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Easton's Bible Dictionary
Its peculiar peaceful and gentle habit its often referred
to in Scripture. A pair was offered in sacrifice by Mary at her purification (
Luke 2:24 ). The pigeon and the turtle-dove were the only birds permitted to be
offered in sacrifice ( Leviticus 1:14 ; 5:7 ; 14:22 ; Leviticus 15:14 , 15:29
, etc.). The Latin name of this bird, turtur, is derived from its note, and is
a repetition of the Hebrew name tor. Three species are found in Palestine,
(1) the turtle-dove (Turtur auritus),
(2) the collared turtle (T. risorius), and
(3) the palm turtle (T. Senegalensis). |
But it is to the first of these species which the various passages of Scripture
refer. It is a migratory bird ( Jeremiah 8:7 ; Cant 2:11 , 2:12 ). "Search the
glades and valleys, even by sultry Jordan, at the end of March, and not a turtle-dove
is to be seen. Return in the second week of April, and clouds of doves are feeding
on the clovers of the plain. They overspread the whole face of the land." "Immediately
on its arrival it pours forth from every garden, grove, and wooded hill its melancholy
yet soothing ditty unceasingly from early dawn till sunset. It is from its plaintive
and continuous note, doubtless, that David, pouring forth his heart's sorrow to
God, compares himself to a turtle-dove" ( Psalms 74:19 ).
Hitchcock's Dictionary of Bible Names
(no entry)
Smith's Bible Dictionary
Turtur auritus (Hebrew. tor) The name is phonetic, evidently
derived from the plaintive cooing of the bird. It is one of the smaller members
of the group of birds which ornithologists usually call pigeons. The turtle-dove
occurs first in Scripture in ( Genesis 15:9 ) In the Levitical law a pair of turtle-doves
or of young pigeons are constantly prescribed as a substitute for those who were
too poor to provide a lamb or a kid. The offering of two young pigeons must have
been one easily within the reach of the poorest. The admission of a pair of turtle-doves
was perhaps a yet further concession to extreme poverty, for they were extremely
numerous, and their young might easily be found and captured by those who did
not possess pigeons. In the valley of the Jordan, an allied species, the palm-dove
(so named because it builds its nest in the palm tree), or Egyptian turtle-- Turtur
aegyptiacus , Temm.--is by no means uncommon. It is not improbable that the palm-dove
may in some measure have supplied the sacrifice in the wilderness, for it is found
in amazing numbers wherever the palm tree occurs, whether wild or cultivated.
From its habit of pairing for life, and its fidelity to its mate, the turtle-dove
was a symbol of purity and an appropriate offering. The regular migration of the
turtle-dove and its return in the spring are alluded to in ( Jeremiah 8:7 ) and
Song of Solomon 2:11 , 12 It is from its plaintive note doubtless that David in
( Psalms 74:19 ) pouring forth his lament to God, compares himself to a turtle-dove.
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
tur'-t'-l-duv.
See DOVE.
Tags:
bible commentary, bible reference, bible study, define, history of, sacrificed bird, tor, Turtle Dove, turtur
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