Exodus 19:4

19:4 ‘You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt and how I lifted you on eagles’ wings ¹  and brought you to myself. ² 

Isaiah 31:5

31:5 Just as birds hover over a nest, ³ 

so the Lord who commands armies will protect Jerusalem. ⁴ 

He will protect and deliver it;

as he passes over ⁵  he will rescue it.

Isaiah 40:31

40:31 But those who wait for the Lord’s help ⁶  find renewed strength;

they rise up as if they had eagles’ wings, ⁷ 

they run without growing weary,

they walk without getting tired.

Isaiah 46:4

46:4 Even when you are old, I will take care of you, ⁸ 

even when you have gray hair, I will carry you.

I made you and I will support you;

I will carry you and rescue you. ⁹ 

Isaiah 63:9

63:9 Through all that they suffered, he suffered too. ¹⁰ 

The messenger sent from his very presence ¹¹  delivered them.

In his love and mercy he protected ¹²  them;

he lifted them up and carried them throughout ancient times. ¹³ 

Hebrews 11:3

11:3 By faith we understand that the worlds ¹⁴  were set in order at God’s command, ¹⁵  so that the visible has its origin in the invisible. ¹⁶ 

Revelation 12:4

12:4 Now ¹⁷  the dragon’s ¹⁸  tail swept away a third of the stars in heaven and hurled them to the earth. Then ¹⁹  the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that he might devour her child as soon as it was born.

¹ tn The figure compares the way a bird would teach its young to fly and leave the nest with the way Yahweh brought Israel out of Egypt. The bird referred to could be one of several species of eagles, but more likely is the griffin-vulture. The image is that of power and love.

² sn The language here is the language of a bridegroom bringing the bride to the chamber. This may be a deliberate allusion to another metaphor for the covenant relationship.

³ tn Heb “just as birds fly.” The words “over a nest” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

⁴ map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.

⁵ tn The only other occurrence of this verb is in Exod 12:13, 23, 27, where the Lord “passes over” (i.e., “spares”) the Israelite households as he comes to judge their Egyptian oppressors. The noun פֶּסַח (pesakh, “Passover”) is derived from the verb. The use of the verb in Isa 31:5 is probably an intentional echo of the Exodus event. As in the days of Moses the Lord will spare his people as he comes to judge their enemies.

⁶ tn The words “for the Lord’s help” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

⁷ tn Heb “they rise up [on] wings like eagles” (TEV similar).

⁸ tn Heb “until old age, I am he” (NRSV similar); NLT “I will be your God throughout your lifetime.”

⁹ sn Unlike the weary idol gods, whose images must be carried by animals, the Lord carries his weary people.

¹⁰ tn Heb “in all their distress, there was distress to him” (reading לוֹ [lo] with the margin/Qere).

¹¹ tn Heb “the messenger [or “angel”] of his face”; NIV “the angel of his presence.”

¹² tn Or “redeemed” (KJV, NAB, NIV), or “delivered.”

¹³ tn Heb “all the days of antiquity”; KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV “days of old.”

¹⁴ tn Grk “ages.” The temporal (ages) came to be used of the spatial (what exists in those time periods). See Heb 1:2 for same usage.

¹⁵ tn Grk “by God’s word.”

¹⁶ sn The Greek phrasing emphasizes this point by negating the opposite: “so that what is seen did not come into being from things that are visible.”

¹⁷ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate that this remark is virtually parenthetical.

¹⁸ tn Grk “its”; the referent (the dragon) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

¹⁹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.