⁶ I am like a melancholy pelican or vulture of the wilderness; I am like a [desolate] owl of the waste places.

⁷ I am sleepless and lie awake [mourning], like a bereaved sparrow alone on the housetop.

Psalm 102:6-8

Amplified Bible, Classic Edition. Bible Gateway.com

There are many references to birds all through the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. They are part of our Heavenly Fathers creation and He feeds them.

 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Matthew 6:26

These were Jesus/Yeshuas’ own words which are of great encouragement to us.

Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.

Matt 10:29-31

There are also many English idioms using birds.

Our idiom

It’s for the birds.

Means: Worthless, useless, not to be taken seriously, no good.

This phrase often describes something that is only acceptable to people who are less intelligent or more gullible than oneself.

So why are these particular birds used by the Psalmist?

What is he trying to convey, and how does it apply to believers today?

In these 2 verses he mentions

a pelican or vulture, an owl and a sparrow.

We know from 2Tim. 3:16 that …

All Scripture is God-breathed [given by divine inspiration] and is profitable for instruction, for conviction [of sin], for correction [of error and restoration to obedience], for training in righteousness [learning to live in conformity to God’s will, both publicly and privately—behaving honorably with personal integrity and moral courage]; so that the man of God may be complete and proficient, outfitted and thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Amplified Bible 16&17

…He is trying to tell us something and it’s not to be taken lightly; it’s our Fathers’ Word to us on how to live the life of a believer and disciple. It is never worthless or useless because it is the Way, the Truth and the Life.

I am like a pelican of the wilderness –

A bird in the midst of desolation becomes a striking image of loneliness and distress.

The word rendered “pelican” –

קאת qâ’ath –

6893 qaath:  קָאַת

Original Word: קָאַת
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: qaath
Phonetic Spelling: kaw-ath’

The Hebrew name of this bird is generally understood to mean “the vomiter” (From the Hebrew qohʼ, “to vomit”). And is supposed to have been a name given to the pelican from the idea of regurgitating, as it brings up the shells and other substances which it has swallowed too quickly.

The translators of the Greek Septuagint and Latin Vulgate versions identified the Hebrew word with the “pelican.”

The word occurs in the following places, where it is rendered “pelican:” Leviticus 11:18; Deuteronomy 14:17; and in Isaiah 34:11; Zephaniah 2:14, where it is rendered “cormorant.” 

It’s listed among the birds designated as ‘unclean’ in the Mosaic law. Lev. 11:13, 18; Deut. 14:11, 12, 17.

There is one place where the Hebrew word:

liq·’aṯ   is used for the pelican.

לִקְאַ֣ת

liq·’aṯ

Pelican; or, as some translate bittern, as the same word is translated, Isaiah 34:11 Zephaniah 2:14.

It is a solitary and mournful bird, as also is the owl. 

I am like a pelican of the wilderness: I am like an owl of the desert.

Always mourning in solitude and casting out fearful cries.

I am like a pelican of the wilderness,…. It may be so called, to distinguish it from another of the same name that lives on the waters; which has the name of “pelican” in Greek; however, it seems to be a bird of solitude, and the Psalmist compares himself to it.

According to references, it is an Egyptian bird, that inhabits the desert of the river Nile, this is where the name of Canopus Aegyptus comes from. 

As to the Pelican. Leviticus 11:18. Some scholars say: “It has been objected that the pelican is a water-bird, and cannot, therefore, be the kâath of the Scriptures—“the pelican of the wilderness”—as it must of necessity starve in the desert; but a midbar (wilderness) is often used to denote a wide open space, cultivated or uncultivated, and is not to be restricted to barren spots destitute of water; moreover, as a matter of fact, the pelican after filling its huge pouch with fish, molluscs, etc., often retires to places far inland, where it consumes what it has captured. It breeds on the great sandy wastes near the mouths of the Danube. The expression ‘pelican in the wilderness,’ in the psalmist’s imagery, is a true picture of the bird as it sits in apparently melancholy mood with its bill resting on its breast.

Isaiah 34:11; Zephaniah 2:13, 14.

The Bible encyclopedia gives this insight on the Scriptures: “When the pelican is gorged with food, it often flies away to a lonely place, where it takes a melancholy attitude.”

He compares himself to solitude-loving birds which haunt desolate places and ruins, uttering weird and mournful cries. Isaiah 34:11; Zephaniah 2:14 (A.V. cormorant).

