Credit: Seney Natural History Association
License: CC BY-SA 2.0
Credit URL: https://commons.wikimedia.org...
Bittern (botháurus vulgaris), a shy, solitary, wading bird related to the heron and inhabiting the recesses of swamps, where its startling, booming cry at night gives a frightening impression of desolation. In the D.V., bittern stands for Hebr. qã'ãth (קָאַת - Strongs: H6893, Leviticus 11:18; Isaiah 34:11; Zephaniah 2:14), although by some inconsistency the same Hebrew word is rendered Deuteronomy 14:17, by cormorant, and Ps. 102:6, by pelican. The pelican meets all the requirements of all the passages where qã'ãth - Strongs: H6893 is mentioned, and would perhaps be a better translation than bittern.
