104. ἀετός aetos noun
Eagle, vulture.
Septuagint:
נֶשֶׁר nesher (5585), Vulture, eagle (Ex 19:4; Ezek 1:10).
נְשַׁר neshar (A5586), Vulture, eagle (Dn 4:31; 7:4—Aramaic).
Grammatical Forms:
1. ἀετοῦ aetou gen sing masc
2. ἀετῷ aetō dat sing masc
3. ἀετοί aetoi nom pl masc
Concordance:
3 there will the eagles be gathered together. Matt 24:28
3 thither will the eagles be gathered together. Luke 17:37
2 and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle. Rev 4:7
1 and I heard an eagle flying in midheaven, (NASB) Rev 8:13
1 the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, Rev 12:14
Word Studies:
Classical Greek
Despite the fact that aetos is simply “eagle” for the most part, it is extremely diverse in classical Greek. As many as seven different definitions are given, including being a “military standard” for both the Romans and Persians, an architectural term (“gable”), and an astrological constellation (Liddell-Scott).
Septuagint Usage
In the Septuagint, aetos most often translates the Hebrew word nesher. Commonly it functions in a figurative capacity to capture the speed of an event or the strength and protection of someone (e.g., of God, Exodus 19:4–6; Deuteronomy 32:11–13). Jeremiah foresaw the speedy approach of a conquering foe (Jeremiah 4:13; cf. Habakkuk 1:8). The eagle was perhaps the fastest observable creature in the ancient world. Speeds of up to 120 miles per hour have been observed (Parmelee, All the Birds of the Bible, p.200, cited by Fisher, “nesher,” Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament). Aetos usually denotes eagle, but because Semitic languages tended to include all large soaring birds into one family, some overlap occurred (see also Pliny, Natural History, 10.3). Such may be the case in Leviticus 11:13, and it is almost certainly so in Proverbs 30:17 and Micah 1:16 since the less noble features of the bird are being recalled (eating of carrion and being bald). Frequently in the Old Testament the eagle relates the swiftness of judgment (Deuteronomy 28:49; Lamentations 4:19; Habakkuk 1:8) and it may even suggest judgment itself (Hosea 8:1). Important is Ezekiel 1:4–10, which tells that the living creatures or cherubs which carried the throne of God all had the face of an eagle, as well as that of a lion, ox, and man.
New Testament Usage
The New Testament usage is as in classical Greek; it also ordinarily follows the typical figurative use found in the Old Testament. Most clear is the connection to the Old Testament in the description of the living creatures in Revelation 4:6ff., which corresponds with Ezekiel’s vision of the throne of God. Both tell that one of the living creatures has the face of an eagle. Representative here with man (the highest of all creatures) are the lion (from among the wild animals), the ox (from among the cattle), and the eagle (from among the birds).
Further, the woman in Revelation 12:14, which symbolizes the persecuted people of God (most likely Israel), escapes swiftly on the wings of the great eagle. This alludes to the Old Testament saying that God carried Israel on the wings of the eagle during their wandering through the desert (Exodus 19:4). In connection with God’s judgment, the eagle appears in Revelation 8:13, reading aetos instead of auretos (Textus Receptus).
All this taken in consideration, one should not be too hasty to interpret hoi aetoi as “vultures” in Matthew 24:28, and in Luke 17:37. The gathering of aetoi around the carcass of a dead body (Luke, to sōma; Matthew, to ptōma) may suggest that Jesus had vultures in mind; however, this viewpoint cannot be insisted upon.
In fact, there are things within these texts that point in another direction. The words, “Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together,” is quite a cryptic saying. When Jesus told about enemies gathering around Jerusalem it was in clear accordance with Old Testament prophecies of the time. It should also be taken into consideration that Jesus, in His eschatological discourse, warned of the destruction of Jerusalem. Therefore, in this cryptic address the eagles could well be a hint of the Roman eagle-banner which was raised at the siege of the city in the year A.D. 70.
Thoralf Gilbrant, “Ἀετός,” The New Testament Greek-English Dictionary, The Complete Biblical Library (WORDsearch, 1991).
hermeneutics.stackexchange.com