One observer recalls,

“this was certainly the most sombre, austere bird I ever saw….

It gave one the blues merely to look at it. David could find no more expressive type of solitude and melancholy by which to illustrate his own sad state. It seemed as large as a half-grown donkey, and when fairly settled on its stout legs, it looked like one. The pelican is never seen but in these unfrequented solitudes, and to this agree all the references to it in the Bible.”

(Heb. kaath , sometimes translated “cormorant,” as ( Isaiah 34:11 ; Zephaniah 2:14 ) though in the margin correctly rendered “pelican”), a voracious waterbird, found most abundantly in tropical regions. It is equal to the swan in size. It has a flat bill fifteen inches long, and the female has under the bill a pouch capable of great distention. It is capacious enough to hold fish sufficient for the dinner of half a dozen men.

The young are fed from this pouch, which is emptied of the food by pressing the pouch against the breast. The pelicans bill has a crimson tip, and the contrast of this red tip against the white breast probably gave rise to the tradition that the bird tore her own breast to feed her young with her blood. The flesh of the pelican was forbidden to the Jews. Leviticus 11:18 . 

The pelican is one of the largest of the flying birds, attaining a length of over 1.5 m (5 ft), with a majestic wingspread of 2.5 m (8 ft) or more.

The yellowish beak is long and hooked, and the large elastic pouch beneath is scarcely noticeable when empty.

Heavy and lumbering on land, the pelicans are strong, graceful fliers and have been known to have their nesting places as much as 100 km (60 mi) from the places of their fishing. They are superb fishers, and their webbed feet enable them to maneuver swiftly in the water.

The pelican’s most distinctive feature is the large elastic pouch extending beneath its long beak.

The pelican plunges with open bill into a school of small fish. The pouch serves as a scoop, taking in the fish and often several quarts of water as well. When the bird comes to the surface the water runs out the sides of the bill and the fish are gulped down. They are never stored in the pouch.

Publications show that the pelican feeds its young by regurgitating partly digested food from its stomach, even bringing up whole small fishes when the young birds have attained sufficient size. The parent bird opens its beak and allows the young to poke into the vast throat, prodding for the regurgitated food.

Thus, the Hebrew name aptly fits the pelican.

When the pelican is gorged with food, it often flies away to a lonely place, where it takes a melancholy posture, with its head sunk on its shoulders, so motionless that it might be mistaken from a distance for a white stone. The bird assumes this attitude for hours at a time, thus befitting the melancholy inactivity to which the psalmist David refers when he illustrates the poignancy of his grief by writing that “I do resemble the pelican of the wilderness.” Ps. 102:6

So if we are ever lonely and melancholy, remember we might also resemble a pelican!​

Here “wilderness” does not necessarily connote a desert, but simply an area away from human habitations, perhaps a swamp. During certain seasons, swamps in the northern Jordan valley are still the home of pelicans.

The pelican shows a distinct preference for uncultivated places, where it will not be disturbed by man. There it nests and hatches its’ young and retires after fishing. Because of this fondness for lonely, desolate places, the Bible uses this bird as a symbol of utter desolation. To symbolize Edom’s coming desolation, Isaiah foretold that the pelican would take possession of that land. Isa. 34:11. Zephaniah prophesied that pelicans would dwell among the pillar capitals of Nineveh, indicating total ruin and absence of humankind. Zeph. 2:13, 14.

The pelican is a high diver, although this may be difficult for one to believe when observing them on land.

Trying to walk about on his short, stout legs, the pelican is ungainly and awkward and his gigantic bill, with the large elastic pouch hanging beneath, only adds to his funny appearance.

In the air however, the picture is entirely different as he is extremely graceful, and at great heights exhibits a power and dignity equaled only by the eagle. His five-foot white body and eight/ten-foot wingspan make him spectacular in flight with apparently minimal effort.

The reference to flying and the ease of flight,

gives us an image of the believer

who encounters struggle on the ground

but when aloft in the spirit,

we are seated with Him in the heavenlies,

and we will find that the walk is much easier.

קאת construct of קאת

or קאת from קאה,

vid., Isaiah,

at Isaiah 34:11-12,

according to the lxx, is the pelican,

and כּוס is the night-raven or the little horned-owl.

In the second line,

I am become as an owl in desolate places.

I am like an owl of the desert –

The owl is a well-known bird which dwells in solitudes and old ruins, and which becomes, alike by its seeking such places of abode, by its appearance, and by its doleful cry, the very emblem of desolation.

