Barley
Barley in the Promised Land
Barley holds a place of honor among the seven species that defined the agricultural bounty of the Promised Land. In Deuteronomy 8:8, Moses describes the land God was giving Israel as "a land of wheat and barley, and vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive oil and honey." The failure of the barley crop was considered a national disaster, as the prophet Joel indicates when he calls the farmers to mourn over their ruined harvests (Joel 1:11).
The Grain of the Common People
While wheat was the preferred grain for bread, barley was the staple food of the poor and common folk. It was less expensive and grew readily in the diverse conditions of Palestine. Ruth gleaned barley in the fields of Boaz during the harvest season (Ruth 2:17), and the prophet Elisha fed a crowd with twenty loaves of barley bread (2 Kings 4:42). Barley was also the primary grain used to feed horses and donkeys (1 Kings 4:28), since oats were virtually unknown in the ancient Near East.
Barley as a Symbol of Humble Origins
The association of barley with common people and modest circumstances gives it symbolic weight in several biblical stories. When a Midianite soldier dreams of a barley loaf tumbling into the camp and flattening a tent, his companion interprets it as a sign of Gideon's coming victory (Judges 7:13-14). The barley loaf represents the humble, peasant origins of Gideon's army, unlikely warriors whom God would use to defeat a far more powerful enemy.
Similarly, the prophet Ezekiel was commanded to make bread from a mixture of grains including barley, and to eat it under humiliating conditions as a sign of the deprivation coming upon Israel (Ezekiel 4:9-12).
Barley and the Miracle of the Five Thousand
The most famous New Testament reference to barley appears in the feeding of the five thousand, where Jesus multiplied five barley loaves and two fish to feed a vast crowd (John 6:9-13). The detail that the loaves were barley, the grain of the poor, underscores the modest resources from which Jesus created abundance. It also echoes the Elisha miracle and establishes Jesus as a prophet greater than Elisha, performing a similar sign on a vastly larger scale.
The Barley Harvest Season
The barley harvest was a well-defined season in the ancient Israelite calendar, beginning near Jericho as early as March or April and continuing in the hill country through May or early June. It preceded the wheat harvest by several weeks (Exodus 9:31-32). The beginning of the barley harvest coincided with the Feast of Firstfruits and the offering of the omer (Leviticus 23:10-11), connecting the agricultural cycle to Israel's worship calendar.
The book of Ruth is set during the barley harvest, and this seasonal marker places the story's events in spring, a time of new beginnings that mirrors Ruth's own journey from widowhood to redemption and new life.
Biblical Context
Barley is mentioned among the seven species of the Promised Land (Deuteronomy 8:8), in Ruth's gleaning (Ruth 2:17), Gideon's dream (Judges 7:13), Elisha's miracle (2 Kings 4:42), Ezekiel's sign-act (Ezekiel 4:9), and Jesus's feeding of the five thousand (John 6:9-13). The barley harvest season frames the book of Ruth and connects to Israel's festival calendar (Leviticus 23:10-11).
Theological Significance
Barley's association with humility and poverty makes it a fitting symbol of God's pattern of using the lowly to accomplish great things. From Gideon's barley-loaf dream to the five barley loaves that fed thousands, Scripture repeatedly shows God working through modest, ordinary means to display His extraordinary power. Barley reminds readers that God's kingdom often comes through the humble rather than the impressive.
Historical Background
Barley (Hordeum) was one of the earliest domesticated grains, cultivated in the Fertile Crescent for millennia before the biblical period. Several varieties grew in ancient Palestine, including two-rowed, four-rowed, and six-rowed barley, the last of which appears on ancient Egyptian monuments. Barley was always sown after the autumn early rains and harvested in spring. Archaeological evidence from sites across Israel confirms its widespread cultivation throughout the biblical period.