Jeremiah 15:3

(3) Four kinds.—The sword, as the direct instrument of death, is followed by those that follow up its work, the beasts and birds of prey that feed on the corpses of the slain. The latter feature has naturally been from the earliest stages of human history the crowning horror of defeat. So Homer, Il. i. 4 :—

“And many mighty souls of heroes sentTo Hades, and their bodies made a preyTo dogs and to all birds.”