Owl in Hebrew: khôs. Leviticus 11:17.

The bird is identified with the owl by the Hebrew in this passage, which should be rendered, owl of the ruins. Some, however, would identify this bird with the pelican, since khôs means cup, rendering as “the pelican, even the pouch-bird.”

The owl is called by the Arabs “mother of ruins,” and

“in the tombs or on the ruins, among the desolate heaps which mark the sites of ancient Judah, on the sandy mounds of Beersheba, or on the spray-beaten fragments of Tyre, his low wailing note is sure to be heard at sunset.” Tristram’s Nat. Hist. of the Bible, p. 194.

I am like an owl of the desert; or “of desert places“; in the Tigurine version; it is translated “the little owl” in Leviticus 11:17.

It delights to be on old walls, and in ruined houses, and cares not to consort with other birds, and it makes a hideous sorrowful noise.

Aelianus speaks of a bird of this sort in India, which has a large crop like a sack; and the Hebrew word “cos” here used signifies a cup or vessel, from whence it may have its name; and which he says makes a very disagreeable noise, to which the psalmist may compare the voice of his groaning.

 Psalm 102:5.

or an owl of the desert

CJB

I am like a great owl in the desert, I’ve become like an owl in the ruins.

Always mourning in solitude and casting out fearful cries.

And that he resembles or, is like them.

1819  dā·mî·ṯî – resemble, am like.

Psalm 102:6 
HEB: דָּ֭מִיתִי לִקְאַ֣ת מִדְבָּ֑ר הָ֝יִ֗יתִי
NAS: I resemble a pelican of the wilderness;
KJV: I am like a pelican of the wilderness:
INT: resemble A pelican of the wilderness have become

דּמה obtains the signification: to be like, equal, to be flat, even, and to spread out flat. They are both unclean creatures, which are fond of the loneliness of the desert and ruined places.

It is to such a wilderness, in loneliness and ruination, the psalmist has found himself. No doubt the words, hideous sorrowful noise of fearful cries, described the deep groaning at his condition. Many know that place, where no words suffice to describe our inner turmoil and distress. When we cry out to the Lord He always hears us and will comfort our waste places.

For the LORD will comfort Zion, He will comfort all her waste places; He will make her wilderness like Eden, And her desert like the garden of the LORD; Joy and gladness will be found in it, Thanksgiving and the voice of melody. Isaiah 51:3 NKJV

As children grafted-in to spiritual Israel, this promise is for us.

Clean and Unclean Animals
…17 the little owl, the cormorant, the great owl, 18 the white owl, the desert owl, the osprey, 19 the stork, any kind of heron, the hoopoe, and the bat.…

Leviticus 11:13
Additionally, you are to detest the following birds, and they must not be eaten because they are detestable: the eagle, the bearded vulture, the black vulture,
Leviticus 11:17
the little owl, the cormorant, the great owl,
Leviticus 11:19
the stork, any kind of heron, the hoopoe, and the bat.
Deuteronomy 14:17
the desert owl, the osprey, the cormorant,

Ps 102 :6I am like a [mournful] [a]vulture of the wilderness; 

I am like a [desolate] owl of the wasteland.

7I am sleepless and lie awake [mourning], 

I have become like a lonely bird on a housetop.

[a] 6 Lit pelican, or some kind of desert bird.

Leviticus 11:18 the white owl, the desert owl, the osprey,

So, it is to this

melancholy attitude of lonely desolation

that the Psalmist refers when he says,

“I am like a pelican of the wilderness” Psalm 102:6,

and it is also to its’ habit of building in deserted places.

Although believers may have such experiences, they are not to overwhelm us or cause us to remain in them. We are to learn from them and grow in our relationship with our Heavenly Father; and furthermore be better equipped to help others who are still struggling through personal wildernesses. 

Sparrow

Psalm 102:7

KJ21

I watch, and am as a sparrow alone upon the housetop.

ASV

I watch, and am become like a sparrow That is alone upon the house-top.

AMP

I am sleepless and lie awake [mourning], I have become like a lonely bird on a housetop.

AMPC

I am sleepless and lie awake [mourning], like a bereaved sparrow alone on the housetop.

KJV

I watch, and am as a sparrow alone upon the house top.

He passes the nights without sleep

שׁקד: to watch during the time for sleep,

and is therefore like a bird sitting feeling lonesome

upon the roof, whilst all in the house beneath are sleeping.

