Bible Dictionary
BIRDS OF PREY
Large, bold birds that fed on carcasses and preyed on animals and sometimes people. Their fierceness and sharp sight made them familiar biblical images of desolation, judgment, and the exposure of the dead.
Biblical Usage
They appear in Scripture as agents or images of ravaging and desolation. They descended on the carcasses in Abraham’s vision, symbolize piercing sight in Job, and are associated with the exposed dead in prophetic warnings of judgment.