Leek
LEEK
A bulbous vegetable resembling the onion. The Hebrews complained in the wilderness, that manna grew insipid to them; they longed for the leeks and onions of Egypt, Num 11:5 . Hassel-quist says the karrat, or leek, is surely one of those after which the Israelites pined; for is has been cultivated in Egypt from time immemorial. The Hebrew word is usually translated “grass” in the English Bible. Its original meaning is supposed to be greens or grass.
Fuente: American Tract Society Bible Dictionary
Leek
Leek. A bulbous vegetable resembling the onion which grows 15 centimeters (about six inches) high. The stems and bulbs of leeks were eaten raw and used to flavor foods. Named with garlic and onions, the leek was a food which the Hebrew people ate in Egypt ( Num 11:5).
Fuente: Plants Animals Of Bible
Leek
(, chatsir’, from , to enclose, also to grow green; occurs in several places in the Old Testament, where it is variously translated, as grass in 1Ki 18:5; 2Ki 19:26; Job 40:15; Psa 37:2, etc.; Isa 15:6, etc.; herb in Job 8:12; hay in Pro 27:25, and Isa 15:6; and court in Isa 34:13; but in Num 11:5 it is translated leeks:” Sept. , Vulg. pori). Hebrew scholars state that the word signifies greens or grass in general; and it is Ino doubt clear, from the context of most of the above passages, that this must be its meaning. SEE GRASS. There is, therefore, no reason why it should not be so translated in all the passages where it occurs, except in the last. It is evidently incorrect to translate it hay, as in the above passages of Proverbs and Isaiah, because the people of Eastern countries, as it has been observed, do not make hay. The author of Fragments, in continuation of Calmet, has justly remarked on the incorrectness of our version, The hay appeareth, and the tender grass showeth itself, and the herbs of the mountains are gathered (Pro 27:25): Now certainly, says he, if the tender grass is but just beginning to show itself, the hay, which is grass cut and dried after it has arrived at maturity, ought by no means to be associated with it; still less ought it to be placed before it. The author continues: The word, I apprehend, means the first shoots, the rising, just budding spires of grass. So in Isa 15:6. SEE HAY.
In the passage at Num 11:5, where the Israelites in the desert long for the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlic of Egypt, it is evident that it was not grass which they desired for food, but some green, perhaps grass-like vegetable, for which the word chatsir is used. In the same way that in this country the word greens is applied to many varieties of succulent plants as food, in India subzi, from subz, “green,” is used as a general term for herbs cooked as kitchen vegetables. It is more than probable, therefore, that chatsir is here similarly employed, though this does not prove that leeks are intended. Ludolphus, as quoted by Celsius (Hierobot. 2:264), supposes that it may mean lettuce, or salads in general, and others that the succory or endive may be the true plant. But Rosenmller states, The most ancient Greek and the Chaldee translators unanimously interpret the Hebrew by the Greek , or leeks. The name, moreover,:seems to have been specially applied to leeks from the resemblance of their leaves to grass, and from their being conspicuous for their green color. This is evident from minerals even having been named from on account of their color, as prasius, prasites, and chrvsoprasium. The Arabs use the word kras, or krath, as the translation of the of the Greeks, and with them it signifies the leek, both at the present day sand in their older works. It is curious that of the different kinds described, one is called kurasal-bukl, or leek used as a vegetable. That the leek is esteemed in Egypt we have the testimony of Hasselquist, who says (Travels, p. 291), The kind called karrat by the Arabs must certainly have been one of those desired by the children of Israel, as it has been cultivated and esteemed from the earliest times to the present time in Egypt. The Romans employed it much as a seasoning to their dishes (Horace, Eph 1:12; Eph 1:21; Martial, 3:47, 8), and it is an ingredient in a number of recipes in Apicius referred to by Ceisius (Hierobot. 2:263; comp. Pliny, Hist. Nat. 19:6; Hiller, Hierophyt. pt. 2, p. 36; Diosc. 2:4; Athen. 4:137,170). The leek (Allium porrum) was introduced into England about the year 1562, and thence, in due time, into America; and, as is well known, it continues to be esteemed as a seasoning to soups and stews in most civilized countries.
