Swallow: 1. Heb. sis
(Isaiah 38:14; Jeremiah 8:7) the Arabic for the swift, which
"is a regular migrant, returning in myriads every spring, and so
suddenly that while one day not a swift can be seen in the
country, on the next they have overspread the whole land, and
fill the air with their shrill cry." The swift (cypselus) is
ordinarily classed with the swallow, which it resembles in its
flight, habits, and migration.
2. Heb. deror, i.e., "the bird of freedom"
(Psalms 84:3; Proverbs 26:2)
properly rendered swallow, distinguished for its swiftness of
flight, its love of freedom, and the impossibility of retaining
it in captivity. In
(Isaiah 38:14; Jeremiah 8:7) the word thus
rendered ('augr) properly means "crane" (as in the R.V.).
