Cucumber

Fausset's Bible Dictionary

A product abounding in Egypt, a variety of which, the Cucurtis Chafe , is "the queen of cucumbers" (Hasselquist). A variety of the melon; hence the Israelites pined for this Egyptian dainty in the wilderness ( Numbers 11:5). Qishu , from Qaasha' "to be hard," it being an indigestible food. Tristram observed quantities of the common cucumber in Palestine.  Isaiah 1:8; "a lodge (a lonely box for watching in against depredations) in a garden of cucumbers," so solitary was Zion to be, as such a lodge when deserted and wrecked by the winds, the poles fallen or leaning every way, and the green boughs which had shaded it scattered.

Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary

קשאים , σικυος , cucumis,   Numbers 11:5 , the fruit of a plant very common in our gardens. Tournefort mentions six kinds, of which the white and green are most esteemed. They are very plentiful in the east, especially in Egypt, and much superior to ours. Maillet, in describing the vegetables which the modern Egyptians have for food, tells us, that melons, cucumbers, and onions are the most common; and Celsius and Alpinus describe the Egyptian cucumbers as more agreeable to the taste and of more easy digestion than the European.

American Tract Society Bible Dictionary

A vegetable very plentiful in the East, especially in Egypt,  Numbers 11:5 , where they are esteemed delicacies, and form a great part of the food of the lower class of people, especially during the hot months. The Egyptian cucumber is similar in form to ours, but larger, being usually a foot in length. It is described by Hasselquist as greener, smoother, softer, sweeter, and more digestible than our cucumber.

Wilson's Dictionary of Bible Types

 Isaiah 1:8 (b) This vegetable is used by the prophet to remind Israel that their heart's desire had led them into a life of worthless, useless activity such as they had experienced in Egypt. Cucumbers have no food value, and were one of the principle foods in Egypt. GOD let them have their desire and sent leanness into their souls.

Morrish Bible Dictionary

qishshuim. Probably the water melon, common in Egypt and highly valued in that hot country: the Israelites longed for them.  Numbers 11:5;  Isaiah 1:8 .

Webster's Dictionary

(n.) A creeping plant, and its fruit, of several species of the genus Cucumis, esp. Cucumis sativus, the unripe fruit of which is eaten either fresh or picked. Also, similar plants or fruits of several other genera. See below.

Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature

is the translation of קַשֻּׁא , Kishshu' (so called probably from its Difficulty Of Digestion ; Sept. Σίκυος ), in our Auth. Vers., and the correctness of this rendering has been almost universally admitted. It occurs in  Numbers 11:5, where the Israelites, when in the desert, express their longings for the melons and the cucumbers of Egypt. The Hebrews is so similar to the Arabic kissa that there can be very little doubt of their both meaning the same thing. Celsus (Hierobot . 2:247) gives keta, kati, and kusaia as different pronunciations of the same word in different Oriental languages. It does not follow that these names always indicate exactly the same species, since in the different countries they would probably be applied to the kinds of cucumber most common, or perhaps to those which were most esteemed in particular localities. Thus, in Egypt (see Prosp. Alpin, Plantt. AEg. c. 38, p. 54), the name kati appears to be applied to the species which is called Cucumis chate by botanists, and "queen of cucumbers" by Hasselquist, who describes it as the most highly esteemed of all those cultivated in Egypt (Trav. p. 258). See Melon In India the name kissa is applied by the Mohammedans to the Cucumus utilissimus, or the common kukree of the natives, while in Persia and Syria the same name would probably be applied only to the common cucumber, or Cucumis sativus, as the two preceding species are not likely to be much known in either country. The Talmudists (Maaser. 1:4; Terumoth, 2:6; 6:6; Baba Mez. 7:5) have קַשּׁוֹת , and the Phoenicians had the word Κουσίμεζαρ (Diosc. 4:152), which is probably. Xrp מצר קשא , "cucumber of Egypt"= Σίκυς Ἄγριος . The same name for cucumber exists in all cognate languag

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

kū´kum - bẽr ( קשׁאים , ḳishshu'ı̄m  ; σίκυος , sı́kuos ): One of the articles of food for which Israel in the wilderness looked back with longing to Egypt ( Numbers 11:5 ). Cucumbers are great favorites with all the people of Palestine. Two varieties occur, Cucumis sativus (Arabic, Khyār ), originally a product of Northwest India, which is smooth-skinned, whitish and of delicate flavor, and requires much water in its cultivation, and Cucumis chate (Arabic, faqqūs ), which is long and slender but less juicy than the former. Probably the Biblical reference is to this latter as it is a plant much grown in Egypt where it is said to attain unusual excellence.

A "garden of cucumbers" or more literally a "place of cucumbers" ( miḳshāh ), is mentioned in  Isaiah 1:8; Baruch 6:70. "A lodge in a garden of cucumbers" ( Isaiah 1:8 ) is the rough wooden booth erected by the owner from which he keeps guard over his ripening vegetables. It is commonly raised upon poles and, when abandoned for the season, it falls into decay and presents a dreary spectacle of tottering poles and dead leaves.

Kitto's Popular Cyclopedia of Biblial Literature

Cucumber first occurs in , in the verse where the Israelites, when in the desert, express their longings for the melons and the cucumbers of Egypt. All travelers in the East notice the extensive cultivation and consumption of cucumbers and other herbs of the same tribe, especially where there is any moisture of soil, or the possibility of irrigation. Thus even in the driest parts, the neighborhood of a well is often occupied by a field of cucurbitaceous plants, generally with a man or boy set to guard it from plunder, perched up on a temporary scaffolding, with a slight protection from the sun, where he may himself be safe from the attacks of the more powerful wild animals. That such plants appear to have been similarly cultivated among the Hebrews is evident from , 'The daughter of Zion is left like a cottage in a vineyard, like a lodge in a garden of cucumbers;' as well as from Letter of Jeremiah 6:70, 'As a scarecrow in a garden of cucumbers keepeth nothing, so are their gods of wood.'