taxonomic system. The word translated "bird" in verse 13 is the word "owph" (עלף) which, in ancient Hebrew, simply means "owner of a wing". The word "owph" is much more versatile than our word "bird", but bird is the closest single word equivalent.


You would think that this would be a fair answer, but in every single discussion I have had or witnessed, the skeptic always responds with something along the lines of "well, God knew we'd use this as an argument one day, so He should have said it differently".


Now, if the Bible genuinely had made the error of failing to distinguish between a bat and a bird, that would be a fair argument. But the moment you start claiming God should have written the Bible to your own liking, you have moved away from objective thinking and are instead arguing from arrogance. This may be tough to hear, but although God wants 100% of humanity to repent and be saved, He doesn't treat individuals as if they were the centre of the universe. The Bible is a one size fits all document, intended not to cater to one small group or individual, but to reveal God to all of humanity from the day it was published until the last human falls. When you argue that God should have written the Bible specifically to cater to the selfish desires of a tertiary audience, you are being so arrogant, you may as well claim to be God.

13 views
bottom of page