His grief is that his enemies reproach him as one forsaken of God.

You are worth more than many sparrows.

Mt 10:29-31; Lu 12:6, 7

Sparrows are a symbol of hope.

Like the sparrows, we are to have hope in the Lord

and overcome grief and find comfort.

The Greek word strou·thiʹon is a diminutive form meaning:

any small bird,

but was used especially as applying to sparrows.

A variety of common house sparrow

(Passer domesticus biblicus) is abundant in Israel.

Small brown and gray birds, the sparrows are noisy and gregarious, chirping and twittering, fluttering from their perch on a housetop, tree, or bush to the ground and back again. Their diet consists chiefly of seeds, insects, and worms. The Spanish sparrow, Passer hispaniolensis, is also common, especially in the northern and central areas of Israel.

The only direct references to sparrows in the Bible are found in a statement that Messiah Jesus made during His third visit to Galilee which He restated approx. a year later in Judea. He pointed out that two sparrows sell for a coin of small value [literally, an assarion, worth less than five cents] or, if bought in quantities of five, for two coins of small value, Messiah stated that, though these small birds were counted as of such little worth, yet not one of them will fall to the ground without your Father’s knowledge and not one of them is forgotten. He then encouraged His disciples to be free from fear, and assured them, You are worth more than many sparrows. Matt. 10:29-31; Lu. 12:6, 7.

For many centuries, sparrows have been sold in Middle Eastern markets. As food, they were plucked and roasted on wooden skewers like shish kebabs.

An ancient inscription of Emperor Diocletian’s tariff law (301 C.E.) shows that of all the birds used for food, sparrows were the cheapest.​—Light From the Ancient East, by A. Deissmann, 1965, pp. 273, 274.

Although the sparrow appears in the Hebrew Scriptures in the KJV Ps. 84:3; 102:7 and in other translations, the Hebrew term so rendered: tsip·pohrʹ, is evidently a generic term referring to small birds in general and not specifically identifying the sparrow.

“I am like an owl of the desert; I watch, and am as a sparrow alone upon the house top.” 

The context of these verses is that of the suffering servant, crying out to God for salvation as his enemies surround him. This could be said to be a pretty good description of some believers today as both political and social forces try to suppress the Church. False religions and counterfeit spirituality creeps into members lives as they linger in leaving Babylon/the world and delay in obeying the call to come out from among them and be ye separate. 

Strife, division and arguments arise from within, putting folks in opposition to one another; however, the Scriptures assure us of two things.  First, that the gates of Hades shall not prevail against the Church. Matt 16:18.  We should continually remind ourselves that the Church exists to reach the lost with Messiahs’ message of salvation; we do not need to save the institution of the Church and its’ many denominations.  Secondly, that according to Col.2:15 Jesus Christ/Yeshua HaMashiach, has already disarmed and triumphed over the demonic forces, having made a public spectacle of them.

The world is not our home and those who identify with its’ systems will continue to stir up fear, violence and anger; but we who call ourselves by Messiah’s Name, are invited to share in the joy and peace/shalom, of His Spirit of Holiness, knowing that God has already judged; and will judge once more on the last day.  Vengeance is mine, I will recompense’ says the Lord. Deut 32:35; Rom 12:19. 

Like an owl in the desert,

we must wait and watch as our enemies surround us. 

But there is no need to despair, for

God is with us… Isaiah 7:14; Matt 1:23.

Are any of us melancholy pelicans,

bereaved sparrows,

or desolate owls?

Feeling vulnerable or abandoned?

Circumstances may have brought us to compare ourselves to these birds; and if they have, our Heavenly Father has already prepared the remedy and the solution. We are to place our trust and hope in Him. We are to look up and focus on the Lord.

We are to trade our sadness, our melancholy for His joy;

our loneliness for His presence

our desolation for His promises which are always yes and amen.

This is the great exchange of 2 Cor. 5:21.

It is the good news that

lifts burdens,

gives joy and

restores strength.

Martin Luther called this

the great exchange,

where our sin is credited to Jesus/Yeshua and the earned righteousness of Jesus/Yeshua is credited to:

all who call upon the name of the Lord.

Rom. 10:9, 13; 2 Cor. 5:21; Eph. 2:8-9; 2 Tim. 1:9.

