the Week of Proper 28 / Ordinary 33
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Bible Encyclopedias
Grass
Kitto's Popular Cyclopedia of Biblical Literature
or The original word which is thus translated in , , , , etc.; is rendered herb in; hay, in , and; and court, in but in , it is translated leeks. Hebrew scholars state that the word signifies 'greens' or 'grass' in general; and it is no doubt clear, from the context of most of the above passages, that this must be its meaning. 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.
In , the word is rendered leeks, and the name is supposed to have been applied to them from the resemblance of their leaves to grass, and from their being conspicuous for their green color. It is probable, however, as suggested by Hengstenberg, that the vegetable really meant is a kind of grass called the fenugreek, an annual plant known in Egypt under the name of Helbeh. It very much resembles clover, except that it has more pointed leaves and whitish blossoms, and is eaten by the common people in Egypt with special relish. 'Although,' says Sonnini, 'horses, oxen, and the buffaloes eat this helbeh with equal relish, it appears not to be destined equally for the sustenance of animals.' The Egyptians themselves eat the fenugreek so much, that it can properly be called the food of men. In the month of November they cry 'Green helbeh for sale' in the streets of the towns. It is tied up in large bunches which the inhabitants eagerly purchase at a low price, and which they eat with incredible greediness, without any species of seasoning. They pretend that this singular diet is an excellent stomachic or specific against worms and dysentery; in fine, a preservative against a great number of maladies. After so many excellent properties, real or supposed, it is not astonishing that the Egyptians hold this 'grass' in so great estimation, that, according to one of their proverbs, 'Fortunate are the feet which tread the earth on which grows the helbeh.'
Public Domain.
Kitto, John, ed. Entry for 'Grass'. "Kitto's Popular Cyclopedia of Biblical Literature". https://www.studylight.org/encyclopedias/eng/kbe/g/grass.html.
