Leek

American Tract Society Bible Dictionary

A bulbous vegetable resembling the onion. The Hebrews complained in the wilderness, that manna grew insipid to them; they longed for the leeks and onions of Egypt, Numbers 11:5 . Hassel-quist says the karrat, or leek, is surely one of those after which the Israelites pined; for is has been cultivated in Egypt from time immemorial. The Hebrew word is usually translated "grass" in the English Bible. Its original meaning is supposed to be greens or grass.

Easton's Bible Dictionary

1 Kings 19:26Job 40:15Job 8:12Proverbs 27:25Isaiah 15:6Numbers 11:5

People's Dictionary of the Bible

Leek. A vegetable similar to the onion, after which the Israelites longed in the wilderness. Numbers 11:5. The same word is elsewhere rendered "grass," 1 Kings 18:5; 2 Kings 19:26; Job 40:15; Psalms 37:2;" herb," Job 8:12 : "hay," Proverbs 27:25, tea. 15:6. The specific translation "leek" is questionable.

Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary

הציר , in Numbers 11:5 , translated "leek;" in 1 Kings 18:5; 2 Kings 19:26; Job 40:15; Psalms 37:2; Psalms 90:5; Psalms 103:15; Psalms 104:14; Psalms 129:6; Psalms 147:8; Isaiah 35:7; Isaiah 37:27; Isaiah 40:6 , it is rendered "grass;" in Job 8:12 , "herb;" in Proverbs 27:25; Isaiah 15:6 , "hay;" and in Isaiah 34:13 , "a court." It is much of the same nature with the onion. The kind called karrat by the Arabians, the allium porrum of Linnaeus, Hasselquist says, must certainly have been one of those desired by the children of Israel, as it has been cultivated and esteemed from the earliest times to the present in Egypt. The inhabitants are very fond of eating it raw, as sauce for their roasted meat; and the poor people eat it raw with their bread, especially for breakfast. There is reason, however, to doubt whether this plant is intended in Numbers 11:5 , and so differently rendered every where else: it should rather intend such vegetables as grow promiscuously with grass. Ludolphus supposes that it may mean lettuce and sallads in general; and Maillet observes, that the succory and endive are eaten with great relish by the people in Egypt: some or all of these may be meant.

Webster's Dictionary

(1):

(v. i.) To make sport; to gibe; to sneer; to spend time idly.

(2):

(n.) Three of the same cards held in the same hand; - hence, three of anything.

(3):

(n.) A jest or scoff; a trick or deception.

(4):

(n.) An enticing look or glance.

(5):

(n.) A game at cards, once popular, played by three persons.

Wilson's Dictionary of Bible Types

Numbers 11:5 (c) The six vegetables mentioned in this passage refer to six kinds of pleasures with which the Egyptians regaled themselves. None of them are stable, none of them are very profitable, all of them have an unhappy odor, none of them are a source of strength for the body. These are used as types of various kinds of pleasures and pursuits offered by the world to those who belong to this world and have never tasted the heavenly manna. The things which the world offer hardly satisfy for more than one day at a time. The game played today does not satisfy the craving for tomorrow. The music played today is not acceptable tomorrow. The show that is seen today has no attraction for tomorrow.

Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature

Bibliography InformationMcClintock, John. Strong, James. Entry for 'Leek'. Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature. https://www.studylight.org/encyclopedias/eng/tce/l/leek.html. Harper & Brothers. New York. 1870.