Where Adam brought death through his rebellion,

Messiah, Jesus Christ earned eternal life for all believers…

The Great Exchange, whereby Jesus Christ went to the grave in our place, while we receive by faith the credit for His righteous life… 

He died that we might live eternally…

He has given us restored fellowship for our rebellion and independence…

A new heart and new spirit for our hearts wicked iniquities…

His righteousness for our sins…

Power to live victoriously instead of defeat by the power of sin…

Gods’ glory for our shame…

His blessings and His spirit for the curse of sin and death…

We have exchanged His Healing for our sickness…

His riches for our poverty…

Hope replaces sorrow and regret…

Joy and peace for anxiety…

Adoption as sons, family in exchange for rejection and fear.

This is a positive statement to confess out loud:

According to Col. 1:28… I am complete in Christ/Messiah. Jesus/Yeshua has given me restored fellowship, new heart desires, His righteousness, power over sin, His glory, His Holy Spirit, health, prosperity, hope, joy, peace, adoption into His family and eternal life.

In times of loss, separation, betrayal, abandonment and the grief that follows, we should turn to the One who knows more than anyone how we are feeling.  As the bereaved sparrow David mentions, he endures the loss, and turns in a hopeful attitude towards the future. We are to turn to Messiah and to hope in the Lord, Who is the anchor of our soul where the pain is deepest. He bore our sorrows, our pains and our griefs. He was betrayed and abandoned by those who He loved and had in turn declared their undying love for Him. For the joy that was set before Him to be restored into His Father’s presence, He has offered all that He paid for – to us.

We have a hope and a future Jeremiah 9:11. The plans He has for us are for good, for a positive and victorious outcome. Whatever the situation you’re in, He knows. As we trust in Him with all we have and lean not to our own understanding, He will direct our paths and restore unto us the joy of our salvation; replacing the loneliness with His loving presence.

Those who feel like the owl who is desolate and solitary will find companionship in the friend Who is also our brother as well as Savior, Lord and King. He walks with us and converses with us knowing already the intimate longings of our hearts. He is the One who will never leave us nor forsake us, the friend that sticks closer than a brother and will never stab us in the back. His love Is unconditional and all encompassing and never fails or changes. With Him by our side we are never alone or desolate.

And as with the sparrows, not one of them shall fall on the ground without your Fathers’ knowledge or consent. He knows and is in overall control of everything so, there is no need to fear anything.

If we are identifying today with the melancholy pelican, just feeling ‘plain down in the dumps‘, depressed and wanting to pull the covers over our heads and hibernate until next spring. There is a risen Savior and He is it to stay. Jesus/Yeshua is the answer to melancholy, to sadness, sorrow which has to flee when we call upon His Name. His is the Name above every other name. He is the Prince of Peace, our Sar Shalom, where no melancholy or depression can overshadow us; and as we declare Him sovereign in our lives, His Blood cleanses us and washes away all oppression and the shadows that bring it. The light of His glory and grace will dispel all darkness that tries to overwhelm our tender hearts and bruised souls.

He was bruised and beaten for us. He was mocked and rejected by those He came to save. All sadness and sighing flee away as we look to Him, the author and finisher of our faith. The restorer of our souls and the resurrector of our spirits. There is no other name by which men must be saved and when we receive all that He has for us, our joy will be full and our strength restored, so we can persevere and run the race to the finish.

So even if we have been a melancholy pelican,

a desolate owl,

or a bereaved sparrow;

today we can receive or renew all those promises

contained within that

great exchange.

See I have made all things new… Rev. 21:5

and

fear not you are worth

MUCH more

than many sparrows.

Shalom shalom mishpachah/family

and cheverim/friends!

You are loved, appreciated and prayed for

… and…

it’s all about Life and Relationship,

NOT Religion.

You are precious in His sight.

NOT SURE?

YOU CAN BE..

SAY THE FOLLOWING FROM YOUR HEART RIGHT NOW…

Heavenly Father I come to you in the Name of Jesus/Yeshua asking for forgiveness of my sins for which I am truly sorry. I repent of them all and turn away from my past.

I believe with my heart and confess with my mouth that Jesus/Yeshua is your Son and that He died on the cross at calvary to pay the price for my sin, so that I might be forgiven and have eternal life in the kingdom of Heaven. Father I believe that Jesus/Yeshua rose from the dead and I ask you to come into my life right now and be my personal Savior and Lord and I will worship you all the days of my life. Because your word is truth I say that I am now forgiven and born again and by faith I am washed clean with the blood of Jesus/Yeshua. Thank you that you have accepted me into your family in Jesus’/Yeshua’s name. Amen