Greek word · G105

ἀετός

aetos

eagle

A large bird of prey: the eagle, and in popular usage also the griffon vulture, which the Hebrew nesher (the word behind it in the Greek Old Testament) covered as well. As an image it stood for speed, height, strength, renewal and carrying power.

Appears 5 times in 5 verses of the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

ἀετός, -οῦ, ὁ,

[in LXX for נֶשֶׁר ;]

an eagle: Revelation 4:7 8:13 (Rec. ἀγγέλου) 12:14. Where carrion is referred to, ἀ. is probably a vulture (cf. Job 39:30, Proverbs 30:17): Matthew 24:28, Luke 17:37 (MM, VGT, see word).†

(AS)

From G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament (1922), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Revelation 12:14

Range of meaning

A large bird of prey: the eagle, and in popular usage also the griffon vulture, which the Hebrew nesher (the word behind it in the Greek Old Testament) covered as well. As an image it stood for speed, height, strength, renewal and carrying power. In a ruler's or nation's hands it could stand for empire.

Against the English

English 'eagle' is accurate. What the English cannot show is that in Greek and Hebrew Scripture 'eagle's wings' was a fixed phrase for God's rescue in the Exodus. Some modern readers instead take it as a national emblem.

Used elsewhere in the period

Exodus 19:4 in the Greek Old Testament: 'I took you up as on eagles' wings (ὡσεὶ ἐπὶ πτερύγων ἀετῶν) and brought you to myself.' Deuteronomy 32:11: like an eagle stirring its nest and bearing its young on its wings. Isaiah 40:31: 'mount up with wings like eagles'. Testament (Assumption) of Moses 10:8 promises that Israel will 'mount up above the necks and wings of the eagle'. In 4 Ezra 11–12 the eagle stands for Rome, so the image could also mean empire. In Revelation, the fourth living creature is 'like a flying eagle' (4:7) and 'an eagle flying in midheaven' announces woes (8:13).

From the study of Revelation 4:7

Range of meaning

Aetos means eagle, but it can also cover large vultures (compare Matthew 24:28). Petomai means to fly; here it is a present participle, 'in the act of flying'.

Against the English

Versions have 'flying eagle' (KJV, NIV, WEB) or 'eagle in flight' (BSB, ESV, NLT). Both are accurate.

Used elsewhere in the period

Ezekiel 1:10 includes the eagle face. In the Old Testament the eagle stands for swiftness and height (Deuteronomy 28:49; Isaiah 40:31) and for God's carrying care (Exodus 19:4; Deuteronomy 32:11). Revelation shows an eagle flying in midheaven crying woe (8:13) and gives the woman 'the two wings of the great eagle' (12:14). In the Greco-Roman world the eagle was Zeus's bird and the emblem on Rome's legionary standards.

From the study of Revelation 8:13

Range of meaning

A large bird of prey: the eagle proper, and in common use also the great vultures (especially the griffon vulture). It was known for speed, height, sharp sight and swooping on prey, and in the vulture sense for gathering over corpses.

Against the English

Modern English 'eagle' suggests something noble or national (an emblem of freedom or empire). The ancient word was wider and often darker: a hunting or carrion bird. KJV avoids the question because it follows manuscripts that read 'angel'.

How it drifted

English splits 'eagle' and 'vulture' into two species with very different feelings attached. Greek aetos and Hebrew nesher did not split them. The darker side of the bird gets lost in English.

Used elsewhere in the period

In the Greek Old Testament (the Septuagint, LXX), aetos translates nesher, which in passages such as Micah 1:16 ('bald as the nesher') clearly means the vulture. Deuteronomy 28:49 and Habakkuk 1:8 picture invading armies swooping 'like an eagle'. Hosea 8:1 puts a trumpet and an eagle together: 'Set the trumpet to your lips! Like an eagle over the house of the LORD.' Jesus' saying 'where the corpse is, there the eagles [vultures] will gather' (Matthew 24:28; Luke 17:37) uses aetos. In 2 Baruch 77 an eagle carries a prophet's letter. In 4 Ezra 11–12 an eagle stands for Rome. Within Revelation, the fourth living creature is 'like a flying eagle' (4:7), and in 19:17–18 the birds 'flying in mid-heaven' are called to eat the flesh of the slain.

Where it appears

Matthew · 1

  1. Matthew 24:28 ἀετοί. vultures.

    Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather.

    Here: The general word for large birds of prey. Ancient writers did not separate eagles from vultures as modern science does. Birds that flock to a carcass and feed on it are, in practice, griffon vultures, which circle high and visible over a dead body.

Luke · 1

  1. Luke 17:37 ἀετοὶ vultures

    “Where, Lord?” they asked. Jesus answered, “Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather.”

Revelation · 3

  1. Revelation 4:7 ἀετῷ as an eagle

    The first living creature was like a lion, the second like a calf, the third had a face like a man, and the fourth was like an eagle in flight.

    Here: The great bird of prey, king of the birds. The word, like the Hebrew nesher behind it, can also cover large vultures. Here 'flying' shows the stress is on its power in the air and its speed.

  2. Revelation 8:13 ἀετοῦ eagle

    And as I observed, I heard an eagle flying overhead, calling in a loud voice, “Woe! Woe! Woe to those who dwell on the earth, because of the trumpet blasts about to be sounded by the remaining three angels!”

    Here: A large bird of prey. The Greek word, like the Hebrew nesher behind it, also covered the great carrion vultures. That gives it a sense of swift judgment and of bodies to come.

  3. Revelation 12:14 ἀετοῦ eagle

    But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle to fly from the presence of the serpent to her place in the wilderness, where she was nourished for a time, and times, and half a time.

    Here: Eagle, or in some usage the large vulture of Bible lands. The image recalls God's own carrying of Israel out of Egypt (Exod 19:4; Deut 32:11).

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.