Wheat (Hastings' Dictionary)

The following Heb. words are used for ' wheat.' 1. 1; bar, 12 Mr (Arab, burr), is most frequently tr. 'corn' (Gn 41«-« 423- «, Ps 6o»- > 7211.16, Pr U, ). In four places (Jer 23^, Jl 2", Am 5" 8") ' wheat ' is the more correct rendering. 2. [jn daghan. This is generic for cereals (see Corn). It is, however, twice tr. in AV 'wheat' (Nu 18>^ .ler 31'-; RV 'corn'). 'Corn' (generic) is undoubtedly correct. 3. ms"? riphfAh. Once (2 S 17'") tr.

in AV ' ground corn,' RV ' bruised com,' and once (Pr 27") AV ' wheat,' RV ' bmised corn.' The Arabs have two ways of preparing this substance, (a) The wheat is boiled, dried in the sun, and then cracked under a wheel or in a mortar. So prepared it is called hurghul. The fragments are exceedingly hard, and resist the action of weevils and other insects, (b) The wlieat is cracked under a hand millstone, without previous boiling. This preparation is called jerish.

It is quite similar iu appearance and properties to our wheaten grits. 'Though thou shouldest bray a fool in a mortar among wheat with a pestle' (Pr 27, ), may refer to the preparation of these grits with a hand mortar, or to the process of pounding giits in a stone mortar with a wooden pestle, with meat, onions, and spices, in making klbbeh, the favourite national dish of Bible lands. \. ■■!?" Idttah (.-Vrab. hint/ih). This is the specific word for wheat, as distinguished from other cereals.

Grains of wheat have been found in very ancient tombs in Egypt, and in the ruins at Tell el-Hesy iu Palestine. Wheat is first mentioned in Gn 30", where its harvest sea.son is designated (cf. Ex 34**, Jg 15', Ru 2^, 1 S 6"), as also the barley harvest (Ru I^ 2^). The wheat harvest commences in the lowlands of the Jordan Valley in April, and ends on subalpine Lebanon in August. Wheat was an article of export from Judaia (Ezk 27").

It wa» WHEEL AVHIRLWIXD 915 offered in sacrifice (Ex 34^), as were all cereals (Nii 18" ddghan = ' com,' as in KV, not ' wlio.it ,' as in AV). It was of different oualities (Ps 81'" 147"). Some produced 10<i grains (Mt 13'). Tliis is not an e.\aggeration in the case of the Egyptian nlieat (Gn 4F-), the panicle of which is compound. 'Kidneys of wheat' (Dt 32") doubtless relers to the fat grains of the best (jualities.

It is usual at the present day to cut off bunches of the fattest wlieat ears while still green, and toast them in the lire. Other cereals are treated in the same way. Thus cooked, they are the 'green ears of corn dried by tlie fire, even com bejiten out of the full ears ' ( A V Lv 2", KV ' corn in the ear parched with lire, bruised com of the fresh ear '), and ' parclied corn,' Heb. 'parched' (1 S 17" 25", 2 S 17'^). Tliey are a favourite food of the people a month or so before the harvest.

The Arabs call them fcrih. Nearly ripe ears are rubbed out in the hands, and the grains eaten raw (Lk 6' etc.) An car of corn was called shibholcth, which the Ephraimites pro- nounced sibhokth (Jg 12"). See Shiuholeth. The wild original of wheat is unknown. Some have suggested that it is derived from /Egilups ovata, L. Only one species of wild wheat, Triti- cum monococcum, L., is found in Palestine, and that only in northernmost Syria. G. E. Po.sT.