What does the Bible say about bittern?
Bible Topic · WEB
The Bible uses the bittern as a vivid image of God’s judgment, showing that human pride and rebellion end in desolation under his righteous rule. Isaiah 14:23 portrays fallen Babylon as a place abandoned to bitterns and swamps, declaring that the Lord overturns proud kingdoms. Isaiah 34:11 similarly describes Edom’s devastation, while Zephaniah 2:14 pictures Nineveh’s ruined palaces as a dwelling for wilderness creatures. These passages do not chiefly teach about the bird itself, but about the certainty of God’s judgment against evil. Yet they also call us to humility, repentance, and refuge in the Lord, whose justice is holy and whose mercy is offered to those who turn to him.
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- A species of heron Isaiah 14:23; Isaiah 34:11; Zephaniah 2:14
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