There is, however, another and a very ingenious interpretation of chatsir, first proposed by Hengstenberg, and received by Dr. Kitto (Pictorial Bible, Num 11:5), which adopts a more literal translation of the original word, for, says Kitto, among the wonders in the natural history of Egypt, it is mentioned by travelers that the common people there eat with special relish a kind of grass similar to clover.” Mayer (Reise nach AEgyptien, p. 226) says of this plant (whose scientific name is Trigonella Faenum- graecum, belonging to the natural order Legumniose) that it is similar to clover, but its leaves more pointed, and that great quantities of it are eaten by the people. Forskal mentions the Trigonella, as being grown in the gardens at Cairo; its native name is Halbeh (Flor. AEgyptiaca, p. 81). Sonnini (Voyage, 1:379) says, In this fertile country the Egyptians themselves eat the fenu-grec so largely that it may be properly called the food of man. In the month of November they cry Green halbeh for sale!’ in the streets of the town; it is tied up in large bunches, which the inhabitants purchase at a low price, and which they eat with incredible greediness without any kind of seasoning. The seeds of this plant, which is also cultivated in Greece, are often used; they are eaten boiled or raw, mixed with honey. Forskal includes it in the materia medica of Egypt (Matthew Med. Kahir. p. 155). There does not appear, however, sufficient reason for ignoring the old versions, which all seem agreed that the leek is the plant denoted by chatsir, a vegetable from the earliest times a great favorite with the Egyptians, as both a nourishing and savory food. Some have objected that, as the Egyptians held the leek, onion, etc., sacred, they would abstain from eating these vegetables themselves, and would not allow the Israelites to use them (compare Juvenal, Sat. 15:9). We have, however, the testimony of Herodotus (2:125) to show that onions were eaten by the Egyptian poor, for he says that on one of the pyramids is shown an inscription, which was explained to him by an interpreter, showing how much money was spent in providing radishes, onions, and garlic for the workmen. The priests were not allowed to eat these things, and Plutarch (De Isaiah et Osir. 2, p. 353) tells us the reasons. The Welshman reverences his leek, and wears one on St. David’s day; he eats the leek nevertheless, and doubtless the Egyptians were not overscrupulous (Script. Herbal. p. 230).
Fuente: Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature
Leek
(Heb. hatsir; the Allium porrum), rendered “grass” in 1 Kings 18:5, 2 Kings 19:26, Job 40:15, etc.; “herb” in Job 8:12; “hay” in Prov. 27:25, and Isa. 15:6; “leeks” only in Num. 11:5. This Hebrew word See ms to denote in this last passage simply herbs, such as lettuce or savoury herbs cooked as kitchen vegetables, and not necessarily what are now called leeks. The leek was a favourite vegetable in Egypt, and is still largely cultivated there and in Palestine.
Fuente: Easton’s Bible Dictionary
Leek
Num 11:5
Fuente: Nave’s Topical Bible
Leek
Leek. A vegetable similar to the onion, after which the Israelites longed in the wilderness. Num 11:5. The same word is elsewhere rendered “grass,” 1Ki 18:5; 2Ki 19:26; Job 40:15; Psa 37:2;” herb,” Job 8:12 : “hay,” Pro 27:25, tea. 15:6. The specific translation “leek” is questionable.
Fuente: People’s Dictionary of the Bible
Leek
, in Num 11:5, translated leek; in 1Ki 18:5; 2Ki 19:26; Job 40:15; Psa 37:2; Psa 90:5; Psa 103:15; Psa 104:14; Psa 129:6; Psa 147:8; Isa 35:7; Isa 37:27; Isa 40:6, it is rendered grass; in Job 8:12, herb; in Pro 27:25; Isa 15:6, hay; and in Isa 34:13, a court. It is much of the same nature with the onion. The kind called karrat by the Arabians, the allium porrum of Linnaeus, Hasselquist says, must certainly have been one of those desired by the children of Israel, as it has been cultivated and esteemed from the earliest times to the present in Egypt. The inhabitants are very fond of eating it raw, as sauce for their roasted meat; and the poor people eat it raw with their bread, especially for breakfast. There is reason, however, to doubt whether this plant is intended in Num 11:5, and so differently rendered every where else: it should rather intend such vegetables as grow promiscuously with grass. Ludolphus supposes that it may mean lettuce and sallads in general; and Maillet observes, that the succory and endive are eaten with great relish by the people in Egypt: some or all of these may be meant.
Fuente: Biblical and Theological Dictionary
Leek
Num 11:5 (c) The six vegetables mentioned in this passage refer to six kinds of pleasures with which the Egyptians regaled themselves. None of them are stable, none of them are very profitable, all of them have an unhappy odor, none of them are a source of strength for the body. These are used as types of various kinds of pleasures and pursuits offered by the world to those who belong to this world and have never tasted the heavenly manna. The things which the world offer hardly satisfy for more than one day at a time. The game played today does not satisfy the craving for tomorrow. The music played today is not acceptable tomorrow. The show that is seen today has no attraction for tomorrow.