birds of the air

The Greek and Hebrew phrases that are often translated as “birds of the air” in English “refer to the undomesticated song birds or wild birds, to be distinguished in a number of languages from domesticated fowl. In Tzeltal these former are ‘field birds’.” (source: Bratcher / Nida)

Q’anjob’al also uses an established term for non-domesticated birds. Newberry and Kittie Cox (in The Bible Translator 1950, p. 91ff. ) explain: “Qʼanjobʼal has two distinct terms, one to identify domesticated birds and the other non-domesticated birds. The additional descriptive phrase ‘of the air’ seemed entirely misleading, for Qʼanjobʼal speakers had never heard of such creatures. Actually, of course, all that was necessary was the term for non-domesticated birds, for that is precisely the meaning of the Biblical expression.”

See also birds of the air / fish of the sea and birds or four-footed animals or reptiles.

Translation commentary on Psalm 50:10 - 50:11

In these verses God declares that he owns all animals, wild and domestic, and all birds. The Hebrew text of verse 10b is unusual, and the meaning may be “and thousands of cattle in the hills” (see New English Bible, New Jerusalem Bible).

I know in verse 11a is used here in the sense of laying claim to; Anderson explains: “I have both knowledge of and mastery over.” Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch translates “All the birds out there belong to me.”

Good News Translation “wild birds” in verse 11a translates the Masoretic text “birds of the hills” (see Revised Standard Version footnote; New Jerusalem Bible “every bird of the mountains”), which is an unusual phrase; the usual one is “birds of the air,” as in the Septuagint, Syriac, and Vulgate. These two verses form a chiasmus in the Hebrew, and the poet undoubtedly used “of the mountains” to correspond to on a thousand hills in the previous line. Hebrew Old Testament Text Project also prefers the Masoretic text (“C” decision). The meaning, however, is the same, namely “wild birds.”

Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Reyburn, William D. A Handbook on the Book of Psalms. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1991. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .