Partridge

Fausset's Bible Dictionary

Kore' .  1 Samuel 26:20, "a partridge in the mountains."  Jeremiah 17:11, "the partridge sitteth on eggs and hatcheth them not" ("Sitteth On Eggs Which It Has Not Laid," Henderson) , typifying the profitlessness of unlawful gain ( Psalms 39:6;  Psalms 49:16-17;  Psalms 55:23) in the end. Breeding in the desert mountain regions it makes its rude nest, a hole scratched in the earth and lined with dried leaves, and deposits 15 eggs. Like many of the rasorial birds they lay in one another's nests, and a different bird hatches from the bird who laid the eggs.

This is Jeremiah's reference, or rather to its nest being on the ground, liable to be trodden under foot or robbed by carnivorous animals, notwithstanding all the beautiful maneuvers of the parent bird to save the brood. Jehoiakim's covetous grasping acts are here glanced at. Κore') is from Hebrew "call," referring to the call of the cock bird, as German Rebhuhn is from Rufen "to call." Κore') imitates the call note of the Caccabis Saxatilis , "Greek partridge," which frequents rocky, brushwood covered, ground. The Αmmopedix Ηeyii is the partridge of the mountains, often hunted from place to place, until being fatigued it is knocked down by the sticks, zerwattys, of the Arabs (Shaw Tray. 1:425); familiar to David in his camping near Adullam cave, and less apt to take wing than the Caccabis Saxatilis . So Saul sought, by surprising David in his haunts from time to time, at last to destroy him.

Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary

קדא ,  1 Samuel 26:20;  Jeremiah 17:11; περδιξ , Sir_11:30 . In the first of these places David says, "The king of Israel is come out to hunt a partridge on the mountains;" and in the second, "The partridge sitteth," on eggs, "and produceth," or hatcheth, "not: so he that getteth riches, and not by right, shall leave them in the midst of his days, and at his end shall be contemptible." This passage does not necessarily imply that the partridge hatches the eggs of a stranger, but only that she often fails in her attempts to bring forth her young. To such disappointments she is greatly exposed from the position of her nest on the ground, where her eggs are often spoiled by the wet, or crushed by the foot. So he that broods over his ill-gotten gains will often find them unproductive; or, if he leaves them, as a bird occasionally driven from her nest, may be despoiled of their possession. As to the hunting of the partridge, which, Dr. Shaw observes, is the greater, or red-legged kind, the traveller says: "The Arabs have another, though a more laborious method of catching these birds; for, observing that they become languid and fatigued after they have been hastily put up twice or thrice, they immediately run in upon them, and knock them down with their zerwattys, or bludgeons as we should call them." Precisely in this manner Saul hunted David, coming hastily upon him, putting him up incessantly, in hopes that at length his strength and resources would fail, and he would become an easy prey to his pursuer. Forskal mentions a partridge whose name in Arabic is kurr; and Latham says, that, in the province of Andalusia in Spain, the name of the partridge is churr; both taken, no doubt, like the Hebrew, from its note.

Easton's Bible Dictionary

In  1 Samuel 26:20 "David alludes to the mode of chase practised now, as of old, when the partridge, continuously chased, was at length, when fatigued, knocked down by sticks thrown along the ground." It endeavours to save itself "by running, in preference to flight, unless when suddenly started. It is not an inhabitant of the plain or the corn-field, but of rocky hill-sides" (Tristram's Nat. Hist.).

In   Jeremiah 17:11 the prophet is illustrating the fact that riches unlawfully acquired are precarious and short-lived. The exact nature of the illustration cannot be precisely determined. Some interpret the words as meaning that the covetous man will be as surely disappointed as the partridge which gathers in eggs, not of her own laying, and is unable to hatch them; others (Tristram), with more probability, as denoting that the man who enriches himself by unjust means "will as surely be disappointed as the partridge which commences to sit, but is speedily robbed of her hopes of a brood" by her eggs being stolen away from her.

The commonest partridge in Palestine is the Caccabis saxatilis, the Greek partridge. The partridge of the wilderness (Ammo-perdix heyi) is a smaller species. Both are essentially mountain and rock birds, thus differing from the English partridge, which loves cultivated fields.

Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible

Partridge ( qôrç’ ,   1 Samuel 26:20 ,   Jeremiah 17:11 ). Two kinds of partridge abound in Palestine. The chukar or rock partridge ( Caccabis chukar ) is the commonest of game birds. Its cry may be heard all over the land, and large coveys may be encountered in the autumn. It is distinguished by its red legs. It is excellent eating. Hey’s sand partridge ( Ammoperdix heyi ) occurs in enormous numbers around the Dead Sea. It is probably the partridge referred to in   Isaiah 26:20 : its short flights from place to place when hunted; Its hiding, trusting to its invisibility on account of its colour being so like the environment; its quick run from danger before taking to wing; and its final capture when too wearied to fly must form a very suitable image of a poor human fugitive remorselessly pursued. The reference in   Jeremiah 17:11 is hard to understand; it may perhaps refer to the fact that when disturbed from their nests such birds sometimes never return. In Sir 11:30 the heart of a proud man is compared to a decoy partridge in a cage. It is still customary in Palestine to hunt the red-legged partridge by the aid of such decoys.

