DOVE

DOVE (Heb. יוֹנָה, yonah), the domesticated (Columba domestica) as well as the wild pigeon, of which several species are found in Ereẓ Israel, in whose caves and rock clefts brood large flocks of rock pigeons (Columba livia), considered to be the original species of the domesticated variety. It builds its nest in the clefts of precipitous rocks inaccessible to birds and animals of prey (Jer. 48:28). Sepulchral chambers, hewn in caves in several places in Israel, are used by doves for brooding, and in the Bet Guvrin region there are columbaria consisting of tens of thousands of such chambers. Among the varieties of the rock pigeon is a wild variety found in Jerusalem which broods under the caves of houses and is known as the "loft-dove" in contradistinction to the "cote dove" which is bred (Tosef., Beẓah 1:10). The Mishnah refers to the catching of wild doves in nets (bk 7:7). The dove, which is permitted as food, was brought as an offering by the poor (Lev. 5:7) and by the Nazirite (Num. 6:10). Because of their importance as a sacrifice, the state of the young doves' development was taken into account when intercalating the year (Sanh. 11a). The sages held that the dove was eligible for sacrifices because "there is none among the birds more persecuted than doves" (bk 93a). It is monogamous, the female following the male (cf. Hos. 7:11). At nesting time the males coo (Isa. 59:11). The dove symbolizes beauty, innocence, and purity (Song 1:15; 5:2). The "benei yonah" which were used as sacrifices are defined in the Talmud as tender young doves until "their feathers begin to glisten"; they are identical with the gozal (Gen. 15:9; cf. Kin. 2:1; Ḥul. 22b). Of a superior domestic stock were the "hardesiot" doves, a name derived, some contend, from that of King Herod who, according to Josephus, bred doves (Jos., Wars, 5:181; cf. Ḥul. 139b). Among those ineligible to act as witnesses is one who decoys doves from his neighbor's dovecote or who engages in pigeon races (Sanh. 25a). The first dove mentioned in the Bible is the one sent by *Noah which brought back an olive leaf (Gen. 8:8–11) – according to rabbinic tradition from the Mount of Olives.

bibliography:

Lewysohn, Zool, 199ff.; Tristam, Nat Hist, 211–6; Y. Aharoni, Torat ha-Ḥai, 1 (1923), 103–5; F.S. Bodenheimer, Ha-Ḥai be-Arẓot ha-Mikra, 2 (1956), 385–92; J. Feliks, Animal World of the Bible (1962), 54. add bibliography: Feliks, Ha-Ẓome'aḥ, 238.

[Jehuda Feliks]

dove¹ / dəv/ • n. 1. a stocky seed- or fruit-eating bird of the pigeon family, with a small head, short legs, and a cooing voice. 2. a person who advocates peaceful or conciliatory policies, esp. in foreign affairs.Compare with hawk¹ (sense 2). DERIVATIVES: dove·like / -ˌlīk/ adj.dov·ish adj. (in sense 2).dove² / dōv/ • past of dive.

dove this bird is traditionally a symbol of peace.

In Christian art, a dove often stands for the Holy Spirit, as in Luke 3:22, in the account of Jesus being baptized by John in Jordan, ‘And the Holy Spirit descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him.’ The dove in biblical terms is also associated with an olive branch as a messenger of peace and deliverance, as in the account in Genesis 8:8–12, of the dove sent out from the ark by Noah, which returned from its second flight with an olive leaf in its beak, ‘so Noah knew that the waters were abated from the earth’.

A dove is the emblem of St Ambrose, St David, St Gregory, and the Welsh-born St Samson, 6th-century bishop of Dol in Brittany.

In 20th century political usage, a dove is a person who (unlike a hawk) advocates peaceful or conciliatory policies, especially in foreign affairs.

Dove. A bird of the pigeon family. Much symbolism is focused on the dove which ancient natural history (wrongly) regarded as a gentle and humble bird, noted for its fidelity. As the bird that returned to the ark with an olive-branch, it is a symbol of peace (cf. Genesis 8. 11); as the bird that descended on Christ at his baptism, it is a symbol of the Holy Spirit (cf. Mark 1. 10). The dove is also a symbol of the Church, the faithful human soul, or divine inspiration. The ‘eucharistic dove’ was a popular vessel in medieval Europe for the reservation of the Blessed Sacrament.

dove Cooing, plump-bodied bird found almost worldwide. Doves are related to pigeons, and have small heads, short legs and dense, varied plumage. They feed mostly on vegetable matter. Length: 15–83cm (6–33in). Family Columbidae.