Owl

Q&A Day - A Question that Came in Too Late but Absolutely Must Be Answered for All of Those Who've Wondered...

First off, let me say wow. This was such an obscure reference, and SOMEONE was really studying their Bibles closely to catch it! Kudos to this guy, legit scholar. So here it is:

Search hedgehog in ESV and NIV... Why are these animals (both books written in Hebrew I assume) interpreted as different animals? Any significance to these for the Jewish culture?

The reference is Zephaniah 2:14. In the passage, God is pronouncing judgment on Nineveh, saying this bustling city will become a ghost town as a result of His judgment. But what exactly ARE the animals in verse 14?

No one is 100% sure - there is some discrepancy over what animals the Hebrew words were referring to. Does it matter? It really doesn’t. It doesn’t change the meaning of the text at all.

The point is crystal clear: the day is coming when God will judge this city, and the destruction will be so thorough that when the dust settles, there will be nothing but wild animals living there. Whether it’s an owl or a hedgehog or ANY wild animal living in the ceiling, it’s the same message. Your big bad city is about to be abandoned.