E. W. G. Masterman.

Smith's Bible Dictionary

Partridge. (Hebrew, kore ) Partridge occurs only  1 Samuel 26:20 and  Jeremiah 17:11. The "hunting this bird upon the mountains,"  1 Samuel 26:20, entirely agrees with the habits of two well-known species of partridge, namely, Caccabis saxatilis , the Greek partridge, (which is the commonest partridge of the Holy Land), and Ammoperdix heyii . Our common partridge, Perdix cinerea , does not occur in Palestine.

(The Greek partridge somewhat resembles our red-legged partridge in plumage, but is much larger. In every part of the hill country, it abounds, and its ringing call noted, in early morning, echoes from cliff to cliff alike amid the barrenness of the hills of Judea, and in the glens of the forest of Carmel. - Tristram's Natural History of the Bible. The flesh of the partridge and the eggs are highly esteemed as food, and the search for the eggs at the proper time of the year is made a regular business. - Editor).

Morrish Bible Dictionary

The word qone signifies 'caller' and this suits the common Palestine partridge because of its loud ringing call. Two things are said of this bird. David, when pursued by Saul, compares himself to a partridge hunted on the mountains.  1 Samuel 26:20 . This agrees with the way in which the partridges are taken: they are chased on the mountains till they are tired out. The other passage,  Jeremiah 17:11 , says, "as the partridge sitteth on eggs and hatcheth them not; so he that getteth riches and not by right, shall leave them in the midst of his days, and at his end shall be a fool." In the margin it reads, she "that gathereth young which she hath not brought forth." This rendering is confirmed by the LXX and Vulgate and is supposed to refer to the partridge sitting upon eggs she has not laid, such eggs being left in her nest on the ground by other birds. When hatched the young birds desert her. This agrees with the context. The Caccabis saxatilis and Ammoperdix Heyii are known in Palestine.

Wilson's Dictionary of Bible Types

 1 Samuel 26:20 (a) David compares his weakness and helplessness, to the condition of the partridge or the quail which has no power against the hunter, nor the wolf.

 Jeremiah 17:11 (a) This is a type of man's work wherein he partly succeeds and partly fails. The quail hatches her eggs in her nest, but the nest is so deep, and there are so many eggs in it that the lower ones in the bottom row may not receive the heat of her body and therefore do not hatch. It is so in Christian work. Some will be successful, and some will fail. There will always be some who believe and some who do not. No work done by man is completely successful. It also means, as given by Moffatt, "like a partridge hatching eggs it never laid, so is the man who makes money unfairly; it leaves him ere his life is over, and in the end he proves himself a fool."

American Tract Society Bible Dictionary

A well-known bird, three varieties of which are found in Palestine. Saul's hunting of David like a partridge upon the mountain,  1 Samuel 26:20 , may be illustrated by an occasional practice of the Arabs, who, observing that this bird becomes languid on being started several times in quick succession, at length rush suddenly in upon it and knock it over with their clubs. In  Jeremiah 17:11 , we may best render, as the partridge gathereth eggs which she hath not laid; the meaning being that she loses her toil since the young birds, when hatched, forsake her.

Webster's Dictionary

(1): ( n.) The ruffed grouse (Bonasa umbellus).

(2): ( n.) Any one of several species of quail-like birds belonging to Colinus, and allied genera.

(3): ( n.) Any one of numerous species of small gallinaceous birds of the genus Perdix and several related genera of the family Perdicidae, of the Old World. The partridge is noted as a game bird.

King James Dictionary

P`ARTRIDGE, n. L. perdix. A wild fowl of the genus Tatrao. Latham arranges the partridge and quail in a genus under the name of Perdix, and assigns the grous to the genus Tetrao. The partridge is esteemed a great delicacy at the table.

The term partridge is applied in Pennsylvania to the bird called quail in New England, a peculiar species of Perdix in New England it is applied to the ruffed grous, a species of Tetrao.

