bird of prey
a.yit denotes a bird portrayed as a predator or scavenger, and once figures a summoned man from the East.
The term most often denotes birds associated with descending on corpses, consuming the fallen, or being unable to see a hidden path; it also occurs in bird imagery surrounding a threatened inheritance. In Isaiah 46:11, it is used figuratively in a clause that also identifies a man called from a distant land.
Senses in use
-
Predatory or scavenging bird imagery · dominant
In Genesis 15:11 the APB renders a bird descending on corpses, while Ezekiel 39:4 and Isaiah 18:6 place such birds among creatures given the fallen to consume. Job 28:7 says the path is not known by this bird, and Jeremiah 12:9 uses the image of a speckled bird surrounded by other birds before calling wild animals to devour.
-
Figurative designation for a summoned man · rare
In Isaiah 46:11, the absolute singular occurs in the clause about calling one from the East; the APB then speaks of “a man of his counsel” from a far land. The verse's parallel presentation supports a figurative use rather than a scene of an actual bird.
In the Anselm Project Bible: Across the supplied verses, the APB consistently uses “bird of prey” or “birds of prey” in scenes of descent, consumption, or observation. In Isaiah 46:11, that rendering stands alongside “a man of his counsel”; The figurative connection is read from the verse's paired clause rather than from an assigned English token alone.