Bible History Online
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
BARLEY
bar'-li (se`orah):
(1) In the Bible, as in modern times, barley was a characteristic product of Israel--"a land of wheat and barley, and vines and fig-trees," etc. (Dt 8:8), the failure of whose crop was a national disaster (Joel 1:11). It was, and is, grown chiefly as provender for horses and asses (1 Ki 4:28), oats being practically unknown, but it was, as it now is, to some extent, the food of the poor in country districts (Ruth 2:17; 2 Ki 4:42; Jn 6:9,13). Probably this is the meaning of the dream of the Midianite concerning Gideon: "Behold, I dreamed a dream; and, lo, a cake of barley bread tumbled into the camp of Midian, and came unto the tent, and smote it so that it fell, and turned it upside down, so that the tent lay flat. And his fellow answered and said, This is nothing else save the sword of Gideon, the son of Joash, a man of Israel" (Jdg 7:13 f). Here the barley loaf is type of the peasant origin of Gideon's army and perhaps, too, of his own lowly condition.
Barley was (Ezek 4:9) one of the ingredients from which the prophet was to make bread and "eat it as barley cakes" after having baked it under repulsive conditions (Ezek 4:12), as a sign to the people. The false prophetesses (Ezek 13:19) are said to have profaned God among the people for "handfuls of barley and for pieces of bread."
Barley was also used in the ORDEAL OF JEALOUSY (s.v.). It was with five barley loaves and two fishes that our Lord fed the five thousand (Jn 6:9,10).
(2) Several varieties of barley are grown in Israel The Hordeum distichum or two-rowed barley is probably the nearest to the original stock, but Hordeum tetrastichum, with grains in four rows, and Hordeum hexastichum, with six rows, are also common and ancient; the last is found depicted upon Egyptian monuments.
Barley is always sown in the autumn, after the "early rains," and the barley harvest, which for any given locality precedes the wheat harvest (Ex 9:31 f), begins near Jericho in April--or even March--but in the hill country of Israel is not concluded until the end of May or beginning of June.
The barley harvest was a well-marked season of the year (see TIME) and the barley-corn was a well-known measure of length.
See WEIGHTS AND MEASURES.
E. W. G. Masterman Bibliography Information
Orr, James, M.A., D.D. General Editor. "Definition for 'barley'". "International Standard Bible Encyclopedia". bible-history.com - ISBE; 1915.
Copyright Information
© International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE)
ISBE Bible Encyclopedia Home
Bible History Online Home
Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE)
Online Bible (KJV)
Naves Topical Bible
Smith's Bible Dictionary
Easton's Bible Dictionary
Schaff's Bible Dictionary
Fausset's Bible Dictionary
Matthew Henry Bible Commentary
Hitchcock's Bible Dictionary
Related Bible History
Popular and Trending:
Meaning of the name
Alexander, Alexander the Great, Alexander the Coppersmith,
Syria and Bible Prophecy,
Bible Study about Syria, What the Bible Says about Syria and Damascus, Isaiah 17,
The Bible and Palm
Trees, Bible Study about the Palm Tree, The Righteous Will Flourish like a Palm
Tree Psalm 92:12,
Definition of Paraclete, Bible study about the Holy Spirit and the Paraclete,
Paracletus in the Greek,
Games in the Bible, What
Games Did Kids Play in Biblical Times? Which Kinds of Games Existed in the Time
of Jesus?, The
Church at Thyatira, What Was the Message to Thyatira, Revelation 2 and Thyatira,
history of Thyatira,
David and Goliath, How Tall Was Goliath, Archaeological Discoveries and Goliath,
Goliath And Philistine History,
Who Was Titus in the Bible,
Paul's Letter to Titus, Bible Study Lessons in Titus,
Meaning of the Name
Tanner, Bible Study about Simon the Tanner, Acts 10:6 Peter Was Staying at the
House of Simon the Tanner, What Was a Tanner