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Bible Dictionaries
Honey
American Tract Society Bible Dictionary
or Was formerly very plentiful in Palestine, and hence the frequent expressions of Scripture which import that that country was a land flowing with milk and honey, Leviticus 20:24 . Wild bee honey was often found in hollow trees and clefts in the rocks, Deuteronomy 32:13 Psalm 81:16; and on this John the Baptist fed, Matthew 3:4 . Honey was highly prized, Psalm 19:10 Proverbs 5:3 27:7 . Modern travellers observe that it is still very common there, and that the inhabitants mix it in all their sauces. Forskal says the caravans of Mecca bring honey from Arabia to Cairo, and that he has often seen honey flowing in the woods in Arabia. It would seem that this flowing honey is bee honey, and this fact illustrates the story of Jonathan, 1 Samuel 14:25,27 . But there is also a vegetable honey that is very plentiful in the East. Burckhardt, speaking of the productions of the Ghor, or valley of the Jordan, says one of the most interesting productions of this place is the Beyrouk honey, as the Arabs call it. It was described to him as a juice dropping from the leaves and twigs of a tree called Gharrab, of the size of an olive tree, with leaves like those of the popular, but somewhat broader. The honey collects on the leaves like dew, and is gathered from them, or from the ground under the tree. Another vegetable product is referred to in the Bible as honey, 2 Corinthians 13:14 . It is syrup, prepared by boiling down the juice of dates, etc. That made from grapes is called dibs, and is much used by the Arabs as a condiment with food. It resembles thin molasses, and is pleasant to the taste, Genesis 43:11 .
These files are public domain and are a derivative of the topics are from American Tract Society Bible Dictionary published in 1859.
Rand, W. W. Entry for 'Honey'. American Tract Society Bible Dictionary. https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/eng/ats/h/honey.html. 1859.
