In our modern society, wings are associated with freedom and movement. Spreading your wings is an idiom relating to independence. This is very different from how ancient Israel used the symbolism. They used wings as symbol of healing and protection. The Hebrew word for wings is kanaph. This can also mean extremity or edge and is associated with a garment. I will get to that soon.
Wings of healing and protection
First a few examples showing the symbolic meaning of wings in the Old Testament.
3 For thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong from the enemy.
4 I will abide in thy tabernacle for ever: I will trust in the covert of thy wings (Hebr. kanaph). (Psalm 61)
Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings (Hebr. kanaph) will I rejoice. (Psalm 63:7)
2 I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I .
3 Surely he shall deliver thee from the of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.
4 He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings (Hebr. kanaph) shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy and . (Psalm 91)
When "trust" is used in Psalm 61 and 91 in the KJV, the underlying Hebrew is more commonly translated into "seek refuge". Refuge and protection is what we find under the wings of God. This does not mean that the Israelites believed that God was a winged being. They were more interested in his attributes than physical appearance and often used metaphors to describe them. Another well-known example is Malachi 4:2
But unto you that fear my name shall the of righteousness with healing in his wings (Hebr. kanaph); and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the .
This is an expression that Nephi uses too and that probably originates with the prophet Zenos.
Behold, they will him; and after he is laid in a for the space of days he shall from the dead, with healing in his wings; and all those who shall believe on his name shall be saved in the kingdom of God. (2 Nephi 25:13)
These examples demonstrate that the symbolism of wings is understood differently by ancient Israelites than modern Westerners. The symbolic meaning has to do with healing and protection more than independence and freedom. With that established, let us move on to some other interesting aspects of this symbol.
The wings of the garment
As mentioned, the Hebrew 'kanaph' means both wings and extremity and edge and can refer to the borders of a garment. Somehow the wings of God were the edges of his garments that covered the Psalmist and the righteous.
Lord Wilmore wrote two posts about the instruction for Israel to put fringes in the borders of their garments. (See here and here). Let's have another look at the verse giving this instruction.
Speak unto the children of Israel, and bid them that they make them in the (Hebr. kanaph) of their garments throughout their generations, and that they put upon the fringe of the borders (Hebr. kanaph) a ribband of blue: (Numbers 15:38)
The fringes and ribband of blue were reminders of God's commandments and linked to heaven, blooming and eternal life, as Lord Wilmore explains in his posts. The use of kanaph here adds another dimension. The fringes on the kanaph would mean that the reminder of God's commandments protected the Israelite from the consequences of following the lust of their own hearts and eyes. There is a clear covenant connotation here that I will get back to in the next part. First there are two more examples of the connection between wings and garments that I want to discuss.
In 1 Samuel 24 there is a story where king Saul seeks David's life out of jealousy. As he eases himself in a cave, he is unaware of David sneaking up behind him and cutting off the kanaph of his garment. This is to demonstrate that even though Saul seeks his life, David does not want to harm him even when he had the chance. David later calls out to Saul, showing him the kanaph as a witness to his determination not to harm the king. Still, David feels terrible about what he has done, indicating that there is significance to the cutting of the kanaph. Metaphorically, David is clipping Saul's wings. I am not sure if this would be understood as Saul losing his protection or losing his ability as king to offer protection, but I am inclined to believe the latter. The NRSV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible explains:
In acceding to the people’s demand for a king, Yahweh did not relinquish his rights as Great King over his inheritance to the human monarch. Rather, the human king was to be Yahweh’s vice-regent and was to subordinate himself within an authority structure that Yahweh himself would stipulate
With this context it is easy to imagine the king's garment with its "wings" as an earthly representation of Yahwehs protective garment/wings. The kings were not just to rule but to offer the people protection as part of their jurisdiction. David stripped Saul of this authority in a humiliating gesture and felt bad about it afterwards.
5 And it came to pass afterward, that David’s heart smote him, because he had cut off Saul’s skirt (Hebr. kanaph).
6 And he said unto his men, The Lord forbid that I should do this thing unto my master, the Lord’s anointed, to stretch forth mine hand against him, seeing he is the of the Lord. (1 Samuel 24)
Shortly after this event, David wrote Psalm 57. Consider the subheading to this psalm and the first verse
To the chief Musician, Al-taschith, Michtam of David, when he fled from Saul in the cave.
1 Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in thee: yea, in the shadow of thy will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast.
He had just cut Saul's kanaph and is troubled by the trial resulting from a king who seeks his life, but finds refuge in the kanaph of God. As Yahweh's vice-regent, this king was supposed to offer such protection but had utterly failed to do. Fortunately, the kanaph of God never fails.
Over to the final example of this part. But there is much more to say about this topic so I will write more in my next post. This is from the Book of Ruth, that I find absolutely beautiful. Ruth shows great faith, diligence and care and loyalty to her mother-in-law. This is noticed by Boaz who treats her kindly and praises her.
11 And Boaz answered and said unto her, It hath fully been shewed me, all that thou hast done unto thy mother in law since the death of thine husband: and how thou hast left thy father and thy mother, and the land of thy nativity, and art come unto a people which thou knewest not heretofore.
12 The Lord recompense thy work, and a full be given thee of the Lord God of Israel, under whose (Hebr. kanaph) thou art come to trust. (Ruth 2)
Again, the KJV uses "trust" where most other translations would use "seek refuge". As a foreigner from a different land with different gods, Ruth has come in under the protection of Yahwehs wings. Since Boaz is the next of kin (technically there was someone even nearer but he declined), it is his responsibility to "redeem" Ruth. (See this post about the role of the kinsman-redeemer). This is what Ruth appeals to in the next chapter.
8 And it came to pass at midnight, that the man was afraid, and turned himself: and, behold, a woman lay at his feet.
9 And he said, Who art thou? And she answered, I am Ruth thine handmaid: spread therefore thy skirt (Hebr. kanaph) over thine handmaid; for thou art a near . (Ruth 3)
When kanaph is translated into words as diverse as wings, skirt and borders it is difficult to immediately see this connection that exists in the Hebrew Bible. Here it seems that Ruth is referring to Boaz' statement from the chapter before. In his role as redeemer, Boaz is to emulate God in offering protection by covering her with his "wings". The garment of Boaz symbolize the wings of God and is an act of redemption and protection. We don't really see protection as the primary need of a young widow in a modern Western society, but in ancient Israel, a widow who was much more vulnerable and protection essential. This story of a widow being redeemed is also about a foreigner who is gathered into the fold of a covenant people and offered the protection that comes with that. This is a topic I will explore further in the next part.