Holman Bible Dictionary

 1 Samuel 26:20 Jeremiah 17:11

Kitto's Popular Cyclopedia of Biblial Literature

Fig. 288—Partridge

Partridge (;; ). Late commentators state that there are four species of the tetrao (grouse) of Linnæus abundant in Palestine: the francolin (T. francolinus), the katta (T. alchata), the red-legged or Barbary partridge (T. petrosus), and the Greek partridge (T. saxatilis). In this now obsolete classification there are included not less than three genera, according to the more correct systems of recent writers, and not one strictly a grouse occurs in the number, though the real T. Urogallus, or cock of the woods, is reported to frequent Asia Minor in winter, and in that case is probably no stranger in Libanus. There is, however, the genus Pterocles, of which the P. alchata is the katta, ganga, cata, and pin-tailed grouse of authors, a species very common in Palestine, and innumerable in Arabia; but it is not the only one, for the sand-grouse of Latham (P. arenarius) occurs in France, Spain, Barbary, Arabia, Persia, and on the north side of the Mediterranean, or all round Palestine. P. Arabicus, and probably P. exustus, or the Arabian and singed gangas, occur equally in the open districts of the south, peopling the desert along with the ostrich. All are distinguished from other genera of Tetraonidæ by their long and powerful wings, enabling them to reach water, which they delight to drink in abundance; and by this propensity they often indicate to the thirsty caravan in what direction to find relief. They feed more on insects, larvae, and worms than on seeds, and none of the species having a perfect hind toe, that reaches the ground, they run fast: these characteristics are of some importance in determining whether they were held to be really clean birds, and consequently could be the selav of the Israelites, which our versions have rendered 'quail' [[[Quail; Unclean Birds]]]

The Francolin forms a second genus, whereof the common tree-partridge is the Syrian species best known, though most likely not the only one of that country. It is larger than the ganga; the male is always provided with one pair of spurs (though others of the genus have two), and has the tail longer than true partridges. This species is valued for the table, is of handsome plumage, and common from Spain and France, on both sides of the Mediterranean, eastward to Bengal.

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

par´trij ( קרא , ḳōrē'  ; Latin perdix  ; Septuagint,   1 Samuel 26:20 , νυκτικόραξ , nuktikórax , "owl,"  Jeremiah 17:11 , πέρδιξ , pérdix ): a bird of the family Tetraonidae. The Hebrew word for this bird, ḳōrē' , means "a caller," and the Latin perdix is supposed to be an imitation of its cry, and as all other nations base their name for the bird on the Latin, it becomes quite evident that it was originally named in imitation of its call. The commonest partridge of Palestine, very numerous in the wilderness and hill country, was a bird almost as large as a pheasant. It had a clear, exquisite cry that attracted attention, especially in the mating season. The partridge of the wilderness was smaller and of beautifully marked plumage. It made its home around the Dead Sea, in the Wilderness of Judea and in rocky caverns. Its eggs were creamy white; its cry very similar to its relatives'. The partridge and its eggs were used for food from time immemorial.

The first reference to it is found in  1 Samuel 26:20 : "Now therefore, let not my blood fall to the earth away from the presence of Yahweh: for the king of Israel is come out to seek a flea, as when one doth hunt a partridge in the mountains." David in this dialogue with Saul clearly indicates that if he did not hunt the partridge himself, he knew how it was done. The birds were commonly chased up the mountains and stunned or killed with "throw sticks." David knew how deft these birds were at hiding beside logs and under dry leaves colored so like them as to afford splendid protection; how swiftly they could run; what expert dodgers they were; so he compared taking them with catching a flea. The other reference is found in   Jeremiah 17:11 : "As the partridge that sitteth on eggs which she hath not laid, so is he that getteth riches, and not by right; in the midst of his days they shall leave him, and at his end he shall be a fool." If this reference is supposed to indicate that partridges are in the habit of brooding on the nest of their kind or of different birds, it fails wholly to take into consideration the history of the bird. Partridges select a location, carefully deposit an egg a day for from 10 to 15 days, sometimes 20, and then brood, so that all the young emerge at one time. But each bird knows and returns to its nest with unfailing regularity. It would require the proverbial "Philadelphia lawyer" to explain this reference to a "partridge sitting on eggs she had not laid." No ornithologist ever could reconcile it to the habits or characteristics of the birds. the King James Version translated these lines, "As the partridge sitteth on eggs, and hatcheth them not." This was easy to explain clearly. The eggs of the partridge were delicious food, and any brooding bird whose nest was discovered after only a few days of incubation did not hatch, because she lost her eggs. Also the eggs frequently fall prey to other birds or small animals. Again, they are at the mercy of the elements, sometimes being spoiled by extremely wet cold weather. Poultry fanciers assert that a heavy thunder storm will spoil chicken eggs when hatchingtime is close; the same might be true with eggs of the wild. And almost any wild bird will desert its nest and make its former brooding useless, if the location is visited too frequently by man or beast.

There is also a partridge reference in the Book of  Sirach 11:29 ff the Revised Version (British and American)): "Bring not every man into thine house; for many are the plots of the deceitful man. As a decoy partridge in a cage, so is the heart of a proud man; and as one that is a spy, he looketh upon thy falling. For he lieth in wait to turn things that are good into evil; and in things that are praiseworthy he will lay blame." The reference is to confining a tame partridge in a hidden cage so that its calls would lure many of its family within range of arrows or "throw sticks" used by concealed hunters.

Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature

Bibliography Information McClintock, John. Strong, James. Entry for 'Partridge'. Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature. https://www.studylight.org/encyclopedias/eng/tce/p/partridge.html. Harper & Brothers. New York. 1870.