Cucumbers

From BiblePortal Wikipedia

Smith's Bible Dictionary [1]

Cucumbers. (Hebrew, kishshuim ). This word occurs in  Numbers 11:5, as one of the good things of Egypt produces; excellent cucumbers, melons, etc., the Cucumis chate being the best of its tribe yet known. Besides the Cucumis chate , the common cucumber (Cucumis sativus ), of which the Arabs distinguish a number of varieties, is common in Egypt.

"Both Cucumis chate and Cucumis sativus ", says Mr. Tristram, "are now grown in great quantities in Palestine. On visiting the Arab school in Jerusalem (1858), I observed that the dinner which the children brought with them to school consisted, without exception, of a piece of barley cake and a raw cucumber, which they ate rind and all."

The "lodge in a garden of cucumbers,"  Isaiah 1:8, is a rude temporary shelter erected in the open grounds where vines, cucumbers, gourds, etc., are grown, in which some lonely man or boy is set to watch, either to guard the plants from robbers or to scare away the foxes and jackals from the vines.

Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible [2]

Cucumbers . Two varieties of cucumber are very common in Palestine. The Cucumis sativus (Arab. [Note: Arabic.] khyâr ), a smooth-skinned, whitish cucumber of delicate flavour, is a prime favourite with the Arabs. It is cool and juicy, but for cultivation requires abundant water. The second ( C. chate , Arab. [Note: Arabic.] [in Jerusalem] faqqûs , [in Syria] qiththâ ) is a long slender cucumber, less juicy than the former. The reference in   Numbers 11:5 is probably to the latter, which is an Egyptian plant. The ‘ lodge in a garden of cucumbers’ (  Isaiah 1:8 ) is the rough booth erected by the owner, raised, as a rule, high upon poles, from which he may keep guard over his ripening vegetables. When the harvest is over, the ‘lodge’ is not taken down but is allowed to drop to pieces. It is a dreary ruin of poles and dried branches during more than half the year.

E. W. G. Masterman.

Easton's Bible Dictionary [3]

 Numbers 11:5

Isaiah speaks of a "lodge" (1:8; Heb. sukkah), i.e., a shed or edifice more solid than a booth, for the protection throughout the season from spring to autumn of the watchers in a "garden of cucumbers."

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