The Phoenix Bird, also known as the firebird, is the least mentioned of all the mythical animals in this series. While it is not mentioned, by name, in the King James Bible, it is listed in the Jewish Publication Society translation of the Old Testament.
Oh that I were as in the months of old, as in the days when God watched over me; when His lamp shined above my head, and by His light I walked through darkness . . .
Then I said: 'I shall die with my nest, and I shall multiply my days as the phoenix;' (Job 29:1 - 2, 18, Jewish Publication Society).
The Hebrew word from which "phoenix" is derived in the JPS version of Job 29:18 is khole (Strong's Concordance #H2344). In the King James Bible khole is translated as "sand."
Then I said, I shall die in my nest, and I shall multiply my days as the sand (khole). (Job 29:18, KJV).
The Keil and Delitzsch Commentary believes that khole should be rendered as "phoenix" just like in the JPS.
Then I thought: With my nest I shall expire, And like the phoenix, have a long life (Job 29:18, Keil and Delitzsch Commentary).
Keil and Delitzsch's justification for using "phoenix" in Job 29:18 is the following.
"That this bird is none other than the phoenix, is put beyond all doubt by the Midrashim (collected in the Jalkut on Job, ยง517) . . .
"On the contrary, we must immediately welcome a reference to the Arabico-Egyptian myth of the phoenix, that can be proved, in a book which also otherwise thoroughly blends things Egyptian with Arabian . . . " (Keil and Delitzsch Commentary, comments on Job 29:18 - 20).
The Jamieson, Fausset and Brown Commentary also states both the Septuagint and Vulgate Bible translations support using this mythical animal in Job 29:18.
"But the Septuagint and Vulgate, and Jewish interpreters, favor the translation, "the phoenix bird." "Nest" in the parallel clause supports the reference to a bird. "Sand" for multitude, applies to men, rather than to years.
"The myth was, that the phoenix sprang from a nest of myrrh, made by his father before death, and that he then came from Arabia (Job's country) to Heliopolis (the city of the Sun) in Egypt, once in every five hundred years, and there burnt his father [Herodotus, 2:73]. "
Characteristics
Even in translations like the Septuagint and Vulgate, where the phoenix bird is mentioned, nothing is stated about this animal except that it has a long life.
Traditional depictions of a Phoenix bird, however, usually show it with feathers colored gold, orange and red. The bird itself is shown many times glowing like the sun and in or surrounded by fire without being harmed.
Symbolism
According to the Dictionary of Symbols in Western Art, in early Christian funerary sculpture the Phoenix bird is used as a symbol of the resurrection and the hope of victory over death.
A Hidden Phoenix
The word "Phoenix" is found once in most Bible translations of the New Testament. The city, spelled "Phenice" in the King James version of Acts 27:12, was located on the island of Crete. Its name is derived from the Greek Phoinix (Strong's Concordance #G5405).
The Apostle Paul's ship, in 60 A.D. during his fourth missionary journey, is blown to Crete. It ultimately finds its way to the southern port of Fair Havens where it stays for a short time. The ship, rather than stay in port during the treacherous winter season, makes the ill-fated decision to try and reach Phoenix on the western part of the island.
Paul's ship never makes it to Phoenix. Strong winds and a stormy sea blow the vessel away from Crete. Unable to control the ship she is allowed to go wherever the wind takes her. This leads to the ship, more than two weeks later, running aground near Malta.
Now when much time had been spent, and sailing was now dangerous because the Fast (the Day of Atonement / Yom Kippur) was already over, Paul advised them, saying, "Men, I perceive that this voyage will end with disaster . . .
And because the harbor (of Fair Havens) was not suitable to winter in, the majority advised to set sail from there also, if by any means they could reach Phoenix, a harbor of Crete opening toward the southwest and northwest, and winter there. (Acts 27:9 - 10, 12, NKJV).
Other Fascinating Facts
The city of Phoenix, Arizona in the U.S. was named after the mythical bird. The city is the capital of Arizona and its most populous area with 1.6 million residents as of the 2020 census. It is also, as of 2020, the fifth most populous city in the United States.
In mythology, the phoenix is a bird that is associated with the sun and can be reborn. Every five hundred years, according to some popular legends, it dies in flames and is reborn out of its own ashes.
S. Cyril of Jerusalem, a Catholic church "father" who lived during the middle of the 4th century A.D., stated the following regarding this legendary creature.
"But the Greeks ask for a resurrection of the dead still manifest; and say that, even if these creatures are raised, yet they had not utterly mouldered away; and they require to see distinctly some creature rise again after complete decay. God knew men's unbelief, and provided for this purpose a bird, called a Phoenix . . .
"For it makes itself a coffin of frankincense and myrrh and other spices, and entering into this when its years are fulfilled, it evidently dies and moulders away.
Then from the decayed flesh of the dead bird a worm is engendered, and this worm when grown large is transformed into a bird . . . becoming fledged and a full-grown Phoenix . . ." (Early Church Fathers: Second Series, Volume 7, Lecture XVIII).
Clement of Rome, who died around 100 A.D., is considered one of the "fathers" of what would become the Roman Catholic Church. He is possibly the first person to use this bird to teach Christian doctrines. He uses it, in his first Epistle to the Corinthians, as a symbol of Jesus' resurrection from the dead (History of the Christian Church, Volume 2, Clement of Rome).
According to the Talmud, the phoenix bird (Hol) was the only animal in the Bible who refused to eat the forbidden fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Because of its obedience, God not only allowed it to stay in the Garden of Eden but also gave it immortality.