Tag: Ahijah the Shilonite

The Ziz

Dale Pollard

Psalm 50.11

“I know every bird of the mountains, and the Ziz of the field is Mine.”

If a simpleton took a gander at Psalm 50:11 he would likely assume that the verse spoke of a mere bird or some generic beast. But over the centuries, Jewish interpreters transformed the mysterious Hebrew word ziz into one of the largest creatures of biblical lore. A colossal, winged monster that ruled the skies, much as Leviathan ruled the sea, and the Behemoth ruled the land.

When Ziz Became a Giant

The verse itself does not describe its size– that detail comes later.

During the centuries after the Old Testament, Jewish writers began pairing three enormous creatures together:

Leviathan — ruler of the sea

Behemoth — ruler of the land

Ziz — ruler of the air

This titanic trio appears in several ancient Jewish writings.

 One of the oldest surviving descriptions appears in the Babylonian Talmud, where the bird is portrayed as unimaginably large.

The rabbis write:

 “An egg of the ziz once fell and shattered three hundred cedar trees, and its contents flooded sixteen cities.” — Babylonian Talmud, Bekhorot 57b

Although clearly presented in a legendary style, the story emphasizes the bird’s extraordinary size. Another famous tradition says:

“It’s ankles rest upon the earth while its head reaches the heavens.”

— Midrash, Leviticus Rabbah 22:10

The point was clear; the Ziz was thought to dwarf every other bird.

Perhaps the best-known description comes from the Midrash, which says the bird’s wingspan was so immense that opening its wings could darken the sun.

The traditional version states:

“When the Ziz spreads its wings, it obscures the light of the sun.” — Midrash

Psalms on Psalm 50

This sort of publicity helped the Ziz become the flying counterpart to Leviathan.

An Extinct Giant Bird?

The Bible never identifies the Ziz with any known species. Because later Jewish tradition describes it as an enormous flying creature, it’s been compared with extinct giant birds such as Argentavis magnificens, Pelagornis sandersi, or even giant pterosaurs such as Quetzalcoatlus. These identifications remain speculative and are not found in ancient Jewish sources. Whether understood literally, symbolically, or as legendary embellishment, the Ziz remains one of the most fascinating creatures associated with the Bible—a mysterious being whose reputation grew from a single obscure Hebrew word into the greatest bird in Jewish imagination.

Note: The descriptions of the Ziz blotting out the sun, towering into the heavens, and laying obnoxiously large eggs come from later rabbinic and midrashic tradition—not from the biblical text itself. The Bible only briefly mentions the ziz without describing it as gigantic.

The Hebrew word ziz appears only a few times in the Old Testament (Psalm 50:11, 80:13). The word probably comes from a root meaning “to move,” “to swarm,” or “living thing.”

Rehoboam’s Folly

Monday’s Column: Neal At The Cross

Neal Pollard

One of the facts I remember and retained from elementary school is that the purchase of the Alaska Territory by the United States from the Russian Empire was known as “Seward’s Folly.” $7 million for a frozen wasteland thousands of miles from Washington, D.C., right after the Civil War surely must have seemed bizarre (at the time, it was also called [President Andrew] “Johnson’s Polar Bear Garden” and “Walrussia,” among other things)(a few details from History.com).  History has long since vindicated the wisdom of Seward’s vision.

Rehoboam’s folly was folly from beginning to end. Though God’s foreknowledge and providence caused Him to work through these events to keep His promise of bringing the Messiah, Rehoboam was no willing accomplice. Instead, he committed an inexcusable blunder that proved him to be an apple falling light years from his father’s tree. How could he be so foolish?

First, let’s quickly review what happened. Jeroboam hears about Solomon’s death, and he leaves his exile in Egypt to return to Israel. The nation had high regard for the son of Nebat and summoned him to go with a delegation of them to ask Rehoboam to lighten the yoke of taxation his father, Solomon, had levied on them in order to fund the building projects the chief of which were his own house and the temple (cf. 9:15). Rehoboam asked for three days to consider their request. When they return in three days, he not only refused their request but answered them harshly (10). 

So what contributed to his foolhardy decision at the start of his reign? There are several implications. Cronyism appears to have played a part. He favored the flatterers from among his own friends and associates, “who grew up with him” (10).

Ego likewise factors in. Their flattering suggestion was to tell the people, “My little finger is thicker than my father’s loins! Whereas my father loaded you with a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke; my father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions” (10-11).

Akin to cronyism was his bias against the older, wiser counselors who served his father. It’s certainly not unique to Rehoboam to consider the counsel of the aged to be out of touch and irrelevant (cf. Job 12:12).

Then, there was a lack of empathy. Leadership is doomed where leaders fail to hear and grasp the plight of the people.

Finally, there was divine foreknowledge. God knew the arrogance and pride of Rehoboam and He used it to fulfill His divine will. The writer ends the paragraph, saying, “So the king did not listen to the people; for it was a turn of events from the Lord, that He might establish His word, which the Lord spoke through Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat” (15). 

God’s people today do well to revisit the folly of Rehoboam in order to be reminded of the wisdom of impartiality, humility, empathy, and compassion. Failure to do so is foolish indeed!