בֶּצֶל
an onion
Definition
The Hebrew word בֶּצֶל (betsel) refers specifically to the onion, a bulbous vegetable known for its pungent flavor and layered structure. It appears only once in the Old Testament, in Numbers 11:5, where the Israelites, wandering in the wilderness, nostalgically recall the foods they ate in Egypt, including onions. The term denotes the common garden onion, a staple food item in the ancient Near East. There are no other biblical senses or metaphorical uses of this word; it consistently refers to the literal vegetable.
Biblical Usage
This word is used only in Numbers 11:5. It occurs within a complaint narrative where the Israelites express their longing for the varied and flavorful diet they had in Egypt, contrasting it with the manna God provided in the wilderness. The context is a list of desirable foods: fish, cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic. Its usage highlights a moment of ingratitude and misplaced desire among God's people.
Etymology
The noun בֶּצֶל (betsel) is derived from an unused Hebrew root that apparently means 'to peel,' a fitting origin given the onion's layered, peelable nature. Cognates exist in related Semitic languages, such as Ugaritic *bṣl* and Arabic *baṣal*, both meaning 'onion,' indicating a common ancient term for this vegetable across the region.
Semantic Range
In the ancient Near East, onions were a common, inexpensive food crop and a dietary staple, valued for their flavor and ability to be stored. Their mention in Numbers 11:5 alongside other produce paints a picture of Egypt as a land of agricultural abundance and variety. The Israelites' longing for such 'free' foods (Numbers 11:5) stands in stark contrast to their divinely provided but monotonous diet of manna, revealing a cultural attachment to the security and sensory pleasures of their former life, even under oppression.
שׁוּם (shum, H7762) — garlic, another pungent bulb mentioned alongside the onion in Numbers 11:5. חָצִיר (chatsir, H2682) — leek, a related allium vegetable also listed in the same verse.
Word Details
How this works
Hebrew definitions are from Brown-Driver-Briggs (1906) and Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (1890), both public domain. BDB was groundbreaking for its era but reflects 19th-century assumptions about Semitic etymology. Modern scholarship (HALOT, DCH) has revised many entries. Use these definitions as a starting point for exploration, not as the final word on a term's meaning in context.
Full methodology & sources →