מְלִילָה
a head of grain (as cut off)
Definition
The Hebrew noun מְלִילָה (mᵉlîylâh) refers specifically to a head of grain that has been cut or plucked from the stalk. It denotes the harvested, edible portion of a cereal plant, such as wheat or barley, ready for consumption or threshing. Its single biblical occurrence in Deuteronomy 23:25 illustrates this precise agricultural object, distinguishing it from the standing grain in the field. The word carries the inherent sense of something severed or taken, focusing on the grain as a gathered resource.
Biblical Usage
This word is used only once in the entire Old Testament, in Deuteronomy 23:25. The context is the law permitting a person passing through a neighbor's grain field to pluck and eat heads of grain with their hands, but not to use a sickle. The usage is purely agricultural and legal, providing a concrete example within the Torah's instructions on property, generosity, and sustenance.
Etymology
מְלִילָה derives from the root מְלַל (mᵉlal, H4449), which carries a sense of speaking or uttering, but in this nominal form, it draws from a related concept of cropping or cutting off. This connection is seen by comparing it to the root מוּל (mûl, H4135), meaning 'to circumcise' or 'to cut off.' Thus, the etymology highlights the grain head as something 'cut off' from its stalk.
Semantic Range
While the word itself is a common agricultural term, its sole use in Deuteronomy 23:25 places it within a significant theological framework of God's provision and social justice. This law teaches principles of compassion, neighborly love, and trust in God's sustenance, ensuring that the hungry could find immediate relief without violating property rights. It is this very law that Jesus and his disciples appealed to in Luke 6:1-5, enriching our understanding of biblical continuity and Jesus' interpretation of the Torah.
In ancient Israelite agrarian society, grain (wheat and barley) was a staple food source. The right to pluck heads of grain by hand while passing through a field was a recognized form of hospitality and welfare for travelers and the poor, preventing starvation without enabling theft or harvest destruction. This practice reflected a community-oriented culture where sustenance was shared within divinely set boundaries.
שִׁבֹּלֶת (shibbōleth, H7641) — a general term for an ear or spike of grain, often still on the stalk (e.g., Genesis 41:5-